President Ranil Wickremasinghe got a bellyful of criticism in the print media last Sunday – June 30.  Why? His Address to the Nation which he named Good News and believed would descend, Cass is certain, like manna on an adoring public; consolation and salvation brought unto them singly and solely by him throughout-negotiating the IMF as he outdid the bankruptcy of the country. True, if bankruptcy is solely measured by queues for gasoline products.

He did accept the challenge when the House of the Rajapaksas was in a shambles with the PM Mahinda R, slinking home after being made to shed his premiership; and President Gotabaya fleeing overseas, shorn of his presidency, leaving the country headless. Sajith and his team made unfulfillable demands to steer the country forwards; he was cowardly. Ranil accepted the challenge, working with the Pohottu Cabinet.

He succeeded to a large measure in steadying the country but definitely not all by himself and not really satisfactorily. He is widely accused of shielding the corrupt and allowing corruption to continue like receiving commissions and handouts. The culmination of his appeasing greed in others, in his greed to continue as Prez, will be if he permits luxury car licenses to the present MPs and gives in to their demand for insurance for life in addition to the pensions for life, they get from serving just one term in Parliament.

Cass speaks as a householder. Her burdens have increased. Her domestic expenses have not decreased much. The meager interest earned from depositing her stringently saved earnings when she was employed is taxed; having a meal in a restaurant is now an unrealised dream since a heavy tax has to be paid. More people have fallen below the poverty line.

Malnutrition is on the rise and the education and health sectors are not at all what they should be. Past leaders lived it up and we have to pay; they borrowed heavily and built useless vanity structures and we have to pay. We the poor bear so much of the expenses of the state, which state they crashed. And they live carefree in comfort.

To come back to the broadcast to the Nation by the President, his good news was that the country is now on an economic even keel and repayment of taxes is off our shoulders for a long time. We are far from economically all right and repayment of borrowed money has to be done, though temporarily debtor countries have given us grace periods.

The analogies, similes, metaphors, comparisons were what took Cass’ goat as the saying goes. She was astounded and then giggled uncontrollably. Ranil equated himself to Grusha of the Caucasian Chalk Circle. Bertolt Brecht had Grusha, the maid in the Governor’s mansion save the deserted Governor’s child and carry it to safety and then when the Governor’s wife claimed the child as hers, Azdak the Judge, very wisely decreed the child belonged to Grusha, who had proved herself a genuine mother.

And so Ranil Wickremasinghe himself decreed that he carried deserted, bereft Sri Lanka to a safe economic state and thus (though unsaid in so many words) should be rewarded with getting Sri Lanka as his: continued protector alias its next Prez. Quite an analogy included in his Address to the Nation, said before too, and later in his address to Parliament on 02 July.

Another analogy cropped up at a recent political meeting of a motley collection of members of different political parties with Harin Fernando leading the bandwagon. He said that Ranil Wicks, wisely, adroitly, most cleverly, and with remarkable seamanship (economic knowhow) steered the ship – Sri Lanka – to safe waters, a haven where all people can now breathe free and be happy, their economic and other burdens lifted. Listening, Cass spat out: What nonsense!

Then, when it came to the one being lauded and launched (as likely Prez), Ranil made his speech of acceptance of being lauded and launched by upgrading the ship he steered to safety as the Titanic! He was successful in steering it to a safe haven (even if it is to pretend economic recovery) unlike Captain Edward J Smith, who had his Titanic sink to the bottom of the ocean on April 14, 1912.

You have to admit that Wickremesinghe did bring sanity into government madness, a kind of stability to the situation in Sri Lanka; got the economy going and influenced the IMF and funders to help the country. But definitely not single-handedly. So many helped.

Ranil W is not safe and settled.  He has not in plain Sinhala announced he is contesting the to-be presidential election? Not in English nor Tamil either. However he has been strongly hinting so and Harin Fernando and others who bawled out at the meeting on June 29 indicated definitely it was a launching of candidature event.

Now Cassandra comes into her own; meaning she is able to make prophetic pronouncements like her Trojan ancestor who shouted ‘I see blood’ and soon enough her abductor/patron/keeper, King Agamemnon, was dead – murdered by his queen’s lover. Present day Cass’ warning is to Wickremesinghe. She says: “Some of the politicians seen at the Harin Fdo meeting which means they are in your camp are sure too heavy ballast to carry on your ship as you secure it.

The ship will sink even in shallow water with such on board.” Another warning: “Remember Winston Churchill lost the parliamentary election of 1945 soon after the victory of the Allies of which Britain was a partner in WWII. More than your achievement, RW, he was instrumental in winning a world war that raged for five years and Britain was almost invaded by the Nazis.” So, beware whom you take on board. You worked with a Cabinet including some dubious characters, or should it be said ‘most’? Now don’t have those who are known for thuggery and thieving.

The Sea around Sri Lanka

Cass joins in mourning the death of a Navy person who was shot and killed by Indian fishermen illegally fishing in Sri Lankan waters. Priyanka Ratnayake, aged 40 and father of two, lost his life in service. He was said to be a competent swimmer and diver and a man well-spoken of. This focuses very necessary attention on fishers’ poaching, of which thieving act South Indians seem to outdo very much our own. A solution must be negotiated. Easier said than done, but another cliché is apt here: If there is a will, there is a way.

Four deep sea fishermen have died because of their greed, stupidity and the common factor of anything free is fair fare. Sri Lankans are notoriously known to accept even a headache if free. A bottle floating in the high seas is dragged or fished in and contents consumed. These men surely had to be already inebriated on drink or drugs to swig off a bobbing bottle. Did they not fear it could contain a spirit caught and bottled and flung into the sea as is done by our kattadiyas?

Last bit of sea news. A seascape of mountains fairly distant from the south of the island but within its territorial waters has attracted commercial attention. Believed to be rich in cobalt it is to be exploited. And who is a forerunner businessman wanting to lay his hands on this treasure – Gautam Shantilal Adani, great friend of PM Modi and exploiter of our land. Cannot we keep the cobalt to ourselves or is it to be sold cheap to fill a couple of rogue pockets, as is usual in this land like no other?

‘Miniature Superpower’ Australia has as one of its main foreign policy aims, the forging of a network of cooperation among countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and is not inclined to figure in current global political rivalries. A correlated aim of Australia is to work amicably with the international community in bilateral and multilateral fora towards establishing a rules-based international political and economic order.

The above were some of the key points that emerged from an address made by Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Paul Stephens, as Chief Guest at the Pathfinder Foundation’s ‘Ambassadors’ Round Table’ forum. The event was held on June 28, at the Colombo Club, Hotel Taj Samudra. The forum was chaired by Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman, Pathfinder Foundation.

The round table was attended by diplomatic personnel, public personalities, heads of academic institutions and think tanks and members of the local media community, among others. Following the main presentation, a lively Q&A session followed, where queries relating to Australia’s foreign policy were aired and clarified.

Other principal observations made by H.C. Stephens, in the course of his address as well as during the Q&A, were as follows: ‘Australia is for the fostering of openness, transparency and the adherence to International Law, inclusive of the Law of the Sea, by countries of the IOR.

‘For Australia, creating an even playing field in the international system for states is vital. The unhindered exercising of sovereignty by states is also of the utmost importance. We look forward to the prospect of all the countries of the world community exercising a beneficial influence in international relations. In this connection we value very much the progressive strengthening of international institutions that aim at fostering world cooperation and the WTO is just one of these.

‘Australia believes that a collective positive response by countries is vital for the management of international disputes and tensions. Maintaining international stability, prosperity and peace is of the paramount importance for us. Australia is for working steadily in bilateral and multilateral forums for the furtherance of the common good.

‘We are in the process of strengthening relations with India. The value proposition of each of us is mutually recognized. While the liberalisation of trade between our countries is ongoing, we are also further expanding diplomatic ties. For example, we are setting up consulates in Calcutta and Bengalaru as well.

‘As for China, our position is that we cooperate with China where we can and disagree with it where we must. Generally, we are for constructive, open and stable relations with China. It is left for countries to decide whether the research conducted by China in their sea areas is beneficial to them or not.

‘Australia-Sri Lanka ties, meanwhile, are in good order. It must be remembered that Australia recognised Sri Lanka’s Independence even before it occurred. We are placing much emphasis on strengthening educational relations with Sri Lanka. Very soon, a full Australian degree would be obtainable in the latter. Besides, we place considerable emphasis on migration from Sri Lanka and on touristic ties. Australian companies, meanwhile, are increasingly interested in investing in the island.

‘We welcome current successes in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring efforts and are for a stable, prosperous and resilient Sri Lanka. This is our firm belief.

‘There are numerous issue areas in the IOR that call for international cooperation for their resolution. Just two of these are the rising temperature of the Indian Ocean and tensions related to fishing. Generally, climate change issues call for cooperative, international efforts aimed at their early resolution. We believe that by working positively in multilateral fora, such questions could be resolved by the international community.

‘Currently, the potential for international conflicts exists in the South China Sea and in regions where border disputes are ongoing. These questions call for international cooperative efforts for their peaceful resolution. However, freedom of navigation in the South China Sea has to be maintained and this is important for us.

‘For Australia, South-East Asia is important and we view the region as a strategic partner. On “good habits” and “good architecture” in the region we place considerable emphasis. Besides, it is of the utmost importance to manage tensions in this region cooperatively.

‘It is also vital to recognize that the QUAD grouping of which Australia is a member, is a purely diplomatic initiative and that it does not have an Indian Ocean focus.’

Thus, the Pathfinder forum proved to be most informative and revealing for the commentator of international politics. It is significant that Australia is seen by the latter’s authorities as a ‘Miniature Superpower’ and it was named as such by the Australian H.C. at the discussion. It could be described as a weighty middle power that is fast developing into a great power or a super power.

Australia’s increasing international stature has foreign policy implications for the developing world in general and for South and South-East Asia in particular. Right now, Australia could be described as traversing a pragmatic, and in a sense, a Non-aligned course in foreign policy practice and this trend augurs well for the South. That is, increasingly linking up with Australia on the external relations front should not prove controversial for countries such as Sri Lanka.

Besides, Southern states too need to take a leaf from Australia in its ties with China and cooperate with China where they could and disagree with it where they must. Right now, too many Southern states seem to be bending over backwards to accommodate China in particularly the economic and security spheres. This amounts to a compromising of state sovereignty.

The years ahead will be crucial for Small Sri Lanka in the area of foreign policy. Considering that it would be dependent on quite a few global economic powers to see it through its ‘debt restructuring’ exercise, it is bound to lose whatever autonomy it had in the crafting of its foreign policy parameters. To what extent, for instance, could it stand up to the US or China on crucial foreign policy questions in consideration of its financial dependence on these principal powers?

In view of the fact that the above question cannot be answered in the affirmative by Sri Lanka it would do well to increasingly broad base and strengthen its foreign relations with particularly bourgeoning big powers, such as Australia, and aim at pursuing a truly Non-aligned foreign policy.

If your answer is YES, this article is for you …

(This article was first published in The Island on 23 April 2021. It is reproduced today in view of the introduction of Octane 100 petrol to the Sri Lankan market.)

by Dr. Saliya Jayasekara

Many passenger vehicles, including three-wheelers and motorcycles are fueled by Octane 95 gasoline when Octane 92 gasoline (petrol) is available at a lower price.

Otto engine (petrol engine) is an internal combustion spark ignition engine invented by a German engineer Nicolaus Otto in 1876 and used in most of the lightweight vehicles, including cars, three-wheelers and motor bicycles. Otto engines can burn most of the hydrocarbon fuels (including hydrogen and ethanol) that can mix with air by evaporation (low boiling point). But the combustion characteristics of different hydrocarbons are not the same when burned inside an engine. If an Otto engine is designed for a particular fuel, it would not perform similarly with a fuel that has a different chemical composition.

In a well-tuned Otto engine run on gasoline for which the engine is designed, the combustion of the gasoline (petrol)/air mixture will continue smoothly from the spark plug to the piston head by igniting successive layers of the mixture as shown in Figure 1 (a).

If low grade gasolines are used, the combustion of some of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder does not result from propagation of the flame front initiated by the spark plug, but one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode (Detonate) outside the envelope of the normal combustion front as shown in Figure 1 (b). This detonation can cause severe damage to the piston and the head of the engine while deteriorating thermal performance of the engine (low efficiency)

Gasoline is a petroleum-derived product comprising a mixture of different hydrocarbons, ranging from 4 to 12 carbon atoms in a carbon chain with the boiling point ranging of 30–225°C. It is predominantly a mixture of paraffins, naphthenes, aromatics and olefins. Additives and blending agents are added to improve the performance and stability of gasoline. The engine designers learned that straight-chain paraffin have a much higher tendency to detonate than do branched-chain paraffin.

The tendency of a particular gasoline to detonate is expressed by its Octane number (ON). Arbitrarily, tri-methyl-pentane, C8H18 (iso-Octane) is assigned an ON of 100, while the straight-chain paraffin n-heptane, C7H16 is given an ON of zero. Hence, a fuel sample with the same anti-detonation quality as that of a mixture containing 90% iso-Octane and 10% n-heptane is said to have an ON of 90. Gasoline is made up of a mixture of mostly branched-chain paraffin with suitable additives to give an ON in the range 90 –100. It was also learned through experiments that the ON of a gasoline blends (e.g. gasoline and ethanol) can be calculated by using weighted average ON of each compound. Most importantly, the octane number has nothing to do with the heating value (Calorific value) or the purity of the fuel.

Engine thermodynamics show that engines with a high compression ratio offer higher thermal performance than engines with a low compression ratio. These engines having high compression ratio require high octane gasoline (for example Octane 95) to avoid detonation. However, using gasoline having higher Octane ratings for the engines designed for a low Octane rating (for example, 92 Octane) would not provide an additional benefit or loss, other than increased fuel cost.

Therefore, it is important to know the designed Octane number of the engine before fueling (refer owner’s manual of the vehicle). For example: the minimum ON requirement for two- and three-wheelers in south Asia is 87 (The World Bank). Most of the Toyota, Honda and Nissan models, including hybrid engines, recommend 92 Octane gasoline.

(Dr. Jayasekara received the B. Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from university of Moratuwa in 2001, and the M.Sc. and PhD degrees in decentralized power generation systems from Royal institute of technology Sweden and the Melbourne University Australia in 2004 and 2013 respectively. He has well over 13 years of national and international experience in design and installation of centralised/decentralised power plants, boilers (utility/package) and heat exchangers. Currently he is serving as a senior lecture at University of Moratuwa, a visiting lecturer and fellow at Deakin University Australia.)