Lotus Tower an apt symbol for Sri Lanka

In Greek mythology, the Lotus-Eaters were a race of people living on an isolated island where they ate lotus plants and forgot their homes and loved ones. They only wished to stay with their fellow Lotus-Eaters and did not care to indulge in any productive activity. Today the phrase denotes a person who spends their time indulging in pleasure and luxury rather than dealing with practical concerns.

It is doubtful that Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cohort of ministers were versed in Greek mythology when they named one of their most visible vanity projects the ‘Lotus Tower’ in Colombo. The 350-metre tower, supposedly Asia’s tallest, was built at a cost of $ 113 million. Of this total 80% was funded by a loan from the Exim Bank of China with the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) infusing $ 21.9 million into the project. The construction was commissioned to the China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation and the Aerospace Long-March International Trading Corporation Ltd. through a tri-party agreement signed in January 2012.

In 2015, after the Yahapalana Government came into power, then Shipping and Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga claimed that the land on which the Lotus Tower was built is owned by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and it has not been properly acquired by the TRCSL. That same year, some Indian analysts raised concerns that the tower could be used as an electronic surveillance facility having national security implications for Southern India.

After many years of construction and delays, it opened, partially, for visitors this week offering 20 minutes of sightseeing on the 29th floor observation deck for a Rs. 200 ticket or a 360-degree view while dining for more affluent visitors at the 27th floor rotating restaurant. Neither attraction will be able to recover the colossal amount of money that was spent on its construction.

This is not the first time the tower was ‘opened’. In 2019 then President Maithripala Sirisena also ceremonially opened the building. That occasion was mired in controversy when President Sirisena said one of the firms contracted to work on the project had disappeared with $ 11 million of State funds. Sirisena claimed that in 2012, during the tenure of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the State-run TRCSL had deposited Rs. 2 billion ($ 11.09 million) with a foreign firm chosen as one of the main contractors. He went on to say that on his instructions the Sri Lankan ambassador to that country visited the address to which the company was registered to find there was no such company.

The Lotus Tower, now opened, for the second time should be a monument that consistently reminds Sri Lankans of hubris of its leaders, endemic corruption and impunity for economic crimes. Despite president Sirisena’s controversial statement regarding massive corruption, to date he nor successive governments have held anyone accountable for the alleged crime. The police, the Attorney General’s Department, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption or any other judicial or administrative entity have not taken upon themselves to initiate an investigation into claims made by the former Head of State.

In the coming days and weeks, the people of Colombo and beyond, will visit the 350-metre tower, enjoy the views and if they can afford it, have a meal at the rotating restaurant. Just like the Lotus-Eaters in Greek mythology they will forget the colossal waste, corruption and impunity associated with this project. It is very apt therefore that the building is named Lotus Tower for it is indeed a monument that is worthy of an island of Lotus-Eaters.