Sunethra saw the coming colour during the 1977 general election campaign

Warm compliments received and some personal anecdotes

Mr. Maithripala Senanayake

These thoughts would not be complete without a reference to Mr. Maithripala Senanayake. He was the Minister of Irrigation, Power and Highways and the Minister next in seniority to the Prime Minister. As such, he was appointed to act for the Prime Minister when she traveled out of the country. It was in this context that I came to know him well. Mr. Senanayake was affable and dignified. He spoke softly and acted calmly. He was unhurried, unruffled and clear in his thinking. He was intelligent, greatly experienced and well balanced.

These qualities no doubt endeared him to the people of his electorate, Medawachchiya, in the North Central Province, because he never lost that seat in over 50 years of parliamentary life, a record. When I had to work with him, when he was acting Prime Minister, I found him extremely responsible and cautious. He would not decide anything, without careful scrutiny and asking me how the Prime Minister would have viewed the matter. This however did not lead to delay. Rapidly reassuring himself on all aspects, he would then decide quickly.

Anything major, which could await the Prime Minister’s arrival, he held back. He was deeply conscious of the fact that he was acting, and was very proper in his conduct. We got on well and had a relationship of mutual respect. Sometimes he invited my wife and me home to dinner, which was always of the highest quality and personally supervised by his wife and Private Secretary Mrs. Ranji Senanayake.

She was a delightful and entertaining hostess with a fund of stories, anecdotes and insightful comments. As Private Secretary, she was very proper and never intervened in any matter relating to us, unless it was relevant and necessary. I enjoyed working with Mr. Senanayake as much as I enjoyed working with the Prime Minister and I could see that he appreciated my guidance, on some of the difficult issues that came up.

But I did not know or realize how deeply he had appreciated my work, until very much later, in fact, until virtually a few months prior to his death. He was then Governor of the North Central Province, and I was Secretary to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. I had lost touch with him for a considerable period. One day, his wife rang me on some matter of a school in which he was interested which I promptly attended to. This was in October 1997 just two and a half months before my retirement. I then received a letter dated October 5, 1997 from Mr. Senanayake which moved me considerably due to its sincerity and depth of feeling. It made me feel that I had not toiled in vain. The personal reference to me in the letter was as follows:

“Dharmasiri, you are the last of a very special breed of public servants and I am afraid you belong to another era, another time, the calibre of public servants that you do not get now. Loyalty, integrity, trustworthy and valuable asset to any government. Always with the correct advice, and to the benefit of the government. Certainly, this Acting Prime Minister could not go wrong with you and I am well aware how fortunate Hon. Mrs. Bandaranaike was to have you as her Secretary when she was Prime Minister in the seventies. “

Parliament was dissolved and the election campaign begun. It was June 1977. Elections were to be held on July 21. Such a period between the dissolution of Parliament and the holding of a general election, whilst a hectic period politically, is a quieter period administratively. Ministers and other political elements are out in the field. The public service runs the administration, subject to occasional interludes with Ministers. Public institutions take on a somewhat deserted air.

I was in office, one day during this period, when Sunethra, the Prime Minister’s elder daughter and Coordinating Secretary literally burst into my room. Since the campaign started she and her sister Chandrika, the present President were spearheading the election activities in Attanagalla, the Prime Minister’s constituency, reputed to be one of the safest electorates in the country. Sunethra, I was aware, was out in the field, and she had told me so. Occasionally, when she came into office, she used to open the door of my room, from the threshold say she was off to Attanagalla and disappear.

This time she came right in, and was about to say something and leave, when I asked her how the election was going. ” Very badly” she said. “Where?” I asked. “In the whole country,” she replied. This was with about three weeks to go to polling. “At least Attanagalla is o.k.”, I said. “No,” she said.

“as things stand today she will lose Attanagalla.” This was indeed staggering news, and I saw that she was not joking. Soon, she hurried away leaving me somewhat stunned.

What had happened was that, because she was extremely busy, the Prime Minister had neglected her electorate. Her visits to meet the people there had been few and infrequent. She had entrusted electoral work to certain lower level party workers, who were ineffective, and among whom some were corrupt. Party supporters were isolated and had no regular senior and respected person to appeal to or articulate their grievances. They were now seething and in a rebellious mood. Added to this was a swing in public mood against the government.

When Sunethra, came again for a brief chat, almost a week before the election, I asked her how things were going. “She will now win,” she said, “but with a greatly reduced majority.” I asked her what the majority was likely to be. “A little over 10,000”, she said. If this was so it was going to be a drastic reduction from the usual majority of between 24,000 – 26,000 votes. Sunethra added further, that the electorate was badly neglected and that when they went from house to house some party supporters asked them, “Are you coming only now?”

She said that in many places, it was a humiliating experience for them. But she was prophetic. At the general elections, which proved a disaster for the SLFP, Mrs. Bandaranaike as predicted by Sunethra retained her seat by a majority of a little over 10,000 votes, when all around her was lost.

Prophecy, however did not end here. The ultimate prophet turned out to be the Army Commander General Sepala Attygalle’s barber. About three or four days before the elections, Sepala dropped in at the office. WT, I and a couple of others were talking to him. Sepala said that he had a most amusing tale to relate. He had been to his barber’s the previous day. Like most barbers, this one too was virtually a non-stop conversationalist. Sepala had asked him as to who was going to win the elections.

The barber had promptly replied “Sir, UNP 140. SLFP 10. Thondaman Leader of the Opposition!”. Sepala was highly amused by what he thought to be this intemperate, wishful thinking dreamer his barber was. His whole body was shaking with laughter as he related the story. He was later to say that the barber should have been in a University teaching political analysis.

Sunethra Bandaranaike

Before I conclude my references to personalities, it would be relevant to refer to Sunethra. I have already related an instance of the remarkable quality of her political analysis. This was but a typical example of her capacity for lucid thinking. She had a good and trained mind, and she used it with a degree of discipline free of political emotion which was remarkable in so political a personality. She had her views and convictions. But she like her mother was prepared to listen and if necessary change. In her, strong convictions did not hinder the free play of intelligence and she was prepared to depart from dogma if there were sufficiently cogent reasons.

She had the rare ability of amalgamating strong convictions with an open mind and holding both in balance. These intellectual qualities were supplemented by a deep humanism and kindness towards others. I remember how distraught she was when the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Planning Dr. Ananda Meegama’s young son died in a bicycle accident. She nearly exhausted herself by running to the hospital, taking the initiative in getting the body out as soon as possible, consoling the family and attending to so many matters as if this was a bereavement in her own family.

There was also the time, when she being aware that my father was quite ill, came to my room early evening on a Friday, and asked me whether I had enough money at home in case of an emergency. She reminded me that it won’t be possible to cash a cheque over the weekend. She wanted to give me some money in case I needed it. She knew I was extremely busy with my work and wanted to make sure that I had not overlooked a possibly serious contingency.

This was her nature, and it was a pleasure to work with her. It was perhaps the country’s misfortune that she had opted to retain her personal freedom over the shackles and the nastiness of competitive representational politics.

Breakfast with President Gopallawa

Virtually on the eve of the elections, the President’s office spoke to me and stated that the President, Mr. William Gopallawa wanted me to join him at breakfast, on the day after the poll. He was also inviting WT Jayasinghe, the Service Chiefs and the IGP. The President’s aim was to have us as an advisory group in his management of the post-election situation until a new government was installed.

We were at President’s House by 7.30 a.m. The President had ordered a sumptuous breakfast. By now, the results announced upto that time indicated a complete rout of the government. Most of the Ministers had lost their seats as well. Among them was the powerful Mr. Felix Dias Bandaranaike, who lost his safe seat in Dompe to Sarathchandra Rajakaruna, a newcomer to Parliamentary politics. It was evident that the United National Party was going to obtain a majority of well over two-thirds of the seats. In the end they ended up with over five-sixths of the seats, an astounding record.

In these clear circumstances, there was not much advice that we could proffer, nor was there much advice needed. There was one matter however, the President discussed with us. The Commissioner of Elections could not declare the complete result of the election until the results of the three member; Multi-Member seat of Nuwara-Eliya/Maskeliya came in. There was a delay in counting there due to the great length of the ballot paper. By the early afternoon of July 22nd all the results were in except for this electorate.

There was information coming in that people were getting restless due to this delay and that some incidents had begun to occur. Under these circumstances, after discussion with us, the President telephoned Mr. JR Jayewardene, the leader of the UNP and Prime Minister elect and suggested that he makes an appeal over the radio for calm, until the final result was declared. Mr. Jayewardene accepted this advice and his broadcast helped to calm things down. There was nothing more for us to do at President’s House, but WT and I decided to go to Horagolla, Mrs. Bandranaike’s country seat, about an hour’s drive from Colombo.

But before we left, I had an important telephone call to make. This was to Mr. Menikdiwela, Secretary, to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. JR Jayewardene’s Secretary. I knew that he would now require the famous “Subjects and Functions” files, and it was my duty to discuss this with him. I got him over the telephone at Ward Place, the residence of Mr. Jayewardene. After the congratulations and good wishes, I told him that WT and I were going to Horagolla, and asked him whether I could leave the files with Mr. HK Fernando, the Senior Clerk handling the subject and who by now was an expert on the whole subject area.

Mr. Menikdiwela agreed, and we were off to Horagolla. When we reached there, as expected, gloom prevailed. Mrs. Bandaranaike was in tears when she greeted us. But we soon cheered her up. We knew that she was very resilient. What she needed now was to get out of the state of denial, in which she was and face reality squarely. WT and I thought, that optimism and frankness were both necessary.

Among other things, I told her “Madam, I am going to use a cricketing metaphor. This match, you have lost comprehensively by an innings. What is necessary now is to learn the lessons of this match and prepare for the next match.” She laughed and agreed. Both of us; as we took our leave, felt sad to see her in the condition she was in, and on the journey back to Colombo, there was little conversation between us.

Points of View

By this time, I had worked with Mrs. Bandaranaike for over seven years as her Secretary and about four and a half years as her Assistant Secretary, during which period I also acted for the Secretary on a few occasions. I have already commented on some of the major issues that she had faced and my assessment of her outlook, character and abilities. But what did she think of my work? I had reason to believe that she was pleased. This was demonstrated both through her general attitude towards me as well as the occasional gesture.

One such gesture was a recognition by her of the virtually exhausting hours of work I put in just prior to, during and for sometime after, the Non-Aligned Summit. One day, when she came to office she presented me with a gold Rolex watch. This had been one of the personal gifts she had received during the conference. But I really came to know the depth of her appreciation much later. I was in the habit of writing a short letter wishing her well on her birthday. Particularly, in the context of a new government, I did not consider it proper to personally visit her.

She herself, as I have already pointed out was very proper in her own actions and fully understood I could not come. In reply to a letter from me wishing her on her birthday in 1989, she wrote me a rather long letter, dated 2nd May 2, 1989. In it, she stated as follows:

“I realize the responsibility cast on you having to handle a large Ministry. (This was the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Co-operatives). I do not envy you. In fact, I really sympathize with you because you area person who is so conscientious of your duties. I have watched you when you were my Secretary. I can imagine the workload you have to shoulder I wish you the best and the strength to shoulder the responsibilities cast on you.”

Again, on 4/5/1992, in reply to a letter of birthday greetings to her, where I also wrote stating that I was nearing 55 years of age and that I would have to give some serious thought as to my future, she wrote as follows:

“I didn’t realize that you are nearly 55 years in age. You can afford to work longer, perhaps not at the same pace you have been doing. I hope you are not thinking of retiring just now. The country needs honest and dedicated public servants like you. This is very rare these days. I hope you are not working so hard as you used to. We are old and no longer getting young. “

In addition to these written sentiments, I was also aware of the complimentary manner in which she had referred to me to several people. One such person was Mr. Lalith Athulathmudali, who was my Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives at the time. One day, he came from Parliament and said “There, I met an admirer of yours in Parliament today.” I asked who it was. He said Mrs. Bandaranaike, and went on to add that she had said that he was lucky to have me as his Secretary.

These sentiments, I am aware, she carried to the end of her life.

As late as 1997, when we went to Rosmead Place to invite her to be an attesting witness at our son’s wedding, she was not in the best of health. She appeared frail and had a badly swollen foot wrapped in bandages. Seeing her in this condition, whilst stating the purpose of our visit, I also said that we did not wish to impose on her if she was not well enough. She wouldn’t hear of it. What she said touched us deeply. She said, “I will come. But I’m not sure that I will be able to walk. In that case, I will come in my wheelchair.”

(Excerpted from In Pursuit of Governance, by MDD Pieris)

from The Island https://ift.tt/tG52Ha1

A humane doctor who helped women in their hour of greatest need

Abortion has always been a vexatious concern, contentious and much debated about. It is traumatic to the person most concerned: a woman with an unwanted pregnancy whether through unprotected sex in desire; an unwelcome child in a large family; or through rape. In all these cases abortion is the answer and will relieve the unwilling mother greatly. Religions, society and government rules have impinged greatly on the issue.

The attitude of society varies greatly. For example in Sri Lanka many a village girl had a child with no father claiming paternity. But in the higher reaches of the social ladder this was considered a fate worse than death and a disgrace to the entire family. In more developed countries it is now accepted.

Religions too vary in their attitude to abortion. I will only write about Buddhism and transfer the answer given by an erudite bhikkhu who was ordained after many years as a top official and familied man. His reply to my question went thus: “The straightforward answer is that it is an infringement of the first precept. However, the cardinal question is intention. Circumstances for abortion are varied. If due to one’s misbehaviour a woman becomes pregnant, her whole intention is to get rid of the growing fetus – intention of depriving life.

In the case of rape the pregnancy is unintentional and the moral question arises as to whether the woman should suffer for an unintended act. More than the intention of killing is the intention of not being shamed by society. If an abortion is due to medical reasons the consent may be given with a heavy heart. It’s a bit akin to sacrificing one’s limb for the sale of life. Buddhism is a pragmatic religion. There is no way of escaping the consequences of one’s actions but the intensity of the after effects (vipaka) depend on intention (chethana). Killing a mosquito and killing one’s mother are not the same, although both are killings.”

Governments have been concerned about the right to life and the correctness or illegality of abortion. In Ceylon/Sri Lanka rules were Victorian, so to say, totally against abortion which was illegal. Even consequent to rape it was not possible to have a doctor perform the abortion. But abortions were carried out illegally and mostly by quacks and thus with terrible after effects or death to the woman who wanted to be rid of the unwelcome fetus occurred. How else can a woman tolerate the result of rape by a rapist, or near rape by a husband totally unconcerned of the wife’s reproductive rights and the impossibility of enlarging an already economically depressed family?

Illegality vs legality

From accessing the free encyclopedia via Internet, I got the following:

“Abortion is illegal in Sri Lanka except when it is needed to save the life of the pregnant mother. It is punishable by up to three years imprisonment. Attempts to liberalize abortion law in 1995, 2011 and 2013 were unsuccessful.” (We are in the 21^st century where hopes are to land humans on Mars and AI is transforming the digital sphere. In the vital area of the need of a woman, we are still in the Iron Age if not the Stone Age!)

The quote adds: “One 1998 UN report estimated an abortion rate of 45 for every 1,000 women of reproductive age. Despite the law, mifepristone and misoprostal can be purchased under the table at many pharmacies. (Also internetted and found these two drugs “are used to end an intrauterine pregnancy through ten weeks gestation.”)

There is an addendum to the ruling. “Under the guidelines for post-abortion care issued by the Ministry of Health in 2015, any woman who undergoes an abortion can seek medical care for complications at any government facility without fear of prosecution. (Small mercy, but how many know of this?) Abortion needs to be legalized.

In the US, the question of the right to life and abortion have been hotly debated and laws promulgated. Deaths have resulted; doctors who performed abortions to save the life of the mother have been threatened and clinics forcibly closed down. Then in 1973 was heard the landmark Roe v. Wade case when the Supreme Court ruled to establish a constitutional right to abortion, based on the right to privacy.

It was a case challenging Texas laws that criminalized abortion. The plaintiff, Jane Roe (pseudonym for Norma McCorvey) argued that these laws violated her constitutional right to privacy. “The Court in a 7-2 decision agreed with Roe, holding that the Constitution protected a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. This ruling effectively legalized abortion nationwide.” USA gave a woman her reproductive right.

But, here’s the BUT. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, (in Mississippi) ending the constitutional right to abortion. “The decision returned the authority to regulate abortion to individual states, leading to a patchwork of laws across the country, with some states banning abortion and others maintaining access.”

All the above is the introduction to my topic this Sunday. I write of the life and death of a particularly humane doctor who recognized the suffering undergone by women in being impregnated and not wanting a child; it being impossible for her to have the child, usually being unmarried or totally repugnant of her rapist or having too many children already in the family.

Hale Harvey – Merciful to women in dire need

I was sent the obituary of Dr Hale Harvey III by Emily Langer in The Washington Post of March 18 with title Physician transformed abortion care in US before Roe v. Wade.

He established in 1970 in New York one of the first major abortion clinics in the US with a few others doing the same. These clinics served thousands of women and expanded reproductive rights by demonstrating that abortions could be safely, humanely and affordably provided out of hospitals. This was before the ruling of Roe v. Wade, so they were not safe and there were protests and even attacks on clinics and medical personnel.

Dr Harvey was trained in philosophy as well as medicine and public health and helped to transform the practice of abortion in the US during his brief and often controversial medical career. His most significant work for women was in the 1960s when abortion across the country was illegal. In the 1970s many States, including New York started liberalizing the law. His clinic in Manhattan gave him much kudos and prominence, neither of which he needed or sought. Then it emerged that he had been performing abortion surgery without a license. He had surrendered his license in 1969 in Louisiana, his home state, after authorities discovered that he was providing abortions in defiance of state laws.

He was born in New Orleans on December 12, 1931, to a rich clan but his family was poor and he saw how women suffered unwanted pregnancies. Hence him studying public health and moving to being a medical conscientious objector, believing that women had the right over their own bodies. He received his BA in philosophy in 1955 and a medical degree in 1966 from the State University of Louisiana and a Masters in public health and PhD in philosophy from New Orleans Tulane University in 1969. Born Christian he tended towards atheism.

Dr Harvey’s Manhattan clinic worked all through the week with 24 doctors providing about 100 abortions a day. Charge was $200 per procedure but dropped to $125. Women in dire straits paid $25 or nothing. Cases were taken in when it was ensured the women were having the abortion of their own free will and needing it. They were cared for psychologically too. After Roe the clinic served as a blueprint for clinics across the country.

In 1972 he left the US for the UK and settled down with family in the Isle of Wight. He and wife Helen Cox divorced but his daughter and son were devoted to him. He went to England to settle down because he admired the country’s National Health Service and enjoyed BBC.

He continued working in public health. He bought an old mansion called Puckaster Close and offered free boarding to those in need, enjoying philosophical conversations. In 2014 his home burnt down. He died on February 14 this year in Dorchester, England, after complications from a fall. He was 93.His humaneness and concern for troubled women was immense. One insisted on decency was never to look down even on an irresponsible woman.

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Modi’s Sri Lanka Sojourn

Ravan Mandir in Uttar Pradesh, as I observed during my recent visit, a temple claiming to mark the birthplace of Ravana, the central character in the Ramayana, remains largely forgotten, drawing little attention from the masses. Situated in an area characterized by extreme poverty and surrounded by the harsh realities of modern Indian inequality—despite India’s projected rise as the third-largest global economy by 2030—the temple’s isolation reflects the broader disconnection between India and Sri Lanka.

While Ravana is demonized across India during the annual Dussehra festival, where effigies of the Lankan king are burnt in a symbolic ritual of good triumphing over evil, Sri Lanka holds him in high regard, revering him as a heroic, spiritual leader and a legitimate ruler of ancient Lanka. This contrasting portrayal of Ravana—as a villain in India and as a revered leader in Sri Lanka—highlights the profound contradictions at the heart of Indo-Sri Lankan relations, which remain largely absent from mainstream discourse.

This intertwined relationship—rooted in myth and cultural heritage but shaped by geopolitics—has been marked by moments of unity and tension. There have been times when the two nations worked together, fought side by side, and supported each other unconditionally. During Swami Vivekananda’s visit to the US, with a stopover in Colombo, his companion Anagarika Dharmapala generously offered some of his speaking time to Vivekananda, who had not been included on the speakers’ list. This is how Vivekananda’s iconic speech at the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, beginning with “Sisters and Brothers of America!”, became one of history’s most renowned orations.

Later, Vivekananda played a decisive role in the establishment of the Maha Bodhi Society. Furthermore, Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Sri Lanka in 1927, during which he sought to rally support for India’s struggle against British colonialism, saw Sri Lankans offering both moral and financial support. Subhas Chandra Bose also visited Sri Lanka during World War II to garner support for the Indian National Army and his fight for Indian independence. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who converted to Buddhism in 1956—the same year Sri Lanka veered towards deceptive nationalist sentiments—visited the island in 1954 to explore the Buddhist social order.

However, tensions between India and Sri Lanka resurfaced dramatically during the 1970s when India became embroiled in Sri Lanka’s internal politics. As J.N. Dixit explained in his, Assignment Colombo, “Inter-state relations are not governed by the logic of morality. They were and they remain an amoral phenomenon.” In fact, India’s covert support for Tamil insurgents in Sri Lanka dates back to the 1970s, well before the acknowledged intervention of the late 1980s.

Declassified CIA documents reveal that India provided clandestine aid to Tamil extremist groups, driven by regional ambitions and a desire to exert influence over the Tamil population in Sri Lanka. Dixit recounts a conversation with J.R. Jayewardene’s wife, during which she asked whether Rajiv Gandhi would ensure the President’s safety and his continuation in power if he faced the danger of being overthrown. Some reports suggest that Indira’s India, hoped that supporting the Tamils would counterbalance Sri Lanka’s alignment with Western powers. However, this strategy backfired as the situation in Sri Lanka escalated, forcing India to reassess its role.

In the midst of this turmoil, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s decision to send the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in 1987 further complicated Indo-Sri Lankan relations. Intended to enforce peace under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, this move did little to resolve the Tamil issue and culminated in a disastrous confrontation between Indian forces and the LTTE, with the alleged crimes committed by peacekeepers disappearing without accountability. These events, often seen as mismanagement or poor judgment, were more a result of the power dynamics at play, with Sri Lanka caught between the conflicting interests of major regional powers—India on one side and the West on the other.

The strategic maneuvering that led to the signing of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was not an isolated event. The agreement itself was the product of years of behind-the-scenes negotiations and geopolitical calculations. The CIA, with its long-standing involvement in South Asia, is said to have played a role in shaping the Accord, seeking to curb India’s influence in Sri Lanka while keeping the island aligned with Western interests. The Accord, which mandated India’s involvement in Sri Lanka’s internal conflict, was, in many ways, a forced compromise—a diplomatic solution designed to balance competing geopolitical interests while avoiding a full-blown conflict. But this decision came at a heavy cost. India’s intervention in Sri Lanka during the late 1980s remains a point of contention, particularly in light of the subsequent assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 by the LTTE.

Sixteen years after the war ended in May 2009, Sri Lanka continues to face significant challenges, both domestically and internationally, with India playing a pivotal role. In this context, Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka assumes even greater importance. Although not his first visit as Prime Minister, this trip is far more than a mere diplomatic gesture; it comes at a time when Sri Lanka is undergoing fundamental changes in its political landscape. As history has demonstrated, India’s involvement in Sri Lanka’s future is far from incidental.

The island nation is grappling with multiple crises—economic instability, escalating debt, and regional security concerns. The economy has been hit hard in recent years, further exacerbated by the ISIS-inspired Easter Sunday attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and an increasing dependence on foreign debt. While Sri Lanka seeks economic recovery, the legacy of Indo-Sri Lanka relations heavily shapes its policies. Despite acknowledging India’s importance as a key neighbour and trade partner, Sri Lanka remains wary of excessive reliance on India, especially regarding sensitive issues like the Tamil question and northern sovereignty.

It is well known that Modi’s administration has sought to assert a more active role in South Asian geopolitics, and Sri Lanka is no exception. His government has focused on strengthening ties with Sri Lanka, especially in terms of economic cooperation and security partnerships. However, this strategy is not without its own challenges.

What is undeniable is that Sri Lanka’s future—whether its political leaders and citizens accept it or not—is inextricably linked to its relationship with India. As a small island nation, Sri Lanka has limited scope for independent economic and political manoeuvre. The opportunities for Sri Lankan businesses in India’s vast market are immense, but so too are the risks of becoming overly dependent on its powerful neighbour. Modi’s visit, then, presents a crucial moment for both nations to reassess their relationship, not through the lens of past grievances, but with an eye on future possibilities. Whether Sri Lanka can balance its autonomy with the growing necessity for regional partnerships remains uncertain, but the coming years will determine whether it continues to view India as a strategic partner or an imposing neighbour.

Having suffered enough, it’s time for Sri Lankans to break free from the fear-mongering grip and seize opportunities beyond their shores with bold strategies, before the market devours them.

by Nilantha Ilangamuwa

from The Island https://ift.tt/anSgzkB

Sri Lanka’s exports to the US subject to 46% tariffs

Liberation Day retributory tariffs imposed by Trump impact 185 countries

Donald Trump declared Wednesday, April 2 “Liberation Day”, the day Trump unleashed a massive flurry of reciprocal tariffs impacting 185 nations. Exports from Sri Lanka had tariffs of 46% levied on exports, mainly from the apparel industry, which accounted for nearly 70% of the estimated $ 3.4 billion in exports to the United States last year.

Sri Lankan exporters fear that such an increase in tariffs will suppress demand for our products among price-sensitive US retailers and consumers. Major players in the apparel industry like MAS Holdings, Brandix and Hirdaramani will face pressure on their profit margins; smaller exporters may be forced out of business.

There is little doubt that these tariffs will have serious adverse consequences to Sri Lanka’s already fragile economy.

In the preamble to his announcement detailing increased tariffs at the Rose Garden, Trump said that this Liberation Day “is one the most important days in our nation’s history, the day we declare our economic independence”.

Trump warned against retaliation against these increased tariffs, threatening that “you will suffer more than us”. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also advised victims of the increased tariffs to take a deep breath, bend over and enjoy the Trump tariff experience without trying to fight back.

Despite these threats, Trump’s tariffs will certainly be met with retaliatory action from allies and adversaries alike. As the head of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen said, “the European Union, the world’s largest single market, must also defend itself against profound disruptions to global commerce that would result from Trump’s isolation of the United States, adding, “If you come against one of us, you come against all of us”.

Trump continues to ignore the advice of economists, who have already predicted that the trade war likely with the unilateral imposition of these tariffs will most likely precipitate a global recession. This illiterate economic strategy will devastate the economies of not only nations worldwide, but of the United States itself. There will be increased inflation and higher consumer prices in the United States, at least in the short term, thus making a mockery of the basic election promises which won Trump the 2024 election.

The likely economic chaos follows an intelligence breach of historic proportions perpetrated by the most senior members of the Trump Cabinet, including Vice-President Vance, Defense Secretary Hegseth, Secretary of State Rubio, Treasury Secretary Bessent, Director, National Intelligence Gabbard, Senior Advisor Stephen Miller, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and National Security Adviser, Michael Waltz.

Waltz committed the original sin of “inadvertently” inviting Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief, The Atlantic, to a top-secret cabinet meeting on a Signal chat group, an encrypted channel for text messaging. The use of such an unsecured service for discussion of highly classified communications is the epitome of criminally negligent stupidity. Defense Secretary Hegseth initially lied, immediately confirmed by Trump, that no classified information was discussed at this top-level meeting on an unsecured channel.

The Atlantic immediately exposed this lie by publishing copies of the actual transcripts of the meeting that these senior Cabinet officials were discussing, on the Signal channel. Top-secret information about a strike against the Houthis in Yemen. War plans, timing of attacks, aircraft and weapons systems to be deployed, targets and other sensitive information, available even to the enemy, two hours BEFORE the attack. The release of this information served to put the lives of American soldiers in harm’s way, and the whole operation in jeopardy.

As Late-Night Talk Show host Stephen Colbert joked, it’s as if Winston Churchill said, “We will fight them on the beaches at precisely 3.05 p.m. 30,000 of our troops will fight them on the landing grounds at these exact coordinates. We will never surrender!

“Hey, how did the Germans get here so fast?”

To date, no one has been held accountable for what has been probably the most egregious release of top-secret intelligence information in the nation’s history. And no one probably will, following the Trump time-tested mantra of Distract, Delay and Deny.

None of the nation’s allies will share sensitive intelligence information with such a fractured intelligence community in the future. What with Trump’s threats of retributory tariffs and invading sovereign nations, the US will not be America First, as Trump has promised. It will be America Alone.

At a time when the Trump administration is losing the confidence of the American voters, as evinced by the vast number of Town Hall meetings held in protest; when even some Republican members of Congress are beginning to feel a faint stiffening of their spines; the Democratic Party is still running at all-time low national approval rate of 27%. Even the approval of registered Democrats for their own party is barely above sea level.

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, helped Trump win the presidency with campaign contributions exceeding $280 million in the last few months before the election. He has been awarded the powers of Co-President and is the head of the newly and unconstitutionally formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), given the task of eliminating government waste, fraud and abuse.

Musk has promised to uncover $1 trillion in federal waste within six months. After two months, he has found waste amounting to $8 billion, a multitude of zeros still to come! And these items of “waste” he claims to have eliminated include the immediate suspension of funding for US AID, the main source of US assistance of food and medicines to poverty-stricken nations worldwide, a universally admired wellspring of US compassion and soft power. All the while, companies owned by Musk and his billionaire buddies are making hundreds of billions of dollars with the award of government military and other contracts.

Musk is especially aiming at dismantling and privatizing Medicare, Social Security and other federal programs vital to the welfare of the nation’s students, the ailing, the vulnerable and the elderly.

The stock market is at the lowest levels since 2020, and sinking on a daily basis; inflation and grocery prices are rising. US Immigration authorities are deporting undocumented immigrants purely on suspicion, without due process, flouting the rulings of the judiciary with impunity. The nation’s international reputation is in shambles with Trump’s threats of acquiring sovereign nations by military force, the imposition of retributory tariffs which threaten to precipitate a trade war to rival the Great Depression. All this in just over two months. Where the nation will end at the end of Trump’s second term, a long 46 months looming ahead, is everybody’s nightmare.

The only countries applauding Trump’s policies are Russia and Israel. Russian President Putin is certain that Trump will force Ukraine to surrender unconditionally, and leave him free to achieve his dream of the old Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is equally confident that his great buddy will continue to help him with the genocide/displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, when the One-State solution of the Promised Land of Israel would finally have become a reality.

So what are the Democrats doing while all this chaos, corruption, stupidity, cruelty and sheer incompetence are being paraded in public? Nothing. Actually, less than nothing. Which is the advice given by one of their most senior advisers, James Carville, who suggested that the Democrats should roll over and play dead while the Republicans commit Hara Kiri. The only problem with this strategy is that while the Republicans will certainly destroy the nation’s middle class and democracy if left to their own devices, they will also ensure the billionaires will continue enjoying their lifestyles in a kleptocracy run by Trump/Vance and the oligarchs. Just like Putin’s Russia.

The results of last Tuesday’s local elections in Wisconsin and Florida gave Democrats some reason to celebrate. They won a vital Wisconsin Supreme Court seat convincingly, in spite of Elon Musk spending a record $26+ million, which made this state election the most expensive in the nation’s history. The Republicans held two ruby-red House seats in Florida with greatly reduced margins. Results perhaps not quite strong enough to predict an immediate and violent backlash against two months’ performance chaos of Trump and Musk. But results indicating that the majority of voters, Democrats, Independents, even some Republicans are deeply concerned about where the country is headed. There are rumors that Congress is considering bipartisan legislation to rein in Trump’s ill-conceived tariff policies.

The Democratic Party may at last be rediscovering a voice to progress towards the logical conclusion to The New Deal of Frederick Delano Roosevelt, who introduced the germ of the concept of Socialist Democracy during the Great Depression in the 1930s. An ideology which blends the most creative, productive features of capitalism with the compassion of socialism. An ideology currently followed by every developed nation in the world, the progress towards which was abandoned by the United States in 2016.

I am not going to waste any time on the myriad felonies Trump committed after his defeat in 2020. I am also not going to dwell on the ineptitude of the Democrats on their failure to persuade President Biden to keep the promise he made in 2020, that he would run as a transition, one-term president, and hand over the leadership of the Party to the younger generation of Democrats in 2024.

When it became publicly obvious that Biden no longer had the physical nor mental capacity to cope with the toughest job in the world, and was finally “persuaded” to withdraw, it gave even his excellent replacement, Vice-President Kamala Harris too little time to mount a successful presidential campaign. And a convicted felon, the worst president in the nation’s history, was amazingly elected to the presidency for a second term.

The past is done, but the Democrats are still making the same mistakes, still playing nice, still taking knives to a contest which has escalated from a gunfight to one in which the enemy will use military might, if necessary.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who is today an evergreen 83-year-old, miles more mentally and physically agile and millennia ahead in integrity and patriotism than The Demonic Donald, has teamed up with the future of the Democratic Party, Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio Cortez (AOC). They are rallying the Democrats, exhorting them to fight harder, with more purpose, to be more ruthless, if they are to defeat this existential threat, not only to the nation’s democracy, but to the future of the planet.

New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker set a good example of the necessity for Democrats to fight harder, by filibustering for a record 25 hours on the Senate floor, explaining the dangers the nation is facing. A brave effort, but the time for words is over. It’s now time for nationwide action.

All the Democrats are asking for is a just and equitable society with a safety net to cover all the citizens of the nation, the rich and prosperous, the white and colored and the poor and vulnerable, alike. A society akin to the other 29 of the world’s developed nations, which rank as happier nations in which to live than the richest and most powerful country in the world.

A demand for an equitable society which the Christians of America are reviling as being too “woke”. They are too stupid to understand that the God they worship, Jesus Christ, was the “wokest”, the kindest of them all.

The United States, bursting with sanctimonious hypocrisy, calls itself a Christian, God-fearing nation, but it is the one that has completely betrayed the sacred Gospel of Jesus Christ. While those other, happier nations, which, thank God, are fast espousing the realities of science and atheism, are the ones that observe those enlightened and compassionate teachings.

by Kumar de Silva

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Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Handunneththi’s visit to Lumala highlights key industrial concerns

With the aim of assesing the current challenges faced by local industrialists and explore avenues for government support, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Hon. Sunil Handunneththi visited City Cycle Industries Manufacturing (Pvt.) Ltd., widely known as Lumala, on March 24 at its factory in Panadura.

During the visit, Minister Handunneththi engaged with senior officials and employees to understand their concerns and operational difficulties. In a statement shared on social media, the Minister acknowledged the pressing challenges affecting Sri Lanka’s manufacturing sector and emphasized the government’s commitment to providing swift and effective solutions.

Minister Handunneththi further reiterated the government’s intent to position local manufacturers as key stakeholders in Sri Lanka’s economy by addressing regulatory hurdles, market imbalances, and supply chain constraints.

The visit comes amid growing concerns from Lumala employees and management regarding the state of Sri Lanka’s bicycle manufacturing industry, in the backdrop of facing significant challenges, including an influx of imported bicycles and components that circumvent regulatory checks. In addition, the high taxes on raw materials used in local manufacturing has further exacerbated production costs, making it difficult for domestic manufacturers to remain competitive.

Earlier this year, Lumala employees called for urgent government intervention to address these challenges, warning that ongoing financial strain could lead to further shutdowns of critical production units, job losses, and setbacks to the broader industrial ecosystem. With a local value addition of 50-70 percent verified by the Ministry, its workforce remains hopeful that government action will help achieve an ethical manufacturing industry.

Lumala, a household name in Sri Lanka’s bicycle industry, has been a key player in sustainable mobility solutions for over 35 years. The company was recently honored with the Best National Industry Brand award under the Large-Scale Other Industry Sector category at the National Industry Brand Excellence Awards 2024.

With a production capacity of 2,000 bicycles per day and a workforce of 200, Lumala continues to cater to both domestic and international markets, producing a diverse range of bicycles, electric bikes and light electric vehicles. In line with Sri Lanka’s goal to expand forest cover to 32 percent by 2030 and cut GHG emissions by 14.5%, Lumala is actively contributing to this mission—both as a company and through its diverse range of products.

As Sri Lanka works towards strengthening its local manufacturing sector, Minister Handunneththi’s visit signals a crucial step toward addressing industrial concerns and reinforcing government support for sustainable and competitive domestic production.

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We are working to stabilize and restructure an economy that was in disarray -President

The National New Paddy Harvesting Festival (Aluth Sahal Mangalya), a traditional annual ceremony of offering the first portion of the freshly harvested Maha season paddy to the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi, was held this morning (04) under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the historic Sri Maha Bodhi premises in Anuradhapura.

The ceremony was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Services under the theme “In unison, let us cultivate the land, to build a self-sufficient nation” (අහරින් ස්වයංපෝෂිත දැයක් තනන්නට එක මිටට ගොවි බිමට), following the guidance of the Atamasthanadhipathi, the most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera.

This ritual, which dates back to the era of ancient monarchs, saw the participation of farmers from across the country. In accordance with tradition, they prayed for timely rains and fertile fields and invoked blessings for a self-sufficient and prosperous economy through agriculture.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake first paid homage and received blessings from the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi before joining the ceremonial proceedings.

The sacred procession, which carried the newly harvested paddy from near the historic Sinha Kanuwa in Anuradhapura, arrived at the sandy courtyard (වැලි මලුව) of the Sri Maha Bodhi, marking the ceremonial commencement of the New Paddy Harvest Festival.

The Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera commenced the ritual by filling the golden bowl with the new paddy, after which representatives from all provinces added paddy from their respective regions, symbolically filling the golden bowl.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake also participated in this ritualistic moment, amidst the chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha.

A vessel of pure bee honey, traditionally offered to the Sri Maha Bodhi, was ceremonially presented to the President by Deputy Leader of the Vedda Community U.W.  Bandiyala Eththo.

The vessel of ghee, brought from the historic Saman Devalaya in Sabaragamuwa, was also presented to President Anura Kumara Disanayake, to be used in the customary ghee offering at the Sri Maha Bodhi.

The President also received the commemorative plaque of the National New Paddy Harvest Festival and presented tokens of appreciation to farmer leaders who have made significant contributions to the development of the country’s agriculture sector.

As part of the initiative to secure a pest-free harvest, the President participated in the distribution of pest-resistant seed paddy to farming communities across the provinces.

Addressing the subsequent official ceremony, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the current government is working to transform an economy that was in disarray. He noted that the Paddy Marketing Board is burdened with a debt of Rs. 28 billion, while harvested paddy is being left to spoil in storage.

The President emphasized that the current administration has accepted the responsibility of restoring and restructuring this disorderly system. He added that the government expects the support not only of the state machinery related to agriculture but also of all farming communities. He affirmed the intention to integrate Sri Lanka’s cultural and traditional systems to reclaim the legacy of the agricultural economy and thereby strengthen the national economy.

President Disanayake further stated that the country’s ancient kings achieved greatness through their contributions to agriculture and irrigation and that self-sufficiency in food was a critical factor in that success.

He highlighted that sustainable development has become a global discourse today and that Sri Lanka’s “Tank Cascade System” or “Vapi System,” stands as a remarkable example of sustainable development. The country’s irrigation system, which dates back nearly 2,000 years, continues to contribute to the advancement of agriculture even today.

As such, the government has allocated Rs. 2 billion in the current budget to rehabilitate the irrigation system and renovation work on the North Central Maha Ela Project has already commenced to revitalize the country’s agricultural industry. He added that the government also plans to develop seed farms to produce self-sufficient seeds, while protecting genetic ownership.

He further emphasized the need for fair prices for agricultural produce, both for farmers and consumers. Due to long-standing market distortions, the government will intervene over the next two to three harvesting seasons to ensure both parties receive fair prices.

The President also stated that the necessary provisions for such state interventions have been made in the current budget. Steps have been taken to create storage capacity to hold 300,000 metric tons of paddy, which is expected to mitigate market distortions going forward.

Among those present at the occasion were the Chief Incumbent of the Ruwanweliseya and Chancellor of the Rajarata University, Most Venerable Ithalawetunuwewe Gnanatillake Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Lankaramaya, Most Venerable Ralapanawa Dhammajothi Thera and members of the clergy; Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha; Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe; Governor of the North Central Province Wasantha Kumara Wimalasiri; and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, along with a large number of farmer leaders and other dignitaries.

1. (PMD)

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India-Sri Lanka Strategic Dialogue

The India-Sri Lanka Strategic Dialogue, hosted by the Pathfinder Foundation in association with the Ananta Aspen Centre of India, took place in Colombo on 25 March 2025. Coming a week before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka on April 5, the Dialogue serves as a valuable platform to explore key bilateral and regional matters that are expected to influence the India-Lanka discourse.

Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of Pathfinder Foundation, delivered the opening remarks, followed by Dr. Naushad Forbes, Chairman of Ananta Aspen Centre. Indian High Commissioner Santhosh Jha delivered special remarks.

Over four sessions, subject experts examined in-depth issues such as balancing great power influence in South Asia, the India-Lanka fishing dispute, securing the shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, defence cooperation within the Indian Ocean framework, India’s role in infrastructure development in Sri Lanka, and the opportunities for both countries to shape best practices and technology in digital governance.  The Dialogue emphasised the importance of strengthening India-Lanka economic ties, particularly in the context of Sri Lanka’s post-IMF recovery program.

 Session 1, titled “India and Sri Lanka Bilateral Relations,” was moderated by Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, the former High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. Session 2, titled “Strategic Partnerships in the Indian Ocean – India-Sri Lanka Relations for Regional Stability” was chaired by Ahmed A. Jawad, Director of the Pathfinder Foundation. Ms. Indrani Bagchi, Chief Executive Officer of Ananta Aspen Centre, moderated Session 3 on “Navigating Investment Opportunities between India and Sri Lanka, “while Mahesh Perera, Chief Executive Officer of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), chaired Session 4, which focused on “Digital Public Infrastructure.”

 Pathfinder Foundation’s Director, Ahmed A. Jawad, and Indrani Bagchi, Chief Executive Officer of Ananta Aspen Centre, delivered closing remarks.

This latest interaction between Pathfinder and Anantha is the third in a series of discussions. The two sides previously held dialogues on ‘Bridging Borders: Enhancing Connectivity between India and Sri Lanka’ and’ Navigating the Maritime Maze: India and Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean Region.’

The representatives of the two institutions held a wrap-up session at a breakfast hosted by Pathfinder Founder Milinda Moragoda, during which they discussed the future programs they plan to undertake.

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