Sri Lanka’s Sovereignty under Siege: Bill Gates and India replace MCC with a new Trojan Horse of Digital Colonialism

 

Who is Bill Gates, and why should Sri Lanka be concerned about his “philanthropy”? Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), disburses billions under the banner of aid. But this is philanthrocapitalism—a model where charitable funding yields strategic influence. His private firm, Cascade Investment, grows his wealth while embedding his influence in public health, agriculture, and digital infrastructure across developing nations.
When a foreign billionaire lands in Sri Lanka, opens shop in the President’es Office to shape public systems without accountability or consent, doesn’t it undermine national sovereignty and create backdoor influence over decision-making. Is this not cause for concern?

How does this link to the rejected MCC Compact?

The MCC was rejected for attempting to control Sri Lanka’s land and transport systems. But Gates’s foundation is now quietly penetrating deeper—into digital ID, agriculture, water and health systems.

Threat: Both MCC and Gates push reforms under the guise of development but result in external control over Sri Lanka’s core assets.

 

JOINT DIGITAL COLONIZATION: GATES & INDIA PUSH MOSIP AS THE NEW MCC

What is MOSIP, and why is it dangerous?

MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform) is a digital ID system modeled on India’s Aadhaar, funded by BMGF, Omidyar, & Norad and developed by IIT India. It collects biometric and demographic data and is now being piloted in Sri Lanka.

Threat: MOSIP is a digital Trojan horse. Though marketed as open-source, Indian consultants will have access to Sri Lankan citizen data, posing serious risks to data sovereignty and national security.

 

Is this digital system really necessary—and why not build it locally?

Sri Lankan experts could design a system tailored to national needs. But by importing a foreign-designed platform, Sri Lanka surrenders digital independence.

Threat: Future upgrades, data hosting, and maintenance will require foreign expertise—costing dollars and giving outsiders ongoing control over our most sensitive information.

 

GATES’ INDEPENDENT FOOTPRINT IN SRI LANKA’S CORE SECTORS

How is Gates shaping agriculture—and what does that mean for food sovereignty?

Gates backs digital farming, fortified rice, and supply-chain digitization. On the surface, this appears modern—but it centralizes decision-making and control of agri-data which can easily be manipulated & get out of local farmer control.

Threat: Sri Lankan farmers risk becoming data-dependent tenants on digital platforms owned or influenced by Gates’s global network—compromising food sovereignty and farming autonomy.

 

What’s in the fortified rice initiative—should we be concerned?

Gates promotes fortified rice to address malnutrition. But this bypasses local nutrition models and may eventually push lab-grown artificial or patented alternatives linked to Gates’s other food investments.

Threat: Control over what children eat shifts from the government to foreign funders—undermining public health autonomy and local food traditions even parental controls.

 

What is Gates’s interest in climate and weather—and how might that affect Sri Lanka?

Gates funds geoengineering research, including stratospheric aerosol injection to reflect sunlight. Such experiments could alter monsoon patterns or regional weather.

Threat: Sri Lanka’s rainfall, agriculture, and ecosystems could suffer unintended damage—without recourse or oversight. Is this why we see sudden shifts in weather of late?

 

Why is Sri Lanka being targeted now?

Following the 2022 economic collapse, Sri Lanka became a soft target for “reformers.” The BMGF sees the island as a test bed for global expansion—just as colonial rulers once did.
Threat: Crises are being exploited to push foreign-led solutions that undermine national sovereignty & usurp people’s representative powers under the guise of aid and efficiency. Ironically, it is these same people’s representatives that are foolishly handing over power that should be in their control & would see their exit sooner than later.

 

Is the government aware of this—and how transparent is this process?

Gates funds a Program Support Unit inside the President’s Office. This raises serious red flags about policy capture and loss of democratic oversight.

Threat: Citizens are unaware, unconsulted, and excluded—democracy is sidelined in favor of elite deal-making.

 

What does Gates control globally, and why is that relevant to Sri Lanka?

Through Cascade Investment, Gates owns:

• 270,000+ acres of US farmland
• Stakes inEcolab (water), Deere (agriculture), Beyond Meat (artificial meat), and vaccine producers
• Influence in food tech, alternative proteins, and water systems

Threat: Sri Lanka’s water management and food systems could fall under the shadow of Gates-aligned corporations, pushing foreign tech and diminishing national control. We can recall global corporates of the view that water is not a human right! Water falling into transnational hands spells doom.

 

What is Digital Colonialism—and is Sri Lanka at risk?

Digital Colonialism is the 21st-century version of empire-building: instead of foreign boots, outsiders control data, public systems, and infrastructure – basically the entire Nation including its citizens.

Threat: By accepting foreign-designed DPI, Sri Lanka risks long-term dependency, data surveillance, and the erosion of innovation and local expertise while neutralizing citizens to slaves & onlookers with time.

 

Final Warning: Sovereignty must not be sold for Aid

Beneath promises of “development” lies a dangerous truth: Sri Lanka is becoming digitally colonized by private actors like Gates and foreign governments like India. ‘

With core data including citizens’ private information (such as financial accounts, property ownership, medical records, legal histories, and more), Sri Lankans can easily be profiled and manipulated. How many Sri Lankans are aware of these threats enough to get the Government not to sign away Sri Lanka’s & Sri Lankan’s sovereignty for political survival. At the end of the day the politicians will be the first to be dislodged! They are committing hara kiri.

With data on food, water, resources and public infrastructure being outsourced & digitally made visible to external actors, the nation risks becoming a client state, unable to protect its people or make independent decisions. A national army that fought & won a terrorist movement will be mere onlookers watching codes take over a nation.

Digital Colonialism is 21st-century empire-building: no boots, just backend access.

People must be informed of what these “aid” and “loan” conditions truly mean—and asked whether they are willing to risk having their privacy exposed and manipulated by foreign powers!

Sri Lanka must assert its right to national self-determination, invest in its own talent, and say no to Trojan Horse reforms—no matter how well they are packaged.

Let Sri Lanka lead its future—not be programmed by foreign-coded agendas.

 

 

 

 

Shenali D Waduge