Features
Wiggy may outwit GR-MR and TNA
Tamil Buddhism and oldness of Sinhala lingo are beside the point
by Kumar David
Justice Wigneswaran is not laying traps to snare GR-MR or the TNA; that’s not the import of my title. I am suggesting is that wily old Wiggy is calculating that these worthies will snare themselves in traps of their own making, and then his line will pay off. His expectation is that the regime will turn explicitly anti-Tamil and his second calculation is that the TNA is too deeply mired in compromises to extricate itself. Of course, I am attributing motives to him; but in politics it’s okay for analysts to make assumptions about why leaders do this or that and I am within limits of fairness in imputing not unreasonable motives to Wiggy.
This of course is in addition to the fun he must be having watching Field Marshals and Rear Admirals frothing at the mouth. The more they froth the better it plays into his gambit. The old fox’s trick is to say incendiary stuff like: ‘Tamil was the original language of the island, the Sinhala tongue emerged only in the Sixth or Seventh Century AD’; ‘Tamils were the first Buddhists in Lanka and switched to Saivism in early BC’; ‘Dushata Kaamini was a Tamil Buddhist fighting Ellalan a Tamil Saivite’. Stuff like that, even if true, the mere utterance will make ‘hela, jathika, abimane’ blood boil.
Leaving to one side whether Wiggy is stirring things up for larks or for political gain, what’s the historical and anthropological evidence. The Wiggy-Fonny adipudi seemed at first a brawl between two ageing crack-pots and I thought experts would weigh in and sort out fact from fiction sans ethnic and ideological bias. But all experts have chickened out, which tells us how explosive the topic is. I have over the years done some amateur reading so fools need to drift in where angels are cowardly to tread. I don’t care whether Tamil, Sinhalese or Double-Dutch is older or whether the Tamils or the Sinhalese first sniffed religious opium. What I have learnt is from writings of Lanka’s best historian, Leslie (RALH) Gunawardena and anthropologist Sudarshan Seneviratne. I am also very familiar with Indrapala’s excellent Evolution of Ethnic Identity, portions of K.M. de Silva’s tome, what was readily available of Gananath, and Wikipedia level stuff. Let me blurt out this little learning till an expert picks up the courage to speak.
Yes, Tamil is one of the oldest living languages; living means it is still spoken. Chinese, Greek and Tamil may be the oldest. Second, many (most?) Tamils in South India and Lanka were Buddhists in ‘BC times’ before the onward march of Saivism inundated them in ‘AD times’, especially during the apogee of Chola power. There is evidence of widespread practice of Buddhism and Jainism in Southern India and the northern and eastern parts of this island before it was pushed out between the first century BC and the third century AD. The third point is what has got the experts into a funk; they don’t want to be lynched. Sinhala became the lingua franca of southern Lanka during the fifth to sixth centuries AD; that is quite recently. The language of the elite and the clergy prior to Mahavamsa times was Prakrit while a classical version called Pali was used by the learned. In olden times the mass of the people, a few thousand, lived in small tribes and communities and a collective name for their speech is Hela or Elu or Helu; hence the case made by certain pundits for going back to the original Hela stuff has a point.
Vijaya and his horde were a raiding band who spoke an Indian dialect and were assimilated by the tribes and communities who proliferated across the island. Only a few hundred strong they could not have made large sperm donations. The originals in the north were tribal groups but linguistically Tamilised by South Indian migration from BC times. Genetically, Tamil and Sinhalese folk are to a large extent, descendants of these tribal pools though these days all they want to do is gouge each other’s eyes out. Then the interesting bit follows. The difference between our warring idiots is not race – they are much the same gene pool – it is ethnic, that is language, religion and culture. After the high period of Chola conquest two separate cultures ossified in different portions of the island among racially similar peoples. These are the two mentally retarded communities we confront today; this comes across clearly in Leslie and Indrapala’s writings but they put it politely. However, propensity for conflict does not disappear; ethnicities can hate each other as much as races because friction is about material and social benefits. But hopefully, if the mass mind knows that the two are of racially the same stock in conflict over benefits and politics, visceral hatred of the ‘other’ may diminish.
Wiggy suspects that the GR-MR government will screw the Muslims first and then turn on the Tamils. He like the rest of us is anticipating tough times ahead for economy and at that time what is more profitable for the regime than the race-card? Many Venerables and State and Cabinet Ministers are merchants of death that GR-MR dare not leash, and that indicates where power lies. The TNA is too compromised. Its efforts were not unprincipled; it correctly judged that without a deal with the Sinhalese the Tamils will get nowhere. It picked on yahapalana because the UNP is liberal as opposed to the SLPP and SLFP which are of Sinhala-Buddhist ethos. The poor sods ended up as empty handed as Chelva and the FP but not quite as stone dead as Prabakaran. It seems unlikely that the TNA can rise again, but true, stranger things have happened.
Moody’s Investor Service last week dropped Lanka’s sovereign rating from B2 to Caa1, a two-tier drop bypassing B3. The agency defines Caa as “speculative, of poor standing and subject to very high credit risk”; that is junk! The corresponding grade in Standard & Poor and Fitch is CCC, CC or C. While rating agencies have responsibility to both lender and debtor the double whammy is harsh; a one tier downgrade was unavoidable since medium-term prospects for the economy are poor. Recent improvements (remittances rising to pre-COVID levels, sharp reduction in imports, fall in 2020 balance of payments deficit from a feared $8 billion to an expected $6 billion deficit, and enhanced activity in the domestic economy) though loudly touted by the Finance Ministry seem to have been dismissed by the agency as short-term gains. Sadly, the outlook is a looming fiscal (budget) deficit, deterioration of asset quality and a depressing employment picture. Not all of Cabraal’s rantings could have deflected a one-tier downgrade. Wiggy reckons that the regime will go after the minorities when troubles multiply. Maybe he reckons ‘Why would a post-20A regime not do just what autocrats do when cornered by a flailing economy?’
Wiggy is palpably mischievous and enjoys baiting the ‘hela, jathika, abimane’ fraternity. For proof peruse the hundreds of naïve, goofy and brain-dead comments following any Wiggy piece in the Colombo Telegraph. On the serious side I think he calculates that Tamil leadership will go next to the one who walks the talk; he who is most boldly Tamil! Though Tamil militancy was the outcome of Sinhala politics even a militant Wiggy will eventually have to cut a deal; there is no other option. The Tamil stand-off has no realisable solution other than cutting a deal with the Sinhalese state. Muslims have always been of this view. Wiggy is upper middle-class; a liberal intellectual who speaks and writes the Queen’s English like, well like a judge. He is a Royalist who must have just missed entry to S. Thomas’ by a few marks. But strangely he is also an obscurantist. I don’t know what to make of a man who is a devotee of the late Swami Premananda convicted on multiple counts of murder and rape in India in 1997. See-
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._V._Vigneswaran and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Premananda_(guru)]
Late Note:
Though the infection rate is now declining the 1000+ that tested positive for COVID in the Gampaha District signal a ‘community outbreak’ described as spread by mechanisms that cannot be traced to contact with a ‘recently-returned person’ or foreign visitor. This is alarming; community outbreaks are very difficult to control; no one knows where this sneaky bug is hiding. If GR and team impose production and industry disrupting curfews again, damage to the economy will be devastating and follow hard on Moody’s downgrade of our credit rating to junk. In the wake of previous mutilation this will act as a geometric multiplier. The possible closure of BIA will further deflate business confidence. If the economy goes into a tailspin the regime will need some drama to distract attention: Dump 20A? Blame minorities for something? Discover ever more welcome crimes of the “previous regime”? The second possibility relates to today’s column.
On 9 August, the Indian city of Kolkata was shaken when a trainee doctor was found raped and murdered at one of its oldest hospitals. Though an arrest was swiftly made, accusations of a cover-up and evidence-tampering quickly surfaced, fuelling public outrage. Since then, daily protests, human chains and candlelight vigils have filled Kolkata’s streets. Now, the city’s largest festival unfolds amid some of the city’s most fervent protests in years.
Kolkata is celebrating its biggest annual festival – Durga Puja, when the ten-armed Goddess Durga is said to visit her earthly home, her entire family in tow.
At Durga Puja pandals – or temporary temples – the goddess stands in the middle astride a lion, flanked by her children – elephant-headed Ganesha, warrior god Kartikeya on his peacock, the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati – while the defeated buffalo demon lies at her feet, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.
These days, it’s not just the gods that draw the crowds. The pandals have become quite elaborate. Some recreate landmarks like Dubai’s Burj Khalifa or the mangrove forests of Sundarbans. Others are installations with social messaging – conserve water, pray for world peace, save handicrafts.
That led to Durga Puja being billed as one of the biggest street art festivals in the world. Arts organisation Mass Art has been putting together previews of selected Pujas, especially so that foreign guests can get a sense, says its secretary, Dhrubajyoti Bose Suvo, of how a “city transforms into a public gallery”.
But this year, the largest street art event of the city has come face to face with the biggest street protests Kolkata has seen in years. Some of the idols are different, and even the artwork on the walls reflects anguish and protest with figures of women and animals rendered in stark red, black and white.
The protests broke out after the 31-year-old doctor was found brutally killed at RG Kar Medical College on the night of 9 August. After a gruelling 36-hour shift, she had fallen asleep in a seminar room due to the lack of a designated rest area. Her half-naked body, bearing severe injuries, was discovered the next morning on the podium.
“Of course there is an effect of the incident on us,” says visual artist Sanatan Dinda. “I do not paint inside an ivory tower. I speak of the society around me in my work.” Upset over the incident, Dinda resigned from a government-run arts organisation. He says, “Now I am on the streets with everyone else. Now I have no fear.”
In September, Dinda and the clay artists who built the Durga images in the historic artisan neighbourhood of Kumartuli led a protest march demanding justice for the woman they called “our Durga”.
Dinda says he has made “improvisations” to the Durga images he was working on this year.
At one in Bagha Jatin in south Kolkata, his mother Goddess looks more fierce than maternal. The lion she normally rides is springing out of her chest. Each of her ten arms holds a spear to slay evil. The artwork on the walls reflects anguish and protest with figures of naked women and animals rendered in stark red, black and white.
Art as protest is not new.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Defacement, commemorating the 1983 police killing of a man allegedly writing graffiti in the New York subway, found renewed relevance during the Black Lives Matter movement. Public artists like Jenny Holzer, Keith Haring, Diego Rivera, and Banksy – whose stencils span walls from Kyiv to the West Bank – have long used art to deliver political messages.
Durga Puja art is public art, but it’s also central to a religious festival that fuels the state’s economy. A British Council report valued Durga Puja’s 2019 economic impact at over $4.5bn, nearly 3% of West Bengal state’s GDP.
With so much at stake, neighbourhood clubs organising pujas have to tread warily. They cannot alienate thousands of ordinary citizens looking for a good time, not a sermon. They get financial grants from the government that’s facing the protests. They have to work with the police on permits and traffic control.
A few have opted to forego taking money from the government.
One puja in Kankurgachi, in the northeastern side of the city, chose Lajja (Shame) as its theme after the protests erupted. Its Durga is covering her eyes, her lion keeping vigil over the body of a woman wrapped in a white sheet. The organiser is openly affiliated with the state’s opposition party.
Close by, another puja creates a tableau of the bereaved family, the mother sitting on the bed, the father at a sewing machine, their daughter’s picture in doctor’s scrubs on the wall. Other organisers are more circumspect, not wanting to wade into political waters.
“But we still want to make a point, especially as a women-led women-run club,” says Mousumi Dutta, president of the Arjunpur Amra Sabai Club.
Their theme this year is Discrimination. The artist uses the Constitution of India and its articles promising equality as the backdrop to the goddess while local actors enact the gap between the promise of the Constitution and reality through street theatre.
The theme had been decided earlier but the tragedy gave it a different urgency. “We have decided to not call this year’s Durga Puja a festival,” says Dutta. “We are calling it a pledge instead. A pledge to create a world where we won’t have to keep coming out on to the streets to demand justice.”
The demand for justice for a woman resonates with Durga Puja anyway, a festival built around a goddess vanquishing evil. One puja had already chosen women power as its theme which now matches the zeitgeist.
Durga puja theme designers say they were already neck-deep in work when the protests erupted.
“Perhaps if it had happened earlier it would have been different. By August I was committed to the organisers and to some 450 people working with me,” says Susanta Shibani Pal. But he says the issue “subconsciously” crept into the art.
His installation Biheen (The Void) for the Tala Prattoy puja, covers 35,000 sq ft, immersing the viewer into what he calls a “black hole”.
His Durga has no body, her life force represented by a flickering candle, much like the candles that are part of the protests. “A viewer might read this as my protest. I might call it coincidence. I started this work before RG Kar happened,” he said.
While some are bringing the mood of protest into their Durga Puja art, others are bringing protest art to their Durga Puja. Chandreyee Chatterjee’s family has been celebrating Durga Puja at their home in Kolkata for 16 years. Chatterjee also participated in many of the street protests.
She admits she was in no mood to celebrate this year. They will still have a Durga Puja but with a difference. “We will do what the rituals require, nothing more. Anything that comes under the heading of celebration, like dancing, is being done away with this year.”
She and her friends have also had an artistic little badge made. It shows a hand grasping a flaming torch. Underneath in Bengali are the words “We want justice.”
“I will be giving it to friends and family who come to our Puja,” says Chatterjee. “We want to remind people we have a long long way to go.”
[BBC]
Things are moving forward in the right direction under the interim triumvirate Cabinet of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Amarasuriya and Minister of several ministries – Vijitha Herath. A new system is obviously set in place and we are hopeful for the future of Sri Lanka. Officials of the government have successfully negotiated with the IMF so we are safely assured of financial help. These are further loans, but we do not shiver as we did under previous regimes because repayment had to be done and we lacked faith in those previous regimes.
Why can this renewed faith be repaid in due course? Because the most damning curse that throttled the country is to be curtailed and eliminated– corruption that syphoned off millions to private pockets. Cass remembers jubilation when the first IMF tranche was given SL. It was like a gift being given, forgetting that it was a further loan to be repaid. No such nonsensical celebration this time.
One warning that wiser counsel gives is hemin, hemin. Many shout for quick action from outside and within the JVP, too. People are asking for this and that and mostly that the corrupt be caught and punished. There is time for that. First priority is to improve the economy of the country. We have confidence in the new President that he will set priorities in government action and will see they are followed.
Interview with NPPer
Much of the caution Cass advocates in her previous paragraphs was pronounced loud, clear and authoritatively by the NPP Executive Committee member Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara in an interview with Alanki on the Conversation talk show. Its subject of discussion was the immediate future after the general elections, in particular the law and order policies and action taken or proposed. Harshana was very vocal as he usually is and spoke clearly, precisely and very convincingly, Cass opines.
The first criminal incident discussed was the bond scam; next was the Easter Sunday attack. The interviewer then moved to the subjects: abolition of the Presidency; new Constitution and position of women and children. In the first two undertakings, the question asked by the public is how soon will the corrupt be exposed and punished. This was Alanki’s tag to most of her questions
Harshana’s replies were minus rhetoric, instead sensible and to be approved of by the wise, mature and staid citizens of the country. Firebrands and youth in a hurry to witness punishment were told in no uncertain terms that all the above takes time; that the new government will not rush into matters, particularly ‘catching rogues’ and meting out punishment. Harshana made it very clear that each case will be studied very carefully and action will be taken. He said that most financial crimes are committed 100% cautiously and cleverly, with no trails left, but ‘crumbs’ may be lying around.
These can be picked up and worked on by very smart and trained sleuths, given complete freedom to get on with their work, especially political or ‘high-up’ pressure. However, he judiciously noted that even suspected criminals, if law and justice cannot prove them guilty, will go free.
He gave the assurance that the arms of law and judiciary will be given independence and freedom to work with no governmental interference, least of all influence. Another fact he emphasised was that no timeline nor time of accomplishing such undertakings could be given. However, results will be given before the five years of the NPP government are over; more so closure to the Easter tragedy.
Corruption, he made clear, calls for elimination but alongside prevention is important. To ensure the latter he said one method was to reduce interaction of government officials and members of the public. This to be achieved by increased digital services and more transactions between the public and government officials to be on-line. Institutions will be made accountable. He also noted that checks and balances were required.
He mentioned we have 21 amendments to the Constitution. A new one will be placed before the country. Work had already been started by previous governments but they lacked the will to complete the job. The NPP government would achieve this, since committees are already working on it.
Thus, the abolition of the post of president. Cass’ gut feeling is that the majority of Sri Lankans want this and a return to parliamentary system as pre-1977. Cass’ additional other personal gut feeling is that the presidency should be eliminated after Prez AKD’s term or just before it ends. We need a sole leader to control and further the good policies outlined.
What was mentioned was that women’s and children’s issues, which differ, will be given consideration and corrections made. Idea is for 50% representation in government and other institutions by women. Awareness creation and education were still necessary to bring about gender equality. Policies would be outlined and implemented and antiquated laws be abolished or revised to create inclusive societies. However, laws alone cannot achieve equality.
Harshana mentioned that the northern issue or problem would be dealt with.
However, it is hoped that the NPP will not receive a 2/3 majority in Parliament. That is not at all healthy and has proved to be disastrous in Sri Lankan politics. A hope that Cass harbours is that a sort of cooperative government will be the necessary outcome of the 14 Nov. general election. Twenty five Cabinet Ministers is what is stipulated by the NPP. Fine. Hope is that among them will be outstanding persons from other parties – the SJB and others. Cass bravely names two: President’s Counsel M A Sumanthiran and Attorney–at-Law Aly Sabry who have proved to be highly competent and country-loyal politicians sans racial and religious biases.
Exposes
MTV Channel 1 is telecasting a programme on corruption in Sri Lanka. The series is titled, “What happened to Sri Lanka” and we have been given details of the Teasury bond scams during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s premiership; Sri Lankan Airlines’ nosedive after President Mahinda Rajapaksa sacked the SriLankan Airlines CEO. It was also revealed how brother-in-law, who was SriLankan Chairman rerouted flights arbitrarily. Also documented and aired over were President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s disastrous ban on agrochemicals. Uncovered also was the import of thousands of cows to boost milk production. Instead they infected local cattle, fell sick and soon died. But, of course, some people collected huge commissions, we believe. All these were heinous ways of earning money for some. They happened during the elitist families’ regimes; the R brothers, too, considered elitist. So, having a non-elitist leader and most probably a government of the non-rich persons, we may be on a path of good governance at long last. No wonder a descendent of the truly elite – the first PM of Ceylon and Father of the Nation – voted for the NPP at the presidential election and will surely vote for NPP contenders in the forthcoming election too.
The world scene is gloomy. Two wars, one in the Middle East threatening to conflagrate due mostly to the stubbornness of Hamas and Hezbollah and of course Israeli Netanyahu, rage on. The race for the White House is still said to be neck to neck, unbelievable to us over here that Trump is still running strong against eminently suitable Kamala Harris. We turn inward from these to feel a sense of satisfaction that our bankrupt nation is being given a chance to change and be what it could and should be. So, on that hopeful note Cassandra says her goodbye for a week
by Eng Parakrama Jayasinghe
parajayasinghe@gmail.com
A new Dawn
It is everyone’s hope that we could at last be moving towards a new dawn of prosperity and a future of sustainable growth in all aspects of economy and social wellbeing. With the President Anura Kumara Dissanayake leading the way. This hope is most prevalent in the energy sector, which has remained in the clutches of the fossil fuel lobby. While the transport fuels still remain near 100% dependent on imported fossil fuels, energy sources used for the generation of electricity have shown some progress in gaining none dependence on such imports using indigenous sources of renewable energy. While the present contribution of only 12% of the total energy mix by electricity may not seem significant , what is more important is to recognise that electricity being the most desired and flexible form of energy for energy sector of energy demand , projects a future of near 100% electricity based energy sector, by the optimal utilisation of our bounty of nature. Sri Lanka is blessed with renewable energy sources of magnitude which is far beyond the energy needs of the country, covering all sectors, many fold even with the projected growth over many decades,
This is even more significant is the fact that Sri Lanka has no indigenous fossil fuels, which makes it imperative that we utilise this bounty to arrest the continual drain of the valuable foreign reserves, as fast as possible. The great fortune of advances in technologies in recent years enabling the development of such renewable energy without delay should therefore take the highest priority of the new government.
The recent presidential election has brought to the sharp focus the urgency of this with the realisation that it is the present unwise dependence on imported sources of fossil fuel which is the primary reason for the fall of the previous government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the false claims of energy security claimed by the last interim government’s defeat.
The more pragmatic Vision of the New Government
The established policy of reaching a target of 70% contribution of renewable energy for electricity generation by year 2030 have been confirmed by all presidential candidates, as well as the eventual achievement of status of zero emissions by 2050. with even more focus by the NPP.
Under these circumstances, it is topical to discuss the way forward and the path that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake would choose in arriving at these targets, particularly since the portfolio of Energy is listed under his purview, which we hope he would retain after the parliamentary elections and the formation of the new cabinet of ministers.
It is therefore relevant to be reminded of the references made in the Presidential Manifesto on the energy sector., which has laid much emphasis and recognition of the bountiful renewable energy resources of Sri Lanka. The much wider relevance and the potential of such resources to play a major role in the economy beyond mere supply of energy to the other sectors of energy, is for the first time has been recognised by the policy makers. The section title of the Manifesto on energy itself highlights this recognition: 3.10 A Secured Energy Centre – A sustainable Revenue Resource”
This is further elaborated by the item listed as the “Principles”
- Energy as an essential national service
- Sustainable and secure energy supply
- Energy Economy as a source of foreign exchange
While agreeing wholeheartedly to these principles as the basis for a future energy policy we would like to propose few more inalienable principles or policy imperatives to this list
- The nation’s energy resources belong to the people and the benefits of their utilisation must primarily flow to the people.
- It is no longer true that the energy sector development needs to be the purview of the large-scale entrepreneurs, either in the state or private sector, requiring very large capital investments, nor is there a need for centralised large power plants remote from load centers.
- Under no circumstances should we pay Dollars for our own RE resources.
- National Security is closely linked to national Energy Security. This can be guaranteed only by ensuring that the energy industry remains in control of the national entities both public and private.
- The main consumers of energy are electricity and transport fuels. It is imperative that any energy policy should consider at least these two in conjunction and concurrently.
- The facility of creating “Prosumers” can be the means by which the low-end consumers can be rescued from the trap of eternal poverty in spite of the many forms of state handouts which over the years have proven futile in poverty alleviation.
The Specific Activities Proposed
The proposed activities in the manifesto support the above principles and if implemented with courage and conviction with combined commitment of all the related agencies, unlike the present practice of totally disharmonious and opposing actions, the success of achieving the targets can be guaranteed.
The important message that should be brought to the attention of The President is the need to ensure no action or policy be permitted from now on that would hinder the progress or form barriers in achieving these goals. A distinct change in the attitude of the state agencies and officials is required. Hitherto that has been totally lacking with even the target of achieving the 70% RE goal not being assigned to any agency.
This is due to the unfortunate situation prevailing in the state sector of there being no sense of accountability, either mandatorily or voluntarily. The most essential and urgent change needed is to mandate the task of achieving the stated goals to particular officials in the primary agency identified as the most appropriate when many agencies are responsible. Such a mandate must flow from the Chairman downwards with measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) assigned with time targets. This is most easily done in the electricity sector immediately and the transport and other sectors of energy usage to follow without delay.
The present government has brought in a number of new appointees to head the key agencies in the energy sector. We propose that these personnel inconsideration of their past record of knowledge and experience (unlike in the past when appointments were given to friends and relatives only irrespective of their suitability) be given strict instructions with the responsibilities for achievement of set targets and to pass down such responsibilities to their staff. Gaining the support and cooperation of other related agencies and overcoming any barriers should be strictly their responsibility.
While the transport sector without any form of future vision or programmes working in total ignorance of the major changes happening in the world would be difficult to be brought to this form of sustainable and future proof status, the already established and adopted policies in the Electricity Sector and the technological advances made even in Sri Lanka provides the base line on which such time based targets can be assigned.
The current target of 70% renewable energy based power generation by 2030 has proven to be quite achievable and non-challenging based on recent experiences. In fact, this target was surpassed in some days during the latter months of 2023 as shown below. (See graph)
- The first KPI to be issued is therefore a directive to the Ceylon Electricity Board to develop a time based programme with annual targets commencing now towards progressively enhancing this RE contribution of 70% minimum by 2030. CEB must be held responsible for the achievement, for which of course they would need to get the support and assistance of the private sector developers. With the co-operation and commitment of their own staff. and facilitation the “Prosumers” themselves would reach the expected 5000 MW well before the target year 2030. (The target of 2000 MW in five years as stated is well below the potential of the local Solar Industry)
- A further commitment made by the new government is to lower the cost of electricity to the consumers. It is obvious that this could only be achieved through the rapid expansion of the contribution by the renewable energy based generation, which is now universally accepted and proven by the records of the CEB itself. Towards this task another action point in the NPP manifesto can be cited as the next KPI to be issued to the CEB. “Directing the currently oil-based electricity generation towards low-cost renewable solar and wind sources” This feasibility is illustrated below.
- The objective of lowering the cost of generation and thereby the consumer tariff would certainly not be achieved by the recent cabinet decision to reduce the Feed in Tariff for the Solar Rooftop PV, which fortunately has not been approved by the PUCSL. Each unit of Solar PV added would reduce the equivalent unit generated using oil costing at least Rs 63.00 as per data below. (See Table)
The potential saving of Rs 113.65 Billion annually could provide the means of lowering the consumer tariff by Rs 7.5 per unit on average.
Should we pursue LNG relevant anymore?
About five years ago Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) was very much in discussion as a clean fuel and a possible intermediate solution to eventually eliminate the use of Coal and Oil for power generation. Perhaps under the prevailing circumstances then, when the Renewable Energy Options such as Solar and Wind had not gained the favorable status, both of technical acceptance and financial viability, this consideration may have been correct and timely. However, a much-detailed analysis with wide stakeholder consultation is required at present before pursuing this option.
However, Sri Lanka not having any land based Natural Gas, and the challenging issue of the infrastructure required for the utilization of imported LNG for economic use needed to be evaluated in depth. This still remains unresolved. At the same time being typical of the disjointed decision-making process in Sri Lanka, the tender for the development of a 350 MW LNG power plant to operate on nonexistent LNG was awarded and the plant is nearly complete. It is reported that even in Australia with its own Natural Gas resource the cost of NG based power is reported to be exorbitant.
Under these circumstances, although listed in the Activities in the Manifesto, we propose that this issue requires a much deeper and coherent analysis and evaluation before any concrete steps are taken. It is our opinion that Sri Lanka no longer needs any imported LNG.
If we are fortunate to get funding to develop our Mannar resource viability of which is now established, it must be considered as the means of achieving the principle of v Energy Economy as a source of foreign exchange But under no circumstances should we build any more LNG based power plants as listed in the current Long-Term Generation Plant and still being promoted by some with their tunnel vision.
Conclusion
It is quite obvious that Sri Lanka is at the threshold of change in all aspects. This is most essential and urgent in the Energy Sector which if handled properly would give Sri Lanka the much-needed window of opportunity for economic prosperity. It is most encouraging that the present government has clearly identified this opportunity.
This article attempts to highlight the need to be warned of many decades of vested interests by many parties, which has kept Sri Lanka over dependent on imported fossil fuels thus preventing the flow of such prosperity to the people. The danger also exists of such elements trying to propagate antiquated principles and themes, with the underlying objective of keeping Sri Lanka trapped in fossil fuels for obvious reasons.
.
WFP Assures Continuous Support to Sri Lanka
President directs officials to provide a monthly allowance of Rs. 3,000 to Pensioners from Next Week
Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Sail Training Warship ‘PO LANG’ departs Island
-
News6 days agoSajith top presidential election spender
-
Business7 days agoSri Lanka Tourism surpasses 2023 tourist arrivals
-
Features6 days agoThe Economy, Executive Presidency, and the Parliamentary Election
-
Sports7 days agoAbheeth takes five but St. Anthony’s ahead
-
News6 days agoRajeev Amarasuriya to run for BASL President 2025/26
-
Business4 days agoADB delegation meets President Dissanayake, pledges continued support for Sri Lanka’s economic development
-
Sports6 days agoHas Sri Lanka unearthed a special talent?
-
Business6 days agoAviyana becomes main sponsor of Sri Lanka Trade Fair Dubai 2024