A Future Bathetic?

| by Tisaranee Gunasekara
There is no tomorrow in this desert.
Mahmoud Darwish (A rhyme for the odes
( !ctober "#$ "%&'$ (o)ombo$ *ri +anka Guardian ,t is another first - fu))./a0e$ fu)).
co)our ad1ertisements in dai)y /a/ers$ by the Ministry of Finance and 2)annin0. Tit)ed$
3The Fi1e 2i))ars that 4/)ift the 5ation. 4nsto//ab)e *ri +anka6 the ads )aud Mahinda
(hinthanaya and the u/comin0 bud0et.
The now ubi7uitous thu0s attacked a 0rou/ of 452 /ar)iamentarians durin0 a fact.
findin0 mission to the 2orts Authority. (The same week another 0rou/ of thu0s
attacked fishermen en0a0ed in a /eacefu) /rotest in (o)ombo. The /ar)iamentarians
wanted to disco1er whether state resources are bein0 used for /residentia) e)ection
/ro/a0anda work. As the un/recedented ads by Ministry of Finance and 2)annin0
demonstrate$ state resources are bein0 used$ b)atant)y and o/en)y$ to se)) the
increasin0)y )ustre)ess 8a9a/aksa ru)e to the masses.
2resident Mahinda 8a9a/aksa does not ha1e to say$ 3, am the state6. :e and his fami)y
act as if they are.
Tom 2aine warned$ ;<hen it is )aid down as a ma=im$ that a kin0 can do no wron0$ it
/)aces him in a /)ace of simi)ar security with that of idiots and /ersons insane$ and
res/onsibi)ity is our of the 7uestion with res/ect to himse)f . The &>?" (onstitution
made the ori0ina) error by /)acin0 the /resident abo1e the )aw. <ith the &?th
Amendment$ the 8a9a/aksas turned the state into the /ermanent.fief of this
omni/otent /resident.
,diotic and insane 0o1ernance is resu)tin0.
The Bandaranaikes named the @atunayake air/ort after themse)1es. The 8a9a/aksas
too wanted their own internationa) air/ort$ in their nati1e.district. 5o other
consideration mattered$ a/art from this fami)ia) whim. The end resu)t is a )ar0e)y
unused air/ort which is benefitin0 neither the surroundin0 community nor the
country. And increasin0)y farcica) s)ei0hts.of.hand are bein0 used to concea) this
/re/osterous rea)ity.
(hea/ and un)imited duty.free sho//in0 is re/orted)y the most recent ruse used by the
authorities to /ro1ide a bust)in0 1eneer for Matta)a. At Matta)a Duty Free$ 0oods$
es/ecia))y )i7uor$ are chea/er than at @atunayake. There are a)so no officia) )imits on
what you can buy. 5or does sho//in0 at Matta)a /re1ent you from sho//in0 at
@atunayake. *ince most +ankan.owned f)i0hts make an ob)i0atory sto/ at Matta)a
(irres/ecti1e of whether anyone is embarkin0 or disembarkin0$ some +ankan
/assen0ers 0et two boardin0 /asses$ disembark at Matta)a$ do some chea/ duty.free
sho//in0 and re.embark on to the same waitin0 /)ane. ;:a1in0 /assen0ers 0o in and
out of the air/ort wi)) c)ear)y count as traffic and be ref)ected in /erformance fi0ures
for "%&'.
This is the risib)e condition of a country where the whims of the ru)ers become /o)icy
and /ractice$ at the e=/ense of the nation.
The story of the :ambantota /ort is no different.
!nce a0ain the 8a9a/aksas wanted their own 2ort$ and in their own home.base. 5o
other consideration mattered. The resu)t is another hu0e)y e=/ensi1e faci)ity with )itt)e
economic or financia) 9ustification - and a )oad of debt. *o the (hinese )ender is bein0
0i1en a contro))in0 stake in the 2ort$ in the ho/e of obtainin0 concessionary re/ayment
conditions.
As *hino *hi/ 5ews (se)f.described as 3The authoritati1e source on (hinese shi//in06
/ointed out$ ;(hinese state owned com/anies wi)) o/erate four new berths at *ri
+anka6s :ambantota /ort once they are com/)eted ne=t yearA. The *ri +ankan
0o1ernment had a0reed to such an arran0ement with the :ambantota 2ort6s (hinese
)enders as far back as "%&%A. ,n e=chan0e for berth o/eratin0 ri0htsA(hinese
consented to ease )oan conditions which cou)d /ossib)y com/rise concessions in
re/ayment terms or the time 0ranted for re/ayment.
And when the A0reement on @ey Terms for *u//)y$ !/erate and Transfer (si0ned
durin0 the recent 1isit by (hinese 2resident comes into o/eration$ (hina Merchants
:o)din0 ,nternationa) and (hina :arbour Bn0ineerin0 ;wi)) ho)d o/eratin0 ri0hts in
both of *ri +anka6s main /orts. (hina Merchants :o)din0 ,nternationa) ((M:,
a)ready o/erates the new (o)ombo *outh (ontainer Termina). Additiona))y$ (hinese
interests wi)) ha1e effecti1e contro) of &%? hectares in (o)ombo 2ort (ity .
,n her &>C' book$ The Debt Tra/$ (hery) 2ayer described how the ,MF used aid and
credit to undermine the so1erei0nty of third wor)d nations and inf)uence their interna)
/o)icies. As the emer0in0 G)oba) :e0emon$ (hina seems to be fo))owin0 a simi)ar /ath.
And *ri +anka is ra/id)y becomin0 a te=t.book case of how the new su/er/ower is
usin0 this a0e.o)d /)oy of to create a strin0 of 1assa) states.
!f the "C a0reements si0ned before +ankan and (hinese 2residents durin0 the )atter6s
1isit to *ri +anka$ one dea) was uni7ue. Two (hinese nationa)s si0ned that a0reement$
one on beha)f of (hina and the other on beha)f of *ri +anka. Accordin0 to The *unday
Times$ ;5umber "& was the Term *heet A0reement of the (o)ombo 2ort (ity
De1e)o/ment 2ro9ect 2hase ,. ,t /)ain)y said$ 3*i0ned for *ri +ankaD Mr. Mo <enhe$
(hairman of (hina :arbour Bn0ineerin0 (om/any +td.6 and 3*i0ned for (hinaD Mr. :u
:uaiban0$ (hairman$ B=ecuti1e Director$ (hina De1e)o/ment Bank6 . 2orts Authority
(hief has c)aimed that it was mere)y a financia) a0reement between two (hinese
nationa)s. But if one (hinese nationa) has si0ned on beha)f of *ri +anka$ and the dea) is
inc)uded in the )ist of bi)atera) a0reements between (hina and *ri +anka$ it is a dea)
which binds *ri +anka.
A (hinese nationa) si0nin0 an internationa) a0reement on beha)f of *ri +anka - can
anythin0 be more e1ocati1e of our u)timate destination under continued 8a9a/aksa
ru)e?
(uriouser and (uriouser
The mushroomin0 of wor)d.c)ass bi))ionaires is becomin0 another miracu)ous /roduct
of 8a9a/aksa ru)e. ,n fact 8a9a/aksa ru)e mi0ht /roduce se1era) +ankan nominees for
the Forbes6 richest )ists.
The )atest e=am/)e seems to be 5andana +okuwitharana who burst into fame as the
owner of the Marriot A) Eaddaf :ote) in Dubai. :e has a)so /urchased the !ruwa)a
*tee) (or/oration. 5ow this 0ent)eman is 1enturin0 into a new arena - ;the minera)
sands de/osit of 2u)moddai in 5ortheast *ri +anka$ known as the 3b)ack 0o)d of *ri
+anka6A.. Mr. +okuwitharanaA.has a)ready /)ed0ed 4*F'% mi))ion to the Treasury for
this /ro9ect as an initia) in1estmentA. The /ro9ect in1o)1es /roducin0 Titanium dio=ide
throu0h TitaniumA.a strate0ic meta)A.idea) for hi0h /erformance mi)itary aircraft and
rockets$ s/ace ca/su)es$ armour /)ate$ aircraft firewa))s$ 9et en0ine com/onents$
)andin0 0ears$ submarines and en0ine /arts. Eust the sort of stuff a su/er/ower$
es/ecia))y a risin0 one with a ra/id)y e=/andin0 mi)itary$ wi)) do anythin0 for.
This week Minister 2a1ithra <anniarachchi informed the /ar)iament that
5orochcho)ai has broken down "' times since ince/tion$ costin0 the nation a
who//in0 &? bi))ion ru/ees .
Accordin0 to officia))y.unconfirmed re/orts$ (hina is to be 0i1en the tender for the
modernisation of the *a/u0askanda refinery$ e1en thou0h the (hinese bid was re9ected
durin0 the first round of tender /rocedure .
<hen e1erythin0 is subsumed into fami)ia) /ower$ idiotic and insane become the ru)e.
This year6s Bconomics 5obe) went to French economist Eean Tiro)e for his work on
curbin0 the dominance of /owerfu) com/anies. The 5obe).citation mentions his efforts
;to understand and re0u)ate industries with a few /owerfu) firms.
!ur cha))en0e is to find ways to dis)od0e or at )east im/ede the /owerfu) /o)itico.
economic con0)omerate which is seekin0 to contro) e1ery as/ect of +ankan e=istence$
direct)y and throu0h 1arious /ro=ies - and is se))in0 +anka6s e=terna).so1erei0nty to
the emer0in0 G)oba) :e0emon in the /rocess.
2osted by Tha1am