Ali Sabri’s colonial reality laid bare through Rasamanikkam’s Chinese challenge -Azgar Nuhman

Last Updated on December 7, 2022 by Desman Chathuranga

“The Chinese debt trap in Sri Lanka is just a western statement. There is no such debt trap” This is not the statement of the Chinese foreign minister Wang Ye, but the emphasis of the foreign minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ali Sabri. In a recent interview with foreign media, foreign minister Sabri responded to an inquiry regarding “a Chinese debt trap in Sri Lanka” and said that the “Chinese debt trap” is only a western statement. Such Chinese debt traps do not exist!

Sabri said that China gave credit to Sri Lanka only because Sri Lanka asked for it and not to force it to take money, adding that China is a close friend of Sri Lanka and China has provided financial, credit facilities and humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka. The Foreign Minister stated that China will never interfere politically in Sri Lanka and when it invests in Sri Lanka, it will never do so with the expectation of selfish political gains.

Beijing kisses to Sabri

The Chinese Foreign Ministry was most happy about the Sri Lanka Colony Agent’s statements. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at the press conference held in Beijing on November 28 that China highly approves the recent statement made by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabri, rejecting the accusation made by western countries that Sri Lanka is caught in a Chinese debt trap.

Why is Sabri blowing a whistle to China?

Foreign Minister Ali Sabri made this statement a few hours before starting his official visit to the United States following an invitation by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. During the American visit, he would meet and discuss with the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as the authorities of the American State Department and members of Congress.

Among them, the discussions held in Washington DC with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the head of the US agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, are of particular importance. Why does Ali Sabri make such an anti-western statement to the foreign media a few hours before starting such a crucial visit? A person with even an iota of knowledge of international diplomatic relations would not make such a biased statements. Is Ali Sabri an idiot who cannot understand such a reality?

Who is Ali Sabri? what is doing

Ali Sabri is a kind of a lawyer found in Sri Lanka when a bush is dispersed. He is a general lawyer without any special professional skills. He did not argue in the courts and win any cases for Gotabhaya but used the loopholes in the law. When the case is filed in the magistrates court, he files an injunction in the higher court. But he had a unique genetic talent of being snobby. Sabri, who was highly ambitious from a young age, got all his luck after hooking with the corrupt Rajapakse family. He made his fortune by appearing for the Rajapaksa crime family cases.

Gotabaya and Sabri didn’t have the fear or shame

Ali Sabri once proudly said that he appeared in more than 35 criminal cases of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. As a result he received the minister of justice post as a fee for appearing for the lawsuits of Gotabhaya. It is an unethical humiliating appointment that creates serious conflict of interest. Due to the lack of morals of Gotabaya and Ali Sabri, the lawyer who represented his criminal cases, which were already pending, was appointed as the Minister of Justice in his government.

Eat independent commissions?

A true Rajapaksa stooge, Sabri’s main job as a minister of justice was to save the cases of the Rajapaksa family and the corruptions of SLPP stalwarts. In addition he was instrumental in presenting the 20th Amendment, which gave unlimited powers to Gotabhaya. He once amusingly questioned in Parliament whether the independent commission established during the good governance period is to eat.

Trusted agent of the Rajapaksa family

After Mahinda and Basil Rajapaksa fled due to the people’s struggle, Gotabhaya worked to appoint Sabri as the Finance Minister as the agent of the Rajapaksa family. After Ranil Rajapaksa was appointed as Prime Minister and finance Minister, Sabri got the powerful foreign minister position of. Ali Sabria is the chief representative of the Rajapaksa family in the cabinet of President Ranil Rajapaksa. He is so friendly,loyal and trustworthy to the Rajapaksa family.

“The Chinese debt trap in Sri Lanka is just a western statement. There is no such debt trap,” says Ali Sabri, not for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, but for its master, the Rajapaksa family, and China, which manipulates that family. Even today, the Chinese government publicly supports the Rajapaksa family as its political representative in Sri Lanka. The corrupt Chinese rulers are joining the Rajapaksa family as if they are adding to the garbage.

Is the Chinese debt trap a myth?

The Rajapaksa family exploited millions of US dollars through loans obtained from China at very high interest rates. For that they made Sri Lanka a Chinese colony. It is an open secret that many poor countries in the world, like Sri Lanka, are unable to pay the high interest Chinese loans and are caught in the Chinese debt trap. It is not a “Western scheme” but the general conclusion of the majority of internationally recognized economic analysts. The heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank continued to request China to restructure the loans taken from China in order to provide financial assistance to the bankrupt Sri Lanka. But the Chinese government has still rejected the request. If China is a true friend of Sri Lanka, the loans given to us should be restructured. But the true friend of the current Chinese government is not the Sri Lankan people but the corrupt Rajapakse family. The Chinese government will not restructure our debt because of the fear that it would expose the financial bribes they gave to the corrupt Rajapaksa family.

Chinese Embassy in Colombo Violates Parliamentary Privileges

On the 30th of November the Tamil National Alliance Batticaloa district councilor Shanakyan Rasamanikkam said in parliament, he requested the Chinese government to restructure the Sri Lankan debt and help the Sri Lankan people at this time but not to stand for the corrupt Rajapaksa family. The Chinese Embassy in Colombo criticized and ridiculed Shanakyan Rasamanikkam through its twitter account. Rasamanikkam made a statement in the Parliament again on December 2nd said that the Chinese Embassy in Colombo has stated his name and made some criticisms on its Twitter account which it is a violation of his parliamentary privileges. He said he expresses deep concern towards the Chinese Embassy and that China has no right to make such a response to a statement made by him in the Parliament.

A true friend is to cut off our debts

“I also spoke yesterday in the Parliament that China has not shown any interest in debt restructuring for Sri Lanka. It is currently a major issue affecting the borrowings from the International Monetary Fund. But I will say something else in this regard. China’s economy is 20 trillion US dollars. Sri Lanka’s total debt to China is 7.4 billion US dollars. I am talking about the 22 million people of this country. Why not write off this US$ 7.4 billion debt and help the people of Sri Lanka? If China is a friend of Sri Lanka, it is not necessary to give five hundred thousand kilos of rice and a little diesel but to be a relief to the economy of 22 million people in Sri Lanka by canceling the existing debt or agreeing to a debt restructuring.

“China Go Home”

This is a problem of 22 million people of Sri Lanka. We all joined the ‘Gota Go Home’ campaign to drive away the Gotas regardless of caste. Don’t push 22 million people like to the point where they say ‘China go home’.

A country under yuan

The Chinese government considers Sri Lanka as its colony. When there is any criticism of Chinese interventions in the Indian ocean region as well as in Sri Lanka, it is the Chinese ambassador in Colombo who answers before our foreign ministry! He behaves like a colonial governor. If an ambassador of an Indian, American or European Union country behaves the way the Chinese ambassador in Colombo behaves, from Wimal Weerawansa to Sagara Kariyawasam, from Anura Kumara to Sajith Premadasa, will be vociferous while holding regular press conferences.

But in front of the Chinese ambassador in Colombo, all these people are in a state of agony because of the monthly block of yuan they receive. Major media outlets and social media are also like that. Many media heads refused to publish even Shanakyan Rasamanikkam’s parliamentary statements.

Request by the head of the International Monetary Fund

Shanakyan Rasamanikkam’s demand for Chinese debt restructuring is not a coincidence. Kristalina Georgieva, head of the International Monetary Fund, said last week that she expects China, the world’s largest bilateral creditor, to act responsibly to resolve the debt crisis of low-income countries. The world’s low-income countries owe $62 billion to bilateral creditors, and two-thirds of that debt belongs to China. Pointing out that quick steps should be taken to support countries like Sri Lanka, she also emphasized that she hopes to discuss this matter and agree on a common mechanism when she meets the representatives of the Chinese government next week.

Ali Sabri gets a hard-hitting advice from Washington

Meanwhile, Ali Sabri, who blew the whistle on behalf of his colonial master China and went to America, has received harsh instructions from Washington. In discussions with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Samantha Power of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), pointed out to Ali Sabri that economic reforms along with political reforms are essential for Sri Lanka. In these discussions, the opinion of the Biden government that the suppression of the people under the guise of economic reforms should be stopped has been confirmed again.

Azgar Nuhman – Freelance journalist and