Rami Niranjan Desai is an Author, Anthropologist and a scholar of the North East region of India. She focuses on ethnic identity, tribal issues and insurgency. She also comments and keeps a track of developments on the Indo Pacific and current affairs. She is presently Distinguished fellow at India Foundation, New Delhi and Consulting Editor, Global Orde. She wrote an article titled ‘Why the US shouldn’t meddle in the Bangladesh election. The article was published on the ‘India Today’ journal on June 05, 2023.
According to the article, the recent push by the US to ‘ensure democracy’ in South Asia has been in Bangladesh with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently announcing that any individual seen as undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh would face visa restrictions. The US Assistant Secretary, Bureau South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu also reiterated the centrality of ‘promotion of democracy across the world’ in the Biden Harris administration.
Some have seen this move as a mere retaliation to the removal of police protocol of four diplomatic missions to Bangladesh, including the US. But not only Sheikh Hasina’s allegation against the US, where she accused them of seeking a ‘regime change’ but also the history of US interference across the world points towards a more complex situation.
Rami Niranjan Desai also wrote, the US has historically had an involvement in the functioning and focus on ‘regime change’ in countries across the world where either it deems the regime as authoritarian and in need for democracy or unsupportive of US interests. In the early days, their involvement was overt, such as in the case of Hawaii, Cuba and the Caribbean countries but after World War II and with the establishing of the CIA in 1947, their operations became more covert. There was Iran in 1953, Guatemala in 1954, South Vietnam in 1963 amongst many others through the decades.
In more recent memory, it was widely reported that the CIA was responsible for the Petooktobarska revolution and the subsequent ‘regime change’, engineering the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. In 2003, it was responsible for the invasion of Iraq but not before proposing a ‘regime change’ in the United Nations that was met with staunch opposition by many members. The former national security advisor to the US Zbigniew Brzezinski had also argued that George W Bush’s attempts to use democracy as an instrument against terrorism were risky and dangerous.
However, in South Asia, India’s northwestern frontier has been left in a precarious position with both Pakistan and Afghanistan in turmoil. A mess so large that it could possibly be labelled the most prominent geopolitical collapse since Iraq. The US decision to exit Afghanistan after decades of trying to maintain a US friendly democratic government has not only let down the people of Afghanistan but jeopardized the whole security of the region. For the world, the US had reneged on its moral obligation, but for the US it had a been a job, that was completed.
As President Biden justified to the American people that their objective of entering Afghanistan had been accomplished by neutralizing Osama bin Laden and other anti-US terrorists. It didn’t seem of concern to the US that by the time they exited Afghanistan, the Taliban had been in the strongest military position since 2001, controlling nearly half the country, while the US had the lowest number of troops on the ground.
On the contrary, the US virtually handed over Afghanistan in a closed door deal without any concern for democratic rights of women and minorities, values that they professed to cherish above all. It was apparent that the US was not interested in building a safe Afghanistan for Afghans but to simply fulfil their counter terrorism interests.
Neighbouring Pakistan was not left untouched either. As Imran Khan once said that the US only finds Pakistan useful to clean up its mess. It used Pakistan’s access to Afghanistan for supplies and resources to support its troops in Afghanistan. It could not have had access through Iran because of their souring relationship nor through the Russia-aligned northern countries. But Pakistan has been a different story from the very beginning.
Heavily dependent on aid, the US spent nearly $30 billion dollars on Pakistan for their support in Afghanistan. The Bush administration, it is reported, had pumped in almost $10 billion dollars in aid during the Musharraf era with no deal regarding a democratic transition for the country which was under his dictatorship and not to forget that most of this aid went to the military. This is a situation that is a reminder of the US support to West Pakistan even as they were responsible for the genocide in the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war the US unabashedly supported a military dictatorship in West Pakistan and a regime that was entirely autocratic even though the then US consulate general in Dhaka advised otherwise.
The reality is that the US and other western powers see these regions through their over ambitious perception of themselves. They enter on moral grounds but leave for self-serving purposes. In Afghanistan it became clear that a third option, or a more nuanced exit was not even on the cards. The least that the Afghans deserved. And in the case of Pakistan , there was not only premature and miscalculated celebration of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan by the Pakistanis but today they have to contend with Tehrik- e – Taliban Pakistan and the new lease of life that it has given to Pashtun nationalism. Mostly a situation that is owed to the US intervention in Afghanistan.
The US is clearly seeking to ensure its dominance across the world. The Biden Harris administration has many times claimed the leader of the free world” position rooted in the values of democracy. Their observations, pressure and sanctions against countries to ensure democracy however does not seem to apply equally across the world.
For instance, the Arab world is somehow kept out of the ambit of the US’s democratic and human rights dialogue. Their deafening silence on the Jamal Khashoggi death and the accountability of Saudi Arabia in the matter was only one such instance that was fortunate enough to be covered internationally. However, there are rampant human rights violations and legitimate concerns towards the treatment of women and minorities in these countries in addition to none of them being democratic. One would think the US would want to intervene and cement its position as the leader of the free world”, instead one is pointed to the importance of the Persian Gulf in its security policy. According to one report, there are around 80 countries hosting US bases across the world and more than 50 percent of them have little or no democratic rule.
In the context of the chequered US history of intervening in countries to promote democracy it would be wise for Sheikh Hasina to tread carefully as the elections in Bangladesh comes closer. After the US imposed sanctions several members of Rapid Action Battalion, an elite paramilitary unit which the US alleges were sanctioned for alleged extra judicial killings and disappearances, followed by US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas meeting families of victims as well as opposition leader Sajedul Islam Sumon’s family, it appears that the US has set its sights on Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina, foreseeing imminent interference, has typically not minced her words, saying in Parliament that, They are trying to eliminate democracy and introduce a government that will not have a democratic existence, it’ll be an undemocratic action.”
India too must keep a close eye on these developments. After US intervention in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the mess that has been left at India’s northwestern frontier has left New Delhi in a tricky situation. A similar situation on the northeastern border of the country would be much too complex. As for the US, the world does not need a global leader anymore. In a quick developing multipolar world, all that the US needs to do is have faith in the ability of people across the world to make choices for themselves. And if the US still insists at playing leader of the free world”, then it would be advisable for them to begin with Afghanistan.
China is advancing the global movement toward de-dollarization. Beijing’s central bank is boosting its gold reserves while signing currency swap deals in yuan with countries like Argentina, encouraging the use of renminbi instead of US dollars.
The Sri Lankan ‘liberal’ fights for allof the social progressivism of the West,and none of their industrial policiesthat made such lifestyles possible in the first place.They want Western decadence & colonial underdevelopment
Sri Lankan unions fight for higher & higher wages,but not for the kinds of industrial policiesthat would lead to the production of less & less-expensive goods.They envision a high-wage economy, not a low-cost one.-Shiran Illanperuma, Twitter
The US-funded thinktank Advocata wants ‘Women workers’ to ‘break’ the ‘shackles of time limits’. By shackles, they mean the Shop & Office Employees Act, Employment of Women, Young Persons & Children Act, and the Factories Ordinance. US Advocata weeps crocodile tears for such laws that place ‘restrictions on a woman’s right to engage in night work’. The UNP and SJB agree with the US thinktanks.
US Advocata also says ‘political will’ is ‘required to abolish the ‘Period Tax’. This relates to the failure to import lower-priced ‘feminine products’. The ‘protection’ of high-priced local products they argue is an attack on women’s rights.
US Advocata, et al, are all part of the forces calling for the abolition of labor laws and trade unions that protect workers. These anti-worker forces are led locally by the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC). These are the same people who, following the July 1980 General Strike, advocated the mass sackings that then provided the kindling for the wars that were ignited south & north for the decades to come. Amnesia’s just another word for the media called ‘mass’…
‘The mainstream media ‘discovered’ women’s rights
leading up to the US invasion of Afghanistan,
inundating the public with imagery of
‘burqa-clad women in need of liberation,’
and then ‘rediscovered’ these women
following the withdrawal in order to justify sanctions…
the media’s selective focus on ‘human rights’…
erases the harm caused by the violence of US wars…’
– ee Media, The Role of the Media in the US War on Afghanistan
Of course the USA discovered women’s rights in Afghanistan even as they were encouraging their ‘radical’ allies – ‘freedom fighters’ – to throw acid at women going to University, claiming education of women was communist policy!
• This week, we hear that England’s Guardian newspaper has ‘investigated’ the ‘hunger’ and squalor’ of Sri Lanka’s ‘poorly-paid’ & ‘harsh’ tea ‘industry’ (it’s not an industry! – ee). Following the Guardian report, some of the ‘world’s leading tea manufacturers‘ said they were ‘examining’ the conditions of workers on Sri Lanka’s tea plantations. Also note the Guardian’s English: ‘Sri Lanka’s once English-owned tea industry’. The link between England, the tea party, and our underdevelopment is a priority mystery that Enid Blyton or Agatha Christie never sought to unravel. Their detectives always missed the real criminals. Just like the English media. Will they unravel the accounting forensics of the Exporters & the Multinationals? (see ee May 2023 Part 2: Unilever’s Tempest)
Last month, ee wondered about Unilever’s ‘tampering’ in this tea game. ee reported on a show trial in Scotland ‘on behalf of’ workers on James Finlay’s tea plantations in Kenya. Also: on the purported takeover of JFK’s operations by ‘Sri Lankan firm’ Browns. And further: on the NGO Rainforest Alliance‘s suspension of their ‘certification’ of these tea exporters JFK and Unilever following a expose by England’s state broadcasting service BBC. So here they are again. ee keeps wondering about the who and how these NGOs were anointed with such powers. As usual, suspect greater concentration and monopoly is being exercised over the overall tea business.
Whatever happened to the proposal to grant English citizenship to India’s plantation workers in Sri Lanka’s hill-country? A privilege provided to their counterparts in Kenya and Uganda. One of them could be the next English Prime Minister! Or BBC announcer. Not that it matters who is ringmaster in that Three-Penny Opera called English democracy. (see ee Random Notes)
• Altered NativeEconomy – All is not lost. A liberal coalition of NGOs, trade unions & academics are proposing Alternatives to the IMF. They blame consumerism, unregulated free trade, illicit capital flows, the political class, government bureaucracy and domestic rentier elites for instigating the country’s ‘ongoing socioeconomic collapse’. They oppose the selling of state assets, and promote the sale of private assets! They lament the lack of a teetotaling entrepreneurial industrial capitalist class of yore, and advocate for capital controls and import substitution. (ee Focus)
• We cannot expect an English media – bound hand and foot to the multinational corporations and their banks – or their economists – to tell us that it is Wall Street’s ‘bond’ business that is behind Sri Lanka’s manipulated meltdown. Or about the need for industry:
‘Sri Lanka has failed to effectively promote industrial transformation’
(ee Focus, Sri Lanka in the Trap of Financial Capital)
• We hafta go to China for a report from Tsinghua University’s Department of International Relations: on how ‘international bonds have become an important financing tool for developing countries’. ISBs constitute most of Sri Lanka’s debt. Most of the interest Sri Lanka pays on debt, goes to paying interest on such bonds! They ‘have become the major debt burden on the countries that issue bonds’. Don’t expect English media to tell this. (ee Focus, Sri Lanka in the Trap of Financial Capital)
• This ee carries a report from a US Republican Party media organ (yes, Breitbart!) on the US government’s migration policy. They link such policy to ‘extractive’ colonial economic needs. Canada let in a million workers last year. The deal is to create an underclass of unprotected workers, fleeced renters and conspicuous consumers to enable the profits of the ‘big corporations’ and consolidate the upward mobility of a fraction of the professional-managerial class. Last week ee reported on the strike by truck drivers in Europe, up against the hidden power of truck makers like Benz, supplying the warehouses of General Electric and Amazon, etc. (see ee Focus)
Union minister for ports, shipping, and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off India’s first international cruise headed for Sri Lanka from the Chennai Port on Monday as part of a series of initiatives set off by the Centre to jump-start cruise tourism across the country.
The luxury ship, MV Empress, will reach the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, touch Trincomalee on the island nation’s northeastern coast and Kankesanturai in Jaffna district, before heading back to Chennai. The cruise features shopping areas, bars, swimming pools, cinemas, and more.
A government release on Monday said the International Cruise Terminal at the Chennai Port, built at a cost of Rs 17.21 crore, becomes operational with the flagging-off of MV Empress.
Speaking to News18 afterwards, Sonowal said the International Cruise Terminal in Mumbai and similar initiatives at Visakhapatnam, Mormugao in Goa, and Kolkata stand testament to the union government’s comprehensive push to build modern infrastructure” to leverage the east and west coasts.
Our Hon’ble Prime Minister has been telling us that there is enormous potential to develop cruise tourism in India. Under his guidance, the ministry of ports is taking several initiatives to develop modern infrastructure facilities,” the minister said, adding that the adoption rate since 2014 has gone up five times, helping the government realise the targets laid out in the Maritime India Vision 2030 policy.
Sonowal qualified the significance of the launch on Monday by saying it was the first time an international cruise was flagged off from Chennai. This is a beginning on a global scale too – India’s cruise liners are playing a big role, giving a boost to enhance our capacity and the growth of cruise tourism.”
According to a government release in February, the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 envisages mega Ports, transhipment hubs and infrastructure modernization of ports, estimating investments over Rs 1,00,000–1,25,000 crore for capacity augmentation and development of world-class infrastructure at Indian Ports. The upcoming ports at Vizhinjam (Kerala) and Wadhawan (Maharashtra) have natural drafts in excess of 18m that would enable ultra large container and cargo vessels to call on the ports.”
The Association of Health Professionals has revealed that the automatic vaccination machine of the PET Scan machine worth Rs. 200 million at the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama, is not in use for over a period of one year, due to the non-availability of FDG chemical and connection tubes.
When inquired by Ada Derana regarding the matter, Director of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital Dr. Aruna Jayasekara pointed out that apart from the automatic vaccinations with the PET Scan machine, other relevant tests are being carried out as usual through the machine.
The PET Scan machine is used to accurately identify the location of the cancer cells and treat it once an individual is diagnosed with cancer in a certain internal organ.
This machine was acquired by the Maharagama Cancer Hospital in 2018, with the assistance of Manusath Derana after collecting Rs. 200 million in funds together with the hospital and with the contributions of donors.
Later on, the hospital had purchased an automatic vaccination machine to inject the FDG chemical into the patients for the PET scans.
Meanwhile, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) says that it will take at least two weeks to restore this machine and recommence its activities.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has handed over the Letters of Appointment to several new High Court Judges, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.
Accordingly, the District Judges T.J. Prabhakaran, P.K. Parana Gamage, Assistant Secretary General of Parliament Tikiri K. Jayathilaka and Senior State Counsel K.D.Y.M. Nayani Nirmala Kasthuriratne have been appointed as High Court Judges.
The international financial system is associated with trade and non-trade transactions. The relationship between nations has many weaknesses that are not understood by many academics and practitioners who are operating in the system. It has communicated that seems to be jargon for average people. A major weakness of the international financial system has less concern for developing countries when it operates in deviated environments, as it is complicated by dynamism. It is vulnerable to changes in contrasting environments by the actions of major economies neglecting developing countries.
The spending of major economies relates to massive war spending affecting developing economies, despite the Keynesian theory that budgetary spending would lead to an increase in employment opportunities. The volume or the rate of association of transactions with the system are relegated to import and export activities and non-merchant transactions make discomforts for poor nations. For example, the foreign value of the Sri Lanka rupee has systematically increased after the support of the IMF, and the liberalization of imports or removing the restriction of import items might kill the advantage gained by Sri Lankan policy considerations on liberalization of imports as it was after 1978. If Sri Lanka wants to maintain a reasonably higher value of the rupee and build a higher volume of foreign currency reserves, import spending needs to restrict, and export income from merchandise and services such as tourism should be increased. This cannot be done overnight. Many developed countries faced various economic hardships and advantages during the past century.
This situation (economics) has not been understood by poor countries and rich countries. Rich countries want to push poor countries to import from them. The governor of the Central Bank of Brazil stated that an electronic determination would adjust the system. Those are mere talks and the reality might be different.
De-dollarization also was in the mind of many nations during the past ten years because fluctuation and the value changes of the US dollar have negatively influenced developing countries. Other hard currencies, such as French Franc and Sterling Pound, and others also have been creating difficulties in developing countries. This is the complicated problem that the international financial system has failed to solve during the past seventy years.
The trade-related transactions between nations relate to many points in the operation as they were concerned only with the price, however, many factors are not related to the price and non-price related factors such as the quality of goods and services that should have been contemplated by the countries associated with the international financial system. This situation should have been addressed by major partners of the system to give justice to poor nations during the past several decades, and the expected justice has not come to light in the system, it may have been the selfish attitudes of developed nations. It is a vital point that needs to be evaluated by developing and developed countries sitting together, but large economies were not concerned with the issues of poor countries. The political system in developed countries is structured to give more to the rich and disregard the poor.
Humans are not equal in the environment, anyhow, humans cannot ignore the environment like animals. Humans are living in a complicated environment with economically diverse countries, sometimes, it could observe some rich people are behaving extremely than animals. Developing countries have less power or condition to provide basic needs for poor people. Did the international financial system concerned with such people is the question that needs to be evaluated and increasing support for de-dollarization? The requirement has not been willing to discuss by developed nations. When people saw this in the international financial environment, this injustice, powerful nations willingly ignored and the international financial system did not concern to make attention to this injustice. This was the most regrettable situation that people observed during the past seventy years. What is needed in this situation is to develop policies to give justice to the poor rather than thinking about developing strategies to react against the changing environment of the globe.
Many guys are playing games in the modern world with technology and modernization encourages to develop of policies for the benefits of rich. Why is the world aligning with rich, ignoring poor is a complex question to be asked? People had a strong association with international trade practices in the 1930s. Some countries were blessed with the opportunities to convert their own currency units to hard currencies in the world. Although many countries were not willing highlight this factor, the truth was it and such countries hiding the truth in the modern uncertainty attempt to be saints.
The currency units of poor countries and developing nations have appearance to the negative consequences of the world, whilst currency units of many Western countries were becoming hard currencies after the operation of the International Monetary Fund, such countries ignored poor countries and openly talked to the world like real saviour of the world. The circumstance was an unreasonable nature of the international Financial System. Why and how is this situation unreasonable situation created in the modern world? That might be a complicated question, however, it considers the ability of the currency units of developing countries and the trade power of the giant partners in the Briton-wood system who disregarded the cry of poor countries. No analyst commented on the point in the past and it seemed the disinterest of rich countries talking about the issues of poor countries.
When America became a major country for international trade activities in the 20th century, the American dollar became the strong currency unit despite many issues in the world. Resulting the use of the American dollar for international trade settlements, poor countries faced enormous disadvantages and should have to earn American dollars to buy their essential requirements and the trade monopoly in rich countries prevented the possibility of poor countries to earn American dollars. What was the answer to the Briton-wood system, except providing credit facilities relegating poor countries further hardships?
This point also needed consideration by the international financial system. How this situation was created is a vital question to investigate despite many answers given by the experts of the IMF. Although it was needed to investigate the injustice that appeared in the international financial system, and the IMF attempted to wash its hands by providing big credit facilities to China and India, it further helped to IMF to maintain its highly paid staff and show the world that the international financial system is reasonably managed by the IMF. It is also a vital point why experts in developed countries disregarded the analysis of the negative influence of the international financial management system, considering the impact of contradictory reforms on developing nations.
The other significant point associated with the prominence of the American dollar was its association with the gold standard, which means the keeping American dollar is like collecting gold because when a country returns, American dollars, America should have given gold, reducing its gold reserves. This was a vital point to change the status of the US dollar and was also a challenge to continuing the status of the US dollar. The decision was taken by the USA on the advice of American consultants, in this situation the USA did not consult poor countries and the decision was taken alone if the international financial system was operating with the participation of many countries, why the USA took decision alone even without consulting other major countries which were partners in the International Financial System. The decision may have disadvantaged friendly countries too.
When developing international finance policies, Britain had many colonies under its administration and wanted to give the leadership for international financial reforms, but the use of the proposed BANCOR and the proposal was disregarded by interested nations the USA, why it incurred is difficult to assume, the internationally usable currency unit that could not be influenced by any country in the world was a reasonable justice to developing nations and heavyweights of the international financial system disregarded such a positive move. The American dollar unit became a priority. That was an obvious example, how did the US dollar become a strong currency unit in the world?
The Briton-wood Agreement supported the US dollar to become a strong currency unit, the international monetary fund, which originated after the Briton-wood Agreement failed to make justice for many countries and it was further pushing poor countries into debt traps. Many countries during the past three decades wanted to change the leadership of the US dollar, and now the de-dollarization effort could be regarded as the visible reason to prioritize regional currency units.
Many people in the world have hope that BRICS will change to a new currency unit without basic support from any country to operate in the world. The effort of the De-dollarization movement must not destroy the existing international financial system. The most important effort is to give reasonable and acceptable justice to poor and developing countries.
My idea is the currency unit must not link to a specific country and it should freely operate and should be a way of justice brought to developing and poor countries.
Tourists flock to see these cultural heritage because they do not have such in their own nations.
They come to visit Ruwanweli Maha Seya, 60,000,000 tons of bricks used to make Jetawanaramaya, Lova Maha Paya, Sigiriya, Parakrama Samudraya, Giritale, Kantale, Minneriya where massive lakes & man-made irrigation works.
The technology used by our ancient kings cannot be matched even with modern technology.
Our ancestors have built ancient marvels that we must be proud of.
Unfortunately, these ancient marvels crafted by our great kings are not included into school text books for our children to feel proud of their ancestors.
Is this being intentionally done?
Who removed our history from school syllabus? Why is a diluted form of history being taught that doesn’t include the pride of our ancient kings?
Let us feel proud of our ancient kings.
King Vijayabahu 1 (Prince Keerthi) During the reign of his father King Mugalan , the Soli (Chola) invaders from South India arrive. As a result Anuradhapura was vacated. Angam Pora guru called Budanna assisted the King in his battles against invading Cholas. He takes the people to Ruhuna. Eventually under the stewardship of Budanna, prince Vijayabahu unifies the nation defeating the Cholas. King Vijayabahu prepares a handwritten copper script (ran sannasa) as a token of appreciation to Budanna. This script is in the Colombo Museum.
Our children must be taught what great people our ancestors were.
This is what inspires national pride. A nation that has nothing to be proud of has nothing to defend. A nation that has a proud history has everything to defend. A nation that has a proud history but that history is kept buried from the children & even adults is a national crime.
When we have a proud history, why do we not take pride in it?
by A. Abdul Aziz. Chairman, Press & Media Desk – AMJSL.
The Muslims who should have been united and be in harmony, are divided in countless sects and divisions. It is not only in religious field but in politics too. When such are the conditions, the aggregate will be below zero. It is incumbent that Muslims should unite on the hand of One Imam (Leader). There should be one Imam of the Muslims of the whole world. But without Khilafat (Spiritual Leadership), it is just impossible. Khilafat is the successor after the prophet in the form of a person who is representing the deceased prophet and Khalifa is the vicegerent and his subordinate. He is the central authority. This is the basic principle of Khilafat.
Muslims do understand its need as well as importance. This need was felt after the sad demise of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) also. In Islam this is quite clear like broad daylight and is a part of Islamic teaching that without unity and harmony you cannot rightly work on the teachings of Islam. When you go to the mosque for Prayer (Namaz) five times a day, there must be an Imam. Standing behind an Imam is a demonstration of unity among people. That is why the Holy Quran especially emphasizes the need of congregational prayer. Imam is given so much importance that if the Imam falters, the entire congregation must follow his mistake even if they know that a mistake has been committed. What better instance can be presented for the need of an Imam and unity in his following? If Imam is mandatory in a small mosque, then how can the whole of Muslims Community (Ummah) survive without an Imam?
1. As far as the Muslim Community (Ummah) is concerned, there is commandment in the Holy Quran to turn their faces towards Qiblah – (the direction of the Kaaba – the sacred building at Mecca, to which Muslims turn at prayer).
2.
For the Muslims throughout the world, there is one and only one Qiblah. You may go anywhere in the world, the Qiblah remains the same. This is a pointer that it is incumbent for the Muslim Community (Ummah) that they should be united under one Imam. Had this not been the sole purpose, there would have been no Khilafat at all because the spiritual condition of Muslims in the days of the Holy Prophet was a thousand times better than the Muslims of today. If they need to follow an Imam, how can we live without an Imam today when the condition of Muslims is crying for it. This is the answer why Khilafat is needed.
The issue is that once Khilafat is terminated, then it is not within the power of the people to introduce it again themselves. This is a dilemma, which the Muslim world is facing today. Khilafat starts after the passing away of the prophet and if unfortunately once it is destroyed, it is impossible that it restarts without a prophet. As far as Muslims are concerned, they are victims of dual issues. According to a large number of Muslims, the chain of Khilafat ended with the Khilafat of Hazrat Ali. After him, there was no Khiafat-e-Rashida (i.e., righteous and guided Khilafat established soon after the demise of Prophet of Islam). It was monarchy in the name of Khilafat and majority of Muslims agree that Khilafat-e-Rashida ended after Hazrat Ali. So how can you start this Khilafat once again?
Muslims believe that no prophet, of whatever category, can come now. This means that the single avenue to open the way of Khilafat has been barred. This is the big issue, which the Muslim Community (Ummah) is facing today.
Muslim Clergies present the only solution of this problem and say that they also believe in the coming of a prophet. No doubt, he will be an old prophet, but they say that when he will come, he will be a prophet. Thus the lost Islamic Khilafat will once again be revived by Prophet Isa (peace be on him) when he will descend with his old form and body. But the problem is that, fourteen hundred years have passed, and there is no trace of second coming of that Prophet Isa. There is no sign visible of his descent. World conditions have totally changed. Muslims have passed and are still passing through their worst phase of decline. But no Isa has descended from the sky so far.
Now, the majority of Muslims are so much frustrated that they say that Isa has died or is living they are least interested.
No one will ever descend from skies, and this is the big and difficult problem, which the Muslim world is facing today. With this, they have not only destroyed the most important institution like Khilafat but they have also blocked the entrance of the beginning of Khilafat.
Holy Quran says (24:56): Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely, make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will, surely, establish, for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will, surely, give them in exchange security and peace after their fear;…………”
There is a promise by Allah that He will raise Caliphs (successors of the Holy Prophet) among righteous Muslims with the result that Allah will establish their religion which He had chosen for them and that He will give them peace and security after their fear. Thus, after a Prophet passes away, a series of successors follow to carry on the Prophet’s mission. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) passed away, it was a time of grief and fear and great crisis. Rebellions broke out in many parts of Arabia. At that critical time, Allah raised Hazrat Abu Bakr as the first Khalifa to the Holy Prophet. Muslims were again united, Islam was firmly established, and their fears changed into peace, security, and progress. Hazrat Abu Bakr was followed by other Caliphs, namely, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthman, and Hazrat Ali. They were all righteous and guided by Allah. (May Allah be pleased with them).
This glorious period of early Islam is known as Khilafat-e-Rashida (i.e., righteous and guided Khilafat). No student of the history of Islam can ignore this glorious period of success and victory, when all Muslims were united and guided by Caliphs. Later on, Khilafat took a different shape. Kingship or monarchy followed. Some of them were saintly and have great names in the history of Islam. There have been a great number of saints and reformers in each century of Islam, who provided spiritual guidance in their times and spheres, with the blessings of the Holy Prophet. Many of them were persecuted by the authorities of their time.
This was in accordance with a saying of Prophet of Islam. In, (Musnad Ahmad, vol.5 page 404, the Holy Prophet said: O ye Muslims the present prophethood period amongst you will last as long as Allah wills. On its conclusion there will be a period of Khilafat on the design, pattern and succession of Nabuwwat (Prophethood), i.e., in continuation of the Prophet’s mission. This Khilafat will be followed by a succession of kingship, which will be dictatorial regimes of tyranny and oppression, which will be followed by non- democratic regimes. On its conclusion there will then begin real Khilafat on the model and pattern of prophethood.” After saying this, the Holy Prophet did not add any further comment.
There is always wisdom, far sightedness, good reason and logic behind whatever Allah does. According to the laws of nature, man has only a limited life span, but the task of reformation and training of society requires a much longer time. So, Allah has established the system of Caliphate (Khilafat) after the system of prophethood. The Khilafat continues and carries on the task of the prophet. The seed sown by the prophet is protected and is nurtured by the Khilafat till it becomes a strong tree. It is a fact that when the believers stopped fulfilling the above requirement of the institution of Khilafat, obedience and righteousness disappeared, and they started fighting each other, Allah took away the blessings of Khilafat from the Muslims, and long period of unjust and cruel leadership ensued, as Prophet of Islam Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mentioned above.
This above mentioned particular prophecy by Prophet of Islam Muhammad (PBUH), about the re-establishment of Khilafat on the pattern of prophethood in the latter days has been fulfilled once again through Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad – the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, a Jama’at (Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at) has been established, and the institution of Khilafat has once again been revived in May 27, 1908, (in the tradition of Khilafat-I-Rashida) after the demise of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad – the Promised Messiah and Mahdi.
Every year Ahmadi Muslims celebrate May 27th as Khilafat Day.
Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, after fulfilling his divine mission, passed away on May 26, 1908. The next day Hazrat Maulana Nurud Din was elected as the first successor to the Promised Messiah.
Now the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community passing through Fifth Successor (Khalifa) of Promised Messiah. After the demise of the Fourth Caliph, God commissioned His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadto the rank of Khalifa.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said although all political parties in Parliament are united, none of them currently possess a 50% voter base.
He emphasized the need for unity among the parties, not solely for the purpose of elections, but to steer the country towards recovery from the ongoing economic crisis.
The President also highlighted the loss of faith in elections and politics among the majority of the population, including the youth.
During his address at the “2023/2024 National Law Conference” held at the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya, President Wickremesinghe further emphasized that while the re-establishment of law and order, as well as political and economic stability, is crucial, it does not imply that Sri Lanka has completely overcome the crisis. He emphasized the necessity of making significant commitments in the future to ensure the success of the entire process.
Reflecting on the economic challenges faced by the country ten months ago, the President mentioned that it was an unprecedented situation in history. He acknowledged the efforts made by him and his team to alleviate the crisis during that time.
“Regrettably, the majority of our people have lost faith in elections and politics. Whether it is the Parliament, the judiciary, the media, private sector trade unions, or professionals, a vast number of citizens lack trust in the entire system that governs our nation,” the President said.
Till not so long ago the world knew of only gays & lesbians & they were commonly referred to as homosexual & then those that continued to have normal sexual relations while also being homosexual were called bi-sexual. It was only after 1970s that the term transgender emerged while the term queer arrived after 1900s. Today, we see a small elite group of people promoting LGBTQIA+ (with acronyms increasing) Even the gay community must be unaware of who controls their community & new influx of terms. Having said that, it is also possible that the gays & lesbians in Sri Lanka are equally unaware of a larger plan within the LGBTQ+ agenda while they are kept busy thinking the world hates them & in turn being pumped up to promote a nicely packaged media kit” blueprint designed & controlled elsewhere & given to be customized to suit local taste.
Exactly who are this group & what are they trying to convey?
This group of gays are specifically against the sexualization,indoctrination&medicalizationof childrenunder the guise of LGBTQIA+”
Some very important points that Sri Lanka’s gay community must ponder.
Was this not why there was concern against repealing penal code 365/365A for the threat of eventually children becoming targets was evident from the situations unfolding in other parts of the world.
How come the Sri Lankan LGBTQ community, their lawyers & even the child activists” that took the side of the LGBTQ chose to ignore what the GAYS AGAINST GROOMERS are highlighting?
The attention of Sri Lanka’s LGBTQIA++ community should be to some points presented by this group
There is NO PRIDEin indoctrinating children in schools (it is happening in US, UK & Europe – with this damage known will Sri Lanka’s gay community STILL DEMAND LGBTQ syllabus in schools for FUNDS?
There is NO PRIDEin stripping parents of their right to protect their children – this is also happening in the West – will Sri Lanka’s gay community ADVOCATE for this too in Sri Lanka for FUNDS?
There is NO PRIDEin sexualizing children at drag shows – will this also be promoted in Sri Lanka for FUNDS? Already tv shows are sexualizing children & parents need to stop sending children to these shows & the education ministry must take sterner action.
There is NO PRIDEin mutilating & sterilizing children – the suffering these children undergo physically & later mentally is never exposed because the media is owned by the entities that promote this & funding buys silence easily.
Children’s Minnesota Gender Clinic Director says treating kids with gender dysphoria is no different than treating those with diabetes. Umm.. the DIFFERENCE is, is that if you don’t treat a child’s diabetes, they will die.
Kids love rainbows and bright colors. These nefarious corporations are intentionally using it everywhere to suck them in. It’s sick. These people are sick.
What a teacher has to say – teachers must have a say too. They are parents too.
would you want to have a daughter not look like a girl but is neither a boy internally even after an operation?
Just listen to this Senator
The tide is shifting & even companies are now taking saner decisions as profits matter more.
Olympia has decided that in celebration of ‘PRIDE’ it will be painting two of its crosswalks with the🏳️⚧️flag. Pride is all about the TQ+ activists demanding that everyone either agrees with them or shuts up. To this we say, NO.
This is something for the Sri Lankan community to listen to ….
Olympia has decided that in celebration of ‘PRIDE’ it will be painting two of its crosswalks with the 🏳️⚧️ flag. Pride is all about the TQ+ activists demanding that everyone either agrees with them or shuts up. To this we say, NO. pic.twitter.com/kpiXGKm2oA
— Gays Against Groomers Washington (@GAG_Washington) May 30, 2023
This is the way 🔥 This is exactly how it should be. Anyone that makes their sexuality or gender identity their entire personally must be an incredibly boring person. We are much more than that. JUST BE NORMAL
Instead of viewing everyone as the enemy – the real gay community must look at the larger picture & the larger dangers taking place & none of them would want their nieces/nephews, sisters/brothers or any neighbors or families kids to be turned into an experiment & end up forever taking medicines & making decisions without parents consent & even before their minds have grown naturally to decide for themselves.
This website should wake up a lot amongst the gay community in Sri Lanka
Ranasinghe Premadasa succeeded J.R. Jayewardene as the second President of Sri Lanka. Premadasa was President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 to 1 May 1993. He was assassinated on May 1. 1993.
Premadasa had a heroic struggle to enter the higher rungs of this party, said Sarath Amunugama. My view (Kamalika) is that his caste position (non-Goigama) as well as his predatory reputation would have influenced this.
The Goyigama establishment in the UNP was grooming Upali Wijewardene to succeed Jayewardene as President. Upali Wijewardene, a kinsman of Jayewardene, educated at Royal College and Cambridge University, successful businessman with an international empire, was the perfect successor.
His attempt to get into politics, through JR, was thwarted by Premadasa who felt Upali would be a threat” wrote Vijitha Yapa, while Upatissa Hulugalle reminds us that Premadasa cursed Upali in Parliament a few days before he disappeared.” (Island 30/1/01). Upali Wijewardene was killed in a mysterious plane crash in 1982.
Premadasa had two other rivals, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake. Lalith was assassinated on 23 April 1993, a week before Premadasa. Only Gamini was left. Premadasa had told Sirisena Cooray that he was planning in his speech at the May Day meeting of 1993, to deal Gamini Dissanayake a blow which will finish him.
Premadasa‘s period of office was described as turbulent and predatory. Premadasa brought into politics a degree of venom that had perhaps never been experienced in politics earlier, said Chandraprema. He could be extremely vengeful and unforgiving towards anyone who he though had insulted him or had crossed his path, observed Neville Jayaweera. He unleashed a reign of terror, said Sarath de Alwis.
Premadasa was deeply paranoid, suspecting conspiracies against him, said Neville Jayaweera. But Premadasa had the good sense to leave the opposition strictly alone. Those in the SLFP never felt his jackboot on their necks, said Chandraprema. Premadasa instead turned on his enemies in the UNP. Those who experienced Premadasa’s repression were members of the UNP itself. He persecuted his enemies or adversaries within the UNP very viciously and made sure those against him were expunged from the party.
Premadasa is believed to have caused many deaths. Many people suspected that the President’s men killed Athulathmudali, said Andre Malan writing in The West Australian of 4/5/93. Selvi Sachithanandam recalled that when Lalith was killed, a taxi driver who drove one of their guests to the airport said the Big Man is behind this.
People also thought that Premadasa had got Ranjan Wijeratne killed. Wijeratne had arrested Rohana Wijeweera, while Premadasa had wanted Wijeweera alive, Ranjan made sure that Wijeweera was killed.Premadasa was also known to have killed Richard de Zoysa, said Sarath Amunugama.
Premadasa used violence. Gamini Dissanayake drew attention to the violence carried out during the four years of Premadasa rule, a process of violence accumulated during those four years, he said. Valuable men were victims of that violence. (The New York Times 2/5/93) .
Scores of UNP goons, armed with bicycle chains, clubs, swords and small firearms, descended on a group of journalists covering a leaflet distribution campaign conducted by UNP dissidents Lalith and Gamini opposite the Fort Railway Station. Cameras were smashed and journalists beaten up mercilessly. When the victims tried to lodge a complaint with the Fort police the OIC stood, blocking the entrance to the police station and declaring that it was closed for the day!.(Editorial Island 25/5/16)
. One of Sri Lanka’s top cartoonists, Jiffrey Yunoos was stabbed and his home and vehicle were wrecked. Athulathmudali was fired on twice. His supporters were assaulted with iron bars and cricket stumps. The last year witnessed the destruction by police of an anti-government printing press, a grenade attack on a meeting of dissident members of the ruling party, death threats against human rights lawyers and assaults on opposition politicians,” said Janes Foreign Report on 24/9/92.
There were disappearances. The best known case was that of Lakshman Perera. Lakshman Perera was a UNP Member of the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. He was an Athulathmudali’ supporter. He was producing a drama, titled Me kavuda mokada karanne”, a quotation from a slogan of R. Premadasa’s Presidential election campaign. Posters advertising the play appeared. Then Perera disappeared. According to rumors he was killed by a para-military group before the play was shown, and his body was dumped in the deep sea around Colombo by a government helicopter.
Critics spoke of a Premadasa mafia”. Premadasa Mafia would stick at nothing to retain or win power and was the most dangerous group ever to surround a politician in this country, said Chandraprema. Everybody feared the Premadasa mafia. It was so dangerous that even the Premadasa family had suspected them of assassinating Ranasinghe Premadasa .Premadasa mafia was politically useful and they had a hold over Premadasa. They were a part of his machine, said Chandraprema.
The Premadasa government sponsored Soththi Upali, who terrorized the country and had even high-ranking police officers salute him. He died at the hands of his rivals after the UNP had lost power, said an Island editorial.
The public, especially those in government employment and others such as the media were frightened of Premadasa. One journalist had scolded Premadasa on the phone thinking he was another Premadasa. When he found out who it was, ‘there were beads of sweat on his forehead and he was a picture of utter shock and dismay.
There was a football game between the Parliamentarians and the Colombo Municipality team. Premadasa captained the Parliamentarians and kicked the winning goal. A cartoon appeared in a newspaper where the Municipality team goalkeeper withdrew so that Premadasa could score the goal at his will.
Selvi Sachithanandam who was at the time working for the UN had attended a dinner party in Colombo and mentioned the death of Denzil Kobbekaduwa. A sudden quiet fell over the room. There was stony silence, some left the room. She was later told, we have spies in our drawing rooms. We cannot afford to get on the wrong side of the Big Man. No one spoke out in those days , not even on the telephone as they feared that the telephones were tapped, she added. Premadasa had his spies everywhere when he was Prime Minister , said Sarath Amunugama.
I myself was present at a dinner party, in a private house, just four or five of us, a trusted group, mainly relatives, sometime after Premadasa was assassinated. One person spoke of the arrangements his department had to make in a hurry for Premadasa’s funeral and other matters relating to Premadasa . He ended his statement saying to his host, ‘if Premadasa was alive, I would not have mentioned any of this, even to you’.
There was fear but there was also silent contempt . I have never been a devotee or enthusiast of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, said Sarath de Alwis, who had been a reporter on the staff of the ‘Ceylon Observer’. I had one disastrous encounter with his presidency that I have no desire to revisit. I had a taste of the nepotistic facet of his presidency, he concluded.
Chari de Silva chairman of LOLC found that Premadasa had turned against him. Bernard Soysa told me very gravely that he had overheard a conversation in the restaurant of the Parliament concerning me. Apparently Premadasa was very displeased with me. He suggested that I should go abroad for some time. I was in any case due to go to the USA. In Washington, I learned that Premadasa had given instructions that I was not to be given any assignments by government.
Evans Coorey, the Press Secretary of President Premadasa had also told Chari that he was present at a meeting of ‘very important people’ who wished to see Chari retire from the position of Chairman LOLC. Chari replied had no intention of doing so. Chari had later met Paskaralingam on a plane and asked him about the strange antipathy thatPremadasa had taken tohim.
Paski explained to me that it was because LOLC were occupying Lakshman’s Building, which belonged to the furniture maker Lakshman Cooray. LOLC had a long lease on it. Lakshman wanted to get rid of us as tenants. He felt that he could get a much higher rent than LOLC was paying. Paski warned me that until we vacated Lakshman’s Building we would have trouble as Lakshman was close to Premadasa , Lakshman had made a throne for Premadasa, which Premadasa had greatly liked.
Premadasa’s policies as President were deplorable. He did not take any interest in the vital matters which were priority matters for any executive head of state. The first duty of an executive Head of State is to protect the country’s territory and sovereignty and ensure law and order. Sri Lanka was in the throes of Eelam war II at the time and the reluctant Premadasa was, whether he liked it or not, Commander in Chief of the armed forces.
However, Premadasa showed no interest in the war and did not attend Security Council meetings. Premadasa was thinking of enlisting the support of the anti-government JVP and separatist LTTE to bolster his administration. Therefore he pandered to the LTTE regardless of what would happen to the country.
The IPKF were sent away at the request of the LTTE .IPKF was winning when they were sent away. They were giving the LTTE a good beating. If they had continued for another year or so, LTTE would have been defeated, observed Shantha Kottegoda. He then strengthened the LTTE at the expense of the Sri Lanka army. He made the Sri Lanka army hand over its best weapons, some brand new, to the LTTE. This was done in secret. The army was silently furious. These weapons were later used against the Sri Lanka army. Premadasa was also directly responsible for the deaths of 600 policemen, under the hands of the LTTE .
Premadasa lacked the economic and political vision expected of an Executive President .He could not think at the macro level at all. President Premadasa could think of nothing else other than to give incentives for garment manufacturers to set up factories in rural areas so that rural communities will benefit from the employment opportunities created, said Chandraprema. Until the Rajapakse government came into power after 2005 and started conceiving of a service oriented economy based on the Hambantota and Colombo Ports and the Colombo Port City, for nearly three decades Sri Lanka had been limited to garments and foreign employment.
Premadasa’s thinking was at micro level. His pet projects were ones carried over from his days as Minister of Housing and included the upgrading of sub-standard housing in the city, the construction of lower middle class and middle class flats in the city, rural housing, Gam Udawa housing schemes, development of infrastructure facilities including rural roads and water supply projects etc, said critics. He was not concerned with expense, he left that to his frightened officials, who somehow found the money.
Nicky Karunaratne says Premadasa did much damage to the Sinhala Buddhist culture with his notion of “kovil, pansal, and palliye”. There were temples already in the villages, there was no need for a second Buddhist temple. Premadasa ’s temple building was a ruse to introduce the other religions into the village, concluded Nicky. His much praised housing programme was also very unsatisfactory. Instead of low rise housing schemes, he built a small number of free standing houses for a few selected families.
‘Janasaviya’ was also criticized. President Premadasa said that every poor family will have a deposit of Rs. 25,000 made in their names, said Chandraprema. Paskaralingam even gave out a signed letter stating that Rs 25,000 had been deposited in the name of every poor family,. The National Savings Bank paid out small amounts of money saying that it was the interest on the deposits of Rs. 25,000. But in actual fact, not a cent had been deposited. Some families still have the cards given out and some have even gone to courts asking for their deposits.
It is unlikely that Premadasa would have been allowed to go on much longer. The public were fed up. They were no longer impressed by his seeming concern for poor” and tired of his violent, predatory behavior. Premadasa was considered a ‘mad president’, said Chandraprema.
Premadasa ,like JR before him, knew that he was unpopular. Evans Cooray said that on May 1 1993, Premadasa appeared worried whether there would be a good crowd on Galle Face for the UNP May Day celebrations . He was worried about the May Day meeting, whether there will be a good crowd, confirmed Sirisena Cooray. Premadasa was killed while on his way to this meeting.
When they heard that Premadasa had been killed, the public immediately lit fireworks, celebrating the death. When his death was announced hundreds across the country lit firecrackers,” reported Asiaweek (12/5/93)). I distinctly remember the huge number of firecrackers that were lit in jubilation on that May Day, said Emil van der Poorten. Some kind of tension was released within people, said critics.
After the assassination, every Premadasa loyalist from Cooray downwards was stripped of office. All Premadasa’s functionaries in the police from DIG A. C. Lawrence downwards were neutralized, said Jayantha Somasunderam. ( Concluded)
In August 1873, 26th & 28th to be precise a great debate was held at the Galkanda Temple in Panadura between Migettuwatte Gunananda Himi & Father David de Silva. The topic was on Buddhism & Christianity. This became famously known as the Panadurawadaya”. It should bring to light the statements by one prophet” Jerome de Silva and an increasing bevy of modern liberal shows funded to smear Buddha & his teachings & drawing youth away from their ancestral heritage & culture. An opportunity for a revival in Buddhism amongst Buddhists has emerged.
How many are aware of Gunananda himi? He fearlessly took upon himself the need to challenge the Buddhist pride that was under attack. The situation was such that it was predicted by scholar James de Alwis that by end of 1800 it would be the end of Buddhism. This project was in operation since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 and continued through the reign of the Dutch & the British inspite of the assurances given in writing.
The affront to Buddhism at the time of Gunananda Himi & at present in 2023 looks to be no different. In fact the situation is made worse using technology aligned to falsehoods, misinformation & disinformation with the funding and traitors larger in numbers. Everything has turned into a business & commercial/liberal capitalism is such that humans without integrity & morals are also commodities.
As a result of this event, American Col. Henry Steele Olcott and Russian Helena Blavatsky (who later co-founded the Theosophical Society) arrived in Sri Lanka on 16 May 1880. Following their arrival numerous Buddhist schools emerged – Ananda, Nalanda, Dharmaraja, Mahinda, Sri Sumangala to name a few. It was Olcott who promoted the use of the Buddhist flag and declared Vesak a national holiday.
How many know about this great debate between Gunananada Himi & Father David de Silva?
The intelligent logical arguments & critical analysis as well as segmenting his arguments presented by the himi should be taught in schools & universities including the defense/foreign ministry establishments including the entire pancha maha wada.
We are in need of at least 100 more Gunananda himi as well as 100 more laymen who can take up ugly manner in which Buddha & his teachings are being attacked without pursuing their own faiths. No faith should need to have to ridicule another to promote their faith. If they have to, it shows the weakness & fragility of that faith.
In may ways, a revival & resurgence in Buddha’s teachings & the need to protect the Buddhist ethos of Sri Lanka has emerged as a result of the prophet” and the moda” concept promoters who are abusing creativity to mock people’s pride in heritage, history & culture only to draw people towards liberal cultures of porn, drugs & other vices that they display as the fashion trends” in society which will morally physically & mentally bring about their own downfall. Time will be their teacher.
What we need is for the Buddhist theros to boldly come forward just as Gunananda Himi did & dissect the gutter analogies made against Buddha & that should also be complimented by a team of Buddhist laymen to also boldly come forward to start a parallel debate also defending the teachings of Buddha.
The enemy will use all sorts of ugly methods & strategies attempting to degrade Buddha. We do not need to stoop to their ugly levels. We have in our power the oldest & the greatest teachings in the world and we must now use this to defeat the enemy with knowledge not sponsored crude comedy by religious profiteers or comedians.
It is time we protect, promote & foster Buddha Sasana just as the Government of Sri Lanka is tasked to do so under Article 9 of Sri Lanka’s Constitution. If the Government is by duty held to Article 9 so too are the Citizens of Sri Lanka.
Today is Poson Poya, the day that Arhath Mahinda introduced the Buddhist Dharma to Lanka. It is the day that the seeds of Sinhala Budhist civilization was planted in this country. Every act of Arhath Mahinda had a specific significance. He ensured that the ruler of the county was intelligent. He tested him with a simple set theory test which used two examples. His first subject of the mango tree was associated with the environment and the next test on relatives was based on the family and community.
Arhath Mahinda could have brought a team of only learned monks who had attained Rahath status. But he had a layman and a young samanera to show that Buddhism is inclusive and caters to different levels of religious attainment.
He was preaching to a population which followed other faiths and beliefs. His first two sermons therefore were motivational and on Pretha and Vimana vasthu which dealt with punishment and reward.
Arhat Mahinda preached a few immutable precepts to the King on the conduct of governance. One was that the King was only a trustee and not the owner of the land.
There us no doubt the son of Dharmasoka, Arhath Mahinda introduced in this country the wisdom and sagacity which Asoka exhorted in his messages in his edicts. Among which were the Buddhist values of morality, compassion, moderation, tolerance and respect for all life.
The stipulation in edict 13 on the importance of prompt feedback on the affairs of the public would have helped in efficient governance.
The impact of Arhat Mahinda was not confined to only religion but was all pervasive. He ushered in the Mauryan culture and ensured that when his sister Ven.Sanghamitta came to Lanka with a branch of the Sri Maha Bodhi, she brought with her skilled craftsmen to propagate craft industries in several areas.
Arhath Mahinda ensured the endurance of the religion by establishing the strong institution of the Sangha and the tradition of state participation in the protection of the religion. This foundation of Theravada Buddhism later became the repository and fountainhead of Theravada tradition to the countries in the far East like Burma, Thailand and Cambodia.
Arhath Mahinda is also credited with the elucidation of the doctrine in Sinhala aṭṭhakathā which tragically the alien Buddhagosha unexplainably destroyed after translating them to Pali.
According to an official, if the company supplies the necessary information then the body will wait for findings of investigation for further action.
The Indian drug controller is investigating a Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company after receiving communication from neighbouring Sri Lanka that a steroid eye drop manufactured by the firm has been linked to adverse events including loss of eye sight.
The Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) has also issued a notice to the company seeking details of the importer, those who the drug has been supplied to, and manufacturing licence and product permission.
You are further advised to investigate the reasons for contamination of the alleged product at your end and update us with your findings at the earliest to take necessary action. Upon failure of submission of requested information by 3rd June 2023, your Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) will be suspended without any further notice,” read the notice to Indiana Opthalmics from Wadhwan-Gujarat. Calls to the company went unanswered.
A company cannot export drug without an RCMC from Pharmexcil. According to an official, if the company supplies the necessary information then the body will wait for findings of investigation for further action.
The prednisolone eye drop was administered to patients in Sri Lanka reportedly after undergoing cataract curgery. The eye drop has been linked to eye infection in more than 30 people,” according to the Pharmexcil notice. The Sri Lankan government recalled the medicine.
This, however, is not the first instance of an India-manufactured eye drop found to be contaminated. The United States had earlier this year linked an India-manufactured eye drop to an outbreak of a highly antibiotic resistance bacterial infection outbreak in the country. There were 68 cases of the infection reported from 16 states, leading to at least three deaths, eight cases of vision loss, and four cases of removal of eyeballs. The company had initiated a voluntary recall of the drops in February.
Other than this case, the WHO had also raised an alert for an India manufactured ophthalmic ointment in February, stating international procurers had detected quality issues such as particles ranging in colour, size and shape on the nozzle, in the cap and in the ointment inside each tube, black spots and brown splotches on the inner foil layer of the tube. The WHO, however, clearly stated that there were no adverse events linked to the ointment. The manufacturer initiated a voluntary recall of several batches.
Other than eye formulations, three instances of di-ethylene or ethylene glycol contamination in India-manufactured syrups have been highlighted by the WHO since October last year. The syrups have been linked to 70 deaths in Gambia and 18 deaths in Uzbekistan. The third was detected in Marshall Islands and Micronesia even as the manufacturer maintains that the syrups were never sold to these countries.
A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience, of seeing the world and relating to others in a manner that markedly deviates from cultural expectations, and includes, and results in, problematic and habitual behaviors that are pervasive and inflexible (APA). The first clinical conceptualization of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) was provided in 1975 by Gunderson and Singer. By 1980, the construct of BPD was considered developed and validated to the extent that the disorder was included in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association 1980) (Ogrodniczuk &Sierra Hernandez, 2010).
According to Stern (1938) the term ‘borderline’ originally referred to a group of mental illnesses characterized by psychopathology with features of both psychosis and neurosis, but which did not clearly meet historical criteria for either group of conditions. Borderline Personality Disorder is a severe Axis II personality disorder characterized by intense and significant instability across a number of domains (Rizvi et al., 2011). BPD is the most frequent personality disorder (Oumaya et al., 2008). It is diagnosed predominantly in women, with an estimated gender ratio of 3:1. The disorder may be missed in men, who may instead receive diagnoses of antisocial or narcissistic personality disorder (APA). Borderline symptoms are thought to emerge from the interaction of temperamental factors and environmental stressors. Both parental invalidation and attachment disorganization have been hypothesized to play an etiological role (Lyons-Ruth et al., 2014).
Borderline Personality Disorder is characterized by severe functional impairments, a high risk of suicide, a negative effect on the course of depressive disorders, and extensive use of treatment (Leichsenring et al., 2011). There is a high rate of stigma associated with BPD (Aviram et al., 2006). Persistent feelings of emptiness are often expressed by individuals with BPD. They are usually unable to express their aspirations and desires (Ogrodniczuk &Sierra Hernandez, 2010). In addition, BPD is marked by impulsivity, instability of mood (Paris, 2005), and deficits in the capacity to work and maintain meaningful relationships (Levy et al., 2006). It is a complex disorder associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and public health costs (Stanley & Silver, 2010).
BPD has shown a strong association with substance use disorders (Gunderson & Links, 2008). BPD patients have a particularly high vulnerability to the development of Substance Use Disorders over the course of time (Walter et al., 2009). Many of the core features of BPD are also independent risk factors for the development of SUD (Lubman et al., 2011). Persons with a borderline personality disorder often abuse substances in an impulsive fashion that contributes to lowering the threshold for other self-destructive behavior such as body mutilation, sexual promiscuity, or provocative behavior that incites assault (including homicidal assault) (APA).
According to Few and colleagues (2014), both genetic and individual-specific environmental factors contribute to comorbidity between borderline personality features and substance use disorders i.e. that both are impulse spectrum disorders. Cheetham and colleagues (2010) believe that impulsivity and affective dysregulation play a key role in the development and maintenance of addictive disorders. In addition, childhood attachment problems, past trauma, poor sense of self, and profound state of unease and dissatisfaction help to maintain addictive behaviors. BPD patients often use dependence-producing substances in an attempt to mitigate emotions perceived as overwhelmingly negative or to replace these with a pleasant state, such as feeling intoxicated (self-medication hypothesis). Apart from that, the use of addictive substances can also be triggered by factors related to the social environment, such as peer pressure (Kienast et al., 2014). Substance Use Disorders significantly reduce the likelihood of clinical remission of BPD (Zanarini et al., 2004; Lubman et al., 2011).
Challenges Faced by the Health Care Workers
With patients with borderline personality disorder, there is a risk of boundary crossings and violations (APA). Moreover, substance use disorder often complicates the Negative counter-transference or the unconscious development of negative feelings toward the patient on the part of the clinician (Lubman et al., 2011). Negative counter-transference is one of the hindering factors found by therapists while working with clients diagnosed with BPD (Beatson et al., 2010). Self-destructive behaviors, anger, mood instability, and pervasive fear of abandonment all interfere with a clinician’s ability to establish a therapeutic alliance and sustain a successful treatment (Goodman, & Siever, 2012). BPD patients have been described as highly vigilant for social stimuli, especially for social cues that signal social threat or rejection (Linehan, 1995; Domes et al., 2009). Also, they have a disturbed sense of identity Jørgensen, 2006).
According to Holmes (2003) BPD sufferers lack of meaning in their lives because they are unable to play ‘language games’ with their potential intimates, resorting to actions rather than words to express feelings. Therefore therapeutic communication could become substandard. On the other hand BPD sufferers frequently jeopardize their relationships with the health care providers creating a deep void in the treatment procedures. As indicated by Lubman and collogues (2011) management of co-occurring substance use disorder and borderline personality disorder within primary care is further compounded by negative attitudes and practices in responding to people with these conditions, which can lead to a fractured patient-doctor relationship.
BPD patients often present with quickly fluctuating complaints and symptoms. Many of the clinical characteristics of patients with borderline personality disorder may be seen as consequences of disordered self-organization and a limited rudimentary capacity to think about behavior in mental state terms (Fonagy, Target & Gergely 2000). Sometimes they blame their therapists for not addressing fluctuating complaints and symptoms.
BPD patients are psychologically fragile. Psychological trauma is deeply embedded in PBD. As indicated by Arntz (1994). It is assumed that chronic traumatic abuse or neglect in childhood has led to the development of almost unshakeable fundamental assumptions about others (dangerous and malignant), about one’s own capabilities (powerless and vulnerable) and upon one’s value as a person (bad and unacceptable).
Suicidal behavior often accompanies borderline personality disorder (Zeng et al., 2015). Although recurrent suicidal threats, gestures or behaviour or self-mutilation are common in patients suffering from borderline personality disorder they often lack systematic suicidal intentions. (Oumaya et al., 2008). However BPD complicated by substance use disorders could lead to complete suicides.
Management
The management of patients with borderline personality disorder may be difficult, because these patients often make disproportionate demands on the physician’s time and they tend to experience complicated and/or incomplete recovery from organic or functional illness (Sansone & Sansone, 1991). Nonetheless management of the patient-therapist relationship is paramount and may be in itself the most effective and safe treatment for both crisis situations and longer therapy (Dawson, 1988).
Patients with borderline personality disorder and comorbid addiction should be treated as early as possible for both conditions in a thematically hierarchical manner ( Kienast et al., 2014). Psychotherapy is regarded as the first-line treatment for people with borderline personality disorder (Stoffers et al., 2012). Drug counseling is a useful component in the treatment process.
Lieb et al (2010), have suggested that mood stabilisers and second-generation antipsychotics may be effective for treating specific symptoms of BPD and associated pathology A positive therapeutic relationship plays a central role in the management of both BPD and SUD (Lubman et al., 2011).
Brown and Shapiro (2006) provide preliminary evidence for use of EMDR in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. van der Hart and collogues (2010) highlight the significance of EMDR in trauma-related borderline personality disorder. Wesselmann and team (2012) point out that EMDR is a treatment mode to improve attachment status in adults and children.
Wetzelaer and colleagues (2014) indicate the efficacy of Schema therapy in BPD. According to Rizvi, and colleagues (2011) Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has received strong empirical support and is practiced widely as a treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and BPD with comorbid substance use disorders (BPD-SUD). Furthermore ongoing communication between all treatment providers is essential for a coordinated treatment approach and a designated case coordinator, who is responsible for managing communication between professionals, is recommended to ensure splitting does not occur (Lubman et al., 2011). In adding together other interventions such as Psycho-education, Family therapy also plays an important role in managing BPD.
Conclusion
Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often experience severe functional impairments, Interpersonal difficulties higher levels of depressive symptoms, Identity diffusion, feelings of emptiness, parasuicidal behaviors and many other psychosocial difficulties. In BPD often the Comorbidity is associated with substance use disorders and it leads to a complex mental disorder. Although BPD is difficult to treat, patient – therapist relationship is paramount to provide services.
References
APA. (2010). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder.
Arntz, A. (1994). Treatment of borderline personality disorder: A challenge for cognitive-behavioural therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32(4), 419–430.
Beatson, J., Rao, S., Watson, C.(2010).Borderline personality disorder: towards effective treatment. Melbourne: Australian Postgraduate Medicine.
Brown, S.,Shapiro, F. (2006). EMDR in the treatment of borderline personality disorder.Clinical Case Studies, 5,403-420.
Cheetham, A., Allen, N.B., Yucel, M., Lubman, D.I.(2010). The role of affective dysregulation in drug addiction. Clin Psychol Rev.30:621–34.
Dawson, D.F .(1988).Treatment of the borderline patient, relationship management.Can J Psychiatry. ;33(5):370-4.
Domes, G., Schulze, L., Herpertz ,S.C. (2009) Emotion recognition in borderline personality disorder: a review of the literature Journal of Personality Disorders, 21, 6-19.
Few ,L.R., Grant, J.D., Trull, T.J., Statham, D.J., Martin, N.G., Lynskey, M.T., Agrawal, A. (2014).Genetic variation in personality traits explains genetic overlap between borderline personality features and substance use disorders. Addiction. ;109(12):2118-27.
Fonagy P, Target M, Gergely G.(2000). Psychiatr Clin North Am. ;23(1):103-22, vii-viii.Attachment and borderline personality disorder. A theory and some evidence.
Levy, K.N., Clarkin, J.F., Yeomans, F.E., Scott, L.N., Wasserman, R.H., Kernberg, O.F.(2006).The mechanisms of change in the treatment of borderline personality disorder with transference focused psychotherapy.J Clin Psychol. ;62(4):481-501.
Lieb, K., Völlm, B., Rücke,r G., Timmer. A., Stoffers, J.M . (2010). Pharmacotherapy for borderline personality disorder: Cochrane systematic review of randomised trials. British Journal of Psychiatry 196:4 -12.
Linehan, M. M. (1995). Understanding borderline personality disorder. New York:Guilford Press.
Lyons-Ruth, K., Brumariu, L.E., Bureau, J.F., Hennighausen, K., Holmes, B.(2014). Role Confusion and Disorientation in Young Adult-Parent Interaction Among Individuals With Borderline Symptomatology. J Pers Disord. 23:1-22.
Lubman, D.I.,Hall, K., Pennay, A., Rao, S. (2011). Managing borderline personality disorder and substance use: An integrated approach. Australian Family Physician, 40(6):376-381.
Ogrodniczuk J.S, Sierra Hernandez, C.A. (2010). Borderline Personality Disorder. In: JH Stone, M Blouin, editors. International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation. Available online: http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/en/article/223/
Oumaya ,M., Friedman, S., Pham, A., Abou Abdallah, T., Guelfi. J.D., Rouillon, F. (2008).Borderline personality disorder, self-mutilation and suicide: literature review. Encephale. 34(5):452-8.
Paris, J. (2005). Borderline personality disorder.CMAJ. 7;172(12):1579-83.
Rizvi, S.L., Dimeff, L.A., Skutch, J., Carroll, D., Linehan, M.M. (2011) A pilot study of the DBT Coach: An interactive mobile phone application for individuals with borderline personality disorder and substance use disorder. Behavior Therapy, 42, 589–600.
Sansone, R.A. , Sansone, L.A.(1991). Borderline personality disorder: office diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. ;44(1):194-8.
Stanley, B., Siever, L.J.(2010). The interpersonal dimension of borderline personality disorder: toward a neuropeptide model.Am J Psychiatry. ;167(1):24-39.
Stern, A. (1938). Psychoanalytic investigation and therapy in the border line group of neuroses. Psychoanal Q 1938; 7: 467-489.
Stoffers, J.M., Völlm, B.A., Rücke,r G., Timmer, A., Huband, N., Lieb, K.(2012). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 15;8:CD005652. Psychological therapies for people with borderline personality disorder.
van der Hart, 0., Nijenhuis, E., 81 Solomon, R. (2010). Dissociation of the personality in complex trauma-related disorders and EMDR: Theoretical considerations. journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 4(2), 76—92. 9.
Walter, M., Gunderson, J.G., Zanarini, M.C., Sanislow, C.A., Grilo, C.M., McGlashan, T.H., Morey, L.C., Yen, S., Stout, R.L., Skodol, A.E. (2009). New onsets of substance use disorders in borderline personality disorder over 7 years of follow-ups: findings from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. Addiction. ;104(1):97-103.
Wesselmann, D., Davidson, M., Armstrong, S., Schweitzer, C., Bruckner & Potter, A. (2012). EMDR as a treatment for improving attachment status in adults and children. European Review of Applied Psychology, 62, 223-230.
Wetzelaer, P., Farrell, J., Evers, S., Jacob, G.A., Lee, C.W., Brand, O., van Breukelen, G., Fassbinder, E., Fretwell, H., Harper ,R., Lavender, A., Lockwood, G., Malogiannis, I.A,, Schweiger, U., Startup, H., Stevenson, T., Zarbock, G., Arntz, A.(2014).Design of an international multicentre RCT on group schema therapy for borderline personality disorder. BMC Psychiatry. 18;14(1):319.
Zanarini, M.C., Frankenburg, F.R., Hennen, J., Reich, D.B., Silk, K.R. (2004). Axis I comorbidity in patients with borderline personality disorder: 6-year follow-up and prediction of time to remission. Am J Psychiatry.161:2108–14.
Zeng, R ., Cohen, .LJ. , Tanis, T. , Qizilbash, A. , Lopatyuk, Y. , Yaseen ,Z.S. , Galynker, I. (2015). Assessing the contribution of borderline personality disorder and features to suicide risk in psychiatric inpatients with bipolar disorder, major depression and schizoaffective disorder. Psychiatry Res. pii: S0165-1781(15)00062-1.
Sri Lanka is showing a “strong commitment” to implementing economic reforms but must continue this momentum amid a challenging economic environment, International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura said on Thursday.
In a statement at the conclusion of his visit to Columbo, Okamura said continued open dialogue with Sri Lanka’s creditors would help reach restructuring agreements that would restore debt sustainability in line with IMF targets for its $3 billion, 40-month loan to the struggling island country. (Reuters)
Full Statement
Colombo, Sri Lanka: Mr. Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today in Colombo at the conclusion of his visit to Sri Lanka, which followed the approval on March 20, 2023, by the IMF Executive Board of 48-Month arrangements of about US$ 3 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with Sri Lanka:
I wish to thank President and Minister of Finance Wickremesinghe, Governor Weerasinghe, Speaker Abeywardhana, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabry, Minister of Justice Rajapakshe, State Minister of Finance Semasinghe, State Minister of Investment Promotion Amunugama, Secretary to the Treasury Siriwardana, and senior government officials for their hospitality, and parliamentarians and representatives of the private sector for their engagement. I very much appreciated the constructive discussions I had during my visit, which allowed me to deepen my understanding of the challenges Sri Lanka is facing and to reiterate the IMF’s commitment to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to surmount these challenges.
I welcomed the authorities’ strong commitment to implement their ambitious economic program which is supported by the IMF. The economic reform program aims to achieve macroeconomic stabilization, restore debt sustainability, safeguard financial stability, strengthen governance, and protect the vulnerable. Sri Lanka’s economy is showing tentative signs of improvement, in part due to the implementation of critical policy actions. But the economic recovery remains challenging. Now, more than ever, it is essential to continue the reform momentum under strong ownership by both the authorities and the Sri Lankan people.
The current economic crisis has its genesis in policy missteps aggravated by external shocks. We discussed the importance of fiscal measures, in particular revenue measures, for a return to macroeconomic stability. I was encouraged by the authorities’ commitment to negotiate a debt strategy in a timely and transparent manner. Continued open dialogue with the creditors will help to reach restructuring agreements to restore debt sustainability in line with the program targets. Undoubtably, safeguarding the stability of the financial sector is of utmost importance in this process.
I had the privilege to visit the Parliament building, an architectural marvel, designed by Sri Lanka’s very own renowned architect. While meeting with the Parliamentarians, we discussed the importance of strengthening governance, which is a central pillar of the program. The hard-won gains of Sri Lankan people who have relentlessly supported the reform effort can only be safeguarded by good governance.
During my visit to the dock yard, port terminal, and the port city, I was impressed to see continued economic activity which is a testament to the resiliency of the Sri Lankan economy. I underscored the importance of decisive implementation of structural reforms which can attract investment and boost growth.
As Sri Lanka navigates its way through the economic crisis, it remains imperative to protect the poor and the most vulnerable that have been disproportionately affected by the crisis. I was heartened to see that the authorities’ have stepped up efforts to increase public spending on social safety nets while improving targeting and coverage for those who need it.
Lastly, I very much appreciate the excellent, long-standing relations between Sri Lanka and the IMF, and look forward to our continued partnership through the EFF-supported economic program. I will leave Colombo with fond memories of the country and its welcoming people.”
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his televised address to the nation, asserted that his government would not hesitate to replace the heads of the state institutions such as the Ceylon Electricity Board, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and SriLankan Airlines unless they improved their performance in conformity with the restructuring plan for public enterprises.
The president envisioned a four-pillar programme to revive the economy, said there are currently 430 public enterprises operating in 33 sectors of the economy. He said these enterprises employ six per cent of the Sri Lankan population but many of these enterprises had garnered monopolistic positions in the market, hindering private investment.
Price fixing, inefficient management, and poor entrepreneurship have weakened public finances, turning these institutions into national burdens that are dependent on the taxpayer. We have already initiated the preparation of a restructuring plan for public enterprises. Additionally, we expect the chief officers of these enterprises to be committed to improving their performances. If they fail to meet the annual targets assigned to them, we will not hesitate to replace them with more suitable candidates,” he said.
In an obvious reference to elements attempting at rabble-rousing, the president vowed not to allow anyone to drag ‘motherland’ back to where it was a year ago.
https://youtu.be/rYX55pE0PlQ
Today, some individuals seem to have forgotten the hardships endured by Sri Lankans during that time. Our economy contracted by 8.7%, our foreign exchange reserves hit rock bottom, and we experienced one of the highest inflation rates in the world. Foreign loans went unpaid, pushing the country into bankruptcy. Food Businesses collapsed, leading to job losses and income sources drying up. Hospitals faced shortages of medication, schools had to close, and power cuts lasting 10-12 hours became commonplace. The country was in disarray, with people struggling to survive,” he said.
He said the country’s development had been based on four primary pillars: fiscal and financial reforms, investment drive, social protection and governance, and state-owned enterprises transformation.
The President expressed his satisfaction that the country is beginning to experience relief from economic pressures.
Taking a swipe at groups involved in traditional politics, he said these elements were involved in attempts to hinder economic revival.
They are spreading false information about our reform agenda and intentionally misleading the public with claims that we are selling off the country. Throughout history, these groups have continuously resorted to fear-mongering tactics, falsely asserting that our actions are driven by a desire to sell out our nation. They have deceived many Sri Lankans in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and even the 1980s, instilling an irrational fear of the country being sold away. From then until now, these groups have disrupted real progress for economic reform by perpetuating this slogan of selling the country”, he said. (Kelum Bandara)
President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake had informed the Secretary Ports and Aviation Ministry to hold an inquiry and punish those who are responsible for keeping Venerable Ajan Brahim Thera for 12 hours.
Ekanayake said he had taken this decision following the advice of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The President had wanted action taken against those who are responsible for the drama. The President’s secretary said he express his regrets over the incident.(Yohan Perera)
Today is the start of the policy easing cycle” – CB Governor Dr. Weerasinghe
Expects market interest rates to come down with policy rate cut
Confident inflation reaching single digit levels by July end
Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe
The Central Bank yesterday delivered a surprise policy rate cut, bringing nearly two years long tightening cycle to a close and left open the door for further rate cuts in the next few months among other measures to ease remaining restrictions on imports to reverse the prolonged economic contraction.
The Monetary Board decided to cut both Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) and Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) by an outsize 250 basis points at its meeting held on Wednesday as the members assessed that the policy support by way of lower interest rates is necessary to restart credit flows into the real economy, which has been in contraction since June last year.
Today is the start of the policy easing cycle,” Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe told reporters in Colombo yesterday.
The Central Bank now appears to be leaning more towards rebooting growth while keeping a closer tab on the hard won economic stability, which until yestersay was given priority when making policy decisions.
We hope that banks will transmit and bring down, specially the lending rates to businesses,” Weerasinghe said calling for faster pass through of the policy action via banks to help realise Central Bank’s expectations for the economy.
Although the Central Bank had earlier projected 2.0 percent contraction in the economy in 2023, it now expects the growth to land somewhere close to zero level by the end of the year supported by the growth expected in the back half of the year, potentially fully offsetting the contraction projected for the first half.
Although the financial conditions have been slowly easing from the beginning of the year as seen from the slight downward adjustments in government securities yields and market interest rates thus far, the Monetary Board had assessed that further easing in credit and financial conditions could not happen without policy intervention.
The faster than expected deceleration in consumer prices in April and May provide more wiggle room for the members of the rate setting committee to bring forward a rate cut which may have been penciled in for later in the year.
In fact the magnitude of the rate cut made it further clear that the Central Bank wants to prioritise growth going into the second half of the year.
Yesterday’s action also marked the end to one of the longest tightening cycles and the first which caused a historic 7.8 percent contraction in the economy.
After the country ran out of its thin foreign currency reserves, the Monetary Board signed off an unprecedented 700 basis points hike in April last year to arrest runaway prices.
Colombo inflation fell to 25.2 percent in May after easing to 35.3 percent through April from nearly twice as the levels seen just six months ago.
In fact the Central Bank expects inflation to return to single digit levels as early as July due to the substantially higher base effects of last year, which are still at play through at least August, and the prices to be maintained at the desired mid-single digit levels thereafter.
The Board assessed both upside and downside risks to inflation projections in the near to medium term and viewed that risks to the inflation projections, on balance, are tilted to the downside in the medium term,” the statement by the Monetary Board said.
Faster deceleration of inflation and lower probability of excessive demand pressures during the economic rebound phase creates space for a gradual policy relaxation in the period ahead,” it added.
However, the Central Bank admitted that the recent easing in official inflation indices is yet to be reflected in household grocery bills and their overall cost of living.
Dr. Weerasinghe also said there was always a time lag before the impact of the appreciation in the rupee is reflected in the prices of imported goods.
He further pointed out to the seasonality in locally produced commodities such as vegetables for their current astronomical prices.
Premadasa made political changes which were not for the good of the country. A political party had to get a minimum number of votes to be eligible for representation in Parliament. Premadasa reduced this cut off point from for 12.5% to 5 %.This law was introduced in 1988 by then President the late R. Premadasa to appease Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader M.H.M. Ashraff, said critics. This permitted the entry of small ethnic parties into Parliament.
Sarath Amunugama called it the unleashing of a Pandora’s Box of small ethnic parties which could bargain for ministerial position, ambassadorships and state corporation jobs in exchange for support in Parliament. These transaction or deals have become a regular feature of Sri Lanka politics and have added to the corruption which is now endemic in Sri Lanka politics.
Premadasa also made changes in public administration. Premadasa replaced the Village Council with Pradeshiya sabhas, holding much wider powers. In 1992, Premadasa promoted all Agricultural Overseers to Grama Niladharis, resulting in a loss of valuable extension services in the Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Overseers were trained in extension and they cannot be replaced.
Premadasa upgraded the Assistant Government Agent offices to Divisional Secretariats, and increased these secretariats to almost 150. The Divisional Secretariat functioned under the Divisional Secretary. Premadasa appointed senior Class I SLAS officers to these posts and for this he increased the cadre of Class I officers. The Divisional Secretary (the old AGA) was not under the Chief Minister.
Most of the functions carried out by the GA or Kachcheri were decentralized to the Divisional Secretariat. These included land matters, registration of motors, birth certificates. The District Secretariat or Kachcheri became virtually powerless. Even funds went directly to the Divisional Secretariat.
While the results of the 1989 General Elections were being announced, Premadasa came into his Secretary’s office and told the top officials there, We will now appoint the Cabinet” ,said Chandra Wickramasinghe who functioned as Additional Secretary to the President. President Premadasa made the selections of individual ministers for the new cabinet, exactly as he wanted. The entire Cabinet was selected by President Premadasa.
After selecting the Ministers to head the new Cabinet portfolios, the President directed them to immediately assign subjects and functions to the newly created Ministries. This was no easy task. Subjects and functions assigned to a particular Ministry, had to be determined, and made into a perfectly integrated whole. We had to constantly consult the President whenever certain doubts arose in making these allocations. We had to literally work round the clock for two full days to make sure that there was no overlap with Ministries that held related subjects.This would have been a very welcome pruning of Ministry activities and should have received praise at the time.
Premadasa had top officials as Secretary, they were R Paskaralingam, Bradman Weerakoon and KHJ Wijedasa. Premadasa also had the ability to spot promising officers. Premadasa had plucked out Sarath Amunugama at a comparably young age to head the Department of information.
During Premadasa’s tenure in office as President, the Presidential Secretariat became the hub of administrative governance. The Secretary to the President and the four Additional Secretaries to the President had to work at a cracking pace to keep up to the near impossible deadlines given by the President and the exacting efficiency levels expected by him. They often worked till the early hours of the morning. Premadasa had arranged for dinner to be supplied by Galadari Hotel, next door.
It was easy to work at the Presidential Secretariat as all the Secretaries to Ministries and other high level officials were only too eager to co-operate with us in getting things attended to expeditiously, said Chandra.Critics would probably reply that this was because public officers were scared of Premadasa.
Each Additional Secretary had to oversee six Cabinet Ministries. No Minister could submit a Cabinet paper on any important project without first obtaining clearance from the President. Each Additional Secretary had to study the Cabinet papers relating to the Ministries he was overseeing and submit them with appropriate recommendations to the President via Secretary/President. This meant that the entire system of governance was highly centralized, with all important policy matters having to be first cleared by President Premadasa before they could be submitted to Cabinet.Additional Secretaries had to take turns to attend the weekly Cabinet Meetings and brief the President on the concerned Cabinet papers.
Premadasa created an imposing new Prime Minister office at Srimathipaya in Colombo 7. This mansion had been given to the Ministry of Education. Premadasa converted this to an efficient and impressive secretariat, said Bradman. This is still in use as the Prime Minister’s office.
Premadasa also had a private office at Sucharita. The Sucharita office had a satellite dish for CNN and there was a 24 hour world TV service coming in. Premadasa was well ahead in news, said Bradman.
At Sucharita and elsewhere a sense of order and discipline is very marked, said Bradman. He was a stickler for discipline. All officers had to be properly clad, saris for women. All wore identity cards and had name boards on their desks.All except the big guns had to punch the clock on arrival and departure. All letters had to be replied within three days. His daily mail was enormous. It was methodically handled by a small army of clerical officers.
Premadasa was an early riser. He got up at 4.am and went to sleep at around 10.30 pm, with a power nap in the afternoon.He met his officials sharp at 7 am. His day began by reading all the newspapers. Premadasa paid attention to vernacular press which differed from English press. Tamil new papers were translated and ready in the morning.
In the newspapers, he looked particularly for criticism of his ministries and departments. . He also looked at Letters to the editor. He took note of news items that highlighted various shortcomings in villages, such as dilapidated roads and called ministers and officials demanding prompt remedial action.And officials learned to be ready to answer his questions when his call came early in the morning. He would follow through a few days later and sometimes even visit the village in question to see the progress.
It was normal for him to ring officials at 5 am. Officials and MPs l received these early morning calls even if the problems were a pothole in a minor road, lack of dressing in a peripheral hospital, the hole in the roof of a rural school.
Premadasa was a quick reader and could go through a file very fast, absorb the issue, and Issue a crisp short order in his clear handwriting,said Bradman Weerakoon. He would detect flaws in letters prepared for his signature. KHJ Wijedasa said that Premadasa would not look at anything which had not been initialled by Wijedasa.
Premadasa tried to establish total control over the entire shebang, ( everything relating to a project). He cracked the whip. For Jana Saviya there was an organization that extended through the 195 electorates. His personal involvement was immense, he personally looked at every aspect of the project from the concept, to researching low cost supplies, fundraising for Sevana and monitoring the progress on targets at the Op Room in the Department of Housing, said Bradman.
President Premadasa never took” no” for an answer and expected government servants as well as the private sector to have a can do” attitude. A senior civil servant refused to provide funds for Janasaviya. He had said he cannot accommodate such a largesum in the Budget. Premadasa replaced him with a more complaint Secretary who ordered, Find the funds, this is a big man’s requirement.”
Premadasa wanted the assignments given to Ministers and Officers done in double quick time. The expenditure aspect did not bother him over much , as long as the work was completed to his satisfaction. Khettarama Stadium needed a high voltage underground cable extending a few miles from Maradana. Premadasa said CEB must bear the cost and recover it by provide electricity to others on the way.
Neil Perera said he was the AGM of the CEB, when a Gam Udawa was planned for Hanguranketa. He gave the cost of the electricity for the event, and Premadasa noted that it was more than for the earlier Gam Udawa at Embilipitiya. He had glared and said, ‘I will not pay you anymore than for the last Gam Udawa’. Neil had tried to point out that for this Udawa they needed to construct a fairly long high voltage line and a transformer substation and it was not possible to reduce the cost. Later the cost had been reduced by lowering the power which meant dimmer lights for the show.
Premadasa rewarded those who supported him. When Gam Udawa started we received a request for a generator to provide electricity at the Gam Udawa grounds, said GAD Srimal. The CEB being a commercial operation, we said that at least the cost must be met. This was not to the liking of the President and his staff. They contacted the Workshop Engineer of the CEB and got the generators without approval.
When I visited the Gam Udawa site at Buttala, I saw the generators being operated by CEB employees, continued Srimal. On my return I made discrete inquires and came to know that the Prime Minister’s officers had contacted the Workshop Engineer and had unofficially obtained these generators. The department had decided that it was best to keep silent.The Workshop Engineer was later appointed Chairman of CEB .
President Premadasa was certainly not an easy person to satisfy. He was very exacting and punctilious in ensuring that even the minutest detail met his exacting standards, said Chandra Wickramasinghe. He was a hard taskmaster ,but gave credit to his staff who implemented his order without question, said Sarath Amunugama .
Officials who worked for him were all the time on tenterhooks trying desperately to work out practical solutions to problems which prima facie, seemed impossible to be solved. What facilitated matters in seeking solutions to such virtually intractable problems was the fact that all concerned officials in Ministries, Departments, State Corporations and Public Authorities at the time, were only too eager to chip in and help.
Officers managed to complete the work Premadasa wanted done in whatever manner possible to avoid unpleasant repercussions..”President Premadasa could be very nasty to officials. I know of instances where he castigated certain Heads of Dept. at conferences so devastatingly that some fell ill and left the institutions concerned, on their own, said Chandra Wickramasinghe.
Tilak Fernando speaking of his elder brother M. R. Fernando said that MR, due to extensive pressure from . Premadasa, who was then the Minister of Highways, had to resign from the Director of Highways position prematurely. He then sought an appointment with the Hong Kong Government as a Highways Consultant.
One month before he was assassinated Premadasa sent for Chandra Wickramasinghe. There are two MPs who are fighting to get an unused paddy store. One of the MP’s wishes to use the store to rehabilitate 32 ex-JVP cadres while the other is keen on converting the store into a vocational training centre to train the youth in the area in vocational skills. This has become a big headache to me, settle the matter.
Chandra decided that the vocational training centre was the correct idea for the store, but what about the JVP. This is what Chandra did. I phoned the Secretary/Ministry of Mahaweli Development and enquired whether land with a perennial water course was available in one of the border areas in Mahaweli H Division. He promptly said No, but when he was told that President Premadasa wanted to settle JVP cadres in a suitable border area he rang back within 15 minutes to say that there was a suitable land available with a perennial stream running through it.
The normal allotment was two and a half acres of land. Chandra asked for five acres for each JVPer, to which the Mahaweli Secretary reluctantly agreed, thinking that Premadasa wanted this. He also agreed to increase the money for building a house which was normally Rs 5000 to Rs 20,000, thinking once again that these were President Premadasa’s instructions. This meant that these JVPers would get much better facilities than what the normal Mahaweli settlers were entitled to.
The blocking plan of the land showing the stream and a report on the extent to be allocated and the amount of money that would be given to build a house, was sent quickly, via fax. The MP concerned meekly accepted the plan thinking it was Premadasa’s wish. The President however examined my report very carefully, going into all the relevant details including the availability of water, concluded Chandra.(island 3.10.21 p 9 )
In 1980 When Premadasa was Prime Minister he used to visit the small Colombo Central Government Hospital at Maligawatte. Premadasa was a frequent visitor to the hospital .The hospital was informed in advance that he was coming and the staff washed, mopped and cleaned the hospital and cut the grass around the buildings.
On one occasion Prime Minister Premadasa wanted to know why expectant mothers were bypassing this hospital when it came to deliveries and was told that there was no resident doctor, the PM had ordered the immediate construction of quarters so that the doctor would be on site day and night.On his next visit to the hospital, the first question asked whether the doctor was occupying the quarters.
He saw that the garden had a withered patch and was told that was where the ambulance was parked. Prime Minister instructed his building officials to construct a garage, and wanted to know where and when it would be done.Follow-up was crucial for the PM who had to be informed in a few days whether the matter had been attended to or not, by a team which would come later to video the action or non-action.
Premadasa next visited the OPD where he saw some small patches on the wall .This was the room where usually the staff would give treats to each other on special occasions such as birthdays, and crepe would be hung as bunting during these festivities. The crepe was affixed to the wall with gum and even though the walls had been cleaned, the PM spotted a few small patches.Demmama sudda karanna,” he had said, reiterating that it should never be done again, as it was an eye sore and also damaged the walls. Social events are part of the informal system within an institution and are permitted and encouraged.
Looking up at the two-storey building from outside, Mr. Premadasa had also spotted a tiny plant which had taken root on the roof. Pointing out that it will gradually destroy the whole building, causing cracks et al, he had instructed his staff to get it out and treat that section so that no other invasive plants would grow there
Premadasa also said that while he was on the way along Jayantha Weerasekera Mawatha, he had noticed that a sign board was ade and alevela thiyanawa. Seeing a poorly put up board with instructions on how to get to the ward, the PM told his officials to change all the boards in the hospital. Premadasa’s comments on signage were spot on. Signage in this country is very poor.(Sunday Times 24.6.18 Plus) ( CONTINUED)
Premadasa was probably the most calculating politician Sri Lanka has ever had.Premadasa was politicking day and night, said Sarath Amunugama.His voice rang with authority and power, commanding compliance, said Evans Cooray.
Premadasa had an unparalleled knowledge of the Colombo’s electoral mathematics, said Sarath. He created a support base which included the poor of all major castes. He had several venues where he met the public.He also created a coterie of loyalists. His chief supporter was Sirisena Cooray who was an early supporter of Premadasa.
Premadasa read through old copies of Hansard looking for what the Opposition had said in the past and he then quoted those contradictory statements back to them. He employed others to read past copies and provide the necessary information.Opponents were therefore unwilling to disturb him in Parliament.
Premadasa was a superb speaker. Listeners were mesmerized by his superb oratory which spoke up for the underprivileged and dispossessed. Hs speeches had an authenticity which couldn’t be matched by the westernized politicians, said Sarath Amunugama.
Richness of his vocabulary, modulations of tone, and cadence of his words made him an attraction with the masses, observed Bradman Weerakoon.He would sometimes speak for over an hour but every word had a purpose. Having covered many of his meetings for the Daily News, I recall that there was something new to write every day, said Pramod de Silva. He always peppered his speeches with a joke or anecdote that sent ripples of laughter among the audience. His speeches were thus never boring or uninteresting concluded Pramod.
Premadasa looked into everything which affected his image. Premadasa addressed the 35th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 1987. It was his first appearance there and his preparations were thorough and exacting, said Bradman Weerakoon He made sure that he got an optimum slot. He even tested the rostrum for height. Speech writers were preparing his speech two months ahead.
Premadasa knew that the media was important. One admirer who referred to Premadasa as a ‘great man’ and the ‘late great man ‘said that Premadasa took a personal interest in helping journalists who sought his help. He provided them apartments in urban housing schemes. He had gone out of his way to offer a flat to a newspaper cartoonist who had been caricaturing him. He attended funerals of journalists or family member of journalists.
Sarath Amunugama had managed to obtain a consignment of newsprint from Lake House when Davasa had run out of its own stock of papers, and this got good publicity, Premadasa had phoned Sarath and asked whether his name could also be mentioned so that any future editorial would mention his assistance as well.
Here are some facts that are not so well known about Premadasa. Premadasa owned a coconut estate at Ambanpola at Yapahuwa. Premadasa visited Yala and Kumana often to relax. On many occasion he had himself driven the jeep through elephant infested areas. He spent several hours on tree tops to photograph elephants and leopards. His photos are on display at Sucharita.
Premadasa wrote lucidly and facilely in Sinhala. His Sinhala handwriting was beautiful, said Bradman. Premadasa was also a good cartoonist. A cartoon drawn by him of the cartoonist Ranga is found in Evans Cooray’s book In the shadow of a peoples president” facing p 195.
Premadasa was never diffident before highly educated persons, said Bradman.He was an excellent conversationalist, with a fund of anecdotes well related. He could remember names and called anyone he met once by his/her name at any subsequent meeting. Premadasa was a teetotaler. (Continued)
What changed?” demands anti-Sinhala and anti-Buddhist elements in Sri Lanka when the ICCPR Act is implemented. They have been used to a life of hate speech against Sinhala and Buddhist interests for the past 200 years. Instead of changing to the new world norm of human rights, they blame the Act and live in the tribal era!
Sri Lanka acceded to the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) on June 11, 1980. However, Sri Lanka did not change the local law to reflect this until 2007. In 2007, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, No. 56 of 2007 was passed in Sri Lankan parliament and became law. However, its implementation was delayed over various, mainly political, reasons.
Thankfully, the Act seems to be in some shape of implementation today.
Blaming the law of the nation, politicians, etc. for the Act is insane. It is a worldwide covenant which is ratified by all civilized nations and communities. The UN ICCPR Covenant can be found in this link.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Entry into force: 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49 Preamble The States Parties to the present Covena…
Human rights activists cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. If they want human rights in Sri Lanka, they must accept that all humans are entitled to human rights, not just the minorities. There is some getting adjusted to for those who indulged in hate speech against the majority for the past two centuries. This painful adjusting time is what transitions now.
Implementing human rights via the ICCPR Act does not violate anyone’s human rights. It only limits racist, bigoted, tribal and sectarian conduct of elements that they have taken for granted. The Act and the UN Covenant are aimed at the extinction of hate speech and human rights abuses by all, not just the government and armed groups. There is no Apartheid version of human rights. If one gets it, others get it too.
If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the pen must also conduct itself in a respectful and law-abiding manner. The laws are for the pen as well as the sword.
If anyone has a problem with the ICCPR Act they must take it with the entire civilized world, not against the courts, CID, police, parliament or with the Sri Lankan law. It is a global force against them.
Qatar-Bangladesh long-term deal on LNG imports: A ray of hope in times of crisis? Bangladesh has signed a long-term agreement to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar at the rate of 1.8 million metric tons (MMT) per annum for 15 years. The agreement was signed on Thursday (June 1). According to the agreement, Bangladesh will receive an additional 1.8 MMT of LNG annually, starting in 2026. The long-term LNG sales and purchase agreement (SPA) was signed between Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Minerals Corporation (Petrobangla) and Qatar Energy’s LNG trading arm at Qatar Energy’s headquarters in Doha.
This is a very important news for Bangladesh. Many countries around the world are struggling with power generation capacity shortages. The world has been plunged into a chronic energy crisis due to the Ukraine war and subsequent Western sanctions on Russia. Rising oil and gas prices and disruptions in supply chains have had major repercussions for emerging economies in the developing world, including all oil and gas importing countries. As the fastest growing country in the world, Bangladesh is heavily dependent on gas and oil for stable energy supply in the country. The crisis in the power and energy sector is becoming evident. The crisis started last year. At times the situation is improving but it is getting worse. Dues of Bangladeshi companies to foreign companies supplying energy products are increasing day by day. This long-term agreement is showing a light of hope when Bangladesh is struggling with the energy crisis along with the rest of the world. When Bangladesh is suffering from energy crisis, the light of hope has been lit at that very moment. Through the increased production of electricity, Bangladesh has achieved great economic progress in the past decade by enriching the country’s industrial sector. However, the Covid-19 global pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine war and its associated syndromes have significantly disrupted gas and oil supplies, which are crucial for power generation in Bangladesh. About 60 percent of the country’s power plants are powered by gas. According to the Power Development Board of Bangladesh, at least 24 of the country’s 152 power plants currently face gas supply shortages. Gas supply to power plants has fallen to 900mmcf against demand of around 1,600mmcf. In addition to high prices and gas supply disruptions, the world is witnessing high inflation rates and increasing devaluation of local currencies in many countries against the US dollar. This has created a multidimensional economic crisis in the world that has plagued both developed and developing countries. From the US to Turkey, Germany to Sri Lanka, each country is adjusting to the changing context of food and energy production and supply. Countries like Australia, Indonesia, South Africa and Pakistan have already resorted to load shedding. This support from Qatar will help strengthen our fast growing economy. The world is facing an energy crisis in this unstable situation of war between Russia and Ukraine. We hope to overcome the upcoming challenges by meeting the energy demand. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Jassim Al Thani during the Qatar Economic Forum, where they discussed strengthening bilateral relations and increasing energy cooperation between the two countries.
In a bilateral meeting at the Qatar Economic Forum held in Doha, Qatar, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina expressed the desire for closer energy cooperation between the two countries. Qatari Prime Minister Thani assured Bangladesh of Qatar’s commitment to further strengthen their friendly relations and emphasized their status as true friends. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appreciated Qatar’s assistance in providing stability to Bangladesh and requested its continued assistance in the energy sector. In response, Prime Minister Al Thani assured that Qatar would fully assist Bangladesh in meeting its energy needs.
During their meeting at Raffles Towers in Doha, Prime Minister Al Thani expressed Qatar’s keen interest in strengthening friendly relations with Bangladesh. He called Bangladesh a true friend and praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for bringing stability to the country. In response, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her desire for Bangladesh’s energy cooperation, and the Emir of Qatar assured Bangladesh of all facilities to supply larger LNG from his country to meet the country’s energy needs. This is a very important news for Bangladesh. On March 23, 2023, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a meeting at Amiri Diwan in Doha, I promise you that I will give you all kinds of facilities as Emir because Bangladesh is a friendly country.
Emphasizing the importance of Qatar’s assistance in meeting Bangladesh’s growing energy needs, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, “We want you (Qatar) to help us with energy. In response, Prime Minister Al Thani assured Bangladesh of Qatar’s commitment of all possible assistance.
It is indeed another milestone in the strong bilateral relations between the two friendly countries with long standin bilateral ties based on mutual respect, values, common religious foundations, culture and traditions.
–Emphasizing the importance of Qatar’s assistance in meeting Bangladesh’s growing energy needs, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, “We want you (Qatar) to help us with energy. In response, Prime Minister Al Thani assured Bangladesh of Qatar’s commitment of all possible assistance.
This is indeed another milestone in the strong bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, which have long-standing bilateral ties based on mutual respect, values, common religious foundations, culture and traditions. With the growth of Bangladesh’s economy and increase in per capita income, the demand for energy is also increasing rapidly. Current power generation capacity stands at 25 thousand 284 MW.
The government has set a target of 40,000 MW by 2030 and 60,000 MW by 2041. Electricity coverage has reached 100 percent across the country. Bangladesh has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies globally. As a relatively clean energy source, LNG is a priority to meet growing energy demand. LNG imports will help fill the national gas grid network set up across the country.
Bangladesh will receive more than 3.5 million tons of LNG from Qatar every year. This supply reinforces our continued commitment to ensuring energy security for valued customers like Bangladesh and providing them with the reliable energy they need for socio-economic development and prosperity.”
With this new SPA, Qatar Energy reaffirms its position as the LNG supplier of choice for its partners in the South Asian LNG market. Qatar currently supplies more than 3.5 million tons of LNG to Bangladesh annually.
Bangladesh already has a 15-year LNG SPA agreement with Qatar for the supply of 1.8-2.5 MTPA of LNG which was signed on September 25, 2017. From the start of delivery on September 9, 2018 to May 31, 2022, Petrobangla has successfully received 11.746 million metric tons of LNG through 191 LNG cargoes.
In 2017, Bangladesh signed a 15-year agreement to buy fuel from Qatar. That agreement was far-reaching and wise. According to a 15-year deal signed in 2017, Bangladesh now imports about 40 containers of fuel, which translates to 1.8-2.5 MTA. But now Bangladesh wants larger supply of LNG from Qatar.
Bangladesh and Qatar have ongoing cooperation on various bilateral issues, including labor migration (8 million Bangladeshi workers and US 1.3 billion in remittances), energy cooperation (15-year G-to-G NLG agreement), and continued support for the Rohingya. It continues to purchase liquefied natural gas from Qatar and Oman under long-term contracts and imports about four million tonnes of liquefied gas annually.
The agreement with Qatar will expire in 2032 and with Oman in 2029. Qatar is one of the top energy producing countries. Bangladesh has already signed a 15-year G-to-G LNG agreement with Qatar. However, due to the Ukraine crisis, Western sanctions on Russia and the subsequent increase in fuel prices, there is an energy crisis in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is currently struggling to meet the growing demand for natural gas due to declining production of natural gas from local gas fields and high prices of LNG in the international market.
Qatar is an oil-rich country in the Middle East. The country is largely dependent on foreign labor to support its economy: 89.5 percent of Qatar’s residents are foreign nationals. In contrast, Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest labor exporters. About 400,000 Bangladeshi expatriates work there, which is 12.5 percent of Qatar’s total population. The oil-rich country is undoubtedly an important country for expatriates and migrant workers in Bangladesh.
In June 2017, Bangladesh signed an agreement with Qatari company Rasgas to receive 2.5 million tons of LNG annually for the next 15 years. It is important to note that the remittance flow from Qatar has touched US 1 billion in the last five years. As Bangladesh is suffering from energy crisis, Qatar will stand by Bangladesh to meet its growing energy needs.
Bangladesh and Qatar have recently strengthened their bilateral relations. Qatari businessmen and officials have already shown interest in investing in Bangladesh’s energy sector, LPG storage terminals, power and infrastructure sectors. Bangladesh has already pursued Qatar for urgent LNG and extended loans for supplies at relatively low prices. Long-term contract of LNG will help Bangladesh in energy security by providing emergency supply.
Erina Haque is a researcher, journalist, columnist, and author
Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe