Inept government stuck between the legacies of 1956 and 1977

Keith Noyahr

by Rajan Philips-February 25, 2017, 7:56 pm 

There is no good governance in Sri Lanka, only inept governance. But the alternative, i.e. bad governance, could be worse, as it has been. Last week, like every week for that matter, saw consequences of earlier bad governance getting worse under current government incompetence. The one positive news in a long time was the arrests of the alleged kidnappers of journalist Keith Noyahr. His kidnapping was the result of bad government gone arrogant. What will the current inept government do – let the police finish their work, or come up another cover up? That became the editorial question of the week. Apart from choosing between cops and kidnappers, the government is in deep water over the SAITM business of private medical education. It has got into mud over the appointment of a High Court judge, and lot more of it can be expected when it goes about finding a successor to Chief Justice Sripavan. His retirement announcement gave the impression that there was no longing in him to wait a second longer, quite unlike some of his barnacle-like predecessors.

And the constitutional waters continue to run murky, duly thickened by the visit of India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, and notwithstanding adjournment pleas from both sides of the aisle in Parliament. There is another ripple inside the government as to whether President Sirisena’s term is five years or six years. The internal arguments in public are like playing a same-side goal soccer game. Has anyone advised the President how much he has left in his historic one term? He will not be amused.

It is not always that political economy and class interests drive and explain politics. Political outcomes are invariably shaped, or ‘over-determined’, by a host of factors. Oftentimes politics succumbs to human depravity, stupidity, and of course ineptitude. The worst manifestation of depraved politics is when political power is used with impunity to harm helpless individual citizens. Many Sri Lankans believe that Keith Noyahr and others after him were victims of depraved politics under the previous government, with some of them paying with their lives for being critical of the then government. Rugger player Wasim Thajudeen was not even involved in politics, and the mystery of his brutal death at the age of 28 is yet to be officially explained.

It is not for political critics like me to name or pre-judge people who may or may not have been involved in abusing power and harming helpless citizens. What is everybody’s business, however, is to speak out that the police must be allowed to complete their work and lay charges against whomever, when they have a provable case. And the people so spoke out in the 2015 presidential election when they defeated President Rajapaksa and elected his opponent Maithripala Sirisena. That election was not won or lost on the grand questions of political economy, national sovereignty, or class solidarity. If at all President Rajapaksa lost the election in spite of invoking the spectre of threats to national sovereignty and national security. The people settled for much less and just wanted a change in government to restore the old decency in public life and simple honesty in government. Letting the police complete their work without political interference is the least that this government can do, and is the easiest of all of its promises to keep.

1956 and 1977 legacies

Since when and how did it become so difficult for governments to leave the police alone to do their work? In his reminiscing and reflective book, Cop in the Crossfire, retired Senior DIG Merril Gunaratne alludes to developments since 1977 that have undermined police organization and eroded its political independence at every level. Like the cabinet, the police force was also expanded at the top to reward former security officers of political patrons with high promotions. The old ways of seniority and internal interviews have given way to public canvassing of politicians by aspiring candidates for senior police positions. The new Police Commission can do nothing about the internal police organization that is top heavy and with a ‘double-team’ (like in basketball) for every senior position in every range, district and division. There is too much talk in the abstract by too many commentators about devolving police powers to provinces, but hardly anyone among them has touched on the need for restoring the police organization to what it used to be in terms of geographical layout and clear lines of command and communication.

The more recent development, i.e. after 2005, has been the alleged involvement of military personnel in the kidnapping, and, in some cases, killing of political opponents of the government. A related development is the notion that military personnel should not be subjected to criminal investigations because they are the war heroes who defeated the LTTE in 2009. The political context for this was brilliantly sketched out by Victor Ivan in his July 2014 article: "The Shadow of Gotabhaya." He contrasts the public attitude in the south to military operations against the two JVP rebellions, on the one hand, and against the LTTE, on the other. The soldiers were not considered ‘war heroes’ when they put down the JVP rebellions. In fact, there was much public and political criticism of the armed forces for excessive brutality and it became a major factor in the UNP’s sweep of the south in the 1977 election. While acknowledging the ethnic emotions in the fight against the LTTE and the LTTE’s own brutality, the point Victor Ivan makes is that the notion of ‘war heroes’ was also deliberately cultivated by the Rajapaksa government. While ‘war-heroism’ is understandable in the context of direct and indirect battlefield actions, it would be a travesty to use it as a cover for blatantly criminal actions not at all connected with the battlefield and targeting people who had no connection whatsoever to the LTTE.

A part of the government’s ineptitude is its inability to come to terms with conflicting socio-political compulsions in the areas of national reconciliation and the remaking of the constitution. While these areas are infested with ethnic emotions, the government is at a loss even when it comes to a relatively ethno-neutral field such as private medical education. Not that education in Sri Lanka is ethno-neutral, given the Swabasha segregation of students and the old standardization scheme for university admissions, the SATIM controversy has brought into relief the contradiction between material aspirations and nationalist pretensions in Sri Lankan society.

JR Jayewardene may not have quite envisioned how the island universe will unfold, but it is not unfair to suggest that his overarching objective in 1977 was not necessarily to reverse but to circumvent everything that had happened in Sri Lankan society and politics between his humiliating Kelaniya defeat in 1956 and his resounding victory in 1977. The orgy of privatization that began after 1977 was by no means a dictatorial imposition on the people. It was a popular rejection of the autarchic past. Professionals loved it because there was money in it for everyone like no one had seen before. The privatization in healthcare and in education became immensely popular. Even Indians, who are not usually welcome, were allowed to set up a major private hospital in Colombo. Private ‘international’ schools sprang up everywhere and found a way to make English the medium of instruction regardless of the students’ mother tongue. They all took a toll on state schools and state hospitals, but no one seriously cared. It is not so when it comes to SAITM. How so?

The institutional, administrative, and bureaucratic neglect and blunder on both sides – SAITM organizers from its inception to now, as well as the ministry, university, and regulatory agencies – are simply abominable. But my point is about the contradictory positions taken by the same people who seem to be opposing SAITM, on the one hand, while being the beneficiaries of private schools and private hospitals, on the other. The truth of the matter is that these are false contradictions. Christian skeptics poke fun at their devout brethren about their wanting to go to heaven but not wanting to die. The late Bernard Soysa use to chuckle about his compatriots wanting to eat meat without slaughtering cattle. But it is a serious matter for the unfortunate SAITM students who have been led up the garden path and have now been turned into a political football. More unfortunately for them, there seems to be no one around either in government or outside of it to give them a firm and helping hand.

Is China A Threat To Our Island & The Indian Ocean Region? 

By Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka –February 25, 2017

Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka

While two high level delegations from Beijing were visiting Colombo it was strange indeed to see a full page article in the Daily News of 22 Feb 2017 (“Tripartite Agreement with India, Japan Mooted”, p 4), suggesting that China might well be a threat to Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka would do well to align with India and Japan to counter this threat. That it was a state-run newspaper that published it while the Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister was visiting and a high level delegation from the ruling Communist Party of China had just arrived in the island, makes it all the more disconcerting.

The fact that it was a report of a talk by a Japanese scholar, Dr. Satoru Nagao, Research Fellow at the Tokyo Foundation and the views expressed were his, in no way makes it less serious, especially since the interview was published with a huge picture of an Indian warship running the width of the page and a smaller one of a Chinese submarine illustrating the perceived threat to the Indian Ocean region. Interestingly, the report itself was by a young American researcher based in Asia, Sam Bresnick. What was it doing so prominently featured in the Sri Lankan state’s English language flagship newspaper the Daily News on that particular day?

From where I am seated, as a citizen of Sri Lanka, China has been a friend for hundreds of years, and has never posed a threat to our country. In fact, in the face of the most dangerous of threat to the very existence of this island as one country, China came through for us when some of our other friends were unable to, probably due to valid electoral considerations of their own.

Furthermore, it doesn’t need me to reiterate that our post-war development would not have been possible without China’s generosity. Within the space of a few years, ours was one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, thanks to our political leadership of the day taking advantage of the development diplomacy of China. The infrastructure that all sectors of the economy had longed for became a magnificent reality and growth took a markedly upward turn.

It is worrying in the extreme, this manifest ambivalence on the part of the current government (or on the part of a part of this government) towards Chinese assistance to Sri Lanka, this article in the official Daily News being a symptom of it. It was during the general election campaign that the UNP swore to stop the Port City Project which soon put the new government and the gullible public in all sorts of economic difficulties having had to pay compensation for delaying the project. How is it that our representatives treat with such scant regard arguably the most economically indispensable country in the world, which has hundreds of projects of infrastructure development all over the globe and daily earns the gratitude of many countries and their citizens, while we who need it desperately, feel we can play fast and loose with China?

The fiasco with the Mattala airport is a case in point. Was it wise for our Prime Minister to stuff the newly completed international airport with paddy for all the world to see? Which airline would choose to schedule that particular airport for regular flights? It has now been proven invaluable during repairs to the Katunayake airport, so the paddy has been shifted to accommodate the diverted flights.

What is it with this government, that it treats our economy and our infrastructure as some joke? Whichever party completed the infrastructure projects, they are national assets and should at least be treated with more respect– and the new government’s task was to use them to bring in more revenue as quickly as possible.

For an ancient civilization with a well-known and finely developed sense of proper behavior forming part of their Confucian world-outlook, it must be bewildering for China to see one blunder after another in Sri Lanka’s recent dealings with it. One can only hope that the Chinese realize from their daily encounters with the general public that this government’s behavior does not represent either the attitude, the feelings, or the sense of gratitude of the vast majority of the country’s populace towards China which has been a firm and unstinting friend through the ages.

Sri Lanka also has a very warm relationship with Japan. The Japanese have been supportive throughout the war years, often intervening at our request to negotiate a peaceful settlement, being an honest negotiator without any hidden agenda or vested interest. They have been an economic partner and a supportive Asian power in multilateral fora, playing a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s affairs as a trusted friend for many decades. The Sri Lankan public is familiar with many projects of collaboration with Japan and value the Japanese notion of honor. However, to date, I cannot recall any kind of collaboration undertaken with Japan as a deterrent or bulwark against a third party. I am open to correction since I am not privy to the thinking behind government to government cooperation, but I can’t recall any report at all of such an alliance, specifically for the purpose of power-balancing allegedly to ensure the security of the region.

The prominent article in the Daily News says in its very first paragraph that the visiting scholar Dr. Satoru “urges Sri Lanka to forge stronger ties with India and regional powers like Japan to balance its relationship with the increasingly aggressive China.” While it may be perfectly understandable, if regrettable, for countries in the South China Sea region to regard each other with suspicion and caution, Sri Lanka does not regard, nor sees any reason to regard China in that light. Any effort to include Sri Lanka as some pawn in a regional power contestation is not in its national interest, since it has neither the size nor the riches to benefit from such a role.

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Wegapitiya sells President’s name in his latest Rs. 15 billion ETI mega crooked deal..! Seeks to acquire a business without spending a cent..!!

(Lanka-e-News -25.Feb.2017, 11.45PM)  Laugfs gas owner W.H.K. Wegapitiya the most notorious  crooked businessman who during the notorious nefarious decade of the Rajapakses lined his pockets with  billions of rupees of the people along with the Rajapakses  misusing the Central bank , is again in the ready to misappropriate Rs. 15 billion of public funds exploiting the Central bank under the good governance too , based on reports reaching Lanka e news inside information division.

Modus operandi according to reports … 

The Edirisinghe Trust Investments (ETI) which was engaged in diverse businesses (promising high rates of interest )including fixed deposits, leasing  , real estate , jewelry   , pawning , and Swarnavahini television media channel,   in the recent past was experiencing pecuniary embarrassment . 

Sadly , the  popular E.A.P Edirisinghe family drove itself into this financial  quagmire solely and wholly because they ran their businesses without due regard to financial discipline. The Central Bank in order  to protect the public who had deposited monies  in the ETI  took the ETI Co. under its control. Now those are under the purview of the Central bank. The total worth  of the businesses  is Rs. 15 billion or Rs. 150,000 million. 

Securing  ownership of Rs. 15 billion business without spending a cent !

Wegapitiya the notorious racketeer who misappropriated billions of rupees of public funds misusing the Central bank  and whose antecedence places him in the worst possible light, is now getting ready to purchase the ETI company. Of course every businessman can make such a move , and is vested with the right to purchase any enterprise spending his money, whereas  Wegapitiya the swindler cum racketeer on the other hand is seeking to purchase this enterprise via a most intriguing and cunning methodology. 

A loan of Rs. 5 billion is to be obtained from Peoples bank on the strength of  ETI’s worth of Rs. 15 billion . This loan taken is to be paid to Central bank . A further amount of Rs 5 billion has been requested from the Central bank , and the balance Rs. 5 billion is to be settled by sale of the assets of ETI within 2 years , and the proceeds thereof  are to be channeled towards  payment to  the Central bank.

This is a most astounding transaction ! Wegapitiya the racketeer is seeking to secure a Rs. 15 billion worth venture from the Central bank without spending a cent of his !! 

Two  crucial issues have cropped up in regard to this proposed racket …

How is  Wegapitiya  who is not spending a cent , bound  to the ETI  fixed deposit holders  - the ordinary public ?  What is the guarantee being given to secure the deposits of the public?  

The next issue is, can the Central bank governor grant a loan of Rs. 5 billion to a private businessman ? ( Central Bank is not  a commercial lending Institution )

President’s name ‘sold’ over the counter ! 

An officer of the Central Bank has expressed his willingness to the proposal made by Wegapitiya the  most infamous businessman while the majority has opposed it.  This Wegapitiya the notorious dishonorable businessman has no qualms about ‘selling’ the honor of the president . He had said boldly ‘this is a task of the president ’ , and therefore it must be somehow done. 

Wegapitiya was a close crony of the Rajapakses earlier on in much the same way as  every crook was during the Rajapakse notorious nefarious era . After the political upheaval on the 8 th of January 2015 , he ingratiated himself into the favor of Maithripala Sirisena . However , despite the lapses in the Maithripala Sirisena’s administration , he could not become a notorious mega deal fraudster unlike during the days of corrupt and crooked Rajapakses who took every  crook and rascal  into their fold like birds of a feather to rob together.

No matter what , Wegapitiya in his latest crooked effort is seeking to ‘sell’ the name of the president and rob people’s funds wholesale via this cunning proposal which is an absolute unalloyed camouflage.

Lanka e news which always espouses the cause of truth in the best interests of the nation and the country  , come what may , deems it will be failing in its duty if it does not expose ahead  the machinations of this infamous rascal  . This exposure is  made with the sole and whole aim and objective of saving the president  , and the public who have deposited monies in ETI company.

Putrid antecedence of the crook and his previous rackets… 

This is because , we are fully aware of the illicit deals  this rascal transacted during the Rajapakse corrupt and crooked era.  Indeed , on one occasion in association with the Rajapakses sold his Laugfs gas Rs. 10.00 shares to Central bank for Rs. 48.00 (each share) . The Central bank invested the EPF funds of the poor people in that  transaction. The total investment was Rs. 4 billion. After the pockets were filled by the rascals , the Laugfs gas share bought by Central bank dropped to Rs. 10.00.each. The loss faced by Central bank  means loss of people’s funds. 

In the same way crooked rascals like Wegapitiya in league with the corrupt crooked Rajapakses during the latter’s reign robbed the stock market to the tune of many billions. Unbelievably , in spite of the fact that the good governance government has been in power for over two years, it  has not taken any action against these stock market fraudsters. If action had been duly taken , rascals and scoundrels  like Wegapitiyas would not have dared to come forward to transact such illicit businesses again. 

It is very unfortunate the robberies and frauds committed involving the stock exchange cannot be investigated by the FCID , the CID or any other .It is only the Sri Lanka (SL) exchange commission committee which is empowered by law to probe into those. Thilak Karunaratne was appointed as the president of this commission. Though many thought he is a ’ clean’ individual , he is asleep along with the crooks, and it is very unfortunate there is no one to question ‘yakko umba budhi dha? (are you bloke asleep?). Naturally the pro good governance masses are thoroughly disappointed and disillusioned with this lukewarm attitude . Wegapitiyas of course are making hay while the sun shines. They have made this situation a playground to play merry hell with public funds. 

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by     (2017-02-25 20:40:48)

SRI LANKA: INVESTIGATORS PUT TOGETHER THE JIGSAW OF ABDUCTION & ASSAULT OF JOURNALIST NOYAHR

File photo: Journalist Keith Noyahr at work.

25/02/2017

May 22, 2008 was a usual day for journalist Keith Noyahr until he reached the gates of his home in Dehiwela that night.

He was abducted and assaulted by a group of unknown persons as he was about to enter his home premises. The engine of his vehicle was still running which alarmed is wife who in turn contacted her husband’s editorial colleagues.

After several frantic calls to the powers that be at the time and the police, Keith’s whereabouts were located. He was taken to Dompe, where he was tortured by his abductors.

In fact, it was a team from a leading mobile network service provider which had located the whereabouts of Noyahr. The timely phone calls and actions had saved Noyahr’s life from his abductors, who perhaps had other plans.

The mission to locate Noyahr is a story of its own too.

Things would have taken a turn for the worse if Gamini Nukulasuriya, the company’s former Circulation Manager had not called Keith’s phone at a time when it was switched on momentarily.

Nine years later Noyahr’s abduction has resurfaced. The times have changed now. We do not have the same government and we do not have the same people in the police high ranks. So we could safely assume that the investigations, which took a decisive turn the previous weekend, are heading in the right direction.

Five arrests were made last weekend where members of the country’s security forces were taken in by the police. The army had since interdicted these five personnel. Ever since the new government took over in 2015, such arrests had been made over several incidents including the disappearance of another journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, the killing of The Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and rugby player Wasim Thajudeen.

Whether the fresh arrests would lead to a conclusive or abrupt end is something that all of us would have to wait and watch out for. After all, no one disputes the fact that Noyahr was abducted and assaulted.

However, as far as Noyahr’s case is concerned, the arrests were made after months of collecting evidence and recording statements from witnesses and family members. Interestingly, it is reported that at least one person had witnessed the abduction that fateful evening.

The CID however has been tight-lipped over the contents of the statements. The names of the former Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka are also mentioned.

In fact, Fonseka who is now a minister in the Maithri-Ranil led government, had accused Rajapaksa and Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) Kapila Hendawitharana, of coordinating intelligence and security operations.

The former Defence Secretary is reported to have advised his lawyers that all military intelligence operations were coordinated from the Defence Ministry by Hendawitharana who would take instructions alternatively from Rajapaksa and Fonseka, emphasizing that the intelligence apparatus acted on Fonseka’s instructions and not his, when it came to attacks on journalists.

When two of the suspects, Warrant Officer Lasantha Wimalaweera and Corporal Nishantha Jayatillake were produced before court, the lawyers had argued that the investigation was entirely fabricated.

They had alleged that it was politically motivated and that the CID had maliciously gone in search of Keith Noyahr who now resides in Australia to malevolently tar their clients. They were remanded till March 3.

The CID which had carefully probed this incident has managed to nab the suspects at ground level. However, these suspects wouldn’t have acted without an instruction from the top. Where did it come from? Who was the one who gave the order?

Although several names are floating around, the masterminds behind the abduction and assault are yet to be known and nothing is conclusive.

The drama On that fateful day, Noyahr had been going about his usual routine. He had reportedly travelled from the Nation editorial office in Maradana, to the Colombo University Campus, then to a funeral parlour in Borella and to a restaurant in Bambalapitiya where he dined with his editor Lalith Alahakoon and CEO Krishantha Cooray.

He had then proceeded towards a supermarket in Wellawatte before heading home down Waidya Road in Dehiwela.

According to the CID, Noyahr’s abductors had been following him throughout the day until he was near his home.

Noyahr had told the CID that he was taken to a place which appeared to be a secluded safe house. He had said that he was blindfolded and hung from a ceiling.  The abductors had tortured Noyahr to reveal his sources which gave him information to write his defence articles.

According to Noyahr’s statement, the abductors decided to release him after receiving an order from a person purported to be a VIP.

The CID located the safehouse with assistance from the engineers of the network providers and confidential informants and established conclusively that it was a covert military intelligence facility run by Major Prabath Bulathwatte. Bulathwatte was one of the suspects arrested on February 18. He was reportedly the commanding officer of the other four suspects.

The most conclusive evidence presented by the CID was when it revealed of a network of telephone calls placed hours after Noyahr’s abduction which indicated a direct link from Major Bulathwatte at the Dompe safehouse to senior military intelligence officers and in turn to Hendawitharana and the former Defence Secretary, indicative of an association while Noyahr was in the custody of the abductors.

Accordingly, Noyahr who had overheard  one of the phone conversations reportedly alleged that a VIP had contacted his abductors. The VIP had instructed the abductors to spare his life and not harm his family on condition that he flees the country and does not speak of his ordeal.

The Nation

Mahinda hints he knew about attacks on Lasantha, Upali & Keith

Sri Lanka war crimes

February 25, 2017 

According to BBC journalist Azzam Ameen retired president Mahinda Rajapaksa has hinted that he is aware of how the murder of ‘Sunday Leader’ Chief Editor Lasantha Wickremetunga and assault on the Chief Editor of ‘Rivira’ newspaper Upali Tennekone and the abduction and assault on Keith Noyahr took place.

Mr. Rajapaksa has said all three crimes were committed ‘from one place’.
BBC journalist Azzam Ameen has revealed this in a tweat which is reproduced below. The murder of Lasantha Wickremetunga and assaults on Messrs Upali Tennekone and Keith Noyahr were committed when Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President.
The investigations into these incidens and many other crimes were hampered during that period.

Sri Lanka activist asks MR to complain over bond gazette

Tennakoon-February 25, 2017, 7:46 pm 

ECONOMYNEXT, A good governance activist Saturday challenged former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to file a police complaint if he was not behind an impugned gazette that set up the controversial bond sale after his defeat.

 Keerthi Tennakoon of the campaign for Free and Fair Elections  and the Anti-Corruption Front said Rajapaksa must lodge a complaint if he did not sign a gazette dated January 1, 2015 creating, among others, the 30-year bond.

 "Mahinda Rajapaksa must immediately go to the police if this gazette is a fake and an attempt by the present government to cover its sins," Tennakoon said.

 He said he did not believe Rajapaksa had issued the gazette and speculated that it could be a "fabrication" aimed at diverting attention away from the government.

 His statement came hours after the former president told reporters that he will take legal action against the central bank and the finance ministry over gazette.

Old ghosts still haunt the economy

Feb 25, 2017

Recent news said foreign investors have withdrawn a big amount of money they have invested in the local share market, treasury bills and bonds.

It was said more than Rs. 18 billion had been withdrawn and that there has been a failure to retain foreign investors.

Some say that it will lead to a major collapse of the economy. But, what actually had taken place is now coming to light. The money withdrawn was from the fund called Templeton Fund. The US-based Hong Kong fund had withdrawn the money it had invested in the share market, treasury bills and bonds.

This fund has been set up with contributions by millions of retirees worldwide. It is similar to the local EPF and ETF funds. With its expansion, the fund was joined by money-making politicians and money laundering businessmen. It is now a worldwide fund. It was introduced to the country during the previous regime, by the then Central Bank governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal. What actually had been withdrawn is the money belonging to the Rajapaksa family members and their henchmen, all of whom are connected to this fund.

This is nothing to do with the government economic policies or due to a collapse of the share market. It was a well-planned plot to bring down the economy and to inconvenience the government. What is being withdrawn is the money the Rajapaksa family members and their henchmen had invested. Their aim is to bring down the economy and to show that investors were unhappy with the government in order to change the public opinion, with the ultimate objective of gaining power again.

Subtle Clues & Hints Given By Thomas More About The Island Of Utopia: Part XI

By Laksiri Fernando –February 26, 2017

Dr. Laksiri Fernando

This short chapter is about three letters which were included in the initial publications of Thomas More’s Utopia as Preface. The importance of this chapter is its link to the main argument of the book, “Thomas More’s Socialist Utopia and Ceylon (Sri Lanka),” and the concluding chapter summing up and expanding on the main argument. Otherwise, this chapter does not present any details about his ‘treatise’ on Utopia. If any reader wishes to go through the original letters, they are undoubtedly humorous and enjoyable reading. The text of Utopia published by Wordsworth Classics of World Literature (1997) gives those interesting letters.

In the last letter, ostensibly referring to a critic, that ‘some of the details of the Island are absurdities,’ More says, ‘if he were adding fiction to reality, then he would have given clues for the scholars to find the truth about the Island and its details.’ There he was actually meaning the opposite, as he has been doing in many occasions throughout the book. That is why we should take his clues and hints seriously.

The publication link to the original book is: https://www.createspace.com/4688110

WHAT IS REVEALED IN THE LETTERS?

IN THE INITIAL publications of Utopia, there were three letters included, two of which Thomas More wrote to Peter Giles, and the other one by Peter Giles to Jerome Busleyden. These letters confirm that the idea of Utopia was conceived in Antwerp, and several others also were involved in the conceptualization of the book. Antwerp is the major port city of Flanders (a province of present day Belgium), a stopover/home to many travelers of that time. This is a major reason to speculate that they came across a travel manuscript. A brief review of these letters here reveals clues to unravel the dilemma of the Island and the character of Raphael Hythloday. The letters also shed light on several other matters important in understanding the circumstances under which the book was written.

Thomas Moore the Thinker

The main thrust of the letters was to assure the readers that the Island that they were talking about is real and the person who related the information, Raphael Hithloday, is also real. These claims were considered as literary devices by many reviewers. In subsequent translations, these letters for some reason were dropped. Therefore, these do not appear in Part II of this book as the manuscript that was used for that purpose does not contain these letters. However, these letters taken from other sources shed light on the nature of the discourses presented in Utopia and also the speculation of the actual island of Utopia.

The first letter was written by Thomas More from London to Peter Giles in Antwerp. The letter begins by apologizing for the delay in sending the manuscript for printing.

“I am almost shamed, right well-beloved Peter Giles, to send this book of the Utopian commonwealth, well-nigh after a year’s space, which I am sure you looked for within a month and a half.”[1]

He admits that there was no cause for the delay as Master Raphael has rather eloquently related the story of Utopia and the preceding discourses in Greek and what he had only to do was to write them in simple and straightforward Latin. Then what delayed the sending of the ‘Booke’ was his other work. Apart from his heavy official work as a lawyer and a judge and many more, he says, “For when I come home, I must communicate with my wife, chat with my children, and talk with my servants.” These are necessary things that one has to do at home or otherwise, “a man will be a stranger in his own house.”

It is undoubtedly an interesting letter which gives a humane flair to the whole work of Utopia. Moreover, it is also a vindication of what he says about the family life in the island of Utopia. There is congruence and harmony between what he believed in private life and what he discoursed in Utopia through a real or an imaginary island. It is also humorous. He was so occupied in the house, after coming back from work.

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Sri Lanka: Crisis of the tea industry

by Dr U.Pethiyagoda- Feb 26, 2017

( February 26, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The tea industry is continually in “crisis”. This was so even 40 years ago, at which time (1975) my intimate direct contact with the industry ceased. I have however maintained my interest. I have from a long time earlier, entertained serious reservations about the viability of the industry. I must qualify my remarks by recognizing that there are enterprises that have thrived within the industry. But, these are in the marketing sector, and benefited by imaginative and skillful marketing. My concerns are primarily with the growing aspects.

I wonder how it is, that while the industry as a whole is considered profitable, one is hard put to find an individual large estate or a corporate body (e.g The Regional Companies, SPC or JEDB) that can boast of consistent profits? For a long time, Low-country Smallholdings have been claimed to be profitable, but they have recently been reported to be in decline. Why?, I shall comment on, later.

I have argued consistently, that tea represents extremely poor land use, in our context. It acts adversely in respect of Soil Conservation, and has serious deleterious effects on the physical and chemical attributes of soil. Considering this as cost, and even at a profit, tea represents a poor return on investment (sunken costs). As early as 1873, the alienation of land above the 5,000 foot contour, was banned by the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Subsequent Legislation has endorsed this, and lowered the limit further. Despite this, practice (mainly for Tea) has only observed these in the breach.

Except where tea provides a complete protective cover, the loss of soil by erosion is disastrous. Poorly managed tea, and soil disturbance and exposure during replanting are the major causes. The use of “rehabilitation grasses”, mainly Mana and Guatemala (selected primarily because they are unattractive to poachers) are, as expected, nearly useless. Fodder grasses, Citronella, Vetiver grass and even perhaps Sugarcane, as possible substitutes are not seriously considered.

An important factor influencing soil use for agriculture is its “reaction” or pH or acidity. Most useful crops favour a reaction near neutrality or a pH value of 7.0. Most tea soils record values between about 4.5 and 5.5, but in extreme instances, can approach 3.9 This value nearly marks the lower limit for crop growth – except for coarse grass or Cactus – neither of which can excite interest. It has to be noted that a shift of one unit of pH represents a ten-fold change in acidity. Thus a soil reading a pH of 4.0, is 1,000 times more acid than a neutral soil (of pH 7). Acidity is very important because it influences the capacity of a soil to retain nutrients. This limitation in tea soils is one reason that they require regular application of fertilizer and react quickly to any delay.

In Temperate agriculture, “liming” is a regular practice to support arable agriculture and improve stability and guards against drastic increases of acidity. Tea cultivation does not adopt this practice and until relatively recently relied on sulphate of ammonia, to cater to a heavy need for nitrogen as nutrient. Sulphate of ammonia is a known increaser of acidity. Consequently, tea soils are poor in organic matter and therefore moisture retention, and almost devoid of earthworms and invisible favourable micro-organisms. All these are important determinants of soil fertility.

With all due respect to practitioners of the art, I have to confess that I am uncompromisingly suspicious of the practice of “tea-tasting”. Since the saleability of product relies heavily on taster evaluations, it is necessary to detail my reasons for doubt. Readers may recall that there was a time when the newspapers published a list of prices realized by the produce of individual estates. Sometimes prices varied by a few cents. Say, one tea may have fetched Rs 2.50 while another fetched Rs 2.55. Now, I question whether any palate is sensitive enough to detect a taste variation of about 2% (05cts on Rs2.50). I doubt this, but would be convinced if different tasters would price a tea without reference to the preceding sale price. One might mention that serious studies on wine-tasting which has close parallels with tea, has shown that description of wine attributes are merely a matter of jargon, and largely bluff! I do not deny that there are good-tasting brews and poor ones, but I question the assumed precision and reject such criteria as “infusion” (which is basically the properties of the spent leaf left after the liquid is poured out) as a determinant of price. It seems as logical as a claim that the taste of an omelet is defined by the colour of the eggshell!

Whenever tea tasters have been persuaded to engage in objective testing, the results have not been encouraging. I know very worthy persons whose livelihoods have relied on this profession, I tender my sincere apologies, but I feel entitled to an opinion, however false or uncomfortable! A common explanation for a lack of consistency in pricing between tasters, is allegedly due to their “buying for different markets”. This seems to me to be almost as feeble as astrologers claiming that horoscope readings by different practitioners can vary due to “differences in interpretation”! Sorry about this but not an acceptable excuse!

Such doubts reinforce my argument that the tea industry is on a weak wicket if its well-being relies on imperfect organoleptic evaluations. However, if sanctity is claimed for the art, and if it helps in securing profitability for our industry, so be it!

I need to next detail a hypothesis to account for the reported decline of yields of Low-country tea, that is said to be surfacing now. Low-country plantations are relatively young. They also occupy lands that have been previously rubber lands, forest or scrub jungle. This probably ensures that these soils are inherently fertile. For instance, in studies where tea soils were compared with those from scrub jungle in the vicinity, every criterion that marked soil fertility was better in the scrubland soil.

Our major export markets are in Europe, the US, Russia and the Middle East. Each market has its preferences – the UK is said to go for Quality and The Middle East for colour. Thus the former favours tea grown at high elevations while the latter prefers low growns.

Unfortunately, the tea industry seems always to be in a state of crisis. If it is not a case of poor yield due to unfavourable weather, it is a question of poor quality and unremunerative price. The basic fact is that it is helpless as it is weak in both production and pricing parameters.

Primary commodities have nearly always been unfavourable to the producer. Various palliative measures have been tried, generally ending in failure. Tea is no exception. Indeed, when one considers the wide variety in the choice of beverages (including water and milk), on offer to the customer, it is a wonder that tea even commands the market that it does. Of course, there is the diehard fancier, the notional “British Housewife’” who will continue to cherish her “cuppa”. This is sadly, a small and dwindling market.

Tea is so deeply entrenched in our colonial history that its hasty abandonment is neither feasible nor prudent. But in this day and World, it is unlikely that it will continue to survive in its present state. That some 250,000 or so hectares, including many of the areas in the most salubrious surroundings, are devoted to the crop is a fact. Can this resource be put to better use? Are we willing to concede that a planned and methodical phasing out is preferable to a possible calamitous collapse?

In addition to the large land resource, two of the great assets are a hard-working labour force and a capable management. The former is dwindling, seeking greener pastures and the latter has fled the country. The labour displays its enterprise in the competence with which it manages its dairy cattle. On the field management side, during its heyday, the industry captured the best it could from the school-leaving population. Their operations were largely governed by a combination of athletic prowess and a high sense of integrity and conduct. This was appreciated and carefully nurtured by Senior Management. Whether with State taking over and the inevitable substitution of ethics and initiative by rules and regulations, has resulted in a deterioration of standards, is a moot point. But anecdotal evidence is that it has.

How best the physical resources of infrastructure and land and the less tangible talent and hard-working labour can be harnessed, is the challenge. Nearly half a century ago, I diverted my attention towards the possibilities of raising other useful crops on tea land. The results were disappointing. Of several crops tried, none were even barely successful. The underlying problem was probably the high acidity of the soil, probably aggravated by decades of tea cultivation. An answer seemed to be the practice of “liming”. Sadly, here too the results were depressing. If memory serves me right, a massive incorporation of six tons per acre equivalent of “quick lime” – the most powerful means of raising the pH, managed to shift the existing pH around 4.5, by only a few decimal points – and that too for a transient period of a few months. The situation looked grim – but this needs to be freshly checked out. The somewhat accommodating possibilities are fodder grass and timber (forests). For a start, land above the 5,000 foot contour should (as required by Law and by reason), revert to forest. For ease, the tea could be left untended to grow into trees, which will be displaced when existing forest species will take over. Water resources will significantly improve as catchments and sources get better protected.

Considering the overwhelming importance of the tea industry, we need to answer a few questions from ourselves. Among them:-

(i) Is the damage caused to the soil environment acceptable?

(ii) Is the current return commensurate with the investment – in sunk and operating costs?

(iii) Does tea represent the best use of land and managerial and labour resources?

(iv) Is it safe to rely on inexact measures of quality and price?

(v) Can we prudently expect a continuing and stable demand for tea?

If the answers to the above questions are an unequivocal “Yes”, then we could continue “as is”. If not, for any or some, the time is ripe for critical planning and course correction. After all, a score of 150 not out, is years enough to make way for successors, if need be.

The search for substitute crops and a better balanced land use technology should be relentlessly continued. The resource of nearly a quarter million hectares cannot afford to be sub-optimally utilized.

I was preaching this doctrine nearly half a century ago. I can only hope that the coin will drop even now– however belatedly.

I have no authority to postpone elections

2017-02-25

The new electoral system is a hot topic of conversation with Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya at the centre of it all. In a candid interview, Deshapriya sheds light on the formulation of the new electoral system and the violations of democracy brought about by the delay of elections. He shared the following:-  

Q In this discussion about the new electoral system, you are considered as a vital link. It is a common belief that the rest is now in your hands. How do you see this? 
No, it is not in my hands. The report compiled by Ashoka Peiris has to be issued as a gazette notification by the local government ministry, with the amendments relating to the number of councillors and technical faults all rectified. Only then I will receive it. These are the preliminary moves. No one speaks about the other gazettes that are required. One is that there is a regulation in accordance with the second clause of the Municipal and Urban Council ordinance and the 5th clause of the Pradeshiya Sabah Ordinance which states that a Gazette notification incorporating them should be issued by the Minister. This will only give the legality to these councils. It is stated there the boundaries of the councils and the number of councillors which had now risen and the women’s representation had increased. Power to change these are only with the Minister concerned and not given to me. If the Commission had these powers by this time we would have issued the Gazette. Because of this people are now asking is what the purpose of this Commission without powers.  

 
Q You mean this Commission has no powers to attend to this matter... 
No government institute; not even the Supreme Court is empowered with making laws. In India, it is so. If I had such powers, we would not have waited. The elections in Batticaloa had been postponed over 14 years now. If I had that power as the Commissioner of Elections, I would have held those elections. When we were going ahead in holding those election at the end of 2012 the Act was made operative and this resulted in the Batticaloa council elections being held back from January 18, 2013. Elections had not been held in Batticaloa from March 2008. It is not our fault, but due to the faults in regulations. From 2013 we maintain that there are mistakes in the Bill. There are typing errors about 60 with 8 main errors.   

Q What are these flaws and how detrimental are they? 
The authorized agent who could submit nominations, but this interpretation is not included. There was an error with regard to the counting of postal votes. When selecting under electorates’ postal votes should not be included. These should be segregated. This is one type of error.   

Q Has there been a prompt response from the government? 
These have been sent to the Attorney General and the Legal Draughtsman and the secretary of the Ministry of Local Government informed me that these had been rectified. We informed them during last December just before Ashoka Peiris released his report.   

QYou were talking of an obscured gazette. When will Ashoka Peiris’ report be Gazetted? 
I was told by Minister Faizer Mustapha, that he had asked Ashoka Peiris to see him with regard to the translation discrepancies, and he also told that whether he came or not he would go ahead and issue the Gazette. He also told that amendments relating to the number of councillors would also be attended before February 21, but none of these took place. We hope that it would be done at least before February 28, as the Minister maintains that there was no reason to postpone this. What is left after that is to have the Bills prepared.   

Q Is postponing elections a good move? 
Delaying elections is actually detrimental to Democracy. Elections at some local government institutions had been postponed for four years and some two years. Some say that my officials are postponing these elections. As and when I attend some social functions, they use the social media networks to ridicule me saying that I was loafing about without holding the elections. I have no authority to postpone elections, and the Commission under me too has no powers to do so either.  

 
It is the government that should help by creating the necessary environment. If I compare the inter school match in our village, the two leading schools Ambalangoda Dharmashoka and Devananda play their annual encounter at the Ambalangoda Municipal Playgrounds. This match is organized by the Schools Cricket Association. If the ground has been dug by the municipal authorities for development, can the school cricket association demand that they be allowed to play the match without the ground being made ready for it?   

Q People who are knowledgeable about politics too blame you, and ask you why the elections are not held. How do you respond to that?   
They should realize that by blaming us they are harming Democracy to a great extent. Those who blame us should realize that this was ongoing from 2010. It ended up by voters not going to the polls. This is similar to the story of the wolf and the sheep. Where the wolf drinks water at the top of the stream blames the sheep at the bottom for polluting the stream. When the innocent Sheep maintains that he never went up the stream to drink water and the wolf, being unable to put the blame on the sheep tries to land the blame on his father as having polluted the water. In a similar manner they blame the EC. We are not guilty on this issue.   

Q By what you say it infers that the government is causing this delay in order to buy time?   
What I meant was we cannot reply to that, because it is improper for the EC to give a definite answer. People know well that there is an undercurrent in the deep sea which could drag people away, while the sea’s surface appears to be calm and refreshing. As people who lived close to the sea coast are fully aware of this current. I will reveal about this undercurrent on March 1.  

Q Does that mean that there would be more secrets revealed in the future?   
They said before February 13 and then before 21. Wait until 28 and if that also gets postponed, there is going to be some suspicion. If the release of the Gazettes get postponed beyond that date, I may be compelled to tell that it is a deliberate act. Anyway I strongly believe no one has that motive.   

Q Once all these issues are sorted out, do you have any idea about which elections would held first? Would it be the Provincial Councils or the Local Govt?   
Provincial Council elections have been delayed too long and they should be the first. As the word ‘local government’ implies, it is the member in the village who would decide on what is good for the village, and this is the base from which the youth go up to the national level politics. People are aware of its importance. The local council elections are also due this year.   

QWould that too be postponed?   
Some say that it would be postponed. The third and fourth Constitution are combined, and there are many Supreme Court decisions on this matter. I think postponing could be done only with a two thirds majority and a referendum, this has to be decided by the legal experts. There is a Supreme Court ruling that Universal Franchise is a human right.   

Q What is your opinion about our election system?   
There is a dark spot on our election system for not holding elections at the correct time. I expect the rulers and the legislators would step in to solve this issue. This is a right of the people. The Elections Commission has no power. That power is vested with the the President and the 225 members in the Parliament.   

QYou were the last Elections Commissioner and the first Chairman of the Elections Commission. How do you define these two positions?   
The sole power that was existent earlier is now separated with a division in responsibilities. The blame is not separated. The criticism and the blame have to be borne by self, and only the powers that are separated.   

Q Do you find there are any shortcomings?   
No, there are no shortcomings. It was the wish of the Constitution makers to have Commissions. We should not cling on to old-thinking and old systems. One has to be optimistic.   

Q What is this issue on assets and liabilities?   
These have been handed over by MPS and those in the Provincial Councils but not to us. We are going to inform the Bribery Commission on 28 of those party officials. Files of about 300 defeated candidates had already been sent to the Bribery Commission, and I expect them to file action.   

Q What about the mushroom political parties that are shooting up?   
We have called for applications from the new parties. Standards are maintained. The party should have been in existence for at least four years or have an MP represented it in the last Parliament. In India, there are only six parties accepted at national level and 70 from State level. We have 64 accepted and four parties which had become ineffective after their acceptance. There should be an awareness whether people have accepted these parties despite our recognition.   

Q How about the enlistment of new voters?   
We have provided a new scheme to enfranchise those who are above 18. At the end of every four months, a list of names of those who are18 is being compiled. All party leaders had agreed on this matter and only to present a Bill in Parliament seeking approval.   

Q You were named by the opposition as a person who assisted in establishing this government. Is there any truth behind this?   
Whether it is the present or the former opposition, no one blames me on that issue. The opposition members who meet me of course say various things. I have no desire to make someone win. I did not even cast my vote! But we did something in order to bring the voters to the polling booths in order to cast their votes. We are not aligned to any party, and our allegiance is always with the people.

  
Q Do you have any idea of compiling a book on your experiences?   
Books could be written. Everybody is writing books these days, but instead, I like to talk about it until my death. I prefer to make people aware. I cannot be the sun but I can be a firefly and be a good guide to the public. I am not stressed, and even if I am, I can overcome that by talking to you!