Features
Role of scientists, professionals and intellectuals in guiding nation’s destiny
(Address delivered by Chairman, National Science Foundation, Prof. Ranjith Senaratne, at the CVCD Awards ceremony, held at the BMICH, on 01 July, 2022. He was the Chief Guest at the event)
I consider it a singular honour to have been invited to address this august assembly where outstanding academics are recognised for their remarkable accomplishments in S&T and allied fields. It is, indeed, rare to see such a galaxy of high-profile, luminous personalities, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, the Chairman of the UGC, Vice-Chancellors, brilliant academics of exceptional performance, and other luminaries, under one roof, and I express my deep appreciation to the Chairperson, and members of the CVCD (Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors) for the rare opportunity afforded to me.
Former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said that a university is a place of light, liberty and learning; however, it can remain so only as long as its staff can claim a place on the frontiers of knowledge, and continue to take part in moving their country forward, through their scholarly pursuits. Besides being the fountainheads of new knowledge, the universities should also be pinnacles of culture, crucibles for R&D, habitats for innovation and invention, and seedbeds, of novel enterprises. The recognition of a university depends principally on the quality of their staff – that is, how well recognized they are in their respective fields, at home and abroad, how well their work is received in the outside world, and the quality of their contribution to the community, and to the society, at large.
As you are aware, there are 17 universities, and seven postgraduate institutes, within the purview of the UGC, which are endowed with over 6,500 academics, including over 1,000 professors and associate professors, about 2,500 senior lecturers, and around 75,000 undergraduates, who are the distilled spirit, the cream of the cream of the youth of our country. The universities, ─ as knowledge-producing and knowledge-disseminating institutions, producers of human capital and wealth creators – can and should play a pivotal role in the development of our nation.
When we look at the intellectual landscape of our universities, we see a range of “mountains”, that have silently, unobtrusively and selflessly contributed greatly to the noble task of nation building. The nation, and the society, unfortunately, are only poorly aware of their worth, and they remain the unsung academic heroes of our country. However, they persist with fulfilling their obligation to the nation, even under most trying circumstances, because of their relentless passion for intellectual work and scholarly pursuits, and their love and affection for the motherland.
Dear CVCD award winners, you are the heart and soul of the university sector. You are the gems and jewels in the crown of Sarasavi Matha and the most treasured resource of our university system. You have set benchmarks of excellence and new standards for our academic community and the country. Your passion and perseverance have inspired us all. We take great pride in your dedication and devotion to excellence. I am certain that Sarasavi Matha is elated and proud of your remarkable accomplishments, and that she is shedding tears of joy on this occasion and would crave many more sons and daughters of your calibre and stature. I salute you for your outstanding achievements and invaluable contributions in your respective fields. I congratulate each of you from the bottom of my heart.
Dear Award Winners, we should very much like to see your academic dynamism and intellectual vibrancy becoming contagious, thereby infecting more and more staff who will acquire and internalize your qualities and attributes to attain excellence in education, research, and service to the community.
Thomas Alva Edison said: “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Edison was hard of hearing, since his early teens, and attended school for only for a few months and was taught at home by his mother. This curious and creative child later invented the phonograph and the gramophone, the light bulb, and the motion picture camera, and had more than 1,000 patents to his credit. Edison personified perseverance – the capacity to stand up again and again after every fall, and to keep moving forward. Samuel Johnson said, “Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” Newton said, “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” We need to learn from these geniuses. We know that there is no shortcut to distinction or excellence. We also know that diamonds are only coal put under immense pressure.
The intellectual prowess and creative power of Sri Lankans are not second to those of any other people in the world. There are children and young scientists, amongst us, who can be another Stephen Hawking or Edison. But it is incumbent upon us to create and sustain a nurturing, stimulating and conducive environment so that they will fully blossom and express their innate and inborn potential to the benefit of self, community and humanity at large. We need to make our universities crucibles where ordinary talent is transformed into extraordinary talent and extraordinary talent into genius. It is our cherished dream to see more and more imposing Sri Lankan mountains emerge on the global intellectual landscape. We hope that this awards scheme will make a tangible contribution towards that end.
We are well aware that our country is going through a crisis, unprecedented in our history, since independence, with far-reaching economic and social implications. As academics, scientists, administrators and professionals, in senior positions in academia and public sector institutions, whose education has been supported by the community, we have a moral obligation and an inescapable responsibility to contribute our might to overcome the crisis and rebuild the economy.
The late Christoper Weeramantry, former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, The Hague, Netherlands and Emeritus Professor of Law at the Monash University, Australia, identified four key functions of an intellectual:
The continuing acquisition and systematization of knowledge
The advancement of knowledge
The communication of knowledge
Advice and guidance based upon knowledge.
Many of our scientists fulfill the first three, but hardly meet the fourth one. This is one reason why Sri Lanka still remains as a developing country despite its high literacy rate, high human development index, rich natural endowments and strategic location. Georges Clemenceau, Prime Minister of France during the World War I, said, “War is too important a matter to be left to the Generals”. I could say without fear of contradiction that “Development is even more a matter to be left entirely to politicians”. Therefore, the scientists, professionals and intellectuals of the country should weld themselves into a cohesive and vibrant force to serve as a guiding star and navigate the destiny of our nation to usher in a better tomorrow for our people and posterity.
As most of the key movers and shakers of the higher education sectors of our country, including the Secretary of Education, the Chairman of the UGC, Vice-Chancellors and a cross section of the accomplished academics, are present on this occasion, I wish to seize this opportunity to share some of my thoughts at this crucial juncture for your kind reflection and intervention.
Today, technology is the prime driver of and the key to economic development and universities contribute over 60% of the R&D personnel in the country, thus they become the brains trust and intellectual pulse of the nation. With well-equipped laboratories, well-stocked libraries and good IT infrastructure facilities, they also constitute the backbone of a knowledge economy. However, the weak link between academia and R&D institutions, in our country, poses a constraint to sharing of human and physical resources across institutional boundaries. Such inter-institutional collaboration, besides producing synergy and complementarity, will facilitate rationalization of high-end equipment and minimize duplication of expensive equipment and their downtime.
Presently, universities and many R&D institutions come within the purview of the Ministry of Education and its Secretary, Mr. Ranasinghe, is already acting to bring together all compartmentalized and insulated R&D institutions, in the Ministry, onto one platform and thereby promote effective use and sharing of their human, physical and financial assets for national development. We very much welcome and appreciate this strategic move.
The NSF, in keeping with its mandate, has set up two digital bases, namely the Global Digital Platform and high-end analytical, research and testing instrument database. The former is aimed at harnessing high-profile Sri Lankan expatriates for national development, with a special focus on the higher education and R&D sectors, while the latter, at providing reliable analytical and testing services and research support to academia, R&D institutions, and industry; this will obviate the duplication of high-end equipment, and facilitate and promote public-private partnerships and research by universities and institutions, particularly those lacking the requisite analytical facilities and competencies. However, there is still much room for expanding the two databases to administer a turbo boost to research and innovation in the country. It is imperative to unify the relevant institutions into one ecosystem in order to derive potential benefits from them. In this connection, forging a strategic tri-partite partnership between the UGC, CVCD and NSF will be mutually rewarding and reinforcing, and leading to a win-win situation for all. I am certain that this will receive due attention of the Chairman of the UGC, Prof. Sampath Amaratunga, who is a champion in bringing down walls and building strategic bridges, partnerships and networks to enhance the higher education sector of the country.
It is valuable to set goals in life. I think it will be even more valuable to set goals that are seemingly unattainable. Michelangelo said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it”. It is, therefore, important to set lofty goals and work with perseverance, persistence and perspiration (the 3Ps) to attain them. Confucius said, “By nature, people are similar, through nurture, they become distinct”. As mentioned before, the IQ, EQ or CQ (Creativity Quotient) of Sri Lankans are second to none in the world and despite many constraints and challenges, 25 Sri Lankan scientists have reached the top 2% in the world, and with a conducive and enabling environment they could easily reach the top 1% cohort. Hong Kong-based scientists Kwok-Yung Yuen and Sri Lanka’s Joseph Sriyal Malik Peiris won the prize in life sciences in the 2021 Future Science Prize dubbed “China Nobel Prize” for their major discoveries of SAR-CoV-1 as the causative agent of the global SARS outbreak in 2003 with impact on combating COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases. With an imposing cultural heritage and rich civilization, our aim should be to produce Nobel Laureates from Sri Lanka before 2050.
The NSF, being a hub institution, it is only too happy to go the extra mile to mobilize and channel the requisite high-profile Sri Lankan expatriate scientists, technologists and professionals across the globe to build strategic world-class multidisciplinary research teams in Sri Lanka so as to promote cutting edge research. This would lead to wealth creation through innovation and even to the production of Nobel Laureates in the long run.
The present CVCD Chairperson, Prof. Nilanthi de Silva, is a world-class scientist in the top 2%; she’s also an institution builder. I am confident that her able and visionary leadership will afford a new direction and dimension to the CVCD, making it a robust guiding force and a potent catalyst of the higher education sector of the country, propelling it to greater heights. I wish her and the members of the CVCD all the success in their endeavours to advance the cause of higher education in Sri Lanka. Thank you.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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