Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri LankaBangkok, Thailand
A
national consultation workshop on a strategy for sustainable freight transport
in Sri Lanka was virtually held by the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Embassy and the Permanent
Mission of Sri Lanka in Bangkok and the Ministry of Transport of Sri Lanka, on
5th July 2021.
Making
opening remarks at the workshop, the Chief of the Transport Connectivity and
Logistics Section of the Transport Division of UNESCAP, Azhar Jaimurzina
assured that UNESCAP would render necessary technical assistance in
implementing the strategy for sustainable freight transport in Sri Lanka in
order to maximize the positive externalities of freight transport.
In
her opening remarks, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in
Thailand C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne appreciated the efforts taken by the UNESCAP
in conducting the assessment on sustainable freight transport in Sri Lanka and
developing the national strategy.
Secretary
Monty Ranatunge of the Ministry of Transport of Sri Lanka welcomed the
initiative of the UNESCAP to organize the national consultation on sustainable
freight transport. He further appreciated the draft of the strategy prepared by
the UNESCAP for consultations. He concurred with strategic thrust areas
identified in the strategy and highlighted need for increasing the role of
railway transport by undertaking restructuring of railways in Sri Lanka.
The
UNESCAP Economic Affairs Officer Sandeep Jain elaborated on the strategy.
Explaining on the rationale for strategy on sustainable freight transport he
stated that it would help Sri Lanka to provide coherence to sustainable freight
transport measures that are currently fragmented and scattered. The strategy
would help implement Sri Lanka’s international obligations particularly- the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The
draft strategy has identified seven focus areas that include increasing role of
railway transport, improving intermodal freight transport, transforming Sri
Lanka into a global maritime hub, building resilience of transport to climate
change impacts, enhancing sustainability of road transport, addressing urban
freight transport challenges, and expanding role of women in transport sector
in Sri Lanka.
It also identified five enablers that would
help implement strategy including strengthening of governance for sustainable
freight transport, building capacity of transport policy makers, promoting
transformative transport technologies, encouraging private sector
participation, and diversifying funding source for sustainable freight
transport.
The workshop also included
a representative from the Ministry of Oceans and Fishing of Republic of Korea who
shared the experience of port policies and how Sri Lanka could learn from them.
The representatives of Asian Institute of Transport Development (AITD) also shared
their views on challenges faced by Sri Lanka railways and how to boost the role
of railway transport in Sri Lanka. The President of the Infrastructure Economic
Centre based in Moscow explained how understanding of freight flows post
pandemic would become important component for appropriate planning and
investments in transport infrastructure in Sri Lanka.
The workshop agreed
that the draft strategy would be finalized soon after consultations with
relevant stakeholders and then after government endorsement/adoption would be
taken up for implementation.
Secretary D. Mataraarachchi
of the State Ministry of Warehouse Facilities, Container Yards, Port Supply
Facilities and Boat and Shipping Industry Development and other senior
officials from Ministry of Highways, Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Sri Lanka
Ports Authority and Sri Lanka Railway also joined the discussions. Prof. Lalith
Edirisinghe from the CINEC Maritime Campus, Sri Lanka shared the views
representing the non-government sector. First Secretary and Deputy Permanent
Representative Saritha Ranatunga also joined from the Embassy.
Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri LankaBangkok, Thailand
Sixteen people, including Joseph Stalin of the Ceylon Teachers Union, who were arrested and released on bail on charges of violating quarantine laws, have been referred to a special quarantine center.
UPDATE: Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Founder Basil Rajapaksa has assumed his new duties at the Ministry of Finance.
The founder of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Basil Rajapaksa has taken oaths as the Cabinet Minister of Finance this morning (July 08).
The Elections Commission yesterday (July 07) gazette Rajapaksa’s name for the SLPP MP seat left vacant with the resignation of former MP Jayantha Ketagoda.
With the revision of the scope of functions of ministries, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa took oaths as the Minister of Economic Policies and Implementation of Plans.
Accordingly, Basil Rajapaksa was sworn in as the Minister of Finance.
He took oaths before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat.
Minister Namal Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President, P B Jayasundara, Senior Advisor, Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Gamini Senarath, and Mrs. Pushpa Rajapaksa were also present during the swearing-in ceremony.
Basil Rajapaksa spearheaded a number of government initiatives in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and played a major role as a member of the Committee to Combat COVID 19. He is also the Head of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation and the Presidential Task Force on Creating a Green Sri Lanka with Sustainable Solutions to Climate Change.
The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 381 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 1,223.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 269,946.
As many as 239,584 recoveries and 3,391 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 27,011 active cases are currently under medical care.
Two State Ministry Portfolios were reshuffled and accordingly, two State Ministers were sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (July 08).
Shasheendra Rajapaksa was sworn in as the State Minister of Organic Fertilizer Production, Supply, and Regulation and the Paddy and Grains, Organic Food, Vegetables, Fruits, Chillies, Onion, and Potato Cultivation Promotion, Seed Production and Advanced Technology for Agriculture.
With the reshuffle of the ministerial portfolios, Senior Prof. Mohan De Silva was sworn in as the State Minister of Coast Conservation and Low-Lying Lands Development.
Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera was also present at the occasion.
Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa says that the priority of his ministry, the government as well himself is the needs of the country’s people.
Speaking to reporters after officially assuming duties at the Finance Ministry today (8), he said that they need the support of the working people especially the farmers, fishermen, labourers, public servants and professionals.
He also urged all the public representatives from parliamentarians to the members of local government bodies to support their efforts. This is a big difficult task. Let’s accept the challenge. Let’s all work together.”
The priority of our ministry, our government as well as myself is the needs of the general people. Their priority is our priority. We know all those priorities. We have an understanding what the problem is.”
He stated that the President, the Prime Minister and everyone in the government have understanding as to what the issues are, and that however sometimes some unpleasant things will have to be done, like a father has to do.”
Even so, we believe we are doing these things for the people with honesty. Support that.”
Dilip
Kumar died today, July 7, 2021. The following is a marginally updated version
of a review I wrote of the legendary actor’s autobiography Dilip Kumar – The Substance and
the Shadow” immediately after its publication in 2014. The review was published
in The Island Satmag supplement on October 04, 2014 under the heading: <‘Dilip Kumar – The Substance
and the Shadow’: the life story of a living legend by Rohana R. Wasala>,
still accessible in The Island archives.
‘DILIP KUMAR – The Substance and the Shadow’ (2014)
published by Hay House India is the autobiography of legendary
Hindi cinema actor Dilip Kumar (born Yusuf Khan) who died today July 7, 2021 at
the age of 98. The book entered the Amazon best seller list within two weeks of
its publication. Award winning film journalist Udayatara Nayar, a close friend
of Dilip Kumar and his wife actress Saira Banu, has put into book form the
actor’s life story as related to her by him. It is an authentic account of his
long journey in life from his unremarkable childhood as the fourth in a large
family of twelve children (six boys and six girls) to dizzying heights of
achievement and fame as a film actor.
As Udayatara says in her introduction to the book, the idea of
writing the biography was conceived in 2004. One warm afternoon in Mumbai’s
midsummer that year, she was helping Saira to arrange the books in the
bookshelf in her bedroom. This bookshelf contained a good stock of books of
fiction and works of poetry in English and Urdu. Dilip is known to be an avid
reader. Picking up a book written by an author who claimed to have known him
better than any one else, Dilip told Saira, This is supposed to be my biography
and it is full of distortions and misinformation”. Saira seized the opportunity
to repeat her frequent suggestion to her husband that he write his own
biography as India’s first ever superstar and one of the world’s greatest
actors”. All right, I will narrate my story”, Dilip said in reply, It has to
be compiled by someone who is enlightened and ready to put in the hard work
that goes into anything I do and it should be someone who knows us really
well”. Then Saira said, pointing to Udayatara, She is right here”. That’s how
Ms Nayar was assigned the exacting task of compiling Dilip Kumar’s
autobiography.
The assignment was a rare opportunity for Udayatara to realize a
lifelong dream. Dilip Kumar was an extremely private person who was not always
comfortable talking about himself and his unequalled achievements”. It was an
achievement for her to be invited to write his biography. She thought it was a
dream come true. Her introduction concludes with a retrospective reference to
some encouraging words about her that Dilip Sahab” spoke to S.S. Pillai,
editor of the cinema magazine ‘Screen’, after she wrote a long analytical
article about him early in her career as a film journalist. (I discovered from
the Wikipedia, that S.S. Pillai was Udaya Tara’s paternal uncle, though she
doesn’t mention this fact in the book.) Dilip had said to him: Groom
her, make her work hard and she will go places. She has the potential to become
a biographer someday”. After nearly half a century of her association with the
star couple, Udayatara believes that his words have proved prophetic.
The book comprises twenty-five chapters plus a separate section
for ‘Reminiscences’ which accounts for about a quarter of the volume in length.
There are forty-three ‘Reminiscences’ which are from a wide range of admirers
including such idols of the film world as Amitabh Bacchan, Dharmendra, Amir
Khan, Nimmi, Waheeda Rehman, Lata Mangeshkar, Vyjayanthimala and Sharmila
Tagore, and Dilip’s nephews and nieces, and their children, and even from his
longtime personal dhobi (washer -man) Pyarelal, who all express genuinely felt
admiration of the iconic personality of Dilip.
Dilip dedicated the book to Amma and Aghagi”. What strikes the
reader in the opening chapters is his great love for and strong attachment
to his mother, Ayesha Begum, and his awe and admiration of his father
Mohammad Sarwar Khan who, apparently, with his impressive physique was a
commanding presence in his childhood and youth. But he was a loving kindhearted
man. He writes on p. 169: I loved Amma deeply. She was the fountainhead of all
the merits and virtues we – her children – possessed. She dealt with all the
exigencies of life with a quiet poise and calmness of mind”. But it was the
authoritarian matriarch, his paternal grandmother, he calls ‘Dadi’, who ruled
the large household in his childhood. She doted on him, adored him, in spite of
the fact that he was not a single grandson, but just one of six. Dilip was
exceptionally good-looking as a child.
(On reading these first few pages, I found what looked like a
certain obsessive preoccupation with his own looks, and began to suspect that
he was as narcissistic as his friend Dev Anand obviously was in his
self-written autobiography ‘Romancing with Life’. But reading on convinced me
that I was mistaken in my conjecture. His attractive physical features were
undeniably there, and it is a fact he humbly mentions; it was a gift of nature
that was an asset in his profession. Apart from mere good looks, there
definitely was enough ‘substance’ in Yusuf Khan that justified the larger than
life celluloid ‘shadow’ by which Dilip Kumar was known to the world.)
‘Dadi’ treated him as an extraordinary child because the night (11th of
wintry December) that Ayesha’s handsome son Yousuf arrived” it was freezing
cold, but on the same night there was a huge fire in the Kissa Khwani Bazaar
(in Peshawar), his birth place, that gutted the goldsmiths’ workshops. On top
of this, one day a wandering fakir who came to their house seeking alms, fixed
his eyes on the cherubic Yusuf and told the old woman that he was born for
unparalleled achievements and great fame, and that he would be handsome even in
his old age, and that he should be protected from the world’s evil eye; for
this he recommended that he be disfigured with black soot! So the superstitious
grandmother shaved Yusuf’s head and defaced him with soot as recommended by the
fakir before he was sent to school. Yusuf had to endure being made fun of by
his schoolmates. It took some time and great persuasion by other elders
including his Amma to save the little Yusuf from this daily humiliation that
was brought on him by his doting but domineering Dadi.
Dilip’s Amma was a beautiful woman according to him; she was fair,
frail and petite. She was very kind and loving. She did all the cooking for the
large family and looked after all their needs in spite of there being servants.
But towards the end of her life she suffered from severe attacks of asthma.
Little Yusuf used to trail his mother all the time, sometimes unknown to her.
There is the story of how, once while stalking his mother thus, he accidentally
got shut up in a room alone with the corpse of a murdered
neighbour.
From Peshawar in the North Western Frontier Province Mohammad
Sarwar Khan moved to the hilly station of Deolali (180 km from Mumbai in
Maharashtra) with his large young family in the mid 1930’s (This was
pre-partition India) because the prospects for his business were better there.
As the children were growing up Mohammad Sarwar was able to provide for the
family with ease, but later life became difficult. It seems that of the boys
only Yusuf proved to be of some help to the parents. Dilip had a good school
education at Deolali and in Bombay. After leaving school, he found employment
in an army canteen in Pune, where he earned some extra money through a sandwich
business. It was by accident that he was spotted by Devika Rani, an actress and
wife of Himanshu Rai, owner of the film company Bombay Talkies, who introduced
him to the industry.
But his survival and success in the industry were not left to
chance. Perfection, ceaseless hard work, and commitment to his profession have
been characteristic of Dilip Kumar since the beginning. He is the most
conscientious, most socially conscious, most professional cine artiste I have
read about. Readers of ‘The Substance and the Shadow’, I am sure, will make a
similar assessment of him as an entertainer par excellence who is acutely aware
of a moral responsibility to the society. And he had been socially engaged all
along, despite his having had to contend with a certain amount of
prejudice, which was not unusual in a large country like India. By being
equally celebrated in his native India and in the neighbouring country Pakistan,
he was a symbol of Indo-Pak solidarity: he was the superstar that both
countries jointly claimed. The major portion of the book deals with the
professional side of the actor’s life.
Dilip Kumar’s private life was much less glamorous than his
professional life. Though he was the fourth child in the family, he had to
assume the role of a single parent for his siblings after the death of his
mother and father. He provided them with the means to obtain their education in
India and abroad as they wanted. He married off the sisters. He himself put off
his marriage because of his desire to see all his sisters settled before him.
Many people raised their eye brows when he married Saira Banu in 1966 who was
half his age (he was 44, and she only 22). But when we read the details of the
story, it strikes us as natural as it is interesting.
It appeared that they were born for each other. For many fans of
Dilip and Saira, their marriage was something they never looked forward to. The
celebrated Madhubala-Dilip romance was still fresh in their minds. When we read
the special chapter on Madhubala (Chapter 13, p. 166-171), we understand why
they had to break up; both lovers emerge as innocent victims of Madhubala’s
despotic as well as mercenary father Ataullah’s scheming. It is clear that
Saira looked at that past of Dilip’s life with understanding and kindness. Soon
after their marriage in 1966, Dilip got a call from Madhubala for an urgent
meeting with her at her home. By that time she was ill and bed-ridden. He told
Saira about this. Saira at once insisted that he should go to see her because
it had to be something that distressed her. So Dilip went to Madhubala’s house.
It was some personal problem she wanted him to advise her on. He said she
seemed satisfied with what he said in response. She looked frail and weak. She
managed her magnificent, impish smile” with an effort. Madhubala was happy to
see Dilip. She said, Our prince has got his princess, I am very happy!”
(p.261). I think that this was a reference to Mughal-e-Azam”, the 1960 film,
which was Madhubala’s and its director K. Asif’s magnum opus. Dilip and
Madhubala played the lead roles, the former as prince Salim, son of king Akbar
the Great, and Madhubala as Anarkali, the beautiful court dancer that the young
royal heir apparent fell in love with; the incompatible love affair
between the two was fiercely opposed by the king. The adamant prince Salim even
went to war with his father over this. In the end, however, the romance fails,
and Anarkali is exiled, leaving Salim to be reconciled with his father. The
real affair between Madhubala and Dilip was similarly intense and similarly
tragic. When the sick Madhubala told Dilip Our prince has got his princess, I
am very happy!”, she must have been thinking of her failed romantic involvement
with the latter.
Apart from Madhubala’s unquestioning submission to her father’s
wishes all the time which had an adverse impact on her professional reputation
but also on her health needlessly”, he had observed a certain fickleness in her
romantic alliances: she certainly would have been drawn to other colleagues in
the profession” (p.168). This is something confirmed by Nimmi in her
‘Reminiscences’ (p.413-416). Nimmi,( who is familiar to us Sri Lankans as
playing the female lead in the Hindi film ‘Angulimala’ (1960) against Bharat
Bhushan the hero), co-starred with Dilip and Madhubala in ‘Amar’ (1954). She
says that their break-up was imminent by the end of shooting of ‘Amar’; her
suspicion was that Dilip probably came to know about Premnath and Madhubala
being more than just friendly co-stars.
Incidentally, Nimmi, in her reminiscences, talks about the
premiere of Aan in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) which she attended with Dilip, presumably
in 1952. They were co-stars in Aan (1952) which she says was India’s first
Technicolor film. The Lankan premiere of the film was one of the biggest
according to her. Massive crowds lined the streets from the airport to the
hotel where they were accommodated. They were all Dilip Kumar fans; there was
mass hysteria, Nimmi remembers. The crowds broke all cordons at the airport and
even ignored security restrictions at the hotel to see him. Nimmi says she had
never seen anything so maddening. (I have never heard or read about Dilip
and Nimmi’s visit to Sri Lanka in 1952 anywhere else.)
There may not be such Dilip fans in Sri Lanka today. But this
autobiography of his will prove a useful as well as enthralling read for
all cinema enthusiasts including particularly young actors and ordinary
cinema-goers. Dilip Kumar is an iconic figure that we too have a right to claim
as belonging to us too and to be inspired by because of our historical,
linguistic, religious and cultural ties with India.
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President of the People’s Republic of China His Excellency Xi Jinping Distinguished Leaders
Ayubowan!
I wish to express my warmest felicitations together with the people of my
country on the occasion of the 100-year anniversary of the Communist Party of China.
The honor of this historical relationship China has had with us is also
included in this felicitation.
China has been a historical friend. And, based on our long-standing
cooperation, we must acknowledge that China is one of our most sincere friends.
To celebrate both the 100-year anniversary of the Communist Party of
China as well as the long-standing diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka, we have
taken steps to issue a commemorative coin.
President Xi Jinping,
It has now been 72 years since the CPC converted China into a Red China.
Sri Lanka established Diplomatic Relations with the Chinese Government
back in 1957.
However, the leftist parties of our country have had relations with the
CPC even before that. The Communist Party of Sri Lanka, in particular, has had
relations with the Communist Party of China
since the 1940s. I am pleased to say that we have been able to maintain good
relations with the CPC because Sri Lankans also value equality and brotherhood.
The Communist Party of China is currently the world’s largest political
party, which has delivered a very important message to the world on foreign
relations for the past 70 years
Your Excellency,
I am aware that it was the foreign policy positions of the CPC that
elevated China on the global stage. However, China has never tried to impose its own political views
on the world.
China has also never felt the need to manipulate the affairs of other
countries. China has helped the other countries, keeping them at the same level, which is a very
important matter for a country’s independence as well as its sovereignty. Therefore, countries
never hesitated to deal with China, because they were allowed to maintain their independence. It
is the same for Sri Lanka. That is why most doors of the world were opened to China. This
policy is very important for the progress of China, internationally. It has now become clear that
China will lead the rise of Asia in the
century ahead.
Dividing the world into two camps is not important anymore. China did a historic service to relieve Asian and African countries from the hardships faced due to this division. It was China that helped the world, which was facing difficulties due to the division of the world into two camps. At that time, Zhou Enlai brought the idea of non-aligned nations to the world, for world relief. That non-aligned policy is still a relief to the world today.
The Belt and Road Initiative is the present policy of China, which is not
something alien to us.
During ancient times, Sri Lanka was located at a point on the Silk Road
connected with China.
Like the Buddhist monk Fa-Hien Thero, many merchants and business people
had dealings with our country while they were traveling to and from China.
China is traveling along this Silk Road today with many lessons for the world. The open economy has spread throughout the world, changing the very structure of many countries.
However, China accepted the world reality of the open economy in a way that was suitable to China. Therefore, China did not accept the open economy as something that divides the country into classes and weakens the country. Instead, China has successfully eradicated the poverty of 900 million people under its open economic policy and set a great example to the world by the way it adopted the open economy. I am confident that, China will bring back the economic strength that Asia had five hundred years ago through this Silk Road.
Your Excellency,
China always believed that improving infrastructure will provide new ways and new strengths for the people. Therefore, we have constantly invited China to help develop the infrastructure of our country. China has also pledged to become a carbon-neutral country by 2060. Therefore,
countries on the Silk Road, which make use of the investments from China,
will also have to
work with a similar objective, not only to make countries carbon neutral
but also for countries
around the Indian Ocean to be free of pollution.
I must also express my gratitude to China for the development and
generous donations of the
Sinopharm vaccine. The CPC set an example to the world by producing the
vaccine and sharing it with the world. The motto of the World Health Organization in the face
of this epidemic was that everyone should be vaccinated, whether rich or poor. In this
context, it is further admirable that China has given approval for the production of the Sinopharm vaccine
in countries like ours. During a global pandemic such as this, decisions
initiated by the CPC will be respected as those taken for the benefit of humanity.
Your Excellency,
Both your country and mine are Buddhist. We Buddhists will always pray
for the world in the face of a very critical pandemic menacing the world.
Of late,
a few foreign diplomats have attempted to test the Sri Lanka’s response when
they almost acted to interfere in purely Sri Lankan domestic issues. They
should simply limit themselves to be guided by the Vienna Convention on diplomatic
relations, The article 41.1 of the Convention is very specific how the
diplomats should conduct themselves.
Article
41 1.
Without
prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons
enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of
the receiving State. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal
affairs of that State.
2.All
official business with the receiving State entrusted to the mission by the
sending State shall be conducted with or through the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs of the receiving State or such other ministry as may be agreed.
3.The
premises of the mission must not be used in any manner incompatible with the
functions of the mission as laid down in the present Convention or by other
rules of general international law or by any special agreements in force
between the sending and the receiving
State
Basically
, the US ambassador in publishing her comments on Sri Lanka’s internal issue and
the Indian High Commissioner in conducting discussions with the TNA on domestic
administration issues of Sri Lanka have transgressed the Vienna Convention
openly.
We have once
upon a time dealt with the former British High Commissioner in the past when he
breached the convention. Sri Lankans await. our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at
lease to issue a courteous warning to those who challenge the norms to remind
them of the limits within which they are expected to operate and when they opt
to breach the accepted practices.
The mainstream media’s obsession with the re-entry to Parliament of Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) betrays an unsophisticated effort at constructing a narrative of an ineffective Opposition Party. What these contributions are actually alluding to is that RW’s seat signals a weakness in the Opposition. A missing X-factor, if you prefer; something the returning former PM is meant to solve. On the face of it, the proposition seems ridiculous, but is nonetheless still being propagated.
History suggests that RW never seemed to understand the aspirations of the rural masses that his UNP so callously abandoned. Perhaps he never appreciated the electorate’s genuine concern for the future of the country’s unitary structure and what it represents in the collective consciousness of the Sinhala-Buddhist working class and working poor. The gravitational centre of RW’s political capital, amongst the elites of Colombo and minority parties, consistently alienated large swathes of the majority.
Intellectuals of all stripes did their utmost to paint RW’s aspirations for, and interpretations of, the 13th Amendment as guaranteeing the unitary state. Actions speak louder than words and try as he did, RW was never able to convince the masses of his integrity on this critical issue. Every time RW repeated his desire to work within the 13th Amendment, preserving a unitary state whilst further devolving powers; the only thing the electorate heard was a call for a federal state”, a model that has always been a poisoned chalice. The word ‘Federal’ is simplified for the base by RW’s opponents, pointing correctly to the fact that it weakens the centre. A Centre which must represent the majority and is seen by it as a guard-rail to prevent the national train from terminating at a station in Chennai.
From Neo-Liberalism to Social Democracy
As the decades ticked by, while RW remained rooted to his ideals, the electorate was moving past the politics of devolution. Their minds seemingly solidified around the project of a unified centre as opposed to the devolved structure which Nationalists fear would embolden reactionary, separatist elements within minority parties.
Those paying attention noticed the lack of upward social mobility amongst their classes and the dilapidation of their neighbourhoods and villages. They woke up to the reality that political structures aside, their children’s lives and those of their grand-children’s would be indistinguishable from their own. They saw in RW and the UNP, the same playbook from decades past, the same internationalist considerations and pandering to elitist liberal voting blocks of Colombo’s plush suburbs. They continuously chose the alternative, whether it was the top-down neo-liberalism of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the nationalist state-capitalism of Mahinda Rajapaksa or the ethno-majoritarian militarization of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The more vital project to build a multi-ethnic consciousness; a Sri Lankan singularity, was lost in RW’s confused maze of constitutional devolution. RW, struck by the realisation that he could not win this debate at home, went abroad to preach to and from British and European choirs.
The former PM has still not understood that the holy grail of a trans-cultural Sri Lankan consciousness is unviable if the majority remains so deeply insecure.
What does all this say about the current position and future direction of the SJB as the main Opposition Party? To the relief of many, the SJB has steered clear of some aspects of the UNP playbook. Sajith Premadasa (SP) is widely seen as to the left of RW, more in the tradition of D.S. Senanayake’s agrarianism and commitment to welfare.
On economic policy, the SJB seems to have the broad strokes of the Keynesian New Deal and Sajith Premadasa even alluded to this, specifically name-checking FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt) at a campaign event in Bataramulla during the Presidential campaign of 2019. Some of the ‘ideologues’ within the SJB, specifically MP Eran Wickramaratne and Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, could be associated with the economic policies of social democracy.
The Sri Lankan economy with its laundry list of structural weaknesses and a history of madness and mismanagement, requires its own list of solutions. Yet, more pressing for the SJB will be to stake its position on the national issue and this, one suspects, is where RW’s attempted intervention is targeted at.
Populism of the Progressive Centre
The former PM thrives in a circular firing squad of his own making; part of his modus operandi for decades. Whilst he astutely dodges fire, his colleagues take pot-shots at one another, leading to an inevitable truce carefully negotiated by RW himself. The SJB should refuse this bait. Whatever ideological differences exist within its major factions, they are far removed from the ‘Ranilism’ of the UNP and the confused Right-Wing Authoritarianism of the SLPP.
The challenge for the SJB is to cast aside the ghost of the UNP’s failed project of political devolution and embarrassing capitulations to even the mildest international pressure.
How? Many commentators have opined that the SJB must occupy the ‘progressive centre’ which might sound like an oxymoron at first, but upon further investigation appears apt. Progressive in policy but never stretching itself too far from the true centre of the polity (https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/why-sajiths-sjb-ranils-unp-are-quite-distinct-and-sajiths-is-the-already-existing-progressive-center/).
Herein lies an opportunity to move beyond the politics of decades past and re-position the consensus. The Easter Attacks created a seismic shift in the political landscape. The emergence of Islamism and the possibility that it was homegrown came as a shock to many, not least within Sri Lanka’s diverse Muslim community. There was a collective gasp from Sri Lankans of varying backgrounds as news trickled down in the aftermath of the Easter Attacks of an alleged Sharia” University in Batticaloa (https://www.sundaytimes.lk/190505/news/mystery-shrouds-batticaloas-shariah-campus-348098.html).
This brought even sharper focus on the ‘Arabization’ and ‘balkanization’ of the Eastern Province which has now been etched into the psyche of the majority, feeding their fears of cultural invasion and oppression by foreign interference. It seems the Easter Attacks were the result of too much religious freedom, or at the very least, lax regulation in the teaching of religious doctrine. Zahran and his cohorts were able to freely preach Wahabi/ Salafist Islamism under the guise of religious expression, to corrupt and manipulate a mass of Sri Lankans with theocratic nonsense. Did increased autonomy produce the conditions that led to the Easter attacks? (https://colombogazette.com/2020/07/05/pm-warns-against-becoming-prisoners-of-circumstances).
The psychological impact aside; the aforementioned balkanization led to tangible devastation on that fateful Easter Sunday. Queue the soul searching driven by post-Easter SLPP ethno-nationalist rhetoric which reinvigorated nativist elements within the country providing them with a glimpse of their worst fears. The innate insecurity of the majority is perfectly encapsulated by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in the 1950s: …the fears of the Sinhalese, I do not think can be brushed aside as completely frivolous. I believe there are a not inconsiderable number of Tamils in this country out of a population of 8 million. Then there are 40-50 million Tamil people in the adjoining country. What about all this Tamil literature, Tamil teachers, even films, papers and magazines? … I do not think there is an unjustified fear of the inexorable shrinking of the Sinhala language. It is a fear that cannot be brushed aside” (The Politics and Poetics of Authenticity- Harshana Rambukwella).
A Premadasa New Deal and Marshall Plan
The SJB must ensure it does not honour the UNP’s tradition of demonizing voters of the Government, casting them as racists or nativists. One is reminded of Hillary Clintons basket of deplorables” or Barack Obama’s clinging to guns and religion”. The opposition voter is not the villain of the piece; address their anxieties and take seriously the values they hold dear.
Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka has already made the ‘progressive case’ for the SJB and Mr. Sajith Premadasa. Far from being an ideological, utopian framework, progressivism can only thrive within the boundaries of populism. (https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/why-sajiths-sjb-ranils-unp-are-quite-distinct-and-sajiths-is-the-already-existing-progressive-center/).
There is also a dependable anti-provincial-council consensus shared by the majoritarian segment of the electorate. Factions within the SLPP openly discuss the abolition of provincial councils. These are political instincts of the right that the emergent new left of Sri Lanka must urgently acquire. (https://island.lk/gevindu-insists-on-abolishing-provincial-councils-under-new-constitution/).
The SJB may not yet be sufficiently self-confident, but should it seek to prove its progressive credentials, it may opt to do so by challenging moderate Tamil politicians to take Federalism off the negotiating table once and for all. Presenting a proposition to either reform or recalibrate the Provincial Council system.
Yes there are contentions surrounding executive powers granted to the Councils, but any meaningful de-politicization of this PC system, bringing it in line with the national objectives of the centre, will reassure the insecure majority that their guard rails are in place. If Provincial Councils do not fall in line with national objectives, Sri Lanka will never find a singular purposeful path to advanced statehood and a modern economy. Thus, without reaching advanced statehood, all attempts at a devolved structure of governance will remain at least several decades in the future.
The emergence of a younger generation of politicians rising up the ranks of the TNA and affiliated parties should provide fresh impetus. Youth that is unburdened with the heavy baggage of the 13th Amendment, unlike their forefathers.
P.K. Balachandran makes this point, referring to results from the General Election; The polls in the Northern Province showed that Tamil extremism is on the wane, although some pro-LTTE radicals like Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and C. V. Wigneswaran won. The bulk of the seats was won by the moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) fighting under the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi’s House” symbol. The elections in the North also showed that the Tamils now want economic development, besides federalism. This is seen in the success of the pro-government EPDP (2 seats) and the SLFP (1 seat)” (http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/69846).
A Grand Bargain
What might the SJB provide in return to the Indo-US axis, the nationalist elements and the Jaffna centric elites of the TNA and beyond? Power (money) and purpose (development).
The SJB could announce a ‘Marshall Plan’ for the Northern and Eastern Provinces. A program of development planned and implemented by the people of those provinces through their elected representatives and appointed councilors. This would complement the New Deal” aspirations alluded to by the Opposition Leader.
Such a project will dilute foreign claims of systemic oppression of these provinces. It could counter the Buddhist clergy with the allocation of funds from this Marshall Plan towards restoring the Stupas of these provinces or any other purpose deemed necessary to tame the Asgiriya Chapter.
Perhaps a long over-due ‘National Day of Mourning’ to mark the anti-Tamil pogroms of past decades and an admission of the failures of the State to protect its people. Why not a program of targeted reparations towards those that lost loved ones and livelihoods to those pogroms, failing which, a simple, earnest national apology? Now, would that not be progressive? Part of the funding for this Marshall Plan, however small, must come from the annual defense budget. A symbolic gesture of goodwill.
The SJB must seek to alienate not just the reactionary elements of the SLPP but also the separatist elements within minority parties if it is to truly occupy a progressive centre. The ultimate goal is to neutralize the narrative and blunt the tools of the UNHRC and allied multi-lateral machinations, truly exposing their imperialist double standards.
Any number of possibilities emerge when RW is absent from the negotiating table. The SJB has every opportunity to bury the ghosts of neo-liberalism, ushering in a progressive, populist and above all, patriotic pursuit of multi-ethnic plurality, led by a Premadasa.
Colombo, July 7 (Daily Mirror) – A tussle has erupted between the Rajapaksa family as Basil Rajapaksa prepares to enter Parliament on July 8 and thereafter enter the cabinet by getting a ministerial portfolio, the Daily Mirror learns.
According to political sources, Basil has asked for the Finance portfolio which is held by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, but this has been rejected by the Prime Minister himself as well as his family.
Basil will take oaths as an SLPP National list MP on July 8 following the resignation of Jayantha Ketagoda, and will soon receive his ministerial portfolio by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. But this portfolio is yet to be finalised as Basil has requested for Finance or something similar in power.
The Daily Mirror learns that discussions are still ongoing among the Rajapaksa brothers and a decision will be made soon. According to reports, the portfolio of Economic Development was also being considered for Basil, a Ministry he held in the previous Rajapaksa government which was headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Earlier, a major rift had erupted within the government following reports that Basil will take oaths as an MP and will receive a ministerial portfolio.
Some government coalition party members had objected to the move, citing Rajapaksa’s dual citizenship as a reason, and had voiced their disapproval to the President and Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Jayantha Ketagoda who resigned from his MP seat will be appointed as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, in compensation to him paving way for Basil to enter Parliament. However, this is yet to be officially confirmed.
After the Easter Sunday bombings, we look at how travellers can help the island – which has already been ravaged by civil war and a 2004 tsunami – rebuild again
hile it was named Lonely Planet’s top travel pick for 2019, Sri Lanka is a country that has been free from civil war for only a decade, has had to deal with the mass devastation caused by a tsunami in 2004 and will now have to overcome the deadly bomb attacks on Easter Sunday. Resilient is one word to describe the country, but there are many more superlatives that can be used to illustrate what is one of Asia’s most sought-after holiday destinations.READ MORE
In less than 10 years, Sri Lanka has transformed itself from a war-torn country to Lonely Planet’s top country to visit in 2019. Travel experts point to its eclectic blend of cultures, accessible wildlife and a growing surf scene as major selling points. Last year, the teardrop nation welcomed a record-high number of visitors, a testament to how much has changed since the end of a war that spanned almost three decades.
When asked why the country was named number one on its list of places to visit this year, Lonely Planet spokesman, Chris Zeiher, said: “Sri Lanka is decidedly having its moment in the equatorial sun. Whether you’re a family traveller or an adrenalin junkie, a wellness seeker or a foodie, in Sri Lanka you’ll find all the magic you’d expect from South Asia, bundled into a resurgent, medium-sized island-nation that’s friendlier – and with improved tourism infrastructure and transportation – more accessible in 2019 than ever before.”
As President Maithripala Sirisena calls on people to remain calm in the aftermath of the devastating attacks, it is hoped the blasts don’t dim what has been a brightly shining tourism industry and that the people whose livelihoods depend on visitors are not made to pay for these atrocities. We look at some of the things that have helped establish Sri Lanka as a top travel destination in recent years, and those that will hold it in good stead as it rebuilds again.
Improved transport
The train routes in Sri Lanka are some of the most scenic in the world, and since the civil war that started in 1983 ended in 2009, many routes have been repaired or expanded. The eastern train route from Kandy to Ella and Badulla offers travellers lush views of forests and tea plantations, and the chance to cross over the famous Nine Arch Bridge. Major renovations to the railway system have made parts of the country that were previously shut off to tourists accessible again, including the route from Colombo to Jaffna. Reopened in 2013, the track is a gateway to the northern province.
The Demodara Nine Arch Bridge. Photo: Supplied
Cinnamon Air was also established in the postwar period, offering domestic flights from Bandaranaike to Koggala and Dickwella, and making many places in the country’s beach-laden south coast easier and quicker to reach.
Improved highways all across the country have made travelling by road much easier, and have cut journey times from capital Colombo to other destinations on the island. Motorways have been built as far south as Matara.
Year-round appeal
While December to April is considered peak season in terms of visitor numbers to Sri Lanka, the country welcomes visitors all year, offering consistently pleasant temperatures driven by two different monsoon seasons. While this means plenty of rain, it also means there is always nice weather somewhere on the island. In the west, south-west coasts and the hills, it is rain-soaked from April to September, while the rest of Sri Lanka basks in sunshine. The Maha monsoon hits the east coast from November to March and the whole country enjoys temperatures of around 26°C to 30°C all year, thanks to its location close to the equator.
Kandy and the tea country are influenced by two monsoons, making the region much cooler than the rest of the country, even in the height of summer. Keen surfers can chase waves around the coastal regions, with the best surf in the south-west seen from November to March, and then again on the east coast from May to September.
A good night’s sleep
Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort is one of many luxury hotels to have opened in Sri Lanka in recent years. Courtesy Anantara Hotels
As travellers have flocked to Sri Lanka, the number of places to stay has increased significantly, with major international hotel chains establishing a presence in the country. The seaside capital of Colombo, which was targeted in the Easter Sunday attacks, has undergone the most substantial transformation, with Taj, Movenpick and Hilton, all opening hotels in the city. New properties from InterContinental, Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons are also set to open soon, too.
There is also a plethora of accommodation options on offer, from wellness resorts to wildlife-immersed lodges. Travellers can take their pick from the luxury villas at Anantara’s tropical clifftop Peace Haven resort in Tangalle or opt to soak in a bit of history in a tea factory-turned hotel in Nuwara Eliya. Tri, a sustainable wellness resort on the shores of Lake Koggala, welcomes travellers seeking a bit of breathing room, while the bubble-like tent lodges in the jungles of Yala National Park appeal to those with a sense of adventure.
Epic wildlife
With free-roaming elephants, Sri Lankan leopards, purple-faced langurs, jumping tiger spiders, and more, Sri Lanka is a wildlife haven that is home to many animals that exist nowhere else in the world.
The three-decade war inadvertently protected much of the country’s natural reserves by preventing mass industrialisation, and tourism is now developing with conservation and eco-values in mind.
Leopards can be found in Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park. Flickr / Patty Ho
Yala National Park is home to around 30 leopards, while Udawalawe National Park boasts more than 500 wild elephants that roam across huge stretches of grassland, jungle and forests. The country’s best rainforest is found at Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a birdwatcher’s paradise, while the Horton Plains National Park in the central highlands has forests rich in endemic animals that have adapted to the region’s cooler climes.
Sri Lanka’s largest park, Wilpattu National Park, reopened in 2003 after being closed for more than 15 years and ocean enthusiasts can partake in a wildlife watching triangle taking place in Mirissa (best for whale spotting), Kalpitiya (best for dolphins) and Trincomalee (best for blue whales).
Surf and more
The country’s coastlines, jungles and beautiful beaches are not its only draw, there is also an abundance of unique activities and experiences for travellers to indulge in.
When it comes to history, Sri Lanka is home to eight Unesco World Heritage Sites, including the Sacred City of Kandy, where tourists can see the Temple of the Tooth, believed to hold a tooth of Buddha. There is also the much-photographed rocky outcrop of Sigiriya, which has remains of a palace and stunning views of a jungle.
The island nation is also a rapidly growing surfer’s playground with decent swells. While the waves can’t compete with those in Australia or Hawaii, Sri Lanka’s tropical location means pleasantly warm waters with year-round surfing opportunities. Best known for being a party town, Hikkaduwa also offers plenty of surf, and more advanced boarders can hit Arugam Bay, Weligama and Mirissa.
Sri Lanka shares more than proximity with its neighbour India, including its love for all things Ayurveda. The leader of these retreats is Santani, nestled high in the hilltops of Kandy, here you can experience yoga, cleansing therapy, relaxation techniques and detox escapes. Similar wellness-based retreats can be found across the country.
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says that China has been a ‘historical friend’ and, based on the long-standing cooperation between the two nations, it must be acknowledged that China is one of Sri Lanka’s most sincere friends.
He made these comments while addressing the virtual conference commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Wednesday.
I am aware that it was the foreign policy positions of the CPC that elevated China on the global stage. However, China has never tried to impose its own political views on the world,” Rajapaksa said.
China has also never felt the need to manipulate the affairs of other countries. China has helped the other countries, keeping them at the same level, which is a very important matter for a country’s independence as well as its sovereignty.”
Therefore, countries never hesitated to deal with China, because they were allowed to maintain their independence, he stated. It is the same for Sri Lanka. That is why most doors of the world were opened to China.”
He stated that this policy is very important for the progress of China, internationally and that it has now become clear that China will lead the rise of Asia in the century ahead.
The Prime Minister said that dividing of the world into two camps is not important anymore. China did a historic service to relieve Asian and African countries from the hardships faced due to this division, he said.
It was China that helped the world, which was facing difficulties due to the division of the world into two camps. At that time, Zhou Enlai brought the idea of non-aligned nations to the world, for world relief. That non-aligned policy is still a relief to the world today.”
The Belt and Road Initiative is the present policy of China, which is not something alien to us,” he said.
Rajapaksa stated that during ancient times, Sri Lanka was located at a point on the Silk Road connected with China and that like the Buddhist monk Fa-Hien Thero, many merchants and business people had dealings with Sri Lanka while they were traveling to and from China.
He added: China is traveling along this Silk Road today with many lessors for the world. The open economy has spread throughout the world, changing the very structure of many countries. However, China accepted the world reality of the open economy in a way that was suitable to China. Therefore, China did not accept the open economy as something that divides the country into classes and weakens the country. Instead, China has successfully eradicated poverty of 900 million people under its open economic policy and set a great example to the world by the way it adopted the open economy. I am confident that, China will bring back the economic strength that Asia had five hundred years ago through this Silk Road.”
The prime minister stated that China always believed that improving infrastructure will provide new ways and new strengths for the people. Therefore, we have constantly invited China to help develop the infrastructure of our country.”
The Ministry of Health says that another 551 persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Sri Lanka, raising the daily count of new Covid-19 cases to 1,229.
All new cases confirmed within today are associated with the New Year Covid-19 cluster.
This brings the tally of coronavirus cases reported thus far in the country to 268,676.
Total recoveries stand at 238,131 while presently 27,232 Covid-19 positive patients are under medical care.
The Director General of Health Services today confirmed another 38 coronavirus related deaths for July 06, increasing the death toll in Sri Lanka due to the virus to 3,351.
The victims confirmed today includes 21 males and 17 females while a majority of them are aged 60 and above.
Two of the deceased, one male and one female, are youths below the age of 30 years while seven are between 30-59 years.
Those who arrive in the island after being vaccinated with both doses will be subjected to a Covid test and if tested NEGATIVE, they will NOT be quarantined accordinf to the Civil Aviation Authority.
The Director General of Health Services has issued a new set of quarantine measures for travellers arriving in the country from overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It states that Sri Lankan Citizens, including Sri Lankan Seafarers arriving by air or Dual Citizens (if using the Sri Lankan passport to arrive), do not need to get the prior approval from the Foreign Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka to arrive in Sri Lanka.
They can request a quarantine hotel or government quarantine center after arriving in Sri Lanka, the statement said.
Meanwhile all travellers arriving in Sri Lanka should mandatorily carry a negative COVID-19 PCR test report in English language done within 72 hours prior to embarkation.
Travellers who have received the recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine are required to carry the original vaccination certificate / card or a verifiable evidence of vaccination.
If the recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccination are completed and departs from abroad two weeks after completion of vaccination, they will be considered as Fully Vaccinated”.
No further quarantine is necessary for fully vaccinated travellers if the On Arrival (Day One) PCR test report is negative, the DG of Health Services said.
But they have to conduct a PCR test on Day 7 after arriving in Sri Lanka from a Ministry of Health approved laboratory.
Fully vaccinated travellers should not relax the preventive measures and should abide by the Covid-19 preventive measures imposed by the Sri Lankan government.
Quarantine measures for travellers who have not received COVID-19 vaccination or have not completed the recommended doses of vaccination or have departed from abroad within less than two weeks of completion of recommended doses of vaccination have to mandatorily quarantine until completion of 14 days after arrival in Sri Lanka, if the On Arrival (Day One) PCR report is negative.
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