Features
The irrepressible Dr J.C Fernando – athlete, medic and gentleman
by Dr NiHAL DAMErAsEkErA
Janaka Chandana Fernando (JC)– the name raises a smile on everyone’s face. He is a force of nature that brings happiness to all around him. Gregarious, sociable and flamboyant are all descriptions that come to mind portraying a person whom we have all come to know and love since medical schooldays. He had that irrepressible bohemian flair which was associated with medical students of the 1960’s.
In our citadel in Kynsey Road, no one epitomised the era more than JC. He enjoyed its trappings abundantly. Being from that great institution, Royal College, he knew the large contingent from that school that filled our batch and almost filled the rest of the Faculty of Medicine. JC became an integral part of the Faculty sooner than most.
I first got to know him during the infamous rag. He knew many of the raggers but got no reprieve. He struggled like the rest of us. JC didn’t suffer the indignities gladly. In his usual forthright manner, he did let them know how he felt, muttering under his breath what he thought of it all.
Many will remember JC arriving at the Faculty Cycle Shed every morning on his Honda 50 motorbike. The canteen was his first port of call for the customary ‘tea-punt’. He was a popular guy in our batch and spoke with everyone and was friendly to all. With his affable ways JC made friends with the girls more easily. This made the rest of the boys envious.
JC was never shy to speak his mind and with his loud voice he stood out in a crowd. Born to blush unseen, we always made fun of his jet-black skin which he accepted with civility. For his regal demeanour I often called him the ‘Dark Knight’. All through medical school he wore brilliant white shirts and trousers. With his sparkling white teeth this enhanced the contrast no end.
JC was an outstanding athlete at Royal College. I recall seeing his name in the sports pages of the daily newspapers for his many achievements at school and inter-school athletics. In 1957, JC broke the school’s inter-house 440 yards record held by Summa Navaratnam, an impressive feat. At the Public Schools Meet in 1958, Royal College won both the Tarbat and Jefferson Shields. This must be ingrained in the school’s athletic history as the pinnacle of JC’s achievements when he captained the Royal College Athletics team that won the 4×440 yards relay breaking the Public Schools Record. A great honour for a rare feat.
JC won the University of Ceylon Colours for Athletics from 1961 to 1965 and represented the University Track and Field Team in 1964 at the All India Inter-Universities Meet held in Jaipur. Despite being vocal, his simplicity stood out. To my knowledge he never bragged about those brilliant achievements. For several years he coached the Royal College Athletics Team. At his old school, JC was the medical doctor and physical training instructor for the Rugby and Cricket teams for a good 20 years. For his loyalty, presently he is a Vice-President of the Royal College Union. He is particularly proud of his magnificent collection of cups, medals and trophies from those golden years. They adorn his trophy cabinet with distinction and pride.
JC was tenacious, competitive and single minded. He knew what he wanted and did what was necessary to achieve his goals. His determination never faltered. Once he had an idea in his head, there was no letting go of it. He is often frank and candid and this attracted controversy. In any argument he was persuasive. JC was never a push-over and fought his corner to the very end. Perhaps these are characteristics of a competitive sportsmen. Despite all this he was charming, helpful and kind and was well liked.
Gaining entrance to the Faculty of Medicine in the 1960’s was a gargantuan task. The available spaces were limited, there were hordes of applicants and the competition was fierce. To be a top athlete he had the natural ability and talent and the discipline to practice regularly. This required staying in the school grounds at the end of the school day. Returning home late in the evening, tired, one required stamina and self-discipline to get back to books and revision. Hence to gain entrance to the Faculty of Medicine demanded much more than intelligence and the Midas touch. We were fortunate to have several fine sportsmen and women in our batch who had the grit, determination and the strength of character to be successful. They added an extra dimension to our batch and to the life of the faculty.
He had tremendous enthusiasm for the social events in medical school. Being a fine musician, many of us got to know JC at the social functions. We sang and danced at the memorable and raucous evening booze-ups in the Men’s Common Room. My abiding memory at these events is the lithe figure of the ‘Dark Knight’ strumming his guitar, singing in graphic detail the itchy tale of “the dance of the phthirus pubis”. His signature song was “Saima cut wela” a tragic tale of a novice’s hangover and the effective home remedy. He sang “Suranganee-ta malu genawa“, tempting fate long before they became a pair! Those songs have never left my recall. As I listen to them now on YouTube I’m transported to those happy days of our youth. He was ever present at the dances held at the King George’s Hall of the University’s Science Faculty, twisting the night away to the music of the Harold Seneviratne Combo. Those evenings generated much gossip and scandalous tales of adventures. He capped it all with an enduring contribution to the final year trip making the days brighter and the nights merrier. This will remain a special memory.
In the rigid and grim environment of medical education, the Men’s Common Room was our refuge from the storms of life. I can still picture JC in that setting with a fag between his lips holding a cup of tea. He joined in the billiards, table tennis, carrom and the never-ending chit chats. He was an entertaining talker. If the truth be told he could be prickly and argumentative and there were frosty moments too. All through medical school my memories of JC are of a colourful, jolly guy ever ready for a chat and a laugh. He could talk about anything and everything. I associate him with much of our faculty jargon like ‘tea-punt’ and ’pol-mess machang’ and numerous vivid unprintable expressions delivered with a mischievous smile. These words he used frequently and to great effect. I could still picture him walking the long corridors of the General Hospital Colombo greatly animated, waving his arms relating a story. His tales were peppered with esoteric facts and his own brand of humour brilliantly embellished for good effect. I loved listening to his tales no matter how outrageous. Whether one agreed or disagreed with his views he presented them in such an amusing manner he could even make nonsense sound like a genuine and alluring revelation.
With the “finals” came the great dispersal in 1967. I lost contact with JC for several years. Both Suranganie and JC after a stint in the UK forged successful careers in Hong Kong. There his work in Orthopaedic Surgery flourished and he was greatly valued and respected. Those happy times were curtailed eventually by the demanding concerns for the education of their two daughters. I was a regular visitor to Hong Kong which was my wife’s country of birth. It would have been lovely to catch up with JC and Suranganie, only if I knew. I would have cherished their wonderful company and shared in his first-hand knowledge of the best watering holes in town.
I haven’t been a part of the multiple batch reunions in Sri Lanka. Hence our last meeting was around 2003. This was with Dr Lucky Abeygunawardene and we met up at the Sinhalese Sports Club. JC joined us for drinks and dinner. The ambience, good food and the ‘Double Distilled’ brought out the best in JC. Rarely boring or predictable, sometime brazenly outrageous, JC is excellent company. Many of the old stories resurfaced with the perennial batch tales. A tirade of ‘gossip’ rounded off a momentous evening. This is a memory I will treasure. Although not quite in the digital world, JC sent me emails giving his forthright views and observations about life back home.
We all recognise our medical faculty batch as a tribe. Both JC and Sura are faithful to the tribe and their old friends. I am aware they have been enthusiastic, generous and hospitable entertainers to the multitude of winter visitors from our batch and also to our medical community in Colombo. They have had a fascinating life together working in several countries, enjoying a good social life. Their two daughters have done them proud.
JC has had a rewarding professional career. We have enjoyed his company, humanity and joie de vivre. I do wish JC and Suranganie a long and happy retirement. His is a good life well lived and long may it last. By his achievements he has made his mark in the history of that great school and the Medical Faculty batch of 1962.
Acknowledgements: My grateful thanks to Prof Sanath Lamabadusuriya for providing the information hitherto unavailable in the public domain. Credits go to JC’s daughter Nilanthi and to his wife Suranganie for sending me those brilliant photos that light up the script.
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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