Features
From Violent Colombo to Peaceful Baghdad
1.PASSIONS OF A GLOBAL HOTELIER
Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
Independent Sri Lanka has faced several disruptions over many decades. Despite short-lived ceasefires and the government’s attempts to encourage extremists to enter peaceful elections, by the late 1980s the government of Sri Lanka was fighting two wars – the LTTE civil war and the second wave of JVP insurgency. Stakeholders of tourism and hospitality industries continued to be resilient. However, by the late 1980s, the situation had deteriorated significantly, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the country’s future. My birth place Colombo had become a violent city with frequent deadly bomb explosions and killings.
In 1989, amidst the turmoil, I found myself at a crossroads in my career journey. As the Director of Food & Beverage at Le Meridien in Colombo, I harboured ambitions beyond the confines of familiarity. Guided by the belief that true growth lies beyond comfort zones, I sought opportunities on the global stage. That was uncommon for a hotelier from a developing country at that time.
Under the mentorship of Jean-Pierre Kaspar, the former General Manager of Le Meridien in Colombo, I envisioned a trajectory that transcended geographical boundaries. With his guidance, I embarked on a path of professional development, honing my skills in diverse settings from Singapore to Paris and London, laying the groundwork for my aspirations.
However, as I shared my ambitions with the new General Manager of Le Galadari Meridien Hotel, Paul Finnegan, I encountered unforeseen obstacles. Despite my eagerness to explore opportunities abroad, the prevailing circumstances constrained my options. Undeterred by setbacks, I resolved to forge ahead in pursuit of my global aspirations, bidding farewell to Le Meridien and Sri Lanka in search of new avenues aligned with my ambitious global career.
Then General Manager of Hotel Lanka Oberoi, Kawal Nain introduced me to Madan Mishra, Vice President for Oberoi in Iraq, and Regional Vice President & General Manager of Hotel Babylon Oberoi in Baghdad. Nain gave me a glowing recommendation. After the formal interview, Mishra invited me to an informal discussion at the London Grill at Hotel Lanka Oberoi, when he hosted my wife and me to dinner.
“As the operator of the three largest and best five-star hotels in Iraq, Oberoi has a key role to play in training hospitality workers and developing tourism in Baghdad and Mosul. Welcome to my top team” said Mr. Mishra as he shook my hand after I signed a two-year expatriate contract with Oberoi.
My boss at Le Meridien was surprised with my quick decision. Paul Finnegan told me, “Chandi, you have decided to leave a global five-star hotel company owned by Air France to join a small regional hotel chain run by an Indian company. That does not make any sense to me, unless you have an exceptionally good reason!” I rested my case by showing him my contract. I told him, “What Oberoi has offered me is five times my current salary at Le Meridien. If you match it and offer me an expatriate contract in another country, I will re-join Le Meridien.” Well, it eventually happened eight years later in 1997, when I opened Le Meridien in Jamaica as its General Manager.
As at that time in Iraq they did not like to use the term ‘Director’, my title would be ‘Food & Beverage Manager’. “You know that over the last 17 years, Oberoi sent two dozens of promising Sri Lankan hoteliers for universally recognized two-year management program at the Oberoi School of Hotel Management in New Delhi. None of them reached the level of Food & Beverage Manager at Hotel Lanka Oberoi.
You would be the first Sri Lankan to hold this very senior position at an Oberoi hotel” Kawal Nain said, and then Madan Mishra explained, “Chandi, you would be our third ranking leader at Babylon Oberoi after me and the Resident Manager. You would be overall in charge of ten food and beverage outlets and banqueting, kitchens, and stewarding. Your team will include 160 employees from 10 countries. Seven of the managers reporting to you would be graduates of the Oberoi School of Hotel Management,” Madan Mishra said.
Mishra then added, “Out of 52 Sri Lankans I have recruited for Babylon Oberoi, you are one of two persons not from Hotel Lanka Oberoi. My friend, Mr. Nain thinks very highly of you, and I respect his judgement.” The other non-Oberoi person in the team was the IT Manager, who was married to Shirani Perera, the Oberoi-trained Executive Housekeeper chosen for Hotel Babylon Oberoi. Prior to our departure to Iraq, I was asked by my new boss to lead the team of 52 from different departments during our travels and until reaching the Hotel Babylon Oberoi in Baghdad.
After the Iran–Iraq War ended in August 1988, with the killing of 500,000 people over a period of eight years, there was optimism about the future of Iraq. It was the longest conventional war of the 20th century, with USA and the West backing Iraq. The year 1989 was important for Iraq, which focused on re-building the country targeting stability, the economy, human capital, and tourism. The country desperately needed external expertise to place those aspirations on a fast track.
In May 1989, I embarked on a journey that would mark a pivotal chapter in my career. Departing from Colombo bound for Bombay (later renamed Mumbai), I found myself among 50 former employees from Hotel Lanka Oberoi. As the sole senior divisional head amidst this group of new recruits for Iraq, I naturally assumed a leadership mantle for the duration of our travels. My prior experience in India, gleaned during a two-week stint seven years earlier as a member of Sri Lanka’s national Judo team. This lent me a deeper familiarity with the country than my companions.
Following a night’s stay, graciously arranged by Oberoi Hotels in Bombay, we proceeded onward with a second flight to Baghdad. Despite the palpable anxiety shared by all 52 of us at the prospect of working in a war-torn region with a vastly diverse culture, we were happy with the high salaries offered to us. It swiftly became apparent to me that acclimatizing myself to three distinct cultures —Iraqi, Indian, and Oberoi— would be paramount. I resolved to make this adaptation my foremost priority and adjust my communication and leadership styles accordingly.
In the lead-up to our arrival in Bombay and during our brief sojourn in that vibrant metropolis, I embarked on a reflective exercise, drafting a concise yet strategic roadmap for my professional career goals. My key ambition was to ascend to the position of General Manager within an internationally renowned hotel chain in the coming years.
In addition, drawing upon my experience as a senior lecturer and my education in ‘Training Methodology’ on an ILO/UNDP Fellowship in Europe, I harboured aspirations of eventually returning to academia to obtain a globally recognized Ph.D. This ambition had already taken tangible form in the submission of a doctoral thesis proposal to the University of Surrey, in England where I had completed my master’s degree in international Hotel Management five years before.
Rounding out my handwritten plan before our descent into Iraq was a vision of eventually establishing an international consultancy firm specializing in hospitality management — an aspiration built upon the satisfaction derived from previous ad hoc consulting engagements.
The lands that now comprise Iraq have a rich historical tapestry, rooted in the ancient region of Mesopotamia, meaning ‘The land between the rivers’. This fertile territory, cradled by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, nurtured a few of humanity’s earliest civilizations, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians.
Situated within the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East and Mediterranean — an arc of land of 11 modern-day nations spanning from Egypt to Iraq and Iran — this region played a pivotal role in the emergence of settled agricultural communities, dating back to the early ninth millennium BCE. Over millennia, Mesopotamia became a nexus of imperial power, experiencing successive dominions under Persian, Greek, and Roman rulership before becoming an integral part of the Islamic world after the seventh century.
In the aftermath of World War I, the modern nation-state of Iraq emerged from the former Ottoman provinces of Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul, under British colonial administration. Despite formal independence in 1932, Iraq remained under British influence during a disorderly era marked by monarchical rule and subsequent political upheavals.
The influence of the Arab nationalist and socialist Baath Party in 1968 heralded a period of relative stability, fuelled by substantial oil reserves, which enabled ambitious development initiatives and the creation of a formidable armed force. However, this stability in the country was eclipsed by the authoritarian reign of Saddam Hussein, who steered Iraq into disastrous conflicts, including the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), the Persian Gulf War (1990–1991), and the Iraq War (2003).
Geopolitically, Iraq is bordered by Iran to the east, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan and Syria to the west, and Türkiye, to the north. Despite its strategic location, Iraq possesses only a small coastline along the northern Persian Gulf, offering limited maritime access compared to its regional counterparts.
Iraq’s population has surged, surpassing 47 million — an exponential increase from its 1989 estimate of 17 million, akin to the population of Sri Lanka at that time. Since 1980, amidst three decades marred by conflict, there was a solitary year of peace in 1989 —a year that afforded me the opportunity to experience and engage with the complexities of Iraq first-hand.
Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad, a city steeped in vibrant history, was established in 762 AD along the caravan route bridging Asia and Europe. Its strategic position on the banks of the Tigris River propelled it to prominence as a cultural, commercial, and intellectual epicentre of the Islamic world. In 1921, Baghdad became the capital of Iraq.
Despite the tumult of wars and disruptions, Baghdad remained a beacon of learning and commerce, drawing both local inhabitants and international visitors to the country. Its rich tapestry of history finds expression in myriad attractions, from museums and shrines to mosques and bustling souks, contrasted with modern-day amenities such as upscale boutiques and vibrant dining establishments. Upon our arrival at Baghdad International Airport, the prominent presence of large portraits of Saddam Hussein told their own story.
Hotel Babylon Oberoi
Nestled in one of Baghdad’s most coveted neighborhood, adjacent to the verdant expanse of the green zone and overlooking the famed Tigris River, Hotel Babylon Oberoi epitomized five-star luxury. Boasting 300 lavishly decorated rooms and suites, the hotel provided guests with unparalleled convenience and comfort in the heart of down-town Baghdad. Vibrant souks and iconic landmarks were mere minutes away, ensuring an enriching stay for discerning travellers seeking leisure and exploration.
The hotel’s distinctive pyramid architecture and expansive gardens paid homage to Baghdad’s Babylonian legacy, while its culinary offerings stregnthened its status as a premier dining destination. With ten food and beverage outlets, including six dining venues, the hotel provided an enormous gastronomic experience. From the allure of a bustling casino, and a lively nightclub, to the tranquillity of a rooftop bar and a chic lobby lounge, the hotel catered to every indulgence.
For corporate gatherings, weddings, and events, the hotel boasted an elegant ballroom and banquet rooms capable of accommodating up to 600 guests, ensuring a seamless blend of sophistication and functionality. Meanwhile, the outdoor Olympic-size pool, fitness centre, and spa facilities epitomized luxury and wellness, offering guests the pinnacle of relaxation and rejuvenation.
As preparations unfolded for my family’s imminent arrival, I found solace in the warm embrace of Iraqi and Indian management colleagues. With full-board family accommodation secured in a spacious two-bedroom suite overlooking the Tigris River, I embarked on my role as an expatriate manager with a strong sense of purpose.
While my primary focus remained on laying the groundwork for my burgeoning global career, I willingly assumed additional responsibilities at the request of the General Manager. Tasked with overseeing the welfare of 52 Sri Lankan employees, I embraced this role with enthusiasm, cognizant of the importance of fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. As I settled into my new job, I reflected with satisfaction: “Here I am at age 35, finally as an expatriate manager, living in the luxurious confines of a five-star hotel in a foreign land.”
Founded in 1600 as a trading enterprise, the English East India company gradually transformed into a colonial power.
By the late 18th Century, as it tightened its grip on India, company officials began commissioning Indian artists – many formerly employed by the Mughals – to create striking visual records of the land they were now ruling.
A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings, c. 1790 to 1835, an ongoing show in the Indian capital put together by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), features over 200 works that once lay on the margins of mainstream art history. It is India’s largest exhibition of company paintings, highlighting their rich diversity and the skill of Indian artists.
Painted by largely unnamed artists, these paintings covered a wide range of subjects, but mainly fall into three categories: natural history, like botanical studies; architecture, including monuments and scenic views of towns and landscapes; and Indian manners and customs.
“The focus on these three subject areas reflects European engagements with their Indian environment in an attempt to come to terms with all that was unfamiliar to Western eyes,” says Giles Tillotson of DAG, who curated the show.
“Europeans living in India were delighted to encounter flora and fauna that were new to them, and ancient buildings in exotic styles. They met – or at least observed – multitudes of people whose dress and habits were strange but – as they began to discern – were linked to stream of religious belief and social practice.”
Beyond natural history, India’s architectural heritage captivated European visitors.
Before photography, paintings were the best way to document travels, and iconic Mughal monuments became prime subjects. Patrons soon turned to skilled local artists.
Beyond the Taj Mahal, popular subjects included Agra Fort, Jama Masjid, Buland Darwaza, Sheikh Salim Chishti’s tomb at Fatehpur Sikri (above), and Delhi’s Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb.
The once-obscure and long-anonymous Indian artist Sita Ram, who painted the tomb, was one of them.
From June 1814 to early October 1815, Sita Ram travelled extensively with Francis Rawdon, also known as the Marquess of Hastings, who had been appointed as the governor general in India in 1813 and held the position for a decade. (He is not to be confused with Warren Hastings, who served as India’s first governor general much earlier.)
The largest group in this collection is a set of botanical watercolours, likely from Murshidabad or Maidapur (in present-day West Bengal).
While Murshidabad was the Nawab of Bengal’s capital, the East India Company operated there. In the late 18th century, nearby Maidapur briefly served as a British base before Calcutta’s (now Kolkata) rise eclipsed it.
Originally part of the Louisa Parlby Album – named after the British woman who compiled it while her husband, Colonel James Parlby, served in Bengal – the works likely date to the late 18th Century, before Louisa’s return to Britain in 1801.
“The plants represented in the paintings are likely quite illustrative of what could be found growing in both the well-appointed gardens as well as the more marginal spaces of common greens, waysides and fields in the Murshidabad area during the late eighteenth century,” writes Nicolas Roth of Harvard University.
“These are familiar plants, domestic and domesticated, which helped constitute local life worlds and systems of meaning, even as European patrons may have seen them mainly as exotica to be collected.”
Another painting from the collection is of a temple procession showing a Shiva statue on an ornate platform carried by men, flanked by Brahmins and trumpeters.
At the front, dancers with sticks perform under a temporary gateway, while holy water is poured on them from above.
Labeled Ouricaty Tirounal, it depicts a ritual from Thirunallar temple in Karaikal in southern India, capturing a rare moment from a 200-year-old tradition.
By the late 18th Century, company paintings had become true collaborations between European patrons and Indian artists.
Art historian Mildred Archer called them a “fascinating record of Indian social life,” blending the fine detail of Mughal miniatures with European realism and perspective.
Regional styles added richness – Tanjore artists, for example, depicted people of various castes, shown with tools of their trade. These albums captured a range of professions – nautch girls, judges, sepoys, toddy tappers, and snake charmers.
“They catered to British curiosity while satisfying European audience’s fascination with the ‘exoticism’ of Indian life,” says Kanupriya Sharma of DAG.
Most studies of company painting focus on British patronage, but in south India, the French were commissioning Indian artists as early as 1727.
A striking example is a set of 48 paintings from Pondicherry – uniform in size and style – showing the kind of work French collectors sought by 1800.
One painting (above) shows 10 men in hats and loincloths rowing through surf. A French caption calls them nageurs (swimmers) and the boat a chilingue.
Among the standout images are two vivid scenes by an artist known as B, depicting boatmen navigating the rough Coromandel coast in stitched-plank rowboats.
With no safe harbours near Madras or Pondicherry, these skilled oarsmen were vital to European trade, ferrying goods and people through dangerous surf between anchored ships and the shore.
Company paintings often featured natural history studies, portraying birds, animals, and plants – especially from private menageries.
As seen in the DAG show, these subjects are typically shown life-size against plain white backgrounds, with minimal surroundings – just the occasional patch of grass. The focus remains firmly on the species itself.
Ashish Anand, CEO of DAG says the the latest show proposes company paintings as the “starting point of Indian modernism”.
Anand says this “was the moment when Indian artists who had trained in courtly ateliers first moved outside the court (and the temple) to work for new patrons”.
“The agendas of those patrons were not tied up with courtly or religious concerns; they were founded on scientific enquiry and observation,” he says.
“Never mind that the patrons were foreigners. What should strike us now is how Indian artists responded to their demands, creating entirely new templates of Indian art.”
[BBC]
Questions continue to be speculated about the true intentions of the JVP in orchestrating the NPP government – whether the JVP is still committed to its old Marxist-Leninist policies and whether it may or may not implement them through its NPP front. Further, will the JVP/NPP allow Sri Lanka’s multi-party democracy to continue or resort to one party governance like in countries where a Communist Party is in power. The fact that local government elections were held under an NPP government after a seven year hiatus is conveniently forgotten. That the LG elections had previously been postponed and cancelled by non-Marxist governments is now never mentioned.
And then the scaremongering – if the NPP government were to fail and suffer defeat at the next election, will it pave the way for the return of the Rajapaksas, yet again, but this time under a new generation led by the supposedly hugely talented Namal Rajapaksa? There were pre-election predictions that Namal Rajapaksa and the rump that is left of the SLPP might overtake Sajith Premadasa’s SJB in the LG elections. That did not happen.
The Rajapaksa scion is still safely in third place by quite a distance after the SJB and its lackluster leader, the slightly older but still the only young Premadasa in Sri Lankan politics. For company, they have a really old man, i.e., Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is capable of many things, but gracefully retiring is not one of them. At least, and to his credit, he lives in his own house and takes no residential perk at government expense unlike all the other ex-presidential freeloaders.
Philistine Preoccupations
It is not unfair to say that most of their commentaries are nothing but philistine preoccupations passing for serious politics. The word ‘philistine’ was a favourite term of Engels (the second fiddle to Marx’s first violin) and it is appropriate now since Marxism is at the tip of the tongue of everyone who wants to take a shot at the NPP government. The term is also apt to fling at the right wing populists, who are now becoming less popular in their western backyards thanks to their greatest specimen – Donald J. Trump
And what a specimen Trump is constantly devolving into – the latest stage being his disgusting White House encounter last Wednesday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Less said of it is better for your bile and if you saw it on television you would have instantly noticed the difference between a contemptible mammon out of Florida and a consummate statesman from Soweto.
As epithets are flung around to capture the antics of Trump, the latest comes from the usually measured Paul Krugman, distinguished American economist who was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize for his work on “trade patterns and location of economic activity.” Krugman knows something about tariffs and economics, and the other day he called Trump and his sidekicks “sadistic zombies”.
Many among the Sri Lankan opposition politicians might be considered zombies, but none of them could be thought of as being sadistic. To close this loop on Trump and his dystopic global presence, one needs to acknowledge his primeval effectiveness in pushing people around to get his way. More so with foreign leaders than his opponents at home. But he uses this effectiveness to feed his ego and enrich his family and not at all to make a difference in the world’s trouble spots where the American government has more sway than anyone else.
This was quite evident on Trump’s recent visit to the Arab world that was all about glitter and one-way gifts including a flying palace, and nothing at all for American foreign policy, let alone for the wretched of the earth in Gaza or the slow burning of Ukraine. One noticeable fact of the visit was Trump’s deliberate snubbing of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Not only did Trump go to Riyad and Doha bypassing Jerusalem but he also sent a message to Netanyahu that he would deal directly with Netanyahu’s enemies including Hamas, Iran and the Houthis. To what great outcome, no one knows. At the same time, Trump’s apparent sidelining of Netanyahu together with the joint condemnation of Netanyahu’s latest Gaza plans by Britain, France and Canada, seemed to tighten the screws on Netanyahu and signaled a new opportunity for reining in Israel’s runaway leader and his notoriously right wing government.
All that came crashing down with the insane assassination, on Wednesday, of two young Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington by a lone gunman, 30 year old Chicago native Elias Rodriguez, shouting “Free, free, Palestine”. All that this politically deranged individual has achieved is to free Netanyahu to go ahead with his Gaza plans and to prolong the misery of the Palestinians who are under constant bombardment in Gaza.
Sri Lanka’s Durable Political System
Today’s Sri Lanka is fortunate to have finally come out of its own decades of political violence, and after several missed opportunities following the end of the war in 2009, the country finally has a government that for its all its inexperience in governing has shown consistent commitment to honesty, decency and transparency. Yet many commentators are rankled by the irony that a government whose political progenitor was a violent insurrectionist could now be a paragon of multi-party democracy.
Their constant allusion to Marxism is really a code for recalling the JVP’s violent past. Never mind that the past had come and gone 30 and 50 years ago. They conveniently ignore the possibility that the JVP could have and may actually have transformed itself from its pre-history to its current manifestation. Its current commitment to the parliamentary system and multi-party democracy is no less authentic than any of the other political parties. If at all, the JVP/NPP is more honest about it than every other party.
As well, those who agonize that the JVP might terminate Sri Lanka’s muti-party democracy and opt for some version of the political systems in countries such as Vietnam, China, Russia or even Cuba, fail to take into account the history and the currency of Sri Lanka’s political system that has proved to be quite durable, so much so that any political party that that tries to subvert or supplant it will do so at its own peril. And Sri Lanka’s political system, its history and currency are not comparable to what are prevalent in the four countries that I have mentioned.
The governing parties in these countries have been in power for as long as their polities have been existing, and they have no reason to think of changing their respective mode of government now or later. In contrast, the JVP/NPP government has come to power through the electoral process, and it has no incentive to think of changing that process now or later. Sri Lanka’s political system has not been without ailments, and the most debilitating of them has been the presidential system. And the JVP/NPP is the only political organization in the country that is fervently committed to curing Sri Lanka of that enervating illness. Whether it will keep its promise and succeed in changing the executive presidency is a different matter. It is the only party that is committed to changing the presidency, whereas all the others have tried to use it to serve their own ends.
Indian Comparisons
What is more comparable for Sri Lanka is the experience of the Indian states of Kerala and West Bengal where the Indian Communists have won power through the electoral process on many occasions and acquitted themselves very well in government. In modern Kerala’s first state election in 1957, EMS Namboodiripad led the then undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) to electoral victory and a new government. That was India’s first elected Communist Government, and the world’s second – after the first elected Communist government (1945-1957) in San Marino, the tiny commune of a country in the Italian peninsula.
But the government was dismissed in 1959 by the Central Government at the insistence of a young Indira Gandhi using her influence as the President of the Congress Party, even sidelining her father and then Prime Minister Nehru. But Communists have become a governing force in Kerala forming several governments over the years led by the CPM (the Communist Party of India – Marxist), the larger of the two factions that emerged after the Party’s ideological split in 1964. The current government in Kerala is the government of the Left Democratic Front that is led by the CPM. The LDF has been in power since 2016 – winning two consecutive elections, a feat not achieved in 40 years.
In West Bengal, the CPM was in power continuously for 34 years from 1977 to 2011. Jyoti Basu of national prominence was Chief Minister from 1977 to 2000 and is recognized as the longest serving Chief Minister in India. In 1996, he was offered the chance to become India’s Prime Minister as head of a United Front alliance of non-Congress and non-BJP parties. But the great Bengali declined the offer in deference to his Party Polit Bureau’s lamebrained doctrinaire decision barring him from becoming Prime Minister in a coalition government. Unlike in Kerala, the CPM has not been able to alternate in government after its defeat in 2011. The Party was decimated in the 2021 national and State elections in West Bengal by Trinamool Congress a state-level party like Tamil Nadu’s DMK.
What the JVP/NPP has achieved in Sri Lanka is unique to Sri Lanka and, comparable to the Indian situations, the NPP’s electoral success poses no threat to the political system in Sri Lanka. The NPP government has completed only six months in office, but its critics are insistent on seeing results. They will not bother to look at what the present government’s predecessors respectively did in the first six months after elections in 2010, 2015 and 2019. At the same time, while is still too early for substantial results, it is getting late enough to get by without showing some work in progress, let alone some tangible achievements. It is about time.
by Rajan Philips
Book review
I was pleasantly surprised to receive recently, from Shashikala Premawardhane, Sri Lanka High Commissioner in Singapore at the time, a volume that commemorated half a century of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Entitled Singapore and Sri Lanka at 50: Perspectives from Sri Lanka, it had been published in 2023. The High Commissioner had handed over the editing of the book to two Sri Lankans and a Singaporean, who had chosen a range of topics to cover.
I was struck by the fact that I knew just four of the contributors, with a nodding acquaintance with two Foreign Service members who had contributed. I think this was because the work had been entrusted to younger writers and scholars, with particular interest in the fields they covered. So, it was just three of the economists, and reliable Prof Amal Jayawardane whom I knew, the latter from our time together on the Board of the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies.
It surprised me that we had only established diplomatic relations 50 years ago, but as the then Foreign Secretary put it, the relationship went back for well over a century before that, practically to the time when Singapore was established by Sir Stamford Raffles. The first section of the book records the many emigrants from here, who established themselves in business and professions, with several senior Singaporean politicians having Sri Lankan roots. There is much too about the Amarasuriya family which married into B.P. de Silva’s, who had set up the iconic B P de Silva jewellery firm, and also about doctors and lawyers.
I did however miss mention of the first Supreme Court judge from Sri Lanka, Justice Kulasekeram, who had worked for many years in Colombo and was then put on the Supreme Court when he migrated to Singapore by Chief Justice Sir Alan Rose. Rose, it may be remembered, had been Attorney General here and then Chief Justice, but was forced to leave by Sir John Kotelawala for his role in promoting Dudley Senanayake as Prime Minister when D S died suddenly.
But this section, on Historical and Social Relations, also has an incisive article by one of our brighter young diplomats, Madhuka Wickramaarachchi, about Singapore’s Language Policy, which has contributed so effectively to nation building whereas our selectivity has been so destructive of national unity. Without preaching, Madhuka makes clear how much we can learn, and that it is not too late to change our focus.
The second section, about Economic and Investment relations, begins with an article that is essentially about Prima. Following a long relationship with this country after it was established in Singapore in 1961, Prima was an early example of the Foreign Direct Investment the Jayewardene government encouraged from 1977. Having come in then, it has expanded over the years and now provides much employment in this country.
The next two chapters in this section are primarily about the new opportunities opened up by the relatively recent Sri Lanka Singapore Free Trade Agreement, and there is much detail about what has happened and what could happen, though I cannot comment on all this since it is not an area I know much about.
But I should note that I would have welcomed more attention to the work of a firm that came in nearly half a century back, the Overseas Realty Group which built the World Trade Centre, and then started work on Havelock City and persisted, despite the various problems this country faced. I believe they are a byword for integrity, which perhaps explains why this country has not taken more advantage of their predilection for investment here.
The third section, on Perspectives on Security and Counter Terrorism, is also something I know little about, though I found the account of the cooperation in this field of the two countries interesting, and also how information has been shared with regard to combating terrorism, with Singapore having links with other countries that enables it to be a helpful resource for less sophisticated countries like ours.
And the last chapter in this section highlights something we need to take seriously, the need for better coordination with regard to what is described as security architecture, and not only with regard to cyber security which is the focus of this piece. The sad story of what happened in 2018, before the Easter bombings, makes clear how destructive our failure to coordinate – and not only with regard to security – can be.
The next section of Diplomacy and Multilateralism lays out clearly the opportunities we missed when we might have joined ASEAN when it was set up. This was initially because of Dudley Senanayake’s worries about what seemed its pro-American tilt. Later, when Ranasinghe Premadasa was keen to renew dialogue, we were told to go away, but I suspect this was in part because J R Jayewardene and the foreign policy dispensation was not too keen on the sort of innovations Premadasa advocated.
Interestingly, after Amal Jayawardane’s piece on the need for closer cooperation with ASEAN, there is a fascinating article about cooperation during the pandemic, which suggests we could take this dimension further. The same goes for the area explored in the last section, on Environment and Climate Change. The first article there draws attention to the need to look at Climate Change in terms of a National Security Issue, and suggests areas of common concern to both our island states.
And fascinating was the last article in the book on Wetland Conservation, which draws attention to an area in which we can easily do more work, and cooperate with Singapore on productive initiatives. In this context I am saddened that a project which I am told Ruwan Wijewardene had supported when in the President’s Office to renew mangrove cover has now floundered, because no one in the Prime Minister’s Office, where the proposal now rests, has the energy or the will to take it further.
I don’t suppose anyone in the Prime Minister’s office has read this admirable book, but it is a pity that those in charge of policy are not encouraged to do so, both there and in the President’s office, and to look at the many ideas for future development that the book suggests.
Singapore and Sri Lanka at 50: Perspectives from Sri Lanka
an anthology reviewed by Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha
India’s colonial past revealed through 200 masterful paintings
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Nuwara-Eliya and Kandy districts.
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