Making Sri Lanka The Miracle Of Asia

Mr. Champika Ranawaka, the ministerial authority for the Megapolis, has announced that the work on the Colombo Port City is to be resumed soon after renegotiating the contract with the Chinese authorities. The project has been halted by the present government due to the irregularities found in the contract.

The government will not encounter any serious problem in rectifying the illegality of the contract and any irregularity can even be regularized if necessary by enacting new laws in the parliament.

What is to be pointed here is the unresolved and the most crucial matter of the entire Colombo Poet City project is the prevention of threats to the environment. It is to this that there is a lack of concern. If the authorities decide to go ahead with the project, the marine resources and the fish breeding grounds and corals will be seriously affected, due to the heavy extraction amounting to 100 million tons of sand from the sea. This will cause depletion of rich fishing grounds resulting in livelihood problems to thousands of fishermen living in the western coast.

It also need to be pointed out that around 16 million metric tons of granite has to be found from the interior of the country to reclaim the sea to construct the Colombo Port City. What would be the impact of such human activity on the water resources, flora and fauna and other various species living in the rock hill environment.

We can appreciate the recent statement that President Maithri made at the the 9th Annual Summit of the Institute of Environmental Professionals of Sri Lanka (IEPSL), held today (Oct. 20) at Waters Edge Hotel, Battaramulla, at which he assured that “the government would take legal actions against those who destroy the environment, irrespective of their status”.

We now await to see how he would prevent the destruction of environment if he says yes to the Colombo Port City or any other projects of that nature in their development strategy in the implementation of the proposed “megapolices”.

To make Sri Lanka, the Miracle of Asia, has been the dream of the members of Rajapaksa family, which they unfortunately failed to realize due to an error made in their calculation of their own future destiny.

Now it is the turn for Sirisena and Wickremesinghe administration to perform the same miracle. Their ambitious plan is to build “megapolises” in the Western and Eastern provinces, which the Rajapaksa administration in their times named them as Metro Regions. The purpose of both was to attract foreign investors to develop our country.

My question for Sirisena and Wickremesignhe administration is whether such mega projects will satisfy the needs of the farmers and fishermen and workers who comprise the 75% of the population. Has the new administration identified any other solution to the problems of the peasantry and small fishermen? It is my view “megapolises” are not the answers. What is not clear is on what basis has Colombo Port City been classified as a priority project?

Two Immoral Acts of Sirisena-Ranil Government.

The artificial situation now created by the President and the Prime Minister has led to an unsavory political climate in the country. When we look back on the promises made during the election campaign nobody expected the creation of a mega cabinet or the appointment of the rejected ones as Ministers and parliamentarians under “Yahapalanya”. Surely this is nothing else but cheating the gullible masses.    

The appointment of a jumbo cabinet going against the 19^th amendment of the constitution and the appointment of the rejected members as ministers and deputy ministers of the new government is an act contrary to the principles of “Yahapalanaya” and Democratic governance. This is not real or genuine politics but manipulative politics, which they are compelled to adopt in their self interests.  

If the major political parties failed to have gained sufficient number of seats to form a stable government, shouldn’t they have gone for re-election, and ask the people for a clearer mandate rather than creating a mockery of democracy.

In my view, securing the positions of Sirisena and Ranil duo and prevention of a comeback of another evil force is the only reason for making this arrangement of convenience.

Perhaps my view can be very personal and inaccurate. Yet people must be given the reasons for adopting such a strategy against their wish and election promises. Moreover, the spirit of good governance demands transparency in decision making.

If the elected members are going against the election promises and the aspirations of the people, they are undermining the authority given to them by the people to govern the country. They may desire to rule the country till 2020 but will do so without moral authority.

People should immediately send a message to the government expressing their displeasure about the way things are moving. Some voices have been raised. We should appreciate Ven Sobitha thero and the leadership of “Puravesi Balaya” who have already spoken. Let there be hundred or thousand more voices be raised but in one voice. 

President however has already indicated that inquiries against those who have done wrong will go on and the members of the parliament have to live up to the demands of a new political culture and so on. But in this political climate what guarantee do we have that promises will come true. Similarly can the politicians be trusted?

We have witnessed the behavior of some of these defeated members who have been offered   ministerial posts by the President. There is no evidence of whatsoever to show that since their new appointments a sudden conversion has taken place within them and they will a live a more noble life from now on. 

The current events are an indication that the system of party politics alone is not enough to secure people’s aspirations. The time has now come for the citizens to act more responsibly. People need to be more organized and develop an effective mechanism to participate in governance rather than assigning all authority to the elected members. 

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda

Justification Of Colombo Port City Project

Arguments of the Economists

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda.

A number of arguments have been put forward very recently to try and justify the construction of the Colombo Port City. Some argue that the Colombo Port City was a ‘business venture’ done with the view to make Sri Lanka the most competitive and preferred maritime and logistic hub in Asia. Hence, the construction of the Port City should be continued on a revised technical plan of the experts. Since 25% of the work Colombo Port City project is completed, others argue that by halting the project the country will suffer a heavy financial loss in addition to threatening livelihoods of local people in the Country, of the employees and service providers who have already made agreement with the Chinese company. There are also those who argue that this project shall create thousands of job opportunities and if halted the country will be deprived of all those benefits.

In the face of all this arguments, what seems certain is the underline ideology of those who argue in favor of the Colombo Port City which is a neo-liberal economics. Unfortunately, these economists are keen on denying and dismissing the warnings from scientist and environmentalists that the Colombo Port City – the country’s largest private investment in history – has the potential of becoming one of Sri Lanka’s biggest environmental nightmares: altering entire ecosystems and causing other serious environmental problems — and, by extension, endangering the millions who inhabit this country. We simply cannot sacrifice the environment in exchange for temporary economic gain.

This raises questions as to ponder, when viewed from stand point of an ordinary citizen of the country, how valid, informed and credible are the arguments of those who favor the Colombo Port City?

Human and Environmental Cost

The environmental impacts associated with large scale artificial economic project often brings with it many social and environmental concerns. The Colombo Port City is no different. The creation of the artificial city on a reclaimed maritime land affects species in the sea area, some endangered, water quality, and may increase the likelihood of earthquakes. The environmental impacts of the project are profound, and are likely to get worse as time goes on.

However, advocates who support the Colombo Port City for pity economic gains fail to understand the human and environmental cost that the project would entail, even when a revised plan is implemented. The economists who are often interested only in profits tend to be blind to such dimensions of social life. Such costs can be perceived only by those who looked at it from the people’s point of view.

For an example the project requires mass amounts of granite and sand. According to Port Authority “the estimated granite requirement for the project is 05 million cubic meters”. It was reported at a discussion held at the Human Rights’ Commission that the authorities have identified 20 quarries to supply the required amount.

In many places these quarries are already creating environmental hazards for people such as drying up of underground water resources, which is an indispensable requirement for survival of all life. In certain place water streams have already gone dry. Besides, the blasting of rocks is causing cracks in the houses and also health hazards both to people and animals.

Often these quarries are found in the interior of the country in the districts of Colombo and Kalutara; these are areas of rich biodiversity but the unique plant and animal species are quickly disappearing due to the destruction caused by the quarries. The situation will be definitely worsened when the demand for granite for building the port city increases.

Similarly a Colombo Port City Project will have a damaging impact on the coastal belt due to dredging of sand from the sea. Already excavation of large amount of sand from the sea off Negombo has caused numerous problems to traditional fishermen who depend on the shallow seas for their livelihood. The fishermen complain that the fish breeding grounds have been disturbed and have expressed fear that continuous digging for sand will intensify sea erosion and destabilize the coastal area. Recently there was a complain that fishermen incurred a loss fishing gear to the value of Rs 4 million due to the damages caused by the sand mining machinery.

The fishermen who use traditional methods for fishing also live in fear that once certain portion of land is given over to the Chinese government, the Chinese fishermen will one day become a serious threat to the livelihoods of the traditional fishermen.

Though the environmental impact of the project is already felt, there are many more concerns such as of altering entire ecosystems and causing other serious environmental and social problems—and, by extension, endangering the millions who live in this country. However, these aspects have not been taken seriously into account by the economists. But the threats to life are real. The Colombo Port City is a model for disaster.

Impact after Revised Plan

There are no signs that all these destructions stated above would cease when Colombo Port City is done according to a revised plan. It is so unfortunate that many of our experts seem to be more concerned about the profits rather than the wellbeing of the citizens.

I wonder whether the advocates of development and advancements focus mainly on the economic benefits overlooking the environmental destruction and violation of rights when constructing and approving such artificial economic projects. Thus, from right perspective this project violates the rights of the people to a safe environment and to livelihoods.

A project which is not primarily people friendly or environment friendly cannot be called a development, however much it promotes growth and bring profits to the elite. It is time that the advocates of modern development be inspired by the ancient wisdom of the Red Indians.

“When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money

Good Governance and Port City

By Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda -

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda

Two days after the protest against Colombo Port City, there was in the morning an announcement that the Port City Project was suspended. On face value, this will bring happiness to many. But is a mere statement to the press by a Minister or two sufficient grounds to believe that the statement contains the truth? In spite of the statements of the Ministers, it was reported by the media that work on the project was going on even at 6.00 pm that day.

My reflection here is about the event that took place on the 3^rd of March. We of the “People’s Movement against the Port City”, staged a protest in front of the Fort railway station on this said issue and then proceeded to the Presidential Secretariat to present a petition.

But the civilian unarmed group of people was met by a strong police force and riot police with tear gas and so on, and our way was blocked. I do not blame the Police because they only carried out the orders of the higher authorities. What then is the issue there? As a participant, my concern is on what grounds did the authorities prevent an unarmed group of civilians to walk up to the Presidential Secretariat to present a petition?

My feeling is that it is a sign that the two leaders are gradually getting alienated from the people. I would like also to question whether this behavior reflects good governance or whether these are signs of dictatorial governance that is to come in a short period of time.

Another reason to doubt the validity of today’s statement of the Ministers is the assurance given by President Sirisena to the Indian government that since 25% of the ground work on the Port city is already completed, he would not able to stop the project. Further he has decided that the 80 acres to be given to China will be given on the basis of a 99 year lease.

This promise made to the Indian government says that the project will not be stopped. This compels us to question whether the Maithree and Ranil government have taken that decision on the information received from the EIA report of the committee recently appointed or have decided independently without any reference to the report of the environment committee. Does it mean also that this government also does not follow the normal procedures?

Therefore it is becoming clearer that both Maithri – Ranil, although they made promises to do away with it during the election campaign, they are not prepared to drop this Port City plan. At the same time, Ministerial statements are not sufficient proof that the project is going to be stopped. We know the behavior of the politicians. The practice of bluffing and misleading people is their second nature.

Therefore, all talk about good governance has now been proved to be mere empty words. They are valid only during the election period to deceive the gullible and naïve voters.

So people ought to know that the project will definitely move ahead. That is the truth about it. It will be useful to remember the origin of this idea of constructing mega cities was first found in the concept of “Regaining Sri Lanka”. Later it was found in the “Sri Lanka National Physical Plan of Mahinda Chintanaya”.

Therefore, year by year many more such projects will be introduced whoever holds the political reins of the country. It is therefore of paramount importance that people continue with their resistance to the project. At the same time they have to be prepared to face disaster when it comes. If not, catastrophe will fall on them quite unawares as it happened to the people affected by the Uma Oya project.

As a result of this Port City project, the coastal land, sea and lagoon and the fish breeding grounds, will be damaged and the livelihoods of the fisher people will be heavily affected. The houses in the coastal line will be in danger of being washed away into the sea due to erosion.

In the interior of the country, hillocks will be cut down and rocks will be blasted to provide close to 16 million metric tons of granite, impacting on the lands in the Western province and the water level in those areas will drop and the paddy lands will go dry. When blasting of rocks take place, the walls of nearby houses can crack or collapse. This is already happening in the areas such as Waga, Bomiriya and Padukka.

Further politically, we are getting more and more convinced that the government is now on its way to forget the people who voted them into power but better committed to serve the capital of the Chinese business community.

Colombo Port City

By Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda -

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda

Denial of People’s Right

The citizens in Sri Lanka are being kept in the dark as to the nature of the project known as ‘Colombo Port City Project’ (CPCP) which was launched in a hurry by the former President in Sept. 2014. An EIA report, which is an essential condition prior to receiving the official approval to launch a major project, is said to have been prepared but was never made available to the public. Thus, in the case of CPCP, the usual procedure has not been followed.

It is common sense that people have right to know what their leaders are doing for development of their people and what contracts they enter into with other countries, in the name of development.

In this case, information related to the ownership, the extent of the land to be reclaimed, project activities to be carried out, total cost, environmental and social impact, possible economic activities planned to be implemented and a profile of the contractor, have not been made available to the citizens of the land, leaving room for diverse speculations. According to unofficial reports, the Chinese contractor of this project is one who has been blacklisted. Therefore, in many respects this is a denial of a basic right that the citizens are entitled to.

However when taking into account factors such as the capital to be invested, the ownership of the reclaimed land, physical and environmental changes, sovereignty of our land, and even more, our politicians who are not very dependable and can hardly be trusted, the citizens have to take greater interest and responsibility in the issue of the Colombo Port City project, in order to safeguard their rights.

It is up to the government to provide an opportunity to the citizens to express their views on this project. Had the previous government provided the basic information prior to the launching of the project, the citizens would have already voiced their concerns on this matter.

The previous government should take the blame for its failure to provide the required information which would have enabled the citizens to perform their civic responsibility in this regard.

Good Governance

Good governance was proclaimed as the major agenda of the Maithree –Ranil government on every political platform during the election campaign. It can be realized only if they keep up to the promises they made before the masses.

It is a universally accepted principle that people’s participation in the governance of the country is an essential element of good governance and democratic rule. If our rulers are honest they should now place before the public what this Colombo Port city is about.

Colombo Port City: A Hidden Agenda?

As for now, the secrecy surrounding the CPCP is a major issue. On the one hand, the previous government has been in a mighty hurry in launching the project and on the other, all information about the project has been purposely hidden from the people. Not only the general public but even the Central Environmental Authority, which is the government arm established for the protection of the environment, seems to be kept in the dark. Had it been informed, by now it would have conveyed its position to the general public. Therefore the question arises whether the previous government has had a hidden agenda behind it?

The new government which pursues the policy of good governance should now set a good example by listening to the views of the people and acting in a totally transparent manner.

Environmental Impact

We have seen, in the recent times, the earth falling apart in the hill country causing several deaths and immense hardships to the people in the plantations area. Several affected families are still living as refugees in welfare centres. Many people now believe that such tragedies are caused by the unplanned development projects carried out in the area.

Thanks to the media we are now informed about the catastrophic situation prevailing in Bandarawela area due to the Uma Oya project launched by the previous government with the assistance of the government of Iran in spite of the warning given by our environmentalists. Such development programmes have only brought disaster and have disrupted the peace which was prevailing prior to the launching of the so called development project.

The traditional farmers complain that their paddy lands have dried up due to lack of water and so are the drinking wells; that the houses they had built with all their hard earnings are now cracking. The land value has dropped. Such were the woes that people revealed before the media.

The CCPP needs millions of tons of granite and large amount of gravel which have to be brought from the interior of the country to reclaim the sea. The sand is being pumped already from the sea. What will be the impact of such activities on the natural and social environment? When questioned, the fisher communities expressed their fear about the possible damage that this project would cause to the fish breeding grounds, corals and the sea coast. Who can guarantee that the fate that befell the people due to the Uma Oya project may not fall on the people living in the western province and those living in the coastal belt?

Therefore the government should insist on a serious study of the environmental and social impact of the project by an independent committee. Only on the information so collected should a decision be taken. Until then the project has to be suspended.

The Promise given during the election

People remember well the promise made from the political platforms that the Colombo Port City Project would be discontinued because of its disastrous environmental impact. These leaders would not have made such a promise to the people if they had no solid ground for it. Therefore the promise needs to be honoured.

If they have made such a promise solely for the purpose of attracting votes, then they have violated both social and political ethics.

Some argue that a contract signed by two countries cannot be annulled. However, if the contract really undermines the sovereignty of the country and brings it harmful effects on, the leaders of both countries have a moral duty to reconsider the contract.

Development Priorities.

Does a project which comprises a golf course, racing car track, facilities for sea sports, casinos, tourist hotels and shopping complexes, make any sense in Sri Lanka, where more than half the population receives only a two dollars a day? The focus of development programmes in a country where 75% of the population are peasants ought to be the needs and concerns of the peasantry. Indeed the CPCP is an agenda meant to cater to the needs of the foreign tourists and the urban rich, at the expense of the majority in the country.

Chief Justice Mohan Peiris as a Diplomat

I read in the media about CJ Mohan Peiris’s demand that if he is to resign he should be compensated with a post of a diplomat. Although I am a layman in the field of judicial matters, but from a common sense point of view, I would like to raise the question whether he has proved himself qualified to hold the post of a diplomat or for that matter even the post of Chief Justice.

Everyone knows that a judge is duty bound to uphold the independence and the integrity of the judiciary. Never a judge should allow himself be influenced by his personal political preferences. Another responsibility that a judicial officer ought to undertake is to win the confidence of people.

In the case of Chief Justice Mr. Mohan Peiris, we are compelled to question whether the above standards were maintained by him. The loss of confidence in the present Chief Justice arose because of his inappropriate conduct was reported in the media. 

People saw in the media his presence at the new year celebration of the Rajapaksha family. Another such occasion was his visit to Vatican with the President Rajapaksha. Then was his presence at the Temple trees in the early hours of the 9^th of January when the results were being announced.

If Mr. Peiris has not ever denied any of these allegations, he has himself admitted that his conduct has been not in accordance with the accepted norms of behavior prescribed for a judicial officer.  

Amidst all these he has now being questioned by the Police, a thing which has never happened in the history of Sri Lanka.

All these instances prove his intimate association with the former President. Does the office of Chief Justice allow such familiarity with a politician?  When one assumes the office of judge, he cannot allow himself be dictated by what is in his heart. He has to comply with a restrained behavior that his office imposed on him.

The office of a judge who dispenses justice demands independent behavior without partiality to anyone because not only must justice be done, it must also seen to be done." 

In my view he seems to have failed in all these matters. What is now left for him is voluntary resignation. If for some reason he does not, the citizens of this country need to act. The foundation for democracy sovereignty rest with the people. I am reminded of the quote which says “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”