Are Sri Lanka’s “leaders” going to watch IMF-US-India ruin Sri Lanka?
US-India-China profane rivalry but are leading trade partners. They work together & in isolation as per their country agenda/goals & policies. Sri Lanka’s nicely documented policies are just that – it always gets changed with every new govt. Not many governments have had national plans to raise Sri Lanka & instead ends up coolies of global power players. One thing is certain no nation would be bullying or pressurizing Sri Lanka if elected leaders learnt to stand for their nation & their people. That’s how nations respect leaders.
There are some developments that need to be taken note of
- Why would India’s intel chief secretly arrive in Colombo & how can he insist on Indian access to Sri Lanka’s strategic assets across East Sri Lanka, North West Sri Lanka & Central Sri Lanka? Does this not run parallel to the proposed railway line that would connect India & Sri Lanka?
Do we have Sri Lankan policy advisors who are able to read between the lines, who are aware of global dynamics & can foresee dangers of proposals and requests made by international players or does Sri Lanka hire international advisors who are only bothered about their remunerations or Sri Lankan advisors who are actually working for the enemy?
- Was there some reason for a TNA dual citizen MP to perform a gallery drama in an empty Parliament calling for “Go Home China” protests which coincided with a flurry of twitter messages blaming China for delay in IMF bailout?
- Why would the default declaring king Sabry suddenly be summoned to Washington at virtually the same time that SLPP’s founder returned to Colombo?
Sabry proudly announced on twitter that US accepted his request for “technical support” for sustainable Sri Lanka – is that connected to the debt for nature swop that US had been eyeing since 2002 to take over all our forests? For personal political glory, what are our unelected Ministers committing Sri Lanka to?
While we must certainly be friends with all nations, have we forgotten that all of our post-2009 ills are as a result of US-resolutions against Sri Lanka? All of the interferences are as a result of these intrusive and legally-questionable draft resolutions. When UK & US defends its troops, our politicians do nothing to defend the only military that defeated a terrorist movement.
- Intrusive India & US in virtually every corner of Sri Lankan polity
While US & Indian mission heads & officials have a carte blanche defying diplomatic protocols visiting wherever and whoever they like – when China so much as offers a toffee, both nations blow hot & cold. This is because Sri Lanka’s leaders & foreign minister do not have the guts to question & point out their abuse of diplomatic privileges.
- Who is tracking IMF/WB conditions on Sri Lanka for the bailout?
Where are the economic pundits – how many of them can show what the advantage has been to Sri Lanka & its people in privatizing & liberalizing as per IMF/WB conditions since 1965? Where are the success stories as against agreeing to all that IMF/WB demanded for the 16 loans we have taken (1965-2016)
Have policy advisors even bothered to take tips from Greece’s former finance minister & economist Prof Yanis who prescribes a non-IMF home-grown solution for Sri Lanka given Greece’s experience with IMF? He advises Sri Lanka not to over-rely on IMF as the pain of pointless investment is more than pain Doctor IMF’s prescriptions are long-term hazardous no different to what IMF did to South Korea in 1998, Africa in 1970s, Greece in 2010 & 2018 & Argentina which ended up giving dollar profits to the oligarchs & corporations who moved money out of Argentina before Argentina collapsed. The sentiments of MP Wijayadasa Rajapakse is noteworthy in this context. Those who do not benefit from IMF loans end up paying IMF loans. This is why those who wish to benefit are promoting IMF loans.
Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakse at least put the story straight accusing the big companies of hiding their profits & not paying taxes. Many of these were the sponsors of tea/biscuits & biryani for aragala protestors. How many of the “system change” promoting companies siphon off their wealth offshore but preach to podiums in Sri Lanka to fool the gullible with their accented rhetoric.
- Malaysia narrowly electing a former IMF official as PM is noteworthy. Anwar Ibrahim held positions in the World Bank & IMF & thereafter he was working for the 2nd CIA – the National Endowment for Democracy. His election was heavily funded by US using digital media. It would be no exaggeration to say he is pro-US.
Should we ignore Prof. Ashu Marasinghe’s claim that present CB Governor is set to be the common presidential candidate! There is also Coomaraswamy of Pathfinder fame & the man who took $12.5b ISBs during Yahapalana rule as well as promoting MCC implementation. Then there is the other IMF-poster boy a former Deputy of CB who gets column coverage in daily media to brainwash people into believing how gaga IMF deals are.
Readers must connect these scenarios to Sri Lanka in particular all former IMF/WB officials now holding posts in Sri Lanka. How many of them fire a call or run to meet the foreigners to ask their nod of approval before taking action on any matter?
Look also at all the NGOs-Civil Society-Trade Union & other groups that are able to arouse people’s sentiments & see how many of them are funded by overseas or rely on foreign funds for their existence. These are the parties and individuals that are tapped to carry out coloured revolutions, false flag operations, fake news, revolts, protests, demonstrations, anti-China, anti-Russia slogans and these are the ones tasked to carry out surveys that are biased and meant to convey what the Western/Indian narrative desires. Now the youth are targets – increasing offers of “foreign scholarships” may be part of their inducement to rebel against the state. When they all ask for “open society” that should give a clue as to who sponsors “open” societies globally starting with the Arab Spring.
If we question elected leaders as forsaking to defend the sovereignty of the Nation, we must also question the role of lawyers & the media as well. The manner lawyers openly took part in the Galle Face protests and the journos that were beckoned to meet the IMF country head secretly questions their integrity. Were they tasked to promote a new Act attempting to separate Sri Lanka’s Central Bank from the Govt & work as part of the US system so that Sri Lankan laws do not apply to it but Sri Lanka has to follow through on CB orders! The actions of CB officials must always be under scrutiny to see how far their decisions & actions are Sri Lanka-friendly or meant to serve international interests.
Those who agree to be part of these subversive exercises will meet their own karma – there can be no greater betrayal than betraying one’s nation.
- How many in Parliament or its advisors have taken note of the developments as a result of Ukraine-Russia conflict & considered its relevance to Sri Lanka & the need to plan & mitigate or is everything honky dory as is visible when anyone goes to Colombo hotels & Malls nowadays?
How many are aware of impending energy scarcity in Sri Lanka as a result of EU bans on anyone dealing with Russia? Even India has been threatened with sanctions for continuing to buy oil from Russia. The West are imposing ban on companies that provide shipping insurance, financing, brokering from Russia to third countries & Europe holds the most shipping & maritime insurance companies. This threat cannot be taken lightly though the irony is that Europe’s ban is at the cost of Europe having fuel shortages & its people dying of freezing weather. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka has hardly any bargaining power in any matter therefore what remedial actions have Sri Lanka planned?
- The target of late has been to demoralize the armed forces, police & of course the Sinhala Buddhists
This has been displayed in a rising number of cases where people are seeing verbally abusing the police and refusing to comply with law & order. In case not many are aware there are international digital media operators in Sri Lanka offering to relay video clippings of incidents taking place in Sri Lanka. These are all part of a larger narrative. This is why incidents emerge and within seconds they get relayed over social media & there is another bandwagon of outsourced youth to share these building a false momentum and creating a false scenario.
Similarly, note how the “people’s protest” was only a camouflage to target Sinhalese culture, Buddhism throughout the aragala – Vesak was celebrated in black (bet this wont be don’t for Christmas), LTTE dead were commemorated, Sinhalese culture was ridiculed on stage. Ultimately many ended up getting HIV! Now the Sinhalese language is being targeted by creating a picture that Sinhala speaking people especially nurses are unlikely to get jobs. The objective behind this is to isolate the Sinhala language, culture and Buddhism and this is nothing new it’s a historical objective taking shape since 1505. This is why media entities were created to come up with “Singlish” terms & promote them as being more fashionable. This very media entity is now trying to grab the vote of the rural masses through their “charities” while also attempting to privatize natural resources under their business entities.
- Who analyzes the MOUs and other “investments” taking shape in Sri Lanka
A country must know to secure its national assets & natural resources. But does Sri Lanka?
They seem happy to siphon off every asset & resource for political survival & ultimately they will see no political survival while the country will end up a vassal state with everything leased out for 99 years to foreign countries & foreign companies for an “investment” that will never erase our debt. How are we to pay off debt when we have no revenue source or income does not seem to bother any of the players making the deals for obviously their ‘commissions’ must be buying their silence.
Food-Energy-health-Telecommunications-Education-Ports-Airports-Harbors-Maritime waters-Forests-Land are all being lined up. Should we even bother to celebrate independence?
It’s not the loan per se – it’s what the wish-lists they want to get their hands on using the loan as ruse that connotes to neocolonialism. Third World including Sri Lanka can never raise its head because of the global capitalist system controlled by powerful nations & their players. Countries are held to ransom with loans on interest in exchange for giving up their natural resources & assets while requiring the countries to complete repayment. If the powerful nations are not given what they want, they slap sanctions or tie up diplomatic engagement to further giving up internal mechanisms to their control. This entire system needs to be relooked & changed.
The former Greek Finance Minister offered advice to Sri Lanka
- Agreement to reduce debt before borrowing
- Do not borrow from IMF until & unless international agreement is reached with bankers to reduce debt (as repayment is impossible)
- Do not borrow under conditions of austerity or fiscal austerity
- Do not sign any deal with IMF if it is not prepared to grant Sri Lanka 1.2.3.
- A loan taken by Sri Lanka from IMF in current scenario will only be used to pay off creditors (every borrower has a creditor – every irresponsible borrow has an equally irresponsible creditor – they give intentionally to secure benefit to them. Money is after all created currency printed & given by the powers that be)
Point 5 takes us back to the manner banks have lavishly given loans without collateral to questionable businessmen majority of these loans are not recoverable & banks are too chicken to take action to recover them. Ultimately these default situations also end up being credited to the People who took no loans & who did not benefit from the loans.
Governments & policy advisors should learn not to take loans. The Government ends up piling taxes on the people to pay off the loans & the people who have to pay the loans (via increased taxes) are not even beneficiary of the loans. This ends up draining the people who should be used to generate income within the country & from that income to repay debt. Instead of planning for such, governments & their business cronies & others who benefit from the loans jump to take more loans as none of these loans are being repaid by any of them. Government & its economic advisors are also economic hitmen like the international players.
If Sri Lanka is in a default status – the austerity measures must be applicable across the board & applicable to all with everyone paying taxes & the big sharks who have defaulted taxes over the years being fined for such.
We have to question who are the locals who have brought Sri Lanka to this level since 1948 before we identify the international players.
Shenali D Waduge
