Dr Sudath Gunasekara Former Secretary T PM Mrs B and one time President Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association (1991-1994)
1 Abolition of
the Provincial Councils that have been a white elephant and that has wasted
billions or even trillions for the past 33 years with no benefit at all for the
country or the people and has become a political and Administrative disaster
for this country, aggravating separatism laying the foundation for a Federal
State in this country and
Abolishing the
Rajiv /JR Accord of 29 July 1987 whish has almost nullified the Sri Lankan
Constitution of 1987 by compelling us to
1) Accept the North and East as the
Traditional Home land of the Tamils (1/3 of the country and 2/3 of the coastal
belt plus the marine resources for just less than 5 % of the nations population
wo are claiming a separate Rata EELAM)
2) Making Tamil also a National
Language in this country and
3) Granting Sri Lankan Citizenship to
all Estate Tamils contrary to the Nehru/Kotalawala Pact of 1954 and thereby paving the way for India
to convert the entire Central Hill country of this country in to an overseas
Indian Protectorate in future.
2 Reducing the
Cabinet to maximum of 20 and the number of Politicians in Parliament and
Pradesiya Sabhas, abolishing the National list and going back to earlier
electoral system abolishing the District system and PR.
Pruning exorbitant
Public institutions and Public Service to manageable levels to cut down public
expenditure.
3 Creation of a
new Political Culture by laying down minimum educational and other
qualifications and a Strict Code of Conduct to Politicians and making
attendance in Parliament compulsory
4 Abolition of Pensions
and excessive privileges to politicians
5 Ending the tragic
House Maids trade with Middle East countries and replacing it with
a) Avenues of domestic employment for
them within the country and
Instead start a programme of
sending professionals and technicians
6 Ending the
menace of University ragging by addressing their grievances
7 Declaring all
lands over 5000 ft above Sea level as strictly protected natural reserves and
prohibiting any form of settlement above 3500 ft MSL to protect the water
resources of the country as water resources decides the entire life system in
the country and all economic activities like Agriculture, Hydroelectricity
potentials and industries
8 Making
Buddhism the State Religion
9 The question
of Official Language, National Anthem, one Law
and National flag
10 Proposed
Action Plan to solve the plight of the Kandyan Peasants (all Sinhalese) heaped
up from 1815, not rectified for the past 72 years by any Government
11 To free
Public service and Judiciary from Politics and Recruitments to Public Service
and Judiciary only on merit.
12 To create an
Independent, efficient, productive and People centered Public Service
13 A national
programme to develop and diversify the economy to increase productive
employment instead of trying to pack all men and women to an already excessive
government service that has become a big burden to the tax payers
14 Professional Foreign
Service that can take Sri Lanka to the world and bring the whole world to Sri
Lanka to develop this country
15 A programme
to make Sri Lanka number 1 in the world in Fishing Industry by making use of
the Ocean that stretches from Africa in the West to Australia in the East and
South Pole in the South making it naval power by using our strategic location
on the globe in relation to the East and West and its enormous potentials of
fabulous ports around the Island. The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the
world’s oceanic divisions, covering 70,560,000 km² or 19.8% of the water on the
Earth’s surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west, and
Australia to the east. Wikipedia
16 To reduce the
excessive public holidays to about 12, the world average, and religious
holidays to be confined only to the respective religious groups. This is very
necessary to increase productivity and accelerate development to catch with ta
competitive world.
§ Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad calls for respect and tolerance
between people of different faiths and beliefs
§ His Holiness stresses importance of education for girls
§ Caliph says access to education is key to world peace
§ His Holiness says Holy Quran inspires Muslims towards
intellectual advancement and the pursuit of knowledge
§ His Holiness says that there is no contradiction between science
and religion
The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the
Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered
an historic keynote address on 8th October 2019 at the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Headquarters
in Paris.
The event was attended by over 80 dignitaries and
guests, including diplomats, politicians, academics and the
representatives of think tanks, as well as business leaders and various
other professions.
During his address, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community commended the foundational objectives of UNESCO, which included
developing sustainable peace, promoting the rule of law, the protection of
human rights, safeguarding the cultural heritage of different groups and
communities and seeking to ensure the future prosperity of the world.
Thereafter, His Holiness said that over 1400 years ago, Islam instructed
Muslims to pursue these same goals in the interests of the peace and
prosperity of mankind.
His Holiness stressed the importance of education
across society. He said that access to education was the means of ensuring
peace and stability and that Islam emphasised the importance of ensuring
that girls were educated and given equal opportunities as boys.
Furthermore, His Holiness refuted the allegation that
Islam was a religion that failed to encourage intellectual advancement.
Rather, he emphasised how from the very outset Islam taught that human
beings should continually seek to push the boundaries of human knowledge
and that there was no contradiction between science and religion.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad spoke about the utmost
importance of education for the establishment of peace and how the
teachings of Islam have laid down the foundations for a model society.
Such teachings had motivated and inspired generations
of Muslim scholars and philosophers who had advanced the cause of the
intellectual progress of mankind through the Middle Ages. Now, in the
modern era, it was the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that sought to draw on
that rich intellectual history by encouraging learning and the pursuit of
human knowledge.
At the outset, His Holiness praised the founding
principles of UNESCO. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The founding objectives of UNESCO are excellent and
praiseworthy. Amongst its objectives, are fostering peace and respect,
promoting the rule of law, human rights and education across the world.
UNESCO also advocates for press freedom and protecting different cultures
and heritages. Another of its stated goals is to eradicate poverty and to
promote sustainable global growth and development and to try to ensure
that humanity leaves behind a positive legacy from which future
generations can benefit.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
You may be surprised to learn that Islamic teachings
require Muslims to work towards fulfilling these same objectives and to
continually strive for the progress of humanity.”
His Holiness said that the Holy Quran has stated that
Allah the Almighty is the ‘Lord of All the Worlds’, and hence Muslims
believe him to be the Creator and Provider for all humankind, regardless
of creed or colour.
As a result, it was an incumbent religious obligation
placed on Muslims to serve humanity without distinction of their
religious, social or ethnic background.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The very first chapter of the Holy Quran states that
Allah the Almighty is the ‘Lord of all the Worlds’. This verse is central
to the Islamic faith whereby Muslims are taught that God Almighty is not
just their Lord and Provider but He is the Provider and Sustainer of all
humankind. He is the Gracious and Merciful and so, irrespective of caste,
creed or colour, God Almighty fulfils the needs of His Creation.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
Given this, true Muslims firmly believe that all
humans are born equal and that regardless of differences of belief, the
values of mutual respect and tolerance must be firmly embedded within
society.”
His Holiness said that the Prophet of Islam, the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the perfect
manifestation of the teachings of Islam. Following his migration to
Medina, and under his leadership, a thriving, multicultural society was
established which continued to serve as an example for mankind.
Speaking of the reasons for his migration and what
transpired thereafter, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
After he founded Islam, the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers were subjected to
brutal and inhumane treatment by the non-Muslims of Makkah, which they
endured with patience and restraint. Finally, after suffering years of
relentless persecution, they migrated to the city of Medina where the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) formed a covenant of
peace between the Muslim migrants, the Jewish people and the other members
of society.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
According to its terms, the divergent groups pledged
to live peacefully, to fulfil the rights of one another and to foster a
spirit of mutual sympathy, tolerance and cooperation. The Holy Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was elected as the Head of
State and, under his leadership, the covenant proved to be a magnificent charter
of human rights and governance and it ensured peace between the different
communities
Thereafter, His Holiness very carefully analysed and
discussed the key characteristics and achievements of that first
government of Medina.
His Holiness said that its system of governance was
underpinned by an entirely impartial system of law and order and justice,
wherein all people were equal under the law of the land.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon
him) established an impartial judiciary for dispute resolution. He made it
clear that there would not be one law for the rich and powerful and
another for the poor and weak. Rather, in what was a revolutionary
concept, all people were treated equally according to the law of the
land.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad explained how the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) established various
programmes and schemes designed to ensure the progress and stability of
society.
These included establishing an education system, a
taxation system designed to raise the standards of the poor, a public
health system focused on sanitation and educating citizens about health, a
transport system and a code of conduct for business and financial ethics
leading to tremendous social progress.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
During the 7th Century, under the government led by the
Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him), astonishing progress
was made in Medina to advance the cause of individual and collective
rights. Indeed, for the very first time amongst the Arabs, an orderly and
civilised society was established. In many ways, it was a model society –
in terms of infrastructure, services and, more importantly, in terms of
the unity and tolerance displayed in what was a multicultural society.”
His Holiness expressed ‘profound sadness’ that a
concerted effort had taken place in the modern world to malign and defame
the character of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him)
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) has been branded as a belligerent leader – when nothing could be
further from the truth. The reality is that the Prophet of Islam (peace
and blessings be upon him) spent every moment of his life championing the
rights of all people and, through the teachings of Islam, he established
an incomparable and timeless charter of human rights.”
His Holiness condemned those who sought to attack or
mock religion and the Prophets of God.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
In my view, it is deeply regrettable, that the
principle of mutual respect, which is the means of establishing love and
unity, has been sacrificed in the modern world in the name of so-called
freedom and even in the name of ‘entertainment’. Even the Founders of
religion are no longer spared mockery and contempt, even though their
derision causes anguish and pain to millions of their followers around the
world.”
In stark contrast to how he was oft portrayed by the
opponents of Islam, His Holiness explained that the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) set a timeless example of compassion and
humanity. He forever sought to care for the weak and vulnerable members of
society and established many schemes to ensure their welfare.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad also spoke about the Holy
Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) continuous efforts to
eradicate slavery. In an era when slavery was rampant and considered a
fundamental part of society, the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be
upon him) sought to emancipate those who were shackled by the chains of
bondage and servitude.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon
him) repeatedly advocated the freeing of slaves and instructed that if it
was not immediately possible for them to release them, then at the very
minimum, they were to feed and clothe them in the same way they fed and
clothed themselves.”
His Holiness said that another allegation often raised
is that Islam fails to protect women’s rights or advocates discrimination
between the sexes. However, this was entirely false and unfair. From the
start, Islam prescribed the equal rights of women and taught that
educating girls was of primary importance and a religious requirement for
all Muslims.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
Islam established the rights of women and girls for
the first time. At a time, when women and girls were discriminated against
and often looked down upon, the Holy Prophet of Islam instructed his
followers to ensure that girls were educated and respected. Indeed, he
said that if a person had three daughters who they educated and guided in
the best way they would be sure to enter Paradise.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
Based upon the teachings of the Prophet of Islam (peace
and blessings be upon him) Ahmadi Muslim girls across the world are
educated and are excelling in various fields. They are becoming doctors,
teachers, architects and entering other professions through which they can
serve humanity.”
Answering the allegation that Islam is a religion that
promotes violence or permits violence in the name of religion, His
Holiness said that the wars in the early period of Islam were defensive
and fought as a last resort in order to protect the rights of Muslims and
non-Muslims alike.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The truth is that, as is stated in the Holy Quran,
permission to fight back was granted to (the early Muslims) to establish
and preserve the principles of freedom of belief and freedom of conscience
for all mankind. The Quran states that if the Muslims did not defend
themselves against the Meccan army, then no church, synagogue, temple,
mosque or any other place of worship would be safe because the opponents
of Islam were determined to eliminate all forms of religion.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
In reality, if the early Muslims engaged in warfare
it was always defensive and fought for the sake of establishing long-term
peace and to protect the right of all people to live with freedom. If
today, there are Muslims who have adopted extremist tactics or who preach
violence it is because they have abandoned Islam’s teachings or are wholly
ignorant of it.”
As he graced the audience at UNESCO, His Holiness
refuted the suggestion that Islam was an ‘archaic and backward religion’
and one that did not promote intellectual advancement. His Holiness
branded such a claim as a lazy stereotype that is based on fiction rather
than fact”.
His Holiness presented an extensive array of
historical examples illustrating the contribution of Muslims to the cause
of intellectual enlightenment.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The truth is that the Holy Quran and the teachings of
the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him) inspired the
works of generations of Muslim intellectuals, philosophers and inventors
in the Middle Ages. Indeed, if we look back more than a millennium we see
how Muslim scientists and inventors played a fundamental role in advancing
knowledge and developing technologies which transformed the world and
remain in use today.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad mentioned ground-breaking
contributions to medicine, technology, chemistry, physics, ethics,
philosophy, mathematics amongst others.
In this era, it was the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
that had taken up the mantle of promoting education and furthering the
cause of intellectual progress.
His Holiness mentioned the distinguished contribution
to science and human knowledge Professor Dr Abdus Salam and how he had
been inspired by his faith.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
With the Grace of Allah, the very first Muslim Nobel
Laureate was an Ahmadi Muslim, Professor Dr Abdus Salam, an eminent
physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979. Throughout his
life, Professor Salam spoke of how Islam, and the Holy Quran in
particular, was the inspiration and guiding light behind his work.”
Later, His Holiness spoke of the charitable endeavours
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which sought to alleviate the suffering
of mankind. He also stated that breaking the cycle of poverty that
afflicted generations of families in economically weak nations was the
means of establishing peace in the world.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
In remote and poverty-stricken parts of Africa, we
have established primary and secondary schools and we have also opened
hospitals and clinics. We are providing clean running water in remote
villages, which mean that children are free to go to school, instead of
spending their days travelling for miles seeking to collect pond-water for
their domestic family use. We have also set up a project of building model
villages, which include community halls, access to clean water, solar energy
infrastructure and various other facilities.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
Where, out of human sympathy, we seek to eradicate
poverty and destitution, we also consider it to be the key to developing
sustainable peace in the world.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further said:
Only if people have food to eat, water to drink,
shelter, schooling for their children and healthcare will they be able to
live in peace and escape the deadly clutches of frustration and resentment
that lead people towards extremism. These are all basic human rights and
so until we help people flee poverty and destitution we will not see true
peace in the world.”
Concluding, His Holiness called for a change in the
priorities of mankind.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
At the end, I pray with all my heart that mankind
forsakes greed and forgoes the pursuit of narrow self-interests and
instead focuses on relieving the pain and anguish of those who are
suffering in the world. Ameen.”
Before the keynote address, several distinguished
speakers took to the stage and spoke of their admiration of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community and its efforts to propagate Islam’s message of peace
across the world, as well as its commitment to serving humanity.
Ambassador Oumar Keïta, Delegate of Mali to UNESCO,
said:
Your Holiness, the Caliph (Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmad), we salute all the contributions you have made (in Mali) such as
the building of hospitals mosques and schools and the various projects you
have set up through Humanity First… Your Holiness, I congratulate you for
the message of peace that you propagate, it consolidates our society in
Mali and is in line with the ideals of UNESCO.”
Religious Advisor of Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mr Jean
Christophe Auge said:
I am happy to welcome His Holiness the Caliph (Hazrat
Mirza Masroor Ahmad) here today… We are very familiar with what the Caliph
and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community represent both in this country and
around the world. I would like to salute the visit of His Holiness to this
country and I wish you every success for this visit.”
Director of the Central Religion Advisory Board to the
Interior Ministry of France, Mr Clément Rouchouse said:
I am very pleased to be here today to salute the
Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s visit to France. I would like
to welcome you to France in this country which has a tradition of
welcoming different religions based on the principle of secularism.”
Mayor of Eaubonne, Mr Guillaume Dublineau, said:
Despite the differences in colours and cultures and
languages we are all pursuing the same principles wherever we live and in
whatever town we are.
We aspire to live in peace and justice, with tolerance
and a sharing of our values. I would like to praise the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, as it is a community that brings love and warmth but also
friendship and brotherhood.”
President of the NATO Memorial, Mr Willy Breton also
spoke and commended the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for its continued
efforts to promote peace.
An introduction to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and
the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) was given by the National
External Affairs Secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in France, Mr
Asif Arif.
The event concluded with a silent prayer led by His
Holiness.
Full address of His Holiness – the link of which is:
Jayantha Liyanage; General Secretary Sinhaladeepa Jathika Peramuna
The Tamil National Alliance on 15.10.2019 had laid down their conditions for the Presidential candidates with the promise to support them if their conditions are accepted.
Sinhaladeepa Jathika Preamuna clearly states that these conditions are based on the earlier Thimpu conditions proposed by the Tamil political party delegation including the LTTE in 1985 but rejected by the then government delegation. Since then these conditions surfaces from time to time under different political conditions. Even this time some leading candidates appear to have rejected them with the fear of loosing votes.
However, the truth is that all political parties except the SJP accept that there are Tamil grievances and need to be addressed in order to solve the so called National Question through a new Federal Constitution and other issues such as the system of election.
But so far no political party or any other organization including Sinhala nationalist organizations have come with an alternative proposals on behalf of the Sinhala people. Therefore, Sinhala Jathika Peramuna proposes the following 13 conditions in order to solve the National question to address the Sinhala grievances since 1815. These Sinhala grievances are still not in the public domain because the main stream political parties during past few decades have created a public opinion that talking about Sinhala grievances is racism hence even the leading Sinhala organizations including leading Buddhist monks are somewhat reluctant to propose any conditions on behalf of the Sinhala people. Therefore, Sinhala Jathika Peramuna, the only political party with a Sinhala name and an aim to safeguard the historical rights of the Sinhala people have come up with the following conditions and with the concept of a new Sinhala Constitution to solve the National question in order to reestablish the historical rights of the Sinhala people lost in the year 1815.
POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE NATIONAL QUESTION
(01). The country’s name should revert to original name Sinhaladeepa.
(02.) Sinhaladeepa should be declared as the homeland of the Sinhala people.
(03). Sinhaladeepa should be declared a Sinhala State.
(04). Sinhaladeepa should be declared a Sinhala Nation.
(05). The National flag should be the Lion flag of 1815.
(06). The National language should be Sinhala & English as required.
(07). The Provincial Council system should be abolished. Political power should not be devolved. The concept of Tamil Eelam & Federalism should be banned.
(08). The accountability & historical discriminations against the Sinhala people since 1815 should be addressed. All the Lands acquired under 1833 Westland Act must be returned to the decedents of the Sinhala Kandyan people.
(09). Resettle all Sinhala people chased away from their original habitation in North. Facilitate new Sinhala settlements in the northern area. All archeological sites and Buddhist temples in the Northern area must be protected. . (10). Islamic expansionism intruding on lands in Deegawapi & Muhudumahavihara must be stopped and lands acquired by encroachments must be returned. Illegal Muslim settlements in Wilpatthu must be dismantled.
(11). Any violation by security forces must be dealt only by their respective military courts. No civil law suits against security personnel in office.
(12). Full compensation to Sinhala people who suffered due to Tamil terrorism. Tamil political parties / members who directly / indirectly supported Tamil terrorism must be charged in courts.
(13). The Mahanayake theros heading the three chapters should be given constitutional powers to contain any threat to Sinhaladeepa, Sinhala Nation & the Sinhala Buddha Sasana. A new Sinhala Constitution drawing on Dasa Raja Dhamma where all communities lived in harmony with discipline & reciprocity and loyal to the Sinhala Nation must be enacted as a solution to the National Question due to Tamil terrorism.
Four years ago, Sri Lanka turned away from the pro-China presidency of Rajapaksa and went in search of US gold
Now a new Rajapaksa is in town, could its gaze be turning back to China?
Sri Lanka [1] ’s pivot towards the United States [2] since President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in 2015 was a marked departure from the pro-China presidency of former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa [3]. But Mahinda – whose administration took in approximately US$4.5 billion of Chinese investment over almost a decade in power – is once again present on the campaign trail, endorsing his younger brother Gotabhaya for president in the November 16 election.
A spokesperson for Gotabhaya, a popular former defence secretary from 2005 to 2015, last month said he would restore relations” with China if he were elected, in a nod to how Sirisena has suspended a raft of Chinese investment projects and demanded changes in others.
I suppose the thinking was if we upset China, the West would come to us with endless bags of gold … But the bags of gold never materialised,” said Palitha Kohona, a Rajapaksa-era diplomat, to reporters in September.
While Gotabhaya’s candidacy was not confirmed until recently, due to lingering concerns over a lawsuit and his citizenship – he had American citizenship until relinquishing this status earlier this year – he is seen as the front runner after the party he represents, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, won the 2018 local government elections in a landslide.
While the outcome was surprising – the fledgling party, led by Mahinda, won almost 45 per cent of the vote – it was likely due to the fact that the majority of 15.7 million voters thought the economy was in the doldrums, despite some new Chinese investment. They essentially voted in protest against the United National Party’s (UNP’s) ineffectual economic management.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and his brother, former president and opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa. Photo: Reuters
Gotabhaya said he would maintain a non-aligned foreign policy” should he win, but it is worth noting that his UNP opponent, Sajith Premadasa, is not exactly a China hawk.
Current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, also from the UNP, seems to be pro-US, having veered close to signing a status of forces agreement with Washington which would have allowed American troops to be stationed on Sri Lankan soil. However, his administration has shown it values Chinese input and collaboration in local projects, more than its American allies have liked – such as the 2017 decision to hand over the Chinese-built Hambantota port to Beijing on a 99-year lease.
Though the government still has nominal US backing, the American calculus regarding the far-right UNP discernibly changed after the Hambantota port deal was signed. Washington is not overtly backing the UNP campaign this time round, a somewhat striking development considering that in 2015, the US openly displayed animosity towards the Rajapaksas, particularly at election time.
By contrast, US ambassador Alaina Teplitz and other American officials have met the former president and his brother several times this campaign season, with pictures from the visits prominently displayed on US government social media.
The Rajapaksas are still very popular in Sri Lanka, which is a reason Teplitz has on more than one occasion said the US would work with any government of any political persuasion in Colombo.
Incidentally, the youngest Rajapaksa brother, Basil, is very much a political animal. A former economic development minister, he is also still an American citizen. With its own citizens or former citizens in places of power in Sri Lanka, the US could also wager that it is best to have the Rajapaksas onside rather than as antagonists.
The Hambantota port facility, which has been handed over to Beijing on a 99-year lease. Photo: AFPChina is now more concerned about the optics of the mega projects it funds, and its overall relationships with countries such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives, than responding to what critics perceive as power grabs” to control strategic locations. While the Hambantota deal was of great benefit to Beijing, economically and in terms of leverage as a result of controlling the port, its optics were undoubtedly damaging. The port and its lease became the universal reference point for critics of the so-called Chinese debt trap. Another foreign policy debacle suffered by Beijing in the Indian Ocean region was its decision to back former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen, whose authoritarian moves – including media harassment and the arrest of critics and political rivals – saw the country’s opposition last year call for direct Indian [6] troop involvement there.
The Maldives, which under Yameen had a government that openly flaunted Chinese involvement in mega-scale infrastructure projects, has since veered away from Chinese control as a pro-Indian government took over following the 2018 election.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives are glaring examples of the affliction China is facing in the region – an almost painful need to get used to decreasing political capital after the leaders it backed tasted defeat at the polls.
The Lotus Tower in Colombo was built under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Photo: Xinhua
Another factor of note is that no sitting president or premier is contesting this year’s polls, nor any opposition leader. For many interested parties, including neighbour India, this is a new equation. These relatively new candidates are fresh faces to which New Delhi is less accustomed, and therefore less able to influence through traditional diplomatic channels.
India has tremendous strategic interests in Sri Lanka, including infrastructure initiatives such as the Jaffna International Airport project, making this election certain to be a closely watched affair.
In a manifestation of his neighbourhood first” policy, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi [9]’s first state visits after his re-election earlier this year were to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. During the latter trip, he visited a bombed-out church in Colombo, a legacy of the Easter bombings by Islamic extremists. Modi is obviously keen to ensure that terrorism so close to the Indian border is contained; in the upcoming election, he would want to see that whoever wins can keep such extremism at bay in Sri Lanka, while in the process not strategically compromising itself to expanding powers such as China.
Sri Lanka is also toying with the idea of joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which has the potential to become the largest trading bloc in the world. China is a member, while India’s negotiations to join have stalled. It is another interesting tightrope for Colombo to walk, as Delhi wants Sri Lanka to be within its sphere of influence more than China’s, though without upsetting sensibilities in Beijing. ■
Sweeping CRIB reforms to support businesses with promise that are in trouble
18-month debt moratorium on capital for struggling businesses
Deposit Insurance and Liquidity Support Scheme funds to support biz
Low market interest rate regime to revive biz activities
Sri Lankan businesses were last week promised of key concessions including debt moratoriums, lower interest rates, sweeping CRIB reforms and State-backed financial aid if Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa is elected president at the upcoming presidential election.
First of all, we will reform the CRIB. We will bring in a restructuring system, so the people who have shown good results, but having difficulties in repaying their loans as a result of the current downturn in the economy, will be given protection. Some leeway will be given for them to revive their businesses,” former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who is a key architect of Rajapaksa’s economic policy said.
He shared these remarks at a panel discussion themed ‘Financially Sustainable Economic Development’ organised by SLPP affiliated V-Movement in Colombo last Friday. There are thousands of entrepreneurs who are in difficulty. They have been forced to go to various places to borrow,” he noted.
Cabraal also said an 18-month debt moratorium on capital will be given for struggling businesses for them to retain capital and implement their business plans. You (businesses) will have to only service your interest during the moratorium period and then banks won’t get into trouble,” he said.
Cabraal emphasised that greater financial assistance would be extended to local firms by utilising funds at the Deposit Insurance and Liquidity Support Scheme to overcome the current economic downturn.
We have to make sure that financial intuitions are protected. We set up what is known as the Deposit Insurance and Liquidity Support Scheme in 2007. It started with Rs.1 billion and has grown to Rs.60 billion now.
We need to use that to protect some of the businesses that have become vulnerable today.”
It was pointed out that the construction and hospitality sector in particular has been adversely impacted by the current economic downturn, sending shockwaves across other sub-sectors.
We need to use this fund to provide the liquidity to strengthen them again,” he stressed.
Cabraal said that measures will be taken to enhance the soundness of the country’s financial sector.
We will make sure that they are stronger, they are able to withstand current shocks and then we will be able to move forward.”
Speaking of the prevailing high interest rates, Cabraal noted that it has become impossible for businesses to carry out operations under the current interest rate regime.
Therefore, he assured that it will be a top priority to bring down market lending rates, if Rajapaksa is elected to presidency.
We will make sure that interest rates come down, because people cannot do business with the current high interest rate regime.
In 2014, the average weighted prime lending rate (AWPLR) stood at 6.2 percent. However, the current AWPLR is 12 percent. A young man who wants to build a house will pay 18 percent interest on his loan today, whereas it was only 10 percent earlier,” he pointed out.
However, Cabraal noted that the problem of high interest rates would be addressed cautiously.
The interest rates will have to come down. We have to work it out carefully. Having that goal in mind, we have to see that the credit goes to areas where we can expect growth in the future,” he stressed.
Further, he also emphasised on the importance of ensuring rupee’s stability.
Cabraal was confident that these immediate remedies would set the stage for the private sector to drive Sri Lanka to achieve 6-8 percent economic growth per annum during next five years.
It’s the sweet-smelling spice we associate with treats at Christmas time and morish Danish pastries.
But far from a luxury that will pile on the festive pounds, cinnamon could help lead the fight against diabetes – but only if it is from Sri Lanka.
A sprinkle on your daily porridge could help ward off the condition that affects one in 25 people, new research suggests.
In China and India, the spice has long been recommended for its medicinal and spiritual properties.
Since arriving in Britain more than 600 years ago, it has flavoured dishes from apple pie to mincemeat.
Now scientists at Aberdeen University’s Rowett Institute have compared the four most widely available varieties of the spice, which is gathered from the bark of the laurel tree.
Cinnamon is widely grown across Asia, with China, Vietnam and Indonesia supplying most of the world’s kitchen cupboards. But researchers found that the rarest of them all – true”, or Ceylon cinnamon – is the most potent in reducing blood sugar levels, may provide a key to managing diabetes, and helps the body’s defences.
Up to 500,000 people in Scotland are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, as 87% of people are above their ideal weight.
Dr Viren Ranawana, the nutritionist who led the study, said: It is all about prevention. How can we stop people getting ill? And having a diet high in these natural products which are rich in nutrients can hopefully help. If you are eating a lot of high-glycaemic foods and then you are having some natural products, that can help to reduce the glycaemic impact.”
He added: In traditional medicines, like in China and India, cinnamon is often recommended as a treatment for the whole body, but the one aspect that has not been studied is the varietal differences.
We thought it would be interesting to take these main four varieties of cinnamon, used in cooking around the world, and compare their diabetic properties.”
Cinnamon is a spice created from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree. Strips of the inner bark are dried until they curl into rolls known as cinnamon sticks, or quills. These can then be ground into powder or made into an extract.
Its unique properties come from its essential oils and compounds, particularly cinnamaldehyde. This compound gives cinnamon its flavour and aroma, and is also key to many of its health benefits.
The Ceylon spice – Cinnamomum verum – is tan-brown and contains many tight sticks with soft layers. It is pricier than the more common cassia.
Researchers took the four cinnamon varieties and dissolved them in alcohol to extract the active ingredients. Then they put high-starch bread and cinnamon through an artificial stomach”.
Dr Ranwana said all four, in particular the Chinese and Indonesian cinnamon, had active antioxidants, which defend cells from damage caused by molecules known as free radicals. Also, all types had a positive effect on starch digestion – up to a thousand times better than some drugs already used to control diabetes. But the Ceylonese variety was particularly effective in slowing the break down of starches – which can send blood sugar levels soaring. It also had a large number of phytochemicals, which are believed to protect cells from cancer.
Dr Ranwana, whose study was published in thePlant Foods for Human Nutrition journal, concluded: Ceylon cinnamon showed the best results, even though Chinese and Indian cinnamons were better at reducing enzyme activity.
Something that really tipped the balance for us was the coumarin. Ceylon doesn’t have any, while others do.
So Chinese, Indonesian and Vietnamese may affect diabetes control, but your liver may take a hit. Ceylon does not have this problem.”
Dr David Cavan, former director of policy and programmes at the International Diabetes Federation, said: This adds weight to the idea that cinnamon can be effective in helping reduce glucose levels.
Adding cinnamon to starchy foods could be helpful in reducing the effect on blood glucose levels in people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.”
Ashley MacMillan, head tutor at the prestigious Edinburgh School of Food & Wine, said: Cinnamon is the second most popular spice after pepper. Now it appears it may have beneficial qualities beyond its taste.”
Spice has been fought over for centuries
It is most famous for tea exports, but Sri Lanka is inextricably linked with cinnamon.
In fact, the botanical name of the spice, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, is derived from the former British colony’s previous name, Ceylon.
The spice wars of the 17th Century saw the British, Dutch and Portuguese battle for the island, with cinnamon seen as essential to foreign invaders.
It became one of the main exports of the Dutch East India Company, and the subject of protracted and expensive wars between Portugal and Holland.
Today, Sri Lanka is one of the leading exporters of cinnamon, producing about 80% of the world’s output.
Grandpass Police yesterday (28) informed Colombo Additional Magistrate Neranjana de Silva that they have begun a probe in connection with a recent statement made by Parliamentarian A.H.M. Fowzie.
Police said that they had begun inquiries into a complaint lodged by the Sinhale Jathika Organisation (SJO).
The Police added that in the complaint, the SJO had alleged that Fowzie, while addressing a rally held at Grandpass on 24 October, in support of New Democratic Front Presidential nominee, Minister Sajith Premadasa, had made a remark “let us defeat Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa and let us kill him.”
Police told Magistrate de Silva that in order to facilitate their inquiries, they would need uncensored video footage containing the MP’s remarks which had been aired by certain television stations.
The Magistrate ordered News Directors of a few electronic media outlets to release uncensored video footage, connected to the incident, to the Police.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, while in Jaffna yesterday (28), pointed out that the dignity of the Tamils has been restored when he was part of the regime under then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He held his Presidential Election rally at the Illankathir Community Centre grounds, in Rakka Road, Jaffna. He was accompanied by Jaffna District Parliamentarian and Eelam People’s Democratic Party Leader Douglas Devananda, former Northern Governor Reginald Cooray, former Chief Minister Varatharaja Perumal and Jaffna District United People’s Freedom Alliance MP Angajan Ramanathan.
Gotabaya Rajapakse commenced his address by extending his Deepavali greetings. Continuing with his address, he said: “There was a time where Tamils were looked upon suspiciously. They were scared to move around whereas it was during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s regime that the dignity of the Tamils was restored. The Tamil political leaders whom you all trust make you all live in the past. But my intention is to give you all a bright future. We have prepared a manifesto prioritising the needs of the people. Our manifesto is focused towards enhanced development activities. Your leaders in the post-Independence period made unachievable pledges. However, I will fulfill all your aspirations. So place your confidence in me and I will not let you all down.”
He pointed out that it was when Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President that the infrastructure of the Northern Province was developed with resuming of the train service to Jaffna, the rebuilding of the A- 9 highway to connect the North and South, and the provision of electricity to the North.
He also mentioned that soon after the end of the separatist war, he took the initiative to release lands in the Northern Province and that 90 per cent of land area which was under the High Security Zones was released by him. He also said that he was planning to release more lands.
“I have prepared the manifesto focusing on enhancing the knowledge based economy. Our younger generation should be directed towards new technologies. Those who are deprived of entering the universities should be given the right opportunity to fulfill their ambitions in life through enhancing their knowledge,” Gotabaya said.
According to him, he would introduce several measures to reduce the financial burden of the farmers as well as the fisher folk to enhance their livelihood activities by providing them with proper monetary assistance.
Prior to addressing this meeting, he spoke in Vavuniya.
Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has ordered Acting Inspector General of Police Chandana Wickremaratna to immediately increase security to all 35 candidates contesting the 16 November Presidential Poll.
EC sources said already heavy security had been provided to most of the candidates.
They said that following discussions held by Deshapriya with secretaries of political parties recently, the former had decided to order the Acting IGP to provide additional security to all candidates.
On an earlier occasion, the Acting IGP had informed the EC that security provided for the nominees running for the election should be increased and the latter had informed the former to take necessary measures in this regard.
Informed sources said that besides Police security, Special Task Force personnel have also been deployed.
A senior official from the EC said that they had given these instructions to the Acting IGP based on intelligence reports they had received that security for the candidates should be further increased.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that he was responsible for the release of nearly 90 percent of the land in Jaffna back to the rightful owners.
The presidential hopeful mentioned this speaking at a rally held at the Narikkunduru Playground in Jaffna today (28).
According to Rajapaksa, the SLPP manifesto is a people-centered manifesto.
The former Defense Secretary further said that he would invest greatly to create quality education.
He says that steps will be taken to provide university education to youth who are unable to enter the university despite having passed the GCE Advanced Level examination.
New Democratic Front (NDF) Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa says although some may think that he follows a certain kind of economic and social system as the deputy leader of the United National Party (UNP), he actually follows a mixed economic system and social equality and democracy.
Speaking at a conference organized by several leftists groups and organizations in Colombo today (28), he added that as a person who very strongly stands for equality, social democracy and social justice he does not feel any difference being among the country’s leftist forces.
I feel like I have come to a political ancestral home,” he said, addressing the gathering.
Premadasa stated that the country needs a wealth creating mechanism in order to develop and provide a better life to the people and that the best way to achieve that is through market forces.
However, he said that when it comes to the distribution of resources he will definitely follow the social democratic and socialist system. I believe in a mixture of both of these.”
The Minister also said that he believes that the best way to create national income and resources is the open economy market forces, but that they should not be dependent on these market forces for the remainder.
Premadasa further said that the country should implement ‘inclusive growth’ for it to have prosperity and that prosperity has to be ‘shared prosperity’ and not ‘exclusive prosperity’.
The majority of Sinhalese in the country is with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, says United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Faiszer Musthapha.
The parliamentarian speaking at an event in Malwana area stated that Gotabaya Rajapaksa will win the presidential election with the blessings of the majority Sinhalese.
He pointed out that the United National Party (UNP) knows that it doesn’t have the vote of the majority of the Sinhalese.
Therefore they are attempting to gain a higher vote percentage by collecting Tamil and Muslim votes, he added.
As a minority in this country, Muslims should be with the majority Sinhalese, according to the parliamentarian.
He further said that the issues of Muslim people cannot be solved without a Sinhala Buddhist leader.
All countries in Asia are now at a developed stage and this is due to the use of technology and intelligence, according to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential Candidate, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Pointing out that Sri Lanka doesn’t have a large industrial system, the former Defense Secretary stated that Despite the lack of resources, the greatest asset the country has is its intelligent people.
Rajapaksa mentioned this at a public rally held in Hingurakgoda, yesterday (27).
He states that intelligent people in the country can easily be trained for careers of technology and intelligence.
He said: Information technology, digital technology, computer technology. Many think these careers are only for people who studied science and gained a degree. This is a misconception.
Once I met a youth, who I received a consultation on social media. It seemed to me that this youth was well versed in his subject. I asked him what university he graduated from. He told me he studied at Ananda College and failed A/Ls. But he hadn’t given up. He told me that anyone can get a great job under IT and digital technology if they work hard.
He is the owner of a company that brings a large sum of foreign revenue to the country. He consults companies in countries such as the United States and Australia. He is only 24 years old.
I asked him what is his advice for other youngsters in the country was and what a government can do to bring the youth in the country to the same level. He said two things; one, give them a good education on the English language and two, give a better internet connection.
India trains its youth in technology. This is a great opportunity; we should not let it slip away.
We can do this if we have a clear vision. We have shown this clearly in our manifesto.”
In the Seventies, the Government Agent’s Conference was accorded great prominence. The Government Agent was the Head of the District and presided
over as the Head of the District Coordinating Commiittee that coordinated all
development programmes in the District. He was also the Head of the District
Agricultural Committee. All allocations of funds were made to the Government
Agent and its disbursement was as
decided at the District Committee. He was in charge of a number of important
Departments.
In 1972, I attended the
GA’s Conference. I was ready with all the Papers re the development programmes
of the District, especially the Agricultural Development and the Divisional
Development Councils Programme which happened to be focused on at that time.
The Conference got on its way, presided over by the Prime Minister
Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike, with the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture
playing a major role. The achievement in
paddy production came into focus and everything was a success story. The Prime
Minister as well as the Minister for Agriculture were very pleased with the progress. Finally in the last lap the Prime Minister
called for any suggestions from the Government Agents in charge of the
Districts, to make the agricultural development programmes better. The Prime
Minister was looking at the Government Agents and continued to gaze at us
because no one spoke. It was a
formidable team including Bradman, Wijedasa and many other well known
personalities. It was fairly embarrassing.
I thought of making a
contribution.
I would suggest that in the case of paddy production we get down
to draft a plan for every cultivator, documenting the extent he cultivates, the
type of high yielding seed he uses, the inputs of fertilizer, when to use each
variety of fertilizer, find out in detail any difficulties the farmer has to
face, whether loans are required and
plan meticulously to ensure that everything goes to plan. I am suggesting this
because in actual practice such a per plot and per farmer plan are never done
today and instead the Kryushikarma Vyapti Sevaka, the agricultural overseer at
the village level makes a total of the area cultivated and does calculations on
a general basis based on the average yield of paddy in the area…”
There ensued a
stunning silence with the Prime Minister
looking at the Minister of Agriculture and then discussing something with the
Secretary to the Ministry. In around five minutes of silence, the Prime
Minister looked at me.
Do you mean that in your District the current plan for paddy
production does not function properly.”
It was clear that the Prime Minister as well as the others had not
understood what I said.
I got up to detail what I had stated when someone from behind me
held my shoulder and pushed me down.
Let me speak. I am the Director for Agriculture and I have gone
through all the progress reports from every District and can state that Matara
District has done exceptionally well.”
His authoritative words saved me..
I got up to clarify matters but the Secretary to the Ministry of
Agriculture signaled me to stop and when I tried to continue speaking told me
to stop which I did.
The Conference ended as usual.
What I was trying to state was that instead of making a general
calculation based on average yields, we would look into each farmer in great
detail, something that has never been done anywhere. We then had the trained
personnel, the Field Assistants and the Cultivation Committees of the
Department of Agrarian Services, as well as the Vyapti Sevaka- the agricultural
overseer of the Department of Agriculture.
After the Conference I met the Secretary to the Ministry and he never
inquired anything from me. The Ministry
big shots thought no end of their knowledge and we were ignored. Naturally the
country faced difficulties in paddy production in the years immediately
afterwards.
I felt very uneasy and lost. I had carved a poor figure.
Now, to what happened in Bangladesh at a later date, where I
served as the Commonwealth Fund Advisor on Youth Development to the Ministry of
Labour and Manpower.
In Bangladesh
when the new Military Government of General Ershard took over the country in 1982,
the Department of Youth Development was providing skills training to 40,000
youths annually but the vast majority of them failed to find employment and
continued to be unemployed for life. Immediately after the new Government took
over the reins of power, a Conference
was held, presided over by Air Vice Marshall Aminul Islam, the Minister for
Labour and Manpower to which the former Ministry of Youth Development was
attached, to evaluate the youth development programmes He expressed dissatisfaction. He identified me to be an outsider and when
told that I was the General Advisor to the Ministry, he ordered me in a sarcastic manner:
What can you
contribute for Bangladesh”?
In view of the fact
that the vast majority of youth whom we train continue to be unemployed, I
would suggest that you approve the implementation of a self employment programme to supplement the
skills training programmes that are being implemented by the Department
of Youth Development, where the lecturers who train the youths in skills will
in addition, also guide the youths to establish enterprises to manufacture
items for sale and ultimately become self employed entrepreneurs.”
The Secretary to the
Treasury, the highest official in the country who was present objected:
Self Employment is
not a task that can be done. The International Labor Organization (ILO) with
all their unlimited resources have just miserably failed to establish a self
employment programme at Tangail in Bangladesh. They laboured for three years
and brought experts from all over and failed. It was a great loss – a massive
expenditure and this Government is not going to waste any more funds again.
Self Employment is not a task that can be done. That was the conclusion of the
ILO and they are the experts of international standing”
I replied:
Though the ILO
failed, I can establish a Self Employment Programme. I hold the
experience of establishing self employment units in Sri Lanka for eighteen
years and also hold the Ph.D in Agricultural Economics and Non Formal Education
from Michigan State University. I am confident of success.”
. The Secretary to
the Treasury the highest official in Bangladesh laughed loud at my attempt to
make entrepreneurs out of school drop outs- the category from which the
Department of Youth Development found youths for skills training.
. I argued that
though the ILO failed I would succeed. I quoted instances where I had
established successful employment projects providing incomes to youths
while simultaneously producing what the country imported. The battle went on
for an easy two full hours The Hon.Minister was listening in silence, making
notes, till his patience was exhausted. The Minister finally ordered us
to shut up. He asked for any Government training programmes that guided
youths to become entrepreneurs. The Secretary to the Treasury replied None”.
Then the Minister asked for the number of youths that failed to get into higher
education or find a suitable job- the youths that will be scraping the barrel
for life, unemployed. The Secretary answered that it was in the millions,
every year. The Hon Minister without any hesitation ordered that I should
establish a self employment programme.
The Secretary to the
Treasury stumped, stating‚ that he will not provide any
funds to establish a self employment programme, to which I replied that we will
find savings within the approved budgets for the skills training of
the youths and re deploy staff as necessary. The Hon Minister
approved my suggestion.
I had won the day-
the task of establishing a new development programme without writing any
feasibility report. Of course the two hour grueling battle with the Secretary
to the Treasury included facts, figures
and arguments. It was a snap decision by
the Air Vice Marshall who allowed us to argue out, sussed the facts in his
head and barked out a military like
order.
My task was to design
the self employment programme, establish it and train the staff to continue the
programme after I left.
We started planning
work that night itself. It was a do or die” assignment. The next morning I was
addressing trainees at the training centers and also training our Lecturers and
Youth Officers on how the programme should be done. The officers who had till
then done traditional youth development work were trained in concepts of
economics. All Training Institutes were immediately altered to Training Cum
Extension Institutes where the youths in training were to be guided to become
self employed. Overnight we established a countrywide special extension service
for the lecturers to go out on inspections and help the youths when they
faced problems. The youths were
guided to draft their own projects to become self employed, starting small
farms even with a few cows or chicks. Dresses were sewn using the machines at
the training centers that were kept open after work till ten at night.
The method was to
intensively guide the trainees in the management of their enterprises. Every
action from the planning of their projects, to the purchase of raw materials,
the chicks, the feed, the process of manufacture, the process of the growth and
sale of cattle, the making of garments and their sale was all monitored on a
non formal education basis where the youths were trained to look at the
advantages and disadvantages of each course of action and act on their own.
They were monitored closely and helped when they failed. . The trainees were
taught basic economics related to their ventures‚ The training included
understanding the free market economy and the youths were guided to think,
understand and increase their ability and capacity in the process. This was non
formal education in action. The achievement was within the village setting
where the projects became family concerns with brothers and sisters becoming
involved. On our visits, training sessions were provided impromptu where
everyone could participate.
The effort was to
make a youth movement to make youths establish ventures and guide them till
they are income bearing equal to the earnings of a clerical officer in the
Public Service.
This Programme began
at the end of March 1982 with a few trainees and was expanded to 2000 by
October 1983. By the time I left Bangladesh at the end of October 1983-
in sixteen months my team was guiding 2000 youths. The team
comprised the Secretary, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry with a few hundred
staff of Directors, Deputy Directors of Youth, Director for Livestock and Poultry
, Directors of the 3 Residential Training Centers in Livestock & Poultry,
Lecturers in Training Institutes- all of whom were taught the essentials of
economics firstly to be able to analyse the economy of Bangladesh and to arrive
at areas of economic activity where self employment production would be an
asset to the country. They were also taught methods of imparting instructions
in a manner that would evoke the active participation of the trainees and
enable them to think and make their own decisions. This included national and
regional planning culled down to the village level., where the self employment
units were established.
The officers were
patriotic to the extreme. It was long hours every day for months Daily circuits
in Toyota Hiace bone shakers- leaving early morning to return whenever. The
officials responded ably.
At that time
Tk. 500.00 a month was the salary drawn by a Clerical Officer in the Government
Service. Getting the youths to reach a net income of Tk. 500.00 was our aim.
An Evaluation Report
done in August 1983, 16 months since commencement states:
A Programme of
Excellence in every respect unfolds in the results documented. Of
500 unemployed youths who joined the programme in the early months,
479 are earning an average net income of Tk 596.00 in August 1983,
8 to 12 months after they commenced their commercial ventures, 55 of them earn
over Tk. 1000.00 a month and 253 earn over Tk 500.00.”
In August 1983,
barely 16 months since the commencent, the achievement was hailed by the two
Secretaries of the Ministry of Labour and Manpower; In their words:
Dr.Karunaratne’s
significant contribution has been in the field of self employment to the
drop-out youths. This programme was not only designed but also guided by him.
This activity which was initially launched as a pilot experimental project has
been a great success and has now being adopted as a fill-fledged Programme. The
Government of Bamgladesh. has been successful in providing meaningful
employment to a large number of youths on this Programme” .(Asafuddowlah)
Dr. Karunaratne’s
role as the formulator of the program has been particularly commendable. It was
mainly through his dedication and hard work that the pilot project has now been
formally accepted as one of the most important development projects.” (Ayubur
Rahaman)
The Self Employment
Programme had phenomenal success.
By
August 1983, 16 months after commencement The Department of Youth
Development was training 2000 youths. The Programme was expanded
apace to involve 7000 youths by 1987, to 16,000 by 1992 and to 160,000 a
year from 1997. In 1982 we had only 3 Residential Training Centers. This
was increased to 64 Centers by 1997. In 2011 February The
Government of Bangladesh reported to the 34 th Session of the Governing Council
of IFAD(FAO) that this programme had guided as much as two million youths
to be self employed‚ on a commercially viable basis.(Statement to
the 34 th Session of the Governing Council of IFAD(FAO), dated19/02/2011)
The YSEP has stood
the test of time for over three decades (1982-2019) The Five Year Plan of
1997-2002 of the Bangladesh Planning Commission, devotes 8 pages to this
program. This is easily the premier employment creation program that one can
find in the world today. All other programs involve training and apprenticeship
only and never include the tasks of motivating youths, involving them in
non-formal education endeavor to develop their abilities and capacities,
through technical guidance and management advice provided as they work on their
projects aimed at their becoming commercially viable, which are the
cornerstones on which this programme has been based.
Instead of
traditional youth work, the aims of the Ministry had been altered:
To facilitate the unemployed youth
for gainful employment/self employment, providing vocational/skills development
training and micro credit support.
To
involve the youth in the mainstream of national development process”
I am pleased that I
was able to make a distinct contribution to the economy of Bangladesh, a
contribution that perhaps no other person had ever done.
I feel sorry that I
could not make a similar permanent contribution to my Motherland.
Garvin Karunaratne,
Ph.D.(Michigan State University)
This is a very serious issue of immense Public interest. If the Government fails to do so it might leave room for many others of a similar mindset to follow suit and might lead to another national disaster.
It reminds me of the April 21st tragic disaster resulting from the Government’s failure to take swift action against the Mawanella Budu Pilima and Wanatha Villu incidents.
Now that the UNP
led Ranil’s party or Sajit will not take any action against this incident since
it took place at one of their meetings and moreover in their favor, it is the
duty and the responsibility of the President, who is the Head of the State to
act fast without trying to find answers later to another imminent national
disaster. There is absolutely no use in trying to close the gate after the
horse is gone.
I am surprised as to why the SLPP has not
already made this request from the President. Hope they will do it at least
now.
It is now known that the US wanted to control
Sri Lanka as early as 2010, once the Eelam war ended in defeat for the USA in
2009. ‘Sri Lanka is developing on all fronts,
economic social and political’ observed analysts in 2010. ‘The data shows this beyond a doubt’ they
said.
In the same year, critics spoke of ‘interests which wish to disrupt our democracy. They wish to breakdown what we have achieved before the next wave of development comes’. Conspiracies are hatched to undermine the sovereignty and independence of Sri Lanka, said analysts in 2012.
In 2014 it was observed,’ If Sri Lanka has this same stability for the next five years, it will be difficult to manage Sri Lanka. A weaker Sri Lanka is easy to dominate. A strong Sri Lankan state would be an obstacle to foreign penetration and sell-off, added Dayan Jayatilleke. There was, therefore, an urgent need to grab hold of Sri Lanka.
One way of doing this was to engineer ‘regime change’ and put a puppet on the throne. The process of regime change has been practiced by the USA for over a century, said analysts. Doing it democratically like in Sri Lanka is the best option. But if democratically elected regimes are defiant, the local military is used. If that also fails, then there is USA military invasion and legitimate head of state is bumped off.
Sri Lanka’s ‘regime change’ was cleverly done. Two promises were made, to reduce the cost of living and eliminate corruption. The USA had no intention of doing either but the gullible electorate believed them. There was also a promise of more enlightened rule. Environmentalists said candidate Sirisena, had made a 10-point environment presentation in December 2014 which had impressed them. So the majority of the environmentalists had voted for him. He had not fulfilled any of the promises when he came to power.
The political elite knew what had happened, as soon as the results were announced. We saw it on their faces, but the public did not know what they were in for. They soon found out, when the Yahapalana government went into action. This final essay in the series looks at what Yahapalana was asked to do, how they did it, and how the country reacted.
The west wants a government that will be open to foreign control, not a government that wishes to protect Sri Lanka, its material assets, its sovereignty, and its national interests, said Dayan Jayatilleke.
The grand strategy of the neo-colonial powers is to ensure that the developing countries are kept unstable, that makes it easier to manipulate and influence them, said another critic. These foreign interests only want permanent chaos here to help their hidden agenda. They will not show their hand, they always operate underneath said a third critic.
The Sri Lanka policy from independence onwards, and even before, was to build a strong Sri Lankan capitalist economy and protect the Sri Lankan peasantry, said Dayan Jayatilleke. Up to now, successive governments showed concern for the people and gave Sri Lanka a sort of welfare state. Now comes a government which has every intention of ruining the country, concluded Dayan.
One can’t even begin to chronicle in one article, all the outrages and idiocies that have been committed by this government, said Chandraprema. Yahapalana is bringing the country into a state of political, economic and social chaos, said Tissa Vitarana. The government was causing chaos in every sector agreed Dayan. What kind of Government will place us in such insecurity and danger asked Chandraprema?
From the time
that this government came into power, we have been seeing things that we had
never experienced under any previous government, continued Chandraprema. Usually,
after an election, there are a few days of disturbances. Under this government,
things were never allowed to settle down and normalize, he said.
How this government regularly dreams up ever more ingenious ways of making the lives of ordinary people a living hell is truly remarkable and the way they doggedly stick to these harebrained schemes despite mass protests is even more remarkable, concluded Chandraprema.
Critics observed that In 2001 UNP was very cautious with the economy, this time they have been completely reckless. In the past, there was a common belief that UNP regimes were good at economic management, and as a result, the economy gained a boost every time a UNP government came to power. However, this time around, this belief has been proven wrong.
This time the UNP and its Yahapalana has been given a well-planned project designed to serve the interests of the USA. The modus operandi was planned in detail by experts from the USA, its allies, the IMF and World Bank, operating from Temple Trees and relevant Ministries and Institutions, said Tissa Vitarana.
It is reported
there are large teams of foreign experts in the Prime Minister’s Ministry of
Economic Affairs and Planning and also in the Treasury, Ministry of Finance and
even the Central Bank.” This would help in the introduction of neo-liberal
economics into the country, certainly.
But the tactics needed to bring the country down, break its spirit and its spine had to be prepared by USA’s local supporters who knew the country well. They would know exactly what sectors to hit and how. They would have been preparing for this ‘regime change’ throughout the Rajapaksa rule.
It is now clear that the West has given three instructions to the Yahapalana government, (a) weaken the state, (b) ruin the economy and (c) crush the people. Then a dissatisfied, angry, restless community will be created, who will be encouraged to protest. A state of chaos will result. The west will then be able to move in, probably using Right to Protect” (R2P)
From 2015 to 2019, an angry electorate
watched Yahapalana at work. Yahapalana
came to power because it promised the voters that they would reduce the cost of
living. After Yahapalana came to power, the cost of living went up and up. The
public complained about the skyrocketing cost of living. Food prices have gone into the stratosphere
with more and more people going to sleep on empty stomachs, said an Island editorial.
The public noted the increase of
corruption, misuse of power, waste, political instability, break down of law
and order, growth of the underworld and drug trafficking. Also, the unprecedented delaying of Local
Government polls, putting off Provincial Council polls, enactment of the
19th Amendment and the Geneva resolutions. Within the first 100 days came the Bond scam
with a second
far bigger bond scam in March 2016,
several months after the last general election. In between came the controversial coal tender.
The electorate watched the tear-gassing and suppression of peaceful protests for just causes. All the essential services went on strike during Yahapalana rule. Doctors, teachers, railway workers, university staff, administrative staff. The entire country was in turmoil with protests in Colombo almost on a daily basis with the government depending on the police to contain growing unrest, reported the media. The public was furious, but most blamed the government, not the strikers.
There was a breakdown of services. Two trains collided near Maradana station. During the train strike of October 2019, dozens of passengers were seen traveling outside the compartments, hanging on dangerously. A sight never before was seen in Sri Lanka.
Small businesses were ruined by Yahapalana, leading to mass unemployment, indebtedness, and bankruptcy. There was also excessive taxation. All this, it was hoped, would bring the population on its knees. It would also, hopefully, encourage aggression.
Aggression did appear. The ‘new’ weapon was poles. Many attacks on persons and shops using poles were shown on television. Television news showed people coming with poles and smashing a restaurant in Anamaduwa. At Kandakadu in Kinniya, the navy was sent to investigate a charge of illegal sand mining. A large crowd of Muslim youth with poles were waiting for them. There was a clash and 12 navy personnel were hurt, 3 seriously. Police and STF were called in to control the situation.
But the result was not what the USA expected. Instead of meekly going under, so that the USA could walk in, Sri Lanka reacted strongly against Yahapalana. They expressed open regret over voting for Yahapalana. People who supported the government are now cursing it, said an observer. A Sri Lankan visiting from abroad said, ‘the general impression I got was that the people are thoroughly disgusted about the way things are’.
I also voted for Ranil Wickremesinghe and the party”, said Sarath Obeyesekera in 2018. Like everybody else, we wanted a new and better leader. I became disgruntled during the last three and a half years when I personally encountered the new leader and the ministers at official meetings meant to help entrepreneurs solve their problems. I used to attend meetings of CECM, and the Southern Development Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, R. Paskaralingam and Minister Sagala Ratnayake, respectively. These leaders were not listening to the views expressed by other members of the aggrieved parties, but showing off their power, they took decisions based on their own opinions.
Yahapalana government is the worst, most corrupt and inefficient government in our history, the public said. They made it clear that they wanted Yahapalana out. Instead of reacting emotionally, the electorate looked for a sound strategy to get Yahapalana out. ‘Wait till the next election comes’ they said. ( Continued)
But it also tried to establish SINHALESE were
descendants of a lion and a woman.
How far we
can believe that !Let that be there but let us address everyone living in Sri
Lanka as SRILANKAN, besides their ethnic names. This could be implemented after
the election of the new PRESIIDENT on the 16th of Nov.2019
. In CANADA
where I live as a resident a similar Social issue is being implemented besides
the ethnic names of all citizens.
Compiler of
our great historical composition,MAHAVANSA, at the end of every chapter where
there are 37 Chapters, has appended the
above golden apology,for the simple
reason,as I believe,there were no etymological dictionary or any other
approvable sources to gather facts and evidence for him to follow confidentially
to do the compilation 100 % accurately, as it is a HISTORY book. Rev. Mahanama
of the Deegasanda Senapthi Pirivena at Anuradhapura who conglomerated this massive
historical piece of literature had doubts whether all facts and data gathered by
him from available sources are 100% accurate IN THAT REMOTE ERA.5TH
CENTURY BC.. When we analyze the APOLOGY we could accept it and .realized when
he planned a vast historical literary piece but confronted with the obstacles
to gather the scrupulous material perfectly, meticulously and 100% correctly
although the complete manifestation was absent
in his matured brain !Very often it has become a guess work.
But he was
adamant his meticulous dream must make a reality.
So he
decided to INSERT this golden apology..
Late Canadian Prime Minister Hon.Mr.PIERRE
ELLIOT TRUDEAU, FATHER OF THE PRESENT Prime Minister, on the 8th of October
1971 presented to the House this
SOCIOLOGICAL POLICY. It was accepted . Which gives all the citizens the
authority to use this general term,CANADIAN.for everyone of them, irrespective
of their ethnicities. So after the election of the new President in SRI LANKA could
allow the people to use this general term.SRILANKAN.
Incidentally
late Prime Minister PIERRE TRUDEAU VISITED Sri Lanka on the 6th of
Dec.1971.
Mr.Justin
Trudeau, Pierre’s eldest son, had the Federal Election in Canada on the 21st
of October this year and regained the Premiership. He gained only 157 seats
with which he could formed only a minority Government. He announced, on the 20th
of November that he will form a gender
equal CABINET.
CBC
gave a full support for the election by conducting debates in English
and French and fully analyzing the
situation of the voters and the country.Which was helpful to hold a fair and
riot-free election.
Globe and
Mail,a popular paper in Canada published on the 27th of October an
interesting article with enlarged pictures and this bit of summary which I like
to extract with curtsey for your perusal.
Ontario
too continue legal challenge of federal Carbon tax despite election ,YUREK says
CMHC
forcasts a recovery in Canada’s housing market after two years of declines
Liberal
Govt. Says Trans Mountain Pipe Line could found $ 500 Milliion a year in clean
energy projects.
Now let`s
come back to
this piece
of literature,Mahavansa, which has been
compiled for the serene joy and emotion of the pious” and not mainly to establish truth or evidence as
such. Because there are some events look historical but not authentic as there
is no evidence or facts. For devotees with piety those may sound as real.
Particularly when a Buddhist monk has done the composition of a story they have
more faith. They grasp as real story. They will never reject but on the
contrary praise all situations are genuine and wholeheartedly believe. If an
elderly person says the idea of lion having coitus with a woman they open their
mouths and believe it as an adventurous truth. If the woman bears children as a
result they never disbelieve. This is exactly what had happened in Suppadevi
and lion’s story in which the origination of the Sinhala race etched. But
according to science reproduction of normal human children by animal sperm and
human egg or vice -versa is beyond reality. However let us touch a bit of the
story as elaborated in Mahavansa. The compiler Rev. Mahanama of the Deegasanda Senapathi
Pirivana built up the Vijaya story with the help of a few Jathaka stories, such
as Nalapana, Walahassa, Janaka, Padakusala Manawa and Devadhamma. King of Vanga
got married to a queen of Kalinga where they had a beautiful daughter,
Suppadevi. Royal soothsayers prophesised she will one day elope with a lion and
live in the jungle. Royal parents thoroughly guarded right round the palace to
prevent this adverse mishap. But somehow or other she escaped and joint a
caravan that was heading towards Laata Desha in the Indus valley region at the
western end of India. When they reached
Laata Desh or present Gujarath (Birth place of Indian Prime minister Narendra
Modi) where there was a small town called Sinhapur or Sihor. The name has been
earned as it was the only area in India Asiatic lions were living in the
adjacent hilly forest. When the caravan reached that region a lion has pounced
upon and those who were in the caravan have run amok accept Suppadevi.
Mahavansa described the lion wagged its tail and came over to her perhaps like
a tamed animal. She who was aware with the soothsayers’ prediction stroked its
lovely fur and got friendly. Lion makes her to get on to her back and she did
and then slowly walked into a jungle cave. They live there and begot a boy and
a girl, who were named as Sinhabahu and Sinhaseevali. They were living in that
cave minus ventilation or light and it has a stone door only lion could open.
They were inside the cave whole day until the boy reached 16. -Just imagine the
situation! When the boy asked mother why they are living in a dungeon like this
she had recollected the whole story and said that they are royal people. He
wanted to leave the cave and escape. So he did. When they arrived at the Royal
Palace narrated the story and king was fully convinced and allowed them to
stay. When the lion found they are missing came to the town and ravaged the
whole area. King agreed to offer a 1000 gold to whoever kill the animal. Vijaya
agreed and with one arrow he killed the grandpa. Now without lengthening the
story lets go to the end. When the old king died Sinhabahu became the
king. Sinhabahu and Sinhaseevali lived as wife and husband.
They had so many children and the eldest was Vijaya who was a boisterous
character. He had so many followers, around 700 who were violent in disposition
and involved in various nefarious activities. Kings’ subjects complained many a
time. Ultimately they were banished by shaven half side of their heads in a
ship. Their ship landed near present day Puttalam in Sri Lanka. They named it
Thambapanni. When they landed Vijaya knelt down and pressed his both hands on
sandy beach. It was on the day that Buddha was demised. According to Mahavansa
year was 543 BC. They had met a woman of Yakka tribe, Kuveni, who reveals that
there is a kingdom called Sirisawastu and a king name Mahakalasena. However,
According to Mahavansa origination of Sinhalese started from Vijaya. That means
the history of Sinhalese according to Mahavansa is from the descendents of a
human and an animal, the lion.
So Vijaya
was our progenitor.
The late Dr.Ananda
W.P.Guruge and historian John M. Senaviratna referring to the union of Suppadevi
and lion deliberated in their expressions that it was an outlaw or robber chief
,named Sinha (lion) who with his men fell upon the caravan to plunder. It was
quite possible as there were plunderers in the lonely roads in by gone era. In
that case why so strongly they had etched the term Sinhala for their
descendants and depicted with a lion in the national flag?
Our
President along with the Prime Minister pledged to develop the country with National
and Religious reconcillation. We have to help in every possible way.
Even if we believe what Dr.Guruge depicted is
it justifiable to name the race as Sinhala? Historically it is from the
Mahavansa depiction the Sinhala race was originated. Even the list of kings
started with Vijaya and not with Mahakalasena, although it was discussed
between Kuveni and Vijaya.Professor Ellawala who involved in research of
Mahavansa categorically said that the early part of Mahavansa is far beyond
reality. In that case how to justify the ongoing story! A scholar like Prof.J.B.Dissanayake could furnish an
acceptable answer or at least an ecstatic
Prior to this picture of history in the
Mahavansa the terms Sinhala and Lanka were exist in early literature.
Archaeologist, Siran Deraniyagala revealed through his excavation that there
was a fairly a large civilization at Anuradhapura 3 to 400 years prior to the
advent of Vijaya. Before that there were
four major tribes called Deva, Naga, Yakka and Raksa in the country who were
speaking a dialect called Illu or Hela. Professor J.B.Dissanayake and erudite
scholar Arisen Ahubudu named the combination of the four with Hela as Sivu
hela, which became Sihala. (P.196-PRE-HISTORIC LANKA TO END OF TERRORISM.By
Dr.Sripali Vaiamon.Published in Canada.in 1912) Much prior to that, terms
Sinhala and Lanka appeared in Mahabaratha very prominently. In the bk .1
Ch.177.bk.2 chs.33 and 51 and bk.7 ch.20. In the bk.2 there is a description
where a Sinhala deputation from Lanka has gone to the consecration ceremony of
the king Udistara with gifts such as pearls, conches, sea beryls, elephant
tusks etc.. It has further described what the Chieftain had dressed for the
occasion.( 2-27-48 Mahabaratha) Compilation of the Epic according to Internet
has started in 900 BC. Monier Monier Williams who compiled the first Sanskrit
English Dictionary believed it as 1200 BC. Epics are concerned Mahabaratha is
the second in antiquity in the world where as Epic of Gilgamesh supposed to be
the first. Other than this, term Sinhala occurred in several ancient Sanskrit
texts such as, Bhagawatha, Markandya Purana, Brahath Sanghitha and Jaina
canonical works. Archaeologists revealed there were people in our country from
very early period. The very first human bone has discovered in 123,000 in
Pathirajawela,down South, Second has found in 80,000. During that era there
were lions in Sri Lanka. Fossil remain found in Sabaragomuwa region has proved
this. In this context Could it be possible to have had a story connected to the
geneology of our existence? Full
skeleton of a woman had been unearthed from an excavation pit at Phahiangala,
BulathSinhala, in Kalutara District which was determined as 37,000 years. One at
Batadombalena, Kuruvita 28,000 years. As such the origination of Sinhala
language and the race yet to be traced with meticulous excavations and also
with possible scrutinization of old Sanskrit literature available at several
university archaic libraries in India as the term Sinhala is Sanskrit..Dr.
Senarath Paranavithana in the foot note of Seegri Gee described that the term
Hela is presence in Kurutu Gee and the term Sinhala is Sanskrit,in Pali it is
Seehala and in Prakrit, Sainhala.
.
The significant embalm of SRI PADA was the
devotional idea borrowed from Afganisthan which was earlier known as Bacteria
where there was Buddhism prior to Sri Lanka. They who built the first Buddhist
statue at Gandhara and carved massive Buddha statues at Bamian range. They who
carved Sri Pada with innumerable symbols. The idea of foot prints of Buddha was
first borrowed from Afganistan perhaps by Sanchi thereafter Sri Lanka and
carved on the peak of Samonala. Subsequently in several other countries
borrowed this concept. The researcher, Dr.Waldermer Sailor attempted past 25
years to study in depth the meaning of the symbols but was not successful. He
who had revealed the idea was borrowed by several countries including Sri
Lanka. Buddha never came over here to implant it. Others who copied did not
bother to adopt the same pattern but was implied to have a foot print to symbolize
that of their great preceptor, the Lord Buddha. The length of the foot on
Samanola is 5 feet seven inches and the breadth is 2 feet seven inches.
Dr.Senarath Paranavithana says prior to 11th century there was no foot
print on Samanola or anywhere close by. That suggests it may have been
constructed just after the 11th century. Buddhism had been
disappeared from Afganistan by 11th century. So far no records have
been discovered to trace who was responsible for the carving and in what
period.
With regard
to the descriptions of Lord Buddha’s three visits no records available anywhere. Great Buddhist
leaders like, Sir Baron Jayathilaka, Dr.G.P.Mallasekara denied any record relevant to this in the Tri Pitaka.
None of those who took part in the Three
Sangayanas were aware Buddha’s trips to
Lanka. Perhaps certain descriptions in Mahavansa may be exaggerations and not
real. The compiler borrowed the idea from the early epic, Deepavansa. But of course with the elaborations in the
Epic Mahavansa where the compiler had imposed in great piety to say Buddha
physically came over and implanted his left foot print cannot be accepted as it
is not available in the Tri Pitaka. This could be easily checked as the Tri Pitaka is now available with us..Although
there are other interpretations to say the print is that of Adam, Shiva or
St.Thomas. It is immaterial to Buddhists they are glued to believe that was their
religious leader, Gauthama the Buddha as depicted at the end of every chapter
in Mahavansa .
Present Prime Minister’s Dad Hon.Pierre
Trudeau in 1971 introduced MULTI CULTURALISM TO CANADA,THERE AFTER ALL THE
CITIZENS IN CANADA BECAME CANADIANS. Let us make all the
Sinhalese,Tamils,Muslims,Burgers,javas and Vaddas living in Sri Lanka generally
as SRI LANKANS besides their ethnic names.
As part of India’s strategy of creating a new energy ecosystem for the neighbourhood, the Modi govt is exploring to set up an overhead electricity link with Sri Lanka
The electricity link is part of India’s strategy to negate the growing influence of strategic rival China in the Indian Ocean region, South Asia
NEW DELHI : As part of India’s strategy of creating a new energy ecosystem for the neighbourhood, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is exploring to set up an overhead electricity link with Sri Lanka to supply power to the island nation.
The change in strategy is being considered after the earlier proposed under-sea power transmission link plan turned out to be prohibitively expensive and comes in the backdrop of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
We have to connect Sri Lanka because Sri Lanka needs power. The undersea link would be expensive. They are also talking about overhead transmission link,” said a senior NDA government functionary requesting anonymity.
Cross-border energy trade is a key part of Narendra Modi’s South Asia-focused, neighbourhood-first policy. The electricity link is part of India’s strategy to negate the growing influence of strategic rival China in the Indian Ocean region and South Asia. In recent years, China has tried to co-opt Sri Lanka into its ambitious One Belt One Road” initiative—a programme to invest billions of dollars in infrastructure projects including railways, ports and power grids across Asia, Africa and Europe.
The earlier plan involved state run Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) setting up a link for 1,000MW between India and Sri Lanka, of which 30km will be under the sea. The India-Sri Lanka transmission link was to run from Madurai in Tamil Nadu to Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka’s north-central province.
Mint reported on 9 November 2009 about the Srilankan government questioning the long-term feasibility of the project that is meant to enhance economic and political ties between the neighbours. The proposal earlier also faced opposition from the Tamil Nadu government.
Sri Lanka’ state run Ceylon Electricity Board has an installed power generation capacity of 35.8 gigawatts (GW). India has an installed power generation capacity of 360.45 GW, with the national grid capable to transfer 99,000 MW of electricity from any corner of the country.
Experts welcomed the move.
Over the last few years, India has moved to a well coordinated and cohesive national market, which has helped tide over the disparity in demand and supply among states and regions in the country. The benefit of this transition that we have witnessed in our nation can be offered to our neighbors as well with the integration of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,” said Prabhajit Sarkar, managing director and chief executive officer of Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL).
India has been supplying power to Bangladesh and Nepal and has also been championing a global electricity grid that may initially aim to link countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam with the sub-continent. India’ energy diplomacy initiatives range from cross-border electricity trade to supplying petroleum products and setting up liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.
Participation in a common power market would lead to better utilization of generation assets, wider benefit of efficient price discovery, and reduced counter-party search and transaction efforts for all participants. The cross border trading regulation has already been notified, and within the next few months it is expected that a vibrant market would take shape allowing our neighbors to also benefit from highly liquid and extremely efficient power exchange developed in India,” Sarkar added.
This also comes in the backdrop of a crisis in Indian electricity distribution companies (discoms) because of their poor financial health, which has resulted in delayed payment to generation utilities. Selling electricity to its neighbours will also help Indian utilities improve their financial conditions. The discoms owe Rs76,336 crore for the power bought from the generation companies (gencos) at the end of July, according to information available on the union power ministry’s PRAAPTI portal. This comprised Rs56,710 crore as the overdue amount.
To counter Beijing, the US is also seeking a bigger role for India in stabilising and maintaining the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region–a large swathe of land and sea stretching all the way from the west coast of the US to the shores of east Africa. US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster on 14 October also spoke about creating a supporting architecture for Indo-Pacific, the Asia-Edge initiative by enhancing development and growth through energy and rules based and transparent energy markets. A pushback against China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative is also taking place in the Indo-Pacific region with a grouping also known as the Quad” of India, the US, Australia, and Japan.
Bukit Aman counter-terrorism chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay says the 12 detained for alleged links to LTTE are in good health.
KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman’s counter-terrorism chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay today confirmed that the investigation papers on the 12 individuals detained for alleged links to the now-defunct Liberal Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist movement have been submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
He said they will wait for a decision by the AGC on whether the 12 will continue to be detained or released based on the evidence presented.
Police have arranged special visits for family members of the 12 at their detention centre in conjunction with Deepavali today.
Everyone is given a maximum of two hours to meet with their family members. They can bring along food,” he told reporters at a press conference.
Ayob said the detainees were healthy. There are some who have allergies but doctors have visited them and prescribed medication,” he said.
The 12, including two DAP assemblymen, are being detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).
Written by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne Courtesy The Indian Express
The mists of mythology, history and conspiracy theories render him elusive. Yet, in Sri Lanka, the search for Ravana remains a quest for validation.
1920 painting of Ravana from south India. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
A few months ago, I was picking my way through an obscure 1870s translation of the great Ramayana, notebook in one hand and my cat attempting to destroy the other. I was on a selfish quest: a friend and I had started writing a story featuring giant robots based on Indian and Sri Lankan gods, and I wanted material for my fictional behemoths.Advertising
The story of Ravana is fairly well-known here in Sri Lanka. Ask any schoolchild above a certain age and they’ll tell you the story — Ravana, the 10-headed, 20-armed mystical king of Lanka, steals Sita, so plucky Rama saddles up with the country-hopping Hanuman to get her back. Above a certain age bracket, they’ll even add more explicit stuff about Sita.
It’s an appealing story. The same pattern repeats itself in hundreds of thousands of movies, books, poems, songs, from Bollywood to Hollywood to the rich depths of Japanese anime, the roles set and the names ever-changing. Ravana is that rich, arrogant high-school villain who steals your girl. Rama is the hero who wins her back. The story is very clear: Ravana is the bad guy.
Except, this supposed villain weaves himself into my native Sri Lanka in a distinctly un-Voldermort-like pattern. Return to those schoolchildren and ask them: was Ravana a tyrant? They’d probably be surprised. No, they’d say. Ravana was a spectacular king. Just fell for the wrong girl. Speak to monks and scholars of history and you see a theory — that Ravana was a real king who ruled Lanka around 2517 BC. A great scholar, well-versed in mathematics and urban design, who ruled his kingdom and did well; and that like the British king Arthur, he passed from history to legend, from legend to myth, and ended up being unfairly cast as the villain in a domestic squabble.Advertising
The Ramayana I was reading seemed to nod its head. The villain of the story, after all, is painted in extraordinary colour, a king with 10 heads to represent his knowledge of the shastras and the Vedas, a dab hand on the veena, an astute political scientist and sage, with a boon from Brahma. This is no ordinary Voldemort. If anything, Rama pales in comparison — a golden boy written in straight lines and with little subtlety.
Depending on who you ask, the stories get ever more fanciful. It was Ravana who invited the Kashyapa Buddha to Sri Lanka, say some. It was Ravana who ran the first, technologically superior kingdom here in Sri Lanka, say others; read the Ramayana carefully, does this part not sound like a nuclear power plant? It was Ravana who first had powered flight — how else did he get Sita down here from India?
In fact, the Sri Lankan civil aviation authority, in a bid to investigate this very question, launched a project in August to probe deeper into the matter. The forum argued about why Indian historians never talk about the Pushpaka Vimana (or, in Sinhala, the Dandu Monara Yanthraya: the Peacock Machine). The head of the archeological institute of a prominent university, and a professor of geography, were firm in their opinions that Sri Lankans flew 5,000 years ago, thanks to Ravana, and that adequate scientific detail could be found. A venerable monk claimed that the Yakka language — an ancient indigenous dialect — would have been the lingua franca during Ravana’s times, and that we should dig deeper into those legends. It was said that Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, did a con job on a great man.
A 19th century Company School painting of Ravana from Patna. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Stray a little bit beyond these officially sanctified waters and theological debates and you run head-first into the ominous-sounding Sri Ravana Research Institute and the Sri Ravana Central Intelligence Agency, both of which seem to be involved in some Illuminati-level plot of unlocking the mystical potential of humans and getting us to Mars.
One would assume this is an obsession of an older generation. Not so. On YouTube, the Ravana brothers are producing rich, lyrical music, fusing old Sri Lankan styles with new beats: I have no idea who they are, but they’re good. A friend once wrote a novel about Ravana during his school days, briefly holding the dubious title of being the youngest published author in the country. Another friend, a rapper-poet, recently did a skit in Germany about how Ravana was the better lover. Earlier this year, Sri Lankan researchers at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan launched a satellite called Raavana-1.
Earlier this year, the monk who leads the Ravana Balakaya — a nationalist hate group with parliamentary affiliations — stood in front of the police headquarters, threatening to surround the building if his complaint against a Muslim minister was not acted upon. Behold a news report on it: When guards prevented the hardline monk from entering the HQ with his mobile phone, he stood outside the building and threatened to surround the building if his complaint about Minister Rishard Bathiudeen was not investigated by ‘Wednesday or Thursday’ next week. Pointing in the direction of the CID offices, the monk threatened SSP Abeysekera, saying that he would be taught a ‘proper lesson’ in three months. ‘Across the road there is a fellow called Shani. He has arrested 28 army officers including captains and majors and colonels. Just wait, he has only three more months and then we will teach him a proper lesson,’ the Ravana Balakaya convenor charged.”
Honestly, as a science fiction author, this stuff sometimes goes from interesting to amusing to irritating to deeply troubling. Out of the mists of history and conspiracy theories, Great Ravana reaches out with a dead hand, mocking my imagination. A fellow called Shani follows. Ravana is the Lee Kuan Yew of Sri Lanka, a thousand times more powerful, 10,000 times more elusive, a symbol of glory for an island struggling to find its feet. He is the Sri Lankan Ozymandias, looking back through the mists of time, bellowing Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!”
Having successfully fought the cat off, I returned to my notebook, and began sketching. A 10-headed machine, the last symbol of Sri Lankan surveillance state, fighting for its life over the Bay of Bengal; my pen traces lightning in his wake, and spears of depleted uranium turn the ocean into a dark, churning, radioactive froth. And another legend is added.
Ravana slumbers on.
This article first appeared in the print edition on October 27, 2019 under the title ‘The Ozymandias from Lanka’. Wijeratne is a Sri Lankan science fiction author, data scientist and TEDx speaker, best known for Numbercaste and The Inhuman Race. He is the first Sri Lankan to be nominated for the Nebula Award.
Days after the Pohottuwa Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to simplify the draconian tax system that exists today, the UNP Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa too repeated the same pledge.
Premadasa berated the current tax system as if he was from the Opposition.
Ignoring the fact that he is very much part of this Government, he lambasted the current tax system that is increasingly becoming unbearable to the people and pledged to do away with these taxes.
The greatest irony is that he thus castigated the incumbent Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera who is one of his biggest supporters.
Soon after Premadasa took up cudgels against the current taxes, Samawareera scrapped the carbon tax. However, in the long list of grievances against the Yahapalana Government, the carbon tax is of the least concern to the people.
Of course, though the people were unhappy about an additional tax being imposed when it was introduced, it was hardly the point that turned the people against the Yahapalana Government.
Thus, revoking it will hardly reverse the unpopularity of this Government. Furthermore, scrapping the tax on the mere pledge made from an election rally platform raises concerns from a number of fronts.
The fact that it was removed just as easily as it was imposed indicates that it was imposed haphazardly in the first place.
Instead of any environmental concern, it appears that this was just another tax introduced to bolster the fast emptying coffers of the Treasury.
The Government’s failure to seek alternate avenues to maintain the controls they sought with the carbon tax clearly indicates that this Government did not have a legitimate reason to impose it in the first place.
This action also exposes the role Sajith Premadasa plays in this Government.
From all his platforms, he has done his utmost to distance himself from the actions of the Government. In reality, however, he is very much a key player in the Government and is proven by the ease with which his word is being heeded.
It must have been very hard for Samaraweera to sit through Premadasa’s speeches, while Premadasa liberally criticised his policies and decisions.
Premadasa definitely would not have come this far as a presidential candidate had it not been for the steadfast support he received from Samaraweera.
It is not a secret that Ranil Wickremesinghe was coerced into making Premadasa the Presidential Candidate. Samaraweera was one person who pushed Wickremesinghe to the wall until he had no other option but make Premadasa the candidate.
Despite having come to the forefront on Samaraweera’s shoulders, Premadasa did not lose time to vehemently attack the current taxes that burdens the people.
Perhaps, being a veteran political manipulator Samaraweera might have complied with Premadasa’s pledge immediately, instead of waiting till he actually wins the elections, just to expose that Premadasa is very much a partner in his decisions.
Samaraweera’s actual intention is immaterial. The fact remains that the Government in power is led by the UNP of which Premadasa is a prominent figure.
Yet, he blithely allowed all disastrous decisions taken by the Yahapalana Government without once voicing a protest.
At a recent press conference he boasted that he has a degree in economics and he will not be a slave to ‘any economic advisor’.
Yet, in all his time as a politician representing the poorest district in Sri Lanka, he had not brought in a single investment to uplift the economy of the area.
He was also upset with the Rajapaksa Administration for improving the economy from poor to lower middle income nation. He complained that with that upgrade the country lost on foreign aid and handouts.
He had also failed to capitalize on the strategic assets established by the previous Rajapaksa era.
Both Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, with careful management would have created a massive economic revival in the Southern Province.
Despite the economic degree he holds, he along with his leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also very erudite, failed to see any purpose other than storing paddy in the newly-built Mattala International Airport.
At the time of the decision to store paddy, specialists advised against it. They pointed out that the sophisticated air conditioners installed in the stores will get damaged by the fine dust from the husks.
Instead of the Mattala Airport, they recommended the storage facilities available in the Hambanthota Port, which is just kilometers away.
However, the UNP leadership, in which Premadasa holds the second rank, wanted to belittle the asset.
By storing paddy, they wanted to emphasis that the asset had no other use. It was a cussed knee-jerk reaction simply because the asset was built by the previous administration.
As a direct result of this pettiness, the damages to the Airport facilities are estimated at five million rupees.
Though Ranil Wickremesinghe today tries to distance himself from the decision then taken, the Paddy Marketing Board Chairman Bandara Dissanayaka is on record at the Presidential Commission on Corruption that he was personally instructed by Wickremesinghe to carry out this ghastly act.
While denying giving such an order, Wickremesinghe had nevertheless tried to justify the act.
Yet, this cannot be justified by any means when the world’s second largest cargo aircraft Antonov 124 landed at Mattala Airport for the ninth time earlier this month.
If the Airport thus performs despite the apathetic attitude of the incumbent Government, imagine the contribution to the economy from this Airport under a government keen to unleash its full potential.
Just as with the Mattala Airport, Premadasa did not utter a word against when this Government clamped down on Avant Garde Maritime services that not only earned huge foreign exchange for the country, but also
provided over 7,000 jobs to retired servicemen. Today, Premadasa’s campaign is attacking the previous Administration for getting the military into industries in construction and hospitality and is trying to portray that the serviceman was used as a labourer. Premadasa, despite the
qualification he claims to possess, does not understand the importance of training the military into a second career that they could embark on once retiring from services at a young age of 40.
When the Hambantota Port was leased to the Chinese, he again kept quiet. It was the same story when the oil tanks in Trincomalee were given to the Indians.
Most contentious of all is his silent endorsement when this Government rebranded war heroes as criminals. In any organisation, there are the miscreants, floaters and performers.
None of the Military or Police personnel incarcerated by this Government over various charges had been miscreants or floaters.
They had been the highest performers in their service and had contributed greatly to end the war and terrorism.
This anomaly should have been addressed by the son of a father who was blasted into smithereens by the LTTE.
Yet, under this Government the spouse of a hardcore LTTE terrorist had been sponsored a number of times to fly all the way to Geneva and air her grievances.
The daughter of a high ranking military personnel on the other hand was literally shooed out of the BMICH when she tried to hand over her father’s side of the story to the representatives of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
He should have been a voice to this young lady, but he chose against it. He was just as mum when the disabled servicemen were tear gassed for wanting a salary and not a pension after reaching their retirement age.
Yet, days after Gotabaya Rajapaksa spoke of strengthening national security, Premadasa also repeated the same message.
Premadasa even pledged to go to the war heroes feet. As one wag, over social media, noted Premadasa appears to be planning to be at the war heroes feet as they are being extradited to international tribunals to face war crime allegations.
The fact that he was smiling and endorsing Professor Thenuwara’s “ranawirugaaya” exposes that Premadasa is just another shallow fellow in this Government.
The bottom line is very simple. His educational qualifications are immaterial for we, as a nation, had not benefitted from any of those disciplines.
Thus far, he had merely repeated the same message articulated by Gotabaya Rajapaksa few days before in his own rally. Emulating GR, Premadasa is also speaking as if he is from the Opposition.
Premadasa had become a total joke in the presidential campaign. Perhaps, he is hoping negative publicity as a good marketing tool. Hopefully, the voter would be much more discernible.
Some documents, which were taken into custody and kept at the Election Commission, by the Commission officials, who investigated a complaint that the Samurdhi Director General was preparing to distribute cheques to the value of one million rupees to Samurdhi Managers, have been misplaced, sources said.
Among the missing documents are said to be appointment letters,which were to be distributed in an illegal manner. At that time, the Election Commission officials had informed the Samurdhi Director General that the fact that applications for relevant appointments had been received on a date after the date of appointment,suggests that the appointments had been given in an illegal manner during the election period.
Officials of the Election Commission had launched an investigation last week on a tip-off regarding 800,000 Samurdhi papers.
They had sealed several rooms of the building at that time, and when they launched a more in-depth investigation the following day, they had found those suspicious documents in question.
Then, the officials had taken the documents in the Election Commission.However, it is reported that someone had taken away these documents without the approval of the Chairman of the Election Commission.
]It is reported that officials of the Election Commission suspect that the documents may have been misplaced in a bid to hinder the investigations.
