New Fortress Energy Inc. and The Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (GOSL) jointly announced that they have executed a definitive agreement for New Fortress’ investment in West Coast Power Limited (WCP), the owner of the 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, along with the rights to develop a new LNG terminal off the coast of Colombo. As part of the transaction, New Fortress will have gas supply rights to the Kerawalapitya Power Complex, where 310 MW of power is operational today and an additional 700 MW scheduled to be built, of which 350 MW is scheduled to be operational by 2023.
New Fortress will acquire a 40% ownership stake in WCP and plans to build an offshore LNG receiving, storage, and regasification terminal located off the coast of Colombo. New Fortress will initially provide the equivalent of an estimated 1.2 million gal. of LNG (approximately 35 000 million Btu/d) to the GOSL, with the expectation of significant growth as new power plants become operational.
The 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant currently has a long-term power purchase agreement to provide electricity to the national grid that extends through 2035. This power plant consists of General Electric turbines and is configured to run on natural gas in combined cycle.
This is a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s transition to cleaner fuels and more reliable, affordable power,” said Wes Edens, Chairman and CEO of New Fortress Energy. We are pleased to partner with Sri Lanka by investing in modern energy infrastructure that will support sustainable economic development and environmental gains.”
The Kerawalapitya Power Complex is the foundation of the baseload power that serves the country’s population of 22 million people. Delivering cleaner and cheaper fuels to Sri Lanka will support the country’s growth for years to come.
The terminal is expected to begin operations in 2023.
Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Further investigations were being carried out into former Terrorism Investigation Division Director Nalaka Silva upon a compliant lodged by Anti-Corruption Force Director Namal Kumara in 2018 on an alleged plot to assassinate the then President Maithripala Sirisena and former Defence Secretary and incumbent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara revealed today.
The Minister told Parliament that preliminary investigations are being conducted by the Police Special Investigation Unit on the orders of the IGP after taking charge of the investigation files which were in the custody of the Court.
He said this in response to a question raised by SJB MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha on the progress of the investigations into the incident.
The MP said DIG Nalaka Silva, who was the Director of the Terrorism Investigation Division, was arrested and removed from the position following an audio clip was made public by Namal Kumara claiming that an alleged plot to assassinate then President Maithripala Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was being hatched.
The MP said Nalaka Silva had been conducting investigations into Zahran Hashim and that DIG Silva was planning to obtain a red warrant to arrest Zahran when he was arrested.
Due to the arrest of DIG Silva, Zahran could not be arrested. Following the arrest of DIG Silva, a series of political incidents took place in the country including the 52-day political conspiracy. And then, the Easter Sunday attack. This is a serious conspiracy,” he said.
MP Bandara asked about the progress of the investigation into the incident and if Namal Kumara had told a lie, what action had been taken against him and the state of the investigations on DIG Silva.
Minister Weerasekara said Anti-Corruption Force Director Namal Kumara had lodged a complaint on September 15, 2018 that there was a plot to assassinate the said higher officials and added that having completed the investigations, investigation files had been referred to the Attorney General for his advice on September 9, 2019.
The Minister denied that there was any political hand behind the said murder plot.
He said Nalaka Silva had been released on bail on May 21, 2019 and that he was suspended on October 17, 2018 on the directions of the National Police Commission.
The Minister also said that the request made by the DIG Silva to reinstate him, has been turned down by the Public Services Commission on December 17, 2019.
There will be no shortage of medicinal drugs nor will substandard medicines be imported to the country as a result of the recent data loss at the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals assured today.
Responding to a question raised by the Leader of Opposition, Sajith Premadasa during the parliamentary session this morning, Prof. Channa Jayasumana said the general public should not have any undue fears in this regard.
According to the state minister, only the documents related to registration and registration renewal of local pharmacies had disappeared from the database. He noted that the missing data is not related to the approval for importation of vaccines, essential drug or medical equipment to battle the COVID-19 epidemic.
Prof. Jayasumana stressed that there is no risk of blacklisted drugs being released to the market drugs and the companies that import the same drug under different names arbitrarily increasing the prices.
Necessary steps are being taken to recover the lost data using the backup of the Government Cloud, the state minister added.
He accused the former government of allowing the medical drug mafia to thrive in the country and spending an exorbitant amount of money to purchase medicines during its regime from 2015 to 2019.
The NMRA data disappearance could be a move by the supporters of the drug mafia who were offended by the measures taken by the current government to put a stop to their activities which hampered their exorbitant financial gains, he went on to allege.
Prof. Jayasumana, who emphasized that the government was able to save Rs. 128 million by putting an end to the drug mafia, tabled a list of medicinal drugs purchased by the former government for unreasonably higher prices.
The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reported that 403 more people were tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka today (Sep. 21), moving the daily total of new cases to 1,321.
According to the Government Information Department, all new cases were associated with the New Year Cluster.
This brings the tally of coronavirus infections confirmed in the country to 507,330.
Official data showed that more than 60,900 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals, treatment centres and homes.
Total recoveries from the virus infection reached 434,140 earlier today as 1,047 more patients were discharged from medical care upon returning to health.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka registered 66 new COVID-related fatalities confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Sep. 20 The new development pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 12,284.
The total number of people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka moved up as 66 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Monday (September 21).
The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in Sri Lanka to 12,284.
According to the data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 30 males and 36 females.
As many as 53 deaths were reported among elderly people who are aged above 60 years.
In addition, 11 individuals aged between 30-59 years and 02 below 30 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.
The
purpose of establishing the International Monetary Fund was a good policy design
because there had been conflicts in the international financial management
relating to exchange rate determination and gaining trade advantages. Economically, powerful countries attempted to
take power by determining the exchange rate for their currency units. This
situation was encountered during the 1930s. Currently, the IMF operating system
makes disadvantages. Many developing countries haven’t had trading power in the
international trading system and the IMF’s focus is on patching foreign
exchange reserves and foreign value of currency units. The best policy action
of the IMF is supporting financing activities for the balance of payment adjustment.
It is a structural problem without a proper solution. The IMF operations during
the several decades did not specifically aim how to make justice for developing
countries and the priority of issues of the international financial system was
to negotiate specific problems for the developed world.
Many
countries have predicaments to settle the overall balance of the payment
resulting from massive payments for imports of goods and services. The
depreciation of currency values of developing countries is because of the
massive outgoing of foreign exchange reserves and many other reasons that
direct the IMF’s attention to problems. The COVID-19 crisis has also brought
into press the same issues to developing countries because a considerable
volume of foreign reserves of these countries used to import jabs and other
goods and services while the lockdown of economies restricted the earning of
foreign exchange. The exchange rate determination and the securing of foreign
reserves have become vicious economic issues in developing countries. I saw a
suggestion of Dr. Samarasiri, the management of macroeconomic variables
provincial level. Would it be helpful to exchange rate-related and international
trade matters that cannot be assumed because the idea is more complicated?
The
exchange rate of a domestic currency unit is a macroeconomic factor that has
many links to a variety of considerations in an economy. The main reason to
establish the International Monetary Fund was the operational instability of
the international financial system, especially the competition between major
countries in Europe and America that led to creating the over-emphasised
competitive situation that was pushing for revaluing and devaluing the foreign
value of currency units. The operational structure of the IMF has addressed
this issue. Accordingly, no member countries could revalue or devalue more than
10% of the existing value of the
currency unit without the permission of the IMF. It was a very good policy decision
of the IMF, this situation has been negatively affected on many developing
countries since the mid-1950s, and the policymakers of the IMF have not been
attempted to broaden a successful and acceptable policy process to answer for
the problem.
The
crisis had in the international finance system was not only a foreign exchange
reserves-related issue like present Sri Lanka facing, and the countries had
conflicts in Europe and America to get trade advantages. For foreign exchange
reserve building purposes, the competition was influenced by the reciprocal of
policy actions, combined with the shortage of reserves. The value determination
of reserves negatively affected the rate of exchange.
Under
the operation regulation of the IMF, it has a plan to provide financing
facilities to improve individual reserves of countries with conditions that are
supportive of developed countries. However, the problem is the IMF policy
intermingled with the reactions of other major countries such as India, China,
Russia. This is a complex matter that developing countries approach without the
support of an international authority.
Since
the late eighteenth century, many countries had been acted in destabilizing the
international financial system. Major countries, especially France and European
countries, used the techniques of devaluation and revaluation without
international controls.
Sri
Lanka had a Currency Board System during the 1930s when the international
financial system was in a crisis and the monetary unit of Sri Lanka was linked
to the British Sterling pound and the exchange rate of the currency unit was
determined by the British Pound. The economic policymakers of the country were
the British authority, and the policymakers were not concerned about the matter,
as they were in a dependent finance system. Sri Lanka’s economy was like a canola
seed near the universe. China entered the IMF in the 1970s and the operations
of China and India made a considerable impact on the IMF operations, but major
issue of developing countries has not been considered and China also attempted
to disturb the smooth operation of the International Financial System. When
deeply considering the issues, the developing countries are being disadvantaged
and the issue should be negotiated by the IMF with the developing countries.
The
International Monetary Fund was established after considering two proposals
from the UK and the USA. (Proposals were published as White’s plan and Keynesian
Plan). If it is considered the original proposal, such as creating a common
currency unit (BANCOR) for all countries in the world, it would have
appropriated all countries in the world a common currency unit, and all
countries would have gained justice to maintain the exchange rate. Like Euro
was created for European countries in the year 2000, if BANCOR operated in the
world it would have benefited all poor countries and the international trade
creates justice for all countries.
The
policy action to improve the exchange rate in developing countries is earning
more foreign exchange from international trade. However, many developing
countries have no plans to market products and services at the international
level, the major reason associated with the quality of products and services of
developing countries. The policy requirement for building foreign exchange
reserves has been ignored by the countries by mixing economic policies with
politics. Developing countries need to implement economic policies without
political influences, and they should submit proposals to the IMF to reform its
operational policies to get out of current problems.
Western delegations have made it a point to
meet and speak with the TNA, when they visit Sri Lanka. These are not secret
discussions. They are proudly reported
in the newspapers.
Sampanthan’s
discussion with these foreigners covered the full spectrum of Tamil Separatist
Movement concerns, such as the National question, Acceptable political
resolution Power
sharing the possibility
of recurrence of violence, merger of North and East provinces, new constitution,
‘state sponsored colonization’ plus the fiction that Tamils have been
living in the north and east from ancient times, this is their homeland.
Here are some of the things Sampanthan has
told these foreigners.
We
have been governed without our will and consent, and from 1956 onwards our
people have repeatedly voted for a change in the structure of governance in the
country. These democratic verdicts have been continuously ignored and
rejected”.
“We
have not been given equal opportunities in terms of development and employment
and our people are frustrated. On the contrary, if power is devolved then these
socio-economic issues could be addressed more effectively “.
We are not against natural migration of people. But we are
against the state-sponsored settlement schemes which are done deliberately to
change the ethnic composition in the regions.
“We
want to have substantial power-sharing arrangements, an arrangement that will
enable people to exercise powers in matters that are related to them, and ensure
that these powers are not taken back by the center or will not allow center to
interfere. “We
are well within the international laws with regard to our demands for
power-sharing.
Sampanthan
called for a merger of North and East
provinces citing ‘the two provinces largely represent Tamil majority’
“We
want a solution within a united undivided and indivisible Sri Lanka on the
basis of the dignity self-respect and sovereignty of different people who have
historically inhabited certain regions for centuries
Sampanthan said failure to finding a
resolution to the national question would result in a recurrence of violence. If
the government does not deliver, we may be compelled to take a hardline.
Here are extracts from a speech given by
Sampanthan at
the Counter terrorism conference, New Delhi, March 2017.
Human society is diverse, it is complex.
Societies in most countries are multilingual, multi ethnic, multi-cultural, and
pluralistic in character; they vastly differ from each other.
Constitutional arrangements need to accommodate such diversity, such complexity.
Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi lingual,
multi-cultural country comprising of the Sinhalese who are the majority and
have their own distinct identity, the Tamils, and the Muslims who are
numerically minorities and have their own distinct identities. This is accepted
in Sri Lanka and is not a bone of contention.
The
Tamil speaking people have historically inhabited the North Eastern part of the
Country and are in a majority in every district in the North Eastern part of
the Country, while the Sinhala people are in a majority in the rest of the
Country. This too is accepted and is not a bone of contention.
The
Country attained independence from Colonial rule in 1948.Before Colonial
subjugation, there were Sinhala and Tamil Kingdoms in the Country, which were
captured by different Colonial powers, differently, and at different times.
These different territories were unified together in 1833 under British
Colonial Rule.
Sri
Lanka’s first Constitution was framed in 1948 by our Colonial rulers. It
provided for Majoritarian rule with certain safeguards, which were soon
disregarded. Thereafter, we have had two Constitutions, one in 1972 and the
other in 1978.It is the latter that exists today.
The
1972 Constitution was framed by one of the two major Sinhala political parties
without the consent of the other major Sinhala political party or the consent
of the Tamil political party mainly representing the Tamil people of the North
East.
The
1978 constitution was framed by the other major Sinhala political party without
the consent of the major Sinhala political party that framed the 1972
Constitution or the consent of the political party mainly representing the
Tamil people of the North East.
The
1972 Constitution and the existing 1978 Constitution, were not framed on the
basis of consensus, they were unilateral actions of the political party in
power at the relevant time .They empowered majoritarian rule.
The
political culture prevalent in Sri Lanka has unfortunately been that, in order
to achieve and retain political power, the tendency has been to confer on the
majority Community a supremacist position, in preference to truth, justice and
equality .It must be realized that this approach has resulted in Sri Lanka, not
being able to attain its rightful place in the World.
The
demand for a change in the structure of Governance has prevailed from shortly
after Independence, the demand was made by the Tamil people in the North East
who alleged that they were treated as Second class Citizens, that injustice was
meted out to them, in matters relating to their Civil, Political, Economic,
Social and Cultural rights. They were subjected to physical violence whenever
they made just political demands .This happened for several decades without any
retaliation from the Tamils.
The
political demand of the Tamil people for necessary changes in the structure of
Governance was democratically supported ,overwhelmingly ,by the Tamil people of
the North East, at every General Election to Parliament from 1956-up to date
and at every other election whether provincial or local for a period of more
than Sixty years .
The
democratic verdicts of the Tamil people were not given recognition .The Tamil
people are thus being governed without their consent and against their will in
violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United
Nations.
After
that, there was armed revolt by Tamil Youth for almost three decades .Such
armed revolt commenced more than three decades after the country attained
independence and after all democratic and political processes had failed.
The
result of all this has been that up to fifty percent of the Sri Lankan Tamil
population have fled the country and live in several Countries the World over.
The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora is spread
throughout the World. More than 150000 Tamils have been killed. During the
armed conflict, all people Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims suffered immensely.
Further violence would result in more Tamils fleeing the Country.
The
Conflict has received international attention and four resolutions have been
adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2012, 2013, 2014 and
2015.The resolutions deal with violations of International Human Rights Laws
and International Humanitarian Laws by both parties to the conflict, the Sri
Lankan State and the armed rebel outfit.
The Tamil people are committed to
evolving a just, reasonable, workable and durable political solution within the
frame-work of a single undivided and indivisible Sri Lanka. [End of speech] (Continued in B4)
Asanga
Abeyagoonasekera speaks on ‘Russia and Sri
Lanka’s role in Regional Security’ at the Moscow Conference on
International Security
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Author and foreign policy analyst was
invited from Sri Lanka for the IX Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS)
2021. The conference was inaugurated by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez, Russian Defence
Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu and Director of Federal
Security Service Alexander Bortnikov. Mr. Abeyagoonasekera’s
presented a paper on ‘Russia and Sri Lanka’s role in Regional Security:
Perspective from Sri Lanka’. Among the distinguished presenters were Minister of Defence of India Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence of China Colonel General Wei
Fenghe, former President
of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, Senior Minister of State
for Defence of Singapore Heng Chee How, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov and many others from around the world. From
Sri Lanka it was Secretary to Ministry of Defence (Ret.) Kamal Gunaratne and
Mr.Abeyagoonasekera who presented at the MCIS In 22-24 June 2021.
“Bishop of the Diocese of Galle, Rev. Dr. Raymond Wickremasinghe told a virtual congregation that the conscience of those responsible for the Easter Sunday carnage would never be at peace and it would haunt them eternally.”
Dear Dr. Wickremasinghe,
You have confounded and
mystified many clear-thinking persons. Those responsible are already enjoying
the favours Allah has promised. They are also enjoying” the 74 virgins given
to each of them (the maths has to be done!). Allah will look after these
characters and your God can’t do anything about this. However, those who knew
but did not prevent the Easter Sunday carnage should be relentlessly hounded and brought to justice.
Another thing that I am baffled by is whether these lunatic suicide bombers were able (after the bombing) to take their sex organs with them to their heaven”. I pity the virgins! Don’t try to be too smart, Bishop. Just look after your flock. You are just a puppet on a string.
Colombo, Sept 20 (News 1st) – Newspaper advertisements published in newspapers to lease three more valuable plots of land in the city of Colombo for investment projects on a 99-year lease basis.
The advertisement was published by the Urban Development Authority.
Tenders have been called for three plots of land on DR Wijewardena Mawatha in Colombo for mixed development projects.
The following three sites are to be leased, as per the advertisement :
– Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Center
– People’s Bank Queens Branch
– Sathosa Warehouse Complex
The base value of the land where the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Center is located is Rs. 3.7 billion.
The base value of the land where the People’s Bank Queens Branch is located is Rs. 1.3 billion and the base value of the land where the Sathosa Warehouse Complex is located is Rs. 1.6 billion.
A special feature is investors are only given month to submit proposals for projects implemented on these lands.
Meanwhile, proposals have already been made to provide a number of valuable properties in the city of Colombo, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, the Hilton and the Grand Orient Hotel, for investment projects through Selandiva Investments.
Estimated crop losses range between 25% to 50% across top five crops
Industry veteran urges to bring down ban to 50% before going fully organic in next 3-5 years
In what could be the most comprehensive study carried out to date on the cost of chemical fertiliser ban and its implications on the country’s already ailing merchandise trade deficit, the Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association has estimated over a billion dollar cost to the country’s trade, caused by the estimated crop losses of up to 50 percent.
According to Sri Lanka Agripreneurs’ Forum Chairman Rizvi Zaheed, who cited the study, the predicted crop losses across five key crops, which include key export commodities, domestic food staples and intermediate crops used in other industries, could force the country to foot an additional billion dollar bill by having to export less and import more.
Accordingly, crop loss in tea is estimated at 30 percent, paddy at between 30 to 40 percent, maize at 50 percent, sugar cane at 30 percent and cinnamon at 25 percent.
Referring to the study, he said the estimated paddy crop losses, if occurred, would require the country to spend an estimated Rs.42 billion on rice imports to make up for the shortage created in the domestic market.
Besides, these crop losses would also deal a severe blow to farmer incomes and the rural economy, which will become a further fiscal burden on the government at a time when austerity appears to be the way forward for some time, as the pandemic weighs heavily on state revenues.
So, the immediate first wish is that the ban on the fertilisers to be restricted by 50 percent,” Zaheed said speaking at an online forum last week, organised by the Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka, to provide a platform to some select sectors to present their wish lists for the upcoming budget. The government completely banned import of chemical fertilisers and other agro-chemicals in an April announcement in its quest go fully organic in farming before allowing imports of certain chemical types in several rounds through import control licences.
Last week, the two government fertiliser companies were reported to have been allowed to import carbonic fertiliser for tea, coconut, rubber and other crops. However, Zaheed, a seasoned professional in the industry, who termed the April move as a sharp shock”, called for some compromise before banning 100 percent chemical fertiliser immediately, which can happen in a phased-out manner in the next three to five years.
According to President Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the move was necessary to reverse the country’s overuse of harmful chemicals, which he says has led to environmental degradation, water pollution, and has caused increased greenhouse gas emissions.”
Now, just months after the decision, the country’s food supply is already in crisis.
Rajapakse has declared an economic emergency, issuing new price controls and regulations in an attempt to curb food hoarding and inflation. Despite government claims to the contrary, the country is experiencing a significant food shortage. According to The Print’s Samyak Pandey, a former army general has been appointed as ‘commissioner general of essential services’ to raid and seize food stocks.”
It’s an unfortunate chapter in Sri Lanka’s steady decline in GDP, a trend that hasn’t been helped by COVID-19, which continues to cripple the nation’s tourism industry. It was from this already precarious position that the government issued its organic mandate — blocking a range of imports and further inhibiting the ability of its citizens to create and innovate for their families and communities. Given the disruptions, experts now expect crops to produce roughly half of the country’s typical output.
According to W.A. Wijewardena, Sri Lanka’s former central bank deputy governor, the policy is a dream with unimaginable social, political and economic costs.”
Tea plantation owners are predicting crops could fail as soon as October, with cinnamon, pepper and staples such as rice also facing trouble.
Master tea maker Herman Gunaratne, one of 46 experts picked by Rajapaksa to guide the organic revolution, fears the worst. ‘The ban has drawn the tea industry into complete disarray,’ Gunaratne said at his plantation in Ahangama, in rolling hills 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of Colombo. The consequences for the country are unimaginable.
The 76-year-old, who grows one of the world’s most expensive teas, fears that Sri Lanka’s average annual crop of 300,000 tonnes will be slashed by half unless the government changes course.”
In a different interview, Gunaratne notes that if we go completely organic, we will lose 50 percent of the crop, (but) we are not going to get 50 percent higher prices.” As the country’s largest export, tea would normally yield around $1.25 billion a year.
Even in a best-case scenario — where the most innovative methods in organic farming were used and properly implemented — the country’s yields would still be greatly diminished. But through the rushed, overnight roll-out, results have been worse than many imagined, exposing the state’s many blind spots one day at a time.
According to Pandey, the majority of Sri Lanka’s farmers still lack the knowledge and organic fertilizers they need to execute on the government’s demands:
An island-wide survey of farmers found out that 90 per cent use chemicals for farming and 85 per cent expected sizable reductions in their harvest if disallowed to use fertilisers. Moreover, the survey said that only 20 per cent farmers had the knowledge to transition to completely organic production.
It also found that 44 per cent farmers are experiencing a decline in harvests, and 85 per cent are expecting a fall in the future. The survey also revealed that many key crops in Sri Lanka depend on heavy use of chemical input for cultivation, with the highest dependency in paddy at 94 per cent, followed by tea and rubber at 89 per cent each.
With the shift from chemical to organic cultivation, Sri Lanka needs a large domestic production of organic fertilisers and biofertilisers. However, the situation is very bleak.
According to an estimate, the country generates about 3,500 tonnes of municipal organic waste every day. About 2-3 million tonnes of compost can be produced from this on an annual basis. However, just organic paddy cultivation requires nearly 4 million tonnes of compost annually at a rate of 5 tonnes per hectare. For tea plantations, the demand for organic manure could be another 3 million tonnes.”
At this point, one might be tempted to take solace in the nobility of the original cause — long-term environmental health and sustainability. Surely these unimaginable costs” are all for something?
But even here, the desired results seem unlikely. As the Hoover Institution’s Henry Miller explains, the fatal flaw of organic agriculture is the low yields that cause it to be wasteful of water and farmland.” According to a study by plant pathologist Steven Savage, organic farming has its own share of environmental costs and side effects: To have raised all U.S. crops as organic in 2014 would have required farming of 109 million more acres of land — an area equivalent to all the parkland and wildland areas in the lower 48 states, or 1.8 times as much as all the urban land in the nation.”
In terms of environmental and climate change effects, organic farming is less polluting than conventional farming when measured per unit of land but not when measured per unit of output. Organic farming, which currently accounts for only 1% of global agricultural land, is lower yielding on average.
Due to higher knowledge requirements, observed yield gaps might further increase if a larger number of farmers would switch to organic practices. Widespread upscaling of organic agriculture would cause additional loss of natural habitats and also entail output price increases, making food less affordable for poor consumers in developing countries. Organic farming is not the paradigm for sustainable agriculture and food security, but smart combinations of organic and conventional methods could contribute toward sustainable productivity increases in global agriculture.”
Yet one needn’t take a position on organic farming to see the folly in Sri Lanka’s decision. This is a classic case of fatal conceits run amok — of lofty ideas and one-dimensional strategies that hold little regard for localized knowledge and the complexity of the human person. The politician plays the master, the planner plays the soothsayer, and the economist plays the savior” and social engineer — all to the detriment of the searchers on the ground who actually create and innovate and do the hard and dirty work.
The impoverishing effects on material wellbeing are already evident, but such intrusions touch on so much more. By waving the grand-master’s wand over the entire agricultural sector, Sri Lanka is treating its dignified citizens as controllable pieces in a larger game, as mere cogs in a clever bureaucrat’s machine.
If environmental stewardship is truly the goal, Sri Lanka will not make strides by steamrolling individual and institutional freedoms for the sake of a narrow top-down plan. Instead, it ought to find ways to better empower and unleash the farmers and entrepreneurs it already has, allowing for the strength of their diversity and creativity to manifest across crops, enterprises, and institutions.
*About the author: Joseph Sunde is an associate editor and writer for the Acton Institute. His work has appeared in venues such as the Foundation for Economic Education, First Things, The Christian Post, The Stream, Intellectual Takeout, Patheos, LifeSiteNews, The City, Charisma News, The Green Room, Juicy Ecumenism, Ethika Politika, Made to Flourish, and the Center for Faith and Work. Joseph resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and four children.
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is named after the great English historian, Lord John Acton (1834-1902). He is best known for his famous remark: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Inspired by his work on the relation between liberty and morality, the Acton Institute seeks to articulate a vision of society that is both free and virtuous, the end of which is human flourishing. To clarify this relationship, the Institute holds seminars and publishes various books, monographs, periodicals, and articles.
In pursuit of becoming the world’s first 100% organic food producer, Sri Lanka now finds itself in an economic crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, inflation, and hoarding of essential food items.
In April, the country enacted a sweeping, immediate ban of chemical fertilizers imports along with other imports like palm oil. The fertilizer ban, part of the government’s efforts to address its foreign exchange crisis, was imposed on farmers with no knowledge of how to transition to organic farming. Switching to organic farming is not an overnight process, but takes at least two years to complete in order to rebuild the soil and reach a point where it can produce comparable crop yields. Almost two-thirds of farmers surveyed in Sri Lanka said they were supportive of the organic vision, but felt it would require more than a year for them to make the transition.
Sri Lankan farmers expect tea crop failures
The new rule is having far-reaching consequences for the Sri Lankan economy. Sri Lanka’s biggest export is tea, and 89% of its tea and rubber plantations relied on chemical fertilizers. Tea plantation owners are now predicting their crops could fail as soon as October. Export prices on tea from Sri Lanka have been falling since 2017, and shortages would further threaten the island-state’s economy. The country’s Tea Factory Owners Association also predicts that tea crop failures would prompt widespread unemployment among the more than 3 million people who pick tea leaves.
Food shortages in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan farmers predict that their rice harvests will suffer in the wake of the switch, potentially compounding the country’s current struggles with food supplies. The Sri Lankan government already announced in early September plans to combat food shortages by setting price controls on staples like rice and impose new laws aimed to curb hoarding. The shortages were a result of import restrictions the government enacted because it was running out of foreign exchange reserves.
In July, Sri Lanka’s reserves of foreign currency dropped from $4 billion to $2.8 billion—$1 billion of which was used to make payments on its debt. Medical supplies as well as staple foods are now in short supply.
Sri Lanka’s lesson in organic farming
Sri Lanka’s current situation is a reminder of just how costly the transition to organic farming can be. That’s not to say organic farming is a bad idea. On an environmental level, it’s linked with better soil quality, greater biodiversity, and uses less energy than conventional crops. Research suggests organic farming is better for humans, too: One meta-analysis of 343 peer-reviewed studies, published in 2014, found that organic crops have significantly more antioxidants and fewer pesticide residues compared to conventional crops.
But because organic crops often yield less sellable food (at least at first) shifts have to be carefully planned and managed—particularly at a national scale.
This article has been clarified to note that Sri Lanka’s ban on chemical fertilizers was part of its broader efforts to reduce imports amidst its foreign exchange crisis.
Sri Lanka’s government declared an economic emergency on August 30, 2021 amid rising food prices, a depreciating currency, and rapidly depleting forex reserves.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Major General N.D.S.P. Niwunhella as the Commissioner General of Essential Services to coordinate and ensure that people have access to essential supplies.
the tourism industry being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic
the forex reserves dropping from over $7.5 billion in 2019 to around $2.8 billion in July this year
the supply of foreign exchange drying up
and the value of the Sri Lankan rupee depreciating by around 8% so far this year
The amount of money that Sri Lankans have to shell out to purchase the foreign exchange necessary to import goods has risen.
The country depends heavily on imports to meet even its basic food supplies. So the price of food items has risen in tandem with the depreciating rupee.
What does a food emergency mean?
The Emergency regulations allow the government to provide food items and other essentials at fixed prices by buying up stock from traders.
The capping of food prices can lead to severe shortages as demand exceeds supply at the price fixed by the government.
When supplies are seized from traders, there is lesser incentive for them to bring in fresh supplies to the market.
This can lead to a further drop in supplies and even higher prices for essential goods.
Further, the decision of the Sri Lankan central bank to ban forward contracts and the spot trading of rupees at above 200 rupees to an American dollar may affect essential supplies.
People have already had to queue up to buy essential goods
The fear of a possible food shortage also stems from the Rajapaksa administration’s decision in April to ban import of chemical fertilizers and adopting an organic only” approach.
Farmers who resisted the move have warned that the dramatic, overnight shift to organic fertilizers could impact production severely.
Producers of tea have warned of a 50% drop in production.
Meanwhile, many, especially daily-wage earners, and low-income families, are complaining about being unable to afford, and in many cases access, essentials such as milk, sugar, and rice during the current lockdown.
Prices of essential commodities — including rice, dhal, bread, sugar, vegetables, fish — have risen several times during the pandemic, and more rapidly in recent weeks.
Climb a sacred mountain. Lounge on a deserted beach. And enjoy a cuppa on a picture-perfect plantation. All this and more awaits in Sri Lanka, the most serendipitous of islands…
1. Climb Sigiriya
Lion Rock Fortress, Sigiriya (Shutterstock)
One of Sri Lanka’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, this rock-top fortress dates back to the fifth century AD. The atmosphere is more spiritual than militant: in its time, it has acted as a royal palace and a Buddhist monastery.
Sigiriya is also regarded as one of the most important urban planning projects of the first millennium, and is home to some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. Look out too for the mirror wall, a masonry wall that was so well-polished that the king could see his reflection in it. Top tip: go early, so avoiding the heat of the day and the crowds.
2. Get up close to wild elephants in a National Park
Elephant in the wilds of Sri Lanka (Shutterstock)
You’ll see elephants everywhere you go in Sri Lanka: working on a tea plantation, running wild in national parks, and leading the Esala Perahera parade in Kandy in all their bejewelled and sequined glory.
Udawalawe National Park offers you one of your best chances of seeing elephants roaming free. Created to protect the watershed of the enormous Udawalawe Reservoir, this park is home to around 400 pachyderms and has extensive stretches of grassland as well as scrub jungle and riverine forest. It is one of the best places to go birdwatching in Sri Lanka too.
Gal Oya National Park receives fewer visitors than many of the other parks and also offers a unique experience. Here, the elephants commonly swim across Senanayake Samudra lake – Sri Lanka’s largest body of water – and you can take a boat safari to see them.
And to see the world’s largest congregation of Asian elephants visit Kadulla or Minneriya NP in the dry season (June/July to September) when what is known as “the Gathering” takes place as hundreds of the pachyderms cluster around water.
At the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea industry, this charming throwback to the country’s colonial years is rich with the heritage of home-county England. Tour neatly-terraced tea estates, watch pickers at work, and buy your own samples to take home.
Tea lovers will want to visit the Hill Country’s Haputale Mountains, where Sir Thomas Lipton launched his tea empire. To see where it all began, organise transport to Lipton’s Seat – Mr Lipton’s favourite spot to sit and watch over his enormous estate.
It is possible (and maybe a bit more comfortable) to take a car up, but an open air tuk-tuk ride is much more fun. Head out early before the afternoon fog cloaks the surrounding mountains, clouding the awe-inspiring views.
The beach at Arugam Bay, on Sri Lanka’s dry south-east coast, is the stuff of Bounty ads are made of: sugar-soft sands, coconut palms and utter solitude but for the whoops and whooshes of the surfers riding the point.
Before the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, the bay was rapidly becoming one of the world’s top surf destinations. For the time being, you’ll have the double curve of beach and its coconut palm-covered point more or less to yourself, bar a few savvy sun-seekers.
5. Spot leopards in Yala National Park
Lounging leopard in Sri Lanka (Shutterstock)
Sri Lanka’s alpha predator is protected in a number of national parks, but is most easily sighted in Yala National Park, on the island’s southern coast, where you can cool off in the ocean after a day on safari.
Yala National Park is Sri Lanka’s number one leopard sanctuary. The big cats are thriving here in territories of little more than a kilometre each – the highest density in the world” – making seeing one almost a certainty.
For those hoping to see a close-up leopard make its way down the tree and casually saunter through clearing to the cover of the bushes, then Yala National Park is undoubtedly the place to be.
Intrepid travellers looking to get off-the-beaten-track should head to the handful of islands trailing off Sri Lanka’s northernmost tip. The biggest of these is sleepy Neduntivu (also called ‘Neduntheevu’, and named Delft by the Dutch), home to approximately 4,500 people and herds of wild horses.
The crossing is short but rough, and once you arrive on the islands you won’t find much there, with the exception of a few hotels and guesthouses. But the pace of life is slow and the locals are friendly.
Once you’ve ticked off the Dutch fort built from coral and the giant baobab tree, rumoured to be over 1,000 years old, there is nothing left to do except relax.
Sri Lanka’s southern tip nudges the depths of the continental shelf. It’s an area favoured by blue whales and nowhere else does the world’s biggest creature swim so close to land, so reliably.
Dondra Head is your jumping off point. From January to April, blue whales pass here on their route from the Bay of Bengal to the western Indian Ocean. They fill their bellies on the krill and squid that thrive in these waters, enriched by the outfall of Sri Lanka’s 103 rivers.
8. Take time to explore the city of Kandy
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy (Shutterstock)
The last capital of the ancient kings of Sri Lanka, and a popular getaway for colonial administrators looking to escape the heat, Kandy is a pretty place – tucked beside a lake in the country’s central highlands.
Make sure you visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is housed in Kandy’s teeming temple complex. Wars have been fought over this relic, believed to have belonged to Buddha himself. Join the devout to add your own petal offerings and light votive candles.
If your visit coincides with the spectacular Esala Perahera Festival – a late-June, early-July celebration paying homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic – make sure you get a good seat. The lively parade means that restaurants and shops along the route sell tickets, so book your spot early.
9. Succumb to Galle’s Colonial charms
The lighthouse at Galle Forte (Shutterstock)
Built by the Dutch in 1663, the walled city of Galle, on the country’s southernmost top and surrounded by ocean on three sides, is a must on any visit to Sri Lanka.
Inside the fort, you’ll find Dutch Colonial buildings, ancient mosques and churches, museums and lots of quirky boutique cafés and restaurants. Outside, you’ll be laying your eyes on some of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka.
Don’t forget to drop by nearby Koggala to see the famous stilt fisherman.Spotting them perched in the ocean on their frames – made from sticks and twine – is one of the most iconic and extraordinary sights in the country.
10. Tour the extraordinary temples of Colombo
A man praying in the Gangaramaya Temple (Shutterstock)
Some of the most beautiful and important temples in Sri Lanka are hidden amongst the bustling, chaotic streets of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Colourful and eccentric, they are well worth seeking out.
Gangaramaya Temple is a striking Buddhist temple next to the Lake Beira, giving it a calm and serene ambience. Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Temple is one of the oldest and most ornate Hindu temples in the city. And Koneswaram Temple, perched atop a rocky promontory, surrounded by the sea, is a technicolour treat.
Bathers in the Keerimalai Hot Springs, near Jaffna (Shutterstock)
Long off the tourist trail, the city of Jaffna, in Sri Lanka’s formerly troubled Tamil north, is finally coming into its own.
Its ancient fort is a delight to explore and far less crowded than Galle. Nallur Kandaswamy Hindu temple is a hive of devout worshippers and the markets are colourful, lively and the perfect introduction to local life in the north.
Uncrowded beaches and islands are but a short hop away, too, as is Keerimalai Hot Springs, a popular bathing spot for curing all that ails you.
Marinated mackerel fish with spices (Shutterstock)
Sri Lankan food is not dissimilar to that served in India to the north. But with the sea never far away, the emphasis is on seafood, always fresh and delicious, caught that very day.
Jaffna Crab Curry is regarded as the best in the world, especially when sampled at the source where chefs take their time to grind the coconut, making the paste toasty and rich. In the south, seek out Squid Curry, cooked quickly in coconut cream and lime juice.
The people who are above 30 years of age and not vaccinated so far, should get their vaccines within this week, the Government said today.
State Minister Channa Jayasumana said the Government is compelled to issue a deadline because it would not be possible to continue to operate the vaccination centres for so long, as they need to give priority to provide vaccines for youth and adolescents.
A vast number of people above 30 has received their vaccines, but still there are several people who have forgone their vaccines due to various reasons,” he underscored.
We cannot keep the the vaccination centres open for them everyday. Hence, such people are invited to receive their vaccines within this week, as we want to complete the vaccination drive for the people above 30 within this week,” the State Minister stressed.
He said the vaccination drive for people above 30 was supposed to be completed last week; however one more week was extended for the unvaccinated people to get jabbed.
The March 12 Movement calls on the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to suspend State Minister Lohan Ratwatte’s party membership and review his anti-disciplinary activities.
Convener of the March 12 movement Rohana Hettiarachchi points out that there is no public confidence in the investigation being conducted by a Commissioner of the Prisons Department who is a party to the case.
He says that the incredible silence of the leaders of political parties was a powerful factor in creating such an ugly and dirty political culture.
If there is a person who acts in a way that brings disgrace to Sri Lanka even in the international arena, the Heads of State and the party leadership should take appropriate action against that person, Hettiarachchi added.
Further, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kavinda Jayawardena says that there are reports that prison officials are being pressured into giving evidence contrary to what actually took place during the incident.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner-General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya visited the Anuradhapura Prison yesterday (September 19) and met the officers who were on duty at the time of the incident.
The Commissioner-General inquired into the allegations that State Minister Lohan Ratwatte had entered the Anuradhapura Prison and behaved in a riotous manner.
The circular on the payment of a Rs 5,000 allowance to teachers and principals has been issued today (September 20).
Accordingly, principals and teachers on duty can obtain the relevant allowance from the Zonal Director of Education.
The Cabinet recently decided to pay Rs. 5,000 to teachers and principals who are on duty in September and October until the issue of teacher-principal salary anomalies is resolved in the forthcoming budget.
Accordingly, the Minister of Education has issued a circular regarding the payment of an allowance of Rs 5,000.
Reportedly, the allowance for the teachers who are on duty in the months of September and October has been sent to the relevant schools by the Zonal Director.
The relevant payments for the principals who have performed their duties can be obtained from the Zonal Director of Education.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Education stated that the gazette notification on the designation of the teacher and principal services a closed service will be issued by November 20.
Further, the remaining recommendations will be implemented within six months and the progress will be presented to the Cabinet, the Secretary says.
The Director-General of Health Services has confirmed another 93 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday (September 19), increasing the official death toll in the country to 12,218.
According to the figures reported by the Department of Government Information today (20), the victims include 45 males and 48 females while one of the deceased is below the age of 30.
Twenty-four of the Covid-19 deaths are individuals between the ages of 30-59 and the remaining 68 are persons aged 60 and above.
The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 673 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 1,509.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 506,009.
As many as 433,093 recoveries and 12,218 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 60,698 active cases are currently under medical care
Dr. Sudath Gunasekara Retired Secretary to PM Sirimavo Banmdaranayaka Ex-President SLAS (1991-94) and President Mahanuwara Sinhala Baudha Jestha Purawesiyange Sanvidhanaya
I apologize to my readers for deviating from the above Headline in this article as I wish to discuss few important issues where President Mahinda Rajapaksa erred between 2010 and 2015 as they have a direct bearing on the post-2015 political ramifications in this country including those faced by the Present President which will be discussed in the essays that will follow.
In the wake of the 2009 war victory, people expected President MR to take some historic decisions like,
1) The abolition of the curse that is the 13th Amendment and Provincial Councils imposed under the provisions of the JR/Rajiv Accord of 29th July 1987 at gunpoint by India and passed by Parliament illegitimately under coercion and using MPP as hostages to destroy the territorial integrity and political stability of this Island nation and make it a part of the Indian subcontinent as they have been dreaming from the days of Rama, with the final objective of erasing the Sinhala Buddhist civilization from the face of this planet Earth.
2) Abolition of
the Rajiv/JR Accord of July 29th 1987, so that the following
treacherous, illegal and undemocratic decisions taken under the Accord will
automatically be null and void
a) Declaration
of the Northern and Eastern Provinces as the Traditional Tamil Homeland (never
existed in the history of this Island Nation)
b) Accepting of Tamil as an Official Language in the whole country (again illegal, undemocratic, and treacherous as Tamil had never been the official language of this country’s 2500 history or even in India where 70 million Tamils live)
c) All Citizenship is given over an affidavit to all Indians living in Sri Lanka on the appointed date including illicit immigrants (kallathonese) violating all accepted legal procedures followed by any country in granting citizenship to foreigners.
d)The power to
merge two or more Provinces, the Kavutillyan intrigue imposed by India to merge
the NP first EP and CP, Sab and Uva later as the next step of taking over Sri
Lanka.
e) Above all the
13th Amendment proposed by it
3) The Abolition
of the National list that has killed the spirit of representative democracy in
this country that opened a back door for Party leaders to bring their henchmen numbering
another 29 persons as MP to Parliament, by a Constitutional Amendment bypassing
the legal process of electing MPP and thereby also increasing the 196 to 225,
adding a further burden to the national coffer just to add more privileges to
{Party leaders to consolidate their power in Parliament)
4) Consolidation
of the war victory on the ground like what
Dutugemunu and
Vijayaba 1st did after the wars against the Chola invaders
5 Abolition of
Political Parties based on Ethnicity, Religion and region agitating separation
leading the way to disintegration of the Island
6 Restore the name of the country ‘Sinhale” as it was the name of the country that was ceded to the British Empire in 1815 (as it had been there from the inception of the history of this country)
7 Abolishing the District MP system by reintroducing the former Electorate-based MP system and also the proportional representation and the preferential voting system to make elections more democratic and simple.
8 Abolition of Multi-Member Electorate system as that tends to polarize minority communities
9 Increase 5 %
to12 % for a Political Party introduce by President Premadasa which again discriminates against the majority and hinders social integration and
reconciliation He could have done all these things without any problem as he
had a 2/3 majority in the house and the Executive Power as the President Above
all he had the support of the majority in the country
A Big Tragedy
But it is a big tragedy none of these great expectations of the Sinhala Buddhists were fulfilled.
Instead, he held the Northern Provincial Council election and paved the way for extremist communalists like Vignesvaran to start a vigorous pro-devolution, anti-Sinhala, anti- Buddhist, anti-government and pro-separation agenda. He also spent over 75 % of the national budget on infrastructure development in the North and the East expecting to win over the Tamil votes like the proverbial fox that followed a goat expecting its dangling testicles to drop to satisfy its hunger and finally got killed with a kick from the goat. In the same way, you know what happened to MR in 2015.
Had he listened to wiser advice and taken the correct decisions as given above at the correct time he would have been the leader of this country for life. The people would have made him even their King giving new life to our 2500-year-old tradition.
I made an analysis of this national tragedy in
my article ‘Where Mahinda Rajapaksa went wrong” published in Lankaweb 24.2.
2016.
MR’s problem was, first, I opine he overestimated his war victory and mixed up his development priorities. Also either he had no wise advisors or he desists from such advice, for reasons known only to him. Neither he nor his so-called advisors had any acumen or the vision of statecraft of that level. He also paid less priority to the aspirations of the Sinhala Buddhists and paid more attention to Tamil and Muslim people. One such classic example was making Rauf Hakeem the Minister of Justice and everybody knows the damages he did to the entire judicial system by meddling with it to promote his community.
These were the reasons why a historic war victory of a nation ended up as a tragic abortion due to the follies of a leader where both the mother and the child got finally succumbed to death. Most leaders run blind when they get power. I do not know whether that was his problem as well. He had the 2/3 in Parliament and the whole nation (except the extremist Tamils and Muslims) acclaimed him almost as a king. But, sadly he did not know that the priorities he has selected and the advisors hanging around him have made him a King wearing new clothes. Unfortunately, there was not even a tiny tot by the wayside to shout Mum look the King is going naked’ I feel very sorry for his predicament as well as that befell my motherland in 2015. In spite of all this personally, I still like him as a populist leader.
Isn’t it the
same story repeating now with President Gotabhaya as well? If Gotabhaya, on
whom 6.9 m people had so much hope is also going to be inflicted with the same
malady, finding a remedy to rescue this nation will be another Covid 19
operation.
(The next
article of this series will appear soon in this column as part 111)
The critical countries that are supporting and
defending Sri Lanka can utilize the expatriate help that is currently developed
far ahead of the official knowledge and capabilities. With guidance from
former senior and articulate diplomats, the service to defend Sri Lanka’s
interests can do with some trimming.
However, in such an exercise trimming should not
remove officers who are important and efficient. Today with the use of
technology like zoom, official communications, meetings, and guidance can be
exchanged virtually. The absolute necessary actions can be carried out
onsite. In such operations, written documents can also be exchanged
easily with the use of current highly developed technology.
The scant staffing is achievable if the
staff and officers follow developed countries and improve their technology
skills to be self-reliant. The days for designated secretaries may be
over. One or two who serve joint areas with hands on work can replace
overstaffing. The appropriate training in language and technology is key.
Elevating communication skills is also extremely important both for diplomats
and support staff. Subject matter alone cannot serve a purpose if
communication in conveying, and negotiating is not strong.
This idea of using the educated and active
expats on a small retainer can be a way to fill a gap with no overheads like
rent, and other costs that account for the large slice of revenue that takes up
the government budgets. The expat talent will not demand high wages if a
supplemental role to utilize talent in a similar way to voluntary help the
government receives is considered. This way the country can benefit
from some retirees who enjoyed free education and completed successful
professions. They can be encouraged to give back instead of being
critical of hard times for the country.
As it is, expats give total volunteer service to
represent Sri Lanka beyond the boundaries that officials can cross. A
well thought out plan can be designed to achieve results and safeguard the
interests of Sri Lanka by using quality over quantity with handpicked
individuals that fit specific roles with the right skills.
Another favorable strategy to help the country is
to provide retired expats easier dual citizenship services in countries that
have such an arrangement. They can serve in situ overseas or bring their
retirement pensions in foreign exchange to benefit the country. Any
changes to processes or the criteria and timelines are all within the control
of Sri Lanka. All it requires is some creative thinking.
In the current situation, no one has given
thought to creative ways to attract retirees to return with dual citizenship
made easier and bring their foreign currency retirement income. Most of
the shortcomings and lack of or poor return on investment is due to lack of
creativity to maximize the use of expat intellectuals even on a part time basis
or as contributors by returning home.
The staffing in foreign missions can be reduced
to those who maintain the government’s complicated regulations and processes
the knowledge of which they retain. In the three-year terms served by staff who
arrive in countries that are alien to them, it takes 6 months to a year to
understand how another country works. They must build their
network. all that ends up with a long learning curve and when they get
comfortable in their roles, it is time to return. The investment of staff
development is lost. On the other hand, retaining staff already legally
and permanently placed in countries where possible with be a substantial
investment for Sri Lanka in saving foreign exchange to import staff and
transplant themselves providing all the benefits needed as opposed to those who
are already resident in countries. Only question will lay in the
citizenship for those who have given up their Sri Lankan identity.
Changes to that are within the control of the Sri Lanka Government to modify
and restructure for the advantage of the country.
Just a suggestion from an expat on behalf of many
others who diligently and generously contribute to serving the country as
volunteers helping and supporting the staff in missions with sincere
intentions. With difficulties in the country, the time has come to get
creative.
A moot point was made by the Sri Lanka
Study Circle on 15 Sep 21, in its piece about Mahinda ‘Walking the Plank’,
suggesting that America is attempting to force its way into Sri Lanka through
the backdoor.
The point made is alarming, considering that neither the Government nor the Opposition seems too concerned about this imminent threat, with nary a voice in Parliament making any noise about it.
The threat to National security in this context becomes even more ominous when inexplicably the mainstream media deliberately mislead the people by giving ambivalent explanations about the UNHRC resolution 1/46, with a heavy American spin on it.
Worse still, the media does not even
report on the 2 million Dollars budgeted by the UN – way before the voting on
the CORE resolution was taken up in March – to establish a special
investigative and prosecutorial arm within Sri Lanka directly under the UNHRC;
the objective of this proposed mechanism is to probe the conduct of the
military combatting 30 years of terrorism.
The unfolding events are troubling: The
parliament remaining silent on the 2 million dollars budgeted by the UNHRC: No
politician or political activist spelling the dangers that portend the country
if these ‘rogue’ funds get budgetary approval: The media maintaining a blanket
of silence on this 2million dollar ‘landmine’ waiting to explode: The media
spinning ‘American’ tales about resolution 1/46.
All this, transmits a strong signal that through some covert pipeline American dollars are flowing lavishly into the country.
There is something obviously rotten in
the state of Denmark.
Some facts, pertaining to the UNHRC, consensual resolutions and majority-vote resolutions, are being glossed over and need to be restarted.
Fact 1. Resolutions passed at the UNHRC are
NOT binding on the UN member States. Fact 2. If a consensual
resolution (or if something similar to that, like a state co-sponsoring a
resolution against itself) is passed against a state, by moral obligation the
resolution could become binding on the state. Fact 3. If there is
a resolution against a state and a vote is taken, and by a majority vote the
resolution is passed, that resolution is NOT binding on the state against which
that resolution was brought FULL STOP
In March this year, there was a
resolution against Sri Lanka and Jayanath Colombage worked hard to have it
passed as a consensual resolution. If Colombage had succeeded, the ‘2million
dollars’ would have validity for approval and the foreign investigative cum
prosecutorial mechanisms would be already operating in Sri Lanka.
Colombage failed, thanks to MR
intervening and initiating action to get the support of Sri Lanka’s friends to
challenge the resolution by calling for a vote.
The resolution was passed by a majority
vote, with 11 countries voting for Sri Lanka and 14 more abstaining from voting
for the resolution.
Is the resolution that was passed, 1/46,
binding on Sri Lanka? The answer is an emphatic NO.
What then is the problem? The problem
is, the Americans having failed to enter the country through the front door are
attempting to make their entry through the backdoor.
The 2 million US Dollars, budgeted for
Sri Lanka’s special investigative and prosecutorial mechanism (before the vote
on the resolution was taken up) could very well be approved along with all
other budgeted sums of money for the different projects of the UN; budgetary
approvals are customarily done annually during the September sessions of the
UN.
This 2-million-dollars could very well
go unnoticed and be passed by default unless Sri Lanka is alert and moves
against it.
It is not a complicated issue at all;
all Sri Lanka has to do is to simply say that it does not accept the
resolution. If the Americans try to be difficult, we have 120 non-aligned
states on our side who will vote with us, if we have done our homework.
Have we done our homework? Was MR
attempting to do what our Foreign Ministry failed to do when he planned a trip
to Bologna? Was it to block MR’s initiatives that Colombage and Peiris were
assigned to MR’s entourage?
A question arises How reliable are the
representatives of the government representing the people at the UN”?
Considering the construct given above
and given the unbelievable antics of the government – like the Ratwatte
incident, the withdrawal of serious criminal cases against prominent members of
the government, the granting of pardons to convicted murderers to name just a
few- there is a strong sentiment in the country that the government is giving
the UNHRC the opportunity to slam dunk the country in Geneva.
The opinion is that the government, the opposition and the media
are seriously working towards establishing an American investigative and
prosecutorial arm in this country. That sentiment perhaps explains why
Colombage worked towards surrendering to the CORE (after a fight) by arriving
at a consensual agreement.
The proof of the
pudding is in the eating. Will the government allow 2 million dollars in the
UNHRC budget, for the establishment of the American Attorney General’s
department in Sri Lanka, be passed?
The Americans want the mechanism in
place and the Sri Lankans do not want it.
The
key is, What does Basil Rajapakse want?” He is a committed American who
renounced whatever loyalties he had for Sri Lanka and pledged to uphold the
aspirations of America even sacrificing his life in that cause
