Opinion

Covid pandemic, KNDU debate and civil-military relations

Published

4 years ago

2021/08/3

By Dr. Laksiri Fernando

Covid-19 pandemic, undoubtedly, is the central challenge Sri Lanka is facing today, along with other countries. All indications are that the world might not be able to get back to ‘normal’ at least until 2023. This is assuming that our governments would be able to implement viable vaccination programmes and other necessary measures with people’s cooperation.

Gravity of the pandemic

Even that ‘normal’ might not be the ‘past normal’ with most countries facing continued economic devastation, weak workforces due to poor health conditions, disrupted international trade relations, and environmental catastrophes. It is not clear what kind of a political-economic ‘model’ would hold for the future as liberal capitalism is the root cause of most of the present disasters, plundering of natural resources, pollution of environment, displacing of animals and over exploitation of the human resource.

In the case of Sri Lanka, so far the challenge of the Coronavirus pandemic has been handled satisfactorily, although the necessary cooperation from some important sections has not been forthcoming. The near future, however, is not very clear given the devastating effects of the fast-spreading new Delta variant. Nevertheless, there are sections in the polity who want to desperately continue their politics, protests, strikes or even ‘plans to overthrow the government’ disregarding these conditions.

To the people, politics in a democratic system is about choices through trial and error. They did a trial in 2015 and found an error. They have again done a new trail in 2019/2020 and may be evaluating the results. The best possible choice for the people under democracy is to get the best out of any government that they elect during the tenure through dialogue, cooperation, non-cooperation, criticism and constructive criticism. This is exactly what is happening in countries like Australia where I live at present. Strikes and protests are staples in the democratic menu, but not exactly under conditions like the prevailing pandemic.

Measures in Australia and Sri Lanka

Until recently, Australia managed the pandemic fairly well, given the cooperation the central government and state governments received from the oppositions, medical professionals, health workers, trade unions and the public. Unlike France, there were not much opposition to lockdowns, face masks, social distancing, or strict guidelines. Australia managed the situation quite well, like New Zealand until recently.

Perhaps because of the successes, Australia also got a little complacent and the vaccination roll-out got delayed. This appears to be the key reason the virus started to spread again particularly in Sydney (NSW), in addition to the attack by the virulent Delta variant since last month. Now there are strict rules again. Compared to Sri Lanka, the public health system is quite advanced and the private sector is cooperating. There were no strikes or protests by doctors or nurses, although there are similar pay anomalies and grievances on their part. They were patient and tolerant.

Of course, the grievances in Sri Lanka are more grave, as a poor and developing country. Moreover, politics is exceedingly hot. Education is a field greatly affected in both countries with obvious future repercussions. In Australia, teachers are cooperating fully, conducting online teaching. In Sri Lanka, obviously there are problems, but teacher protests are completely undermining the efforts to resolve them.

Australia has the necessary resources to offset the adverse economic effects on employment and businesses, due to lockdowns and other restrictions, through job-keeper, job-seeker and business concessions. However, such possibilities, in Sri Lanka, are limited. In controlling the spread of the virus, Australia is implementing extremely effective contact-tracing measures and asking people to follow strict rules. While this type of accurate measures are difficult in SriLanka, many people who are infected or possibly infected appear to be taking these instructions lightly.

Because of, people’s widespread mistrust of the police, the application of these regulations through the police in Sri Lanka has become difficult. This is not the case in Australia. There is no apparent opposition to lockdowns or other government measures by opposition political parties at the national, state or provincial levels. The opposing Labour Party cooperates with the government, critically as necessary.

There were some protest demonstrations against lockdowns recently in Sydney and Melbourne which were forcefully dispersed and the perpetrators were brought to justice with punishments and heavy fines. This kind of pandemic control might not be possible in Sri Lanka given the present political culture and people exercising freedoms without responsibilities.

The NSW government brought the military into the scene and prevented any protest from taking place during last weekend. Soldiers are also deployed to ‘knock door-to-door’ in local government areas, where strict lockdowns are implemented, to reprimand those who disobey. Of course these measures are implemented with civility and respect for people’s rights.

KNDU Debate

Although the pandemic is the main challenge at the moment, the government, the Opposition, the civil society, media, academics or any other party should not neglect addressing or discussing other issues. What is necessary is to understand the circumstances, and prepare for the next stage, without unnecessarily postponing anything else. Therefore, the KNDU (Kotelawala National Defence University) debate is important but it should be placed in the broader context.

There is a pressing need to expand, upgrade and diversify University education, of course without violating the basic principles of free education. While around 350,000 students sit for the admissions examination (GCE-A), and around 200,000 students qualify for admissions, only around 30,000 are admitted to universities. This year the University Grants Commission (UGC) intends to enroll an additional 10,000 students to bring the number to around 40,000. Annually over 10,000 students go abroad for their education. These figures very clearly show the need to further expand university education.

Under the UGC, there are 15 universities and the average student intake is around 2,000. The expansion of university education has been lethargic, from my experience, due to the centralised control of the UGC. At least universities like Colombo, Peradeniya and Moratuwa should have been granted autonomy a long time ago, to expand, be efficient and innovate.

KNDU has been under the Ministry of Defence and independent from the UGC. The property was donated by Sir John Kotelawala and as a fee levying university it has become largely self-reliant. Its capacity has increased over five-fold, admitting less than 200 students at the beginning and increasing eventually to around 1,000 per year. KNDU is primarily a defence university (special purpose), but admits civil students. The teachers are mainly military but with other reputed academics participating.

Some questions

There can be (and are) inconsistencies and weaknesses in the proposed Bill for the KNDU. But such weaknesses exist even in the Universities Act (1978). It is up to the government and the Opposition to sort them out.

1. KNDU is primarily opposed claiming it jeopardises free education. General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy or University was in existence since 1981, but there was no such opposition before. There are private universities, but those are also not opposed, but patronised by some. KNDU fees should be reasonable and it should not be a profit making enterprise. Some public universities running on a fair-fee basis, with other assistance, would help expand ‘fully free education’ for needy students while expanding the university system in the country as a whole.

A university (first) degree today is considered only a basic qualification internationally. Therefore, expansion of university education is a must for Sri Lanka to be on par with other countries in knowledge, skills and capacities. KNDU appears to make a useful contribution towards this end.

2. KNDU is also opposed because of its military affiliation or nature. This is largely a misplaced and/or emotional outburst. During 2005 and 2010, I was affiliated with the KNDU, mainly teaching human rights. I have known many civilian academics teaching different subjects in KNDU then and thereafter. Since then, the civilian student population has expanded even to the point of including foreign students. The interaction of civil and military, local and international is a healthy atmosphere at the KDU.

Student unions are barred at KNDU. Instead there are social clubs. Military training is reserved for military cadets. Perhaps sports should be promoted for civilian students (aiming at Olympics!). Sri Lanka is poor in sports except for cricket. Of course the quality and standards of KNDU courses, curricula and teaching should be reviewed by the UGC or such organisation.

Civil-Military Relations

I believe the newly proposed KNDU Bill can play a major role in civil-military relations. This is something neglected in Sri Lanka. Defence forces are and should be ‘People’s Defence Forces.’ They are not enemies of the people and should not be the case. The defence personnel, and also the police, also should learn how to deal with the people with civility.

In Australia, a Civil-Military Centre (ACMC) promotes this scenario. The Centre also includes the police in its programmes. Its mission statement is, “We work in contexts where there are no easy answers, where the environment is always changing. Our purpose is to support civil-military-police capabilities to prevent, prepare for and respond more effectively to conflicts and disasters.”

Particularly in the context of a pandemic like the Coronavirus, recurrent floods, landslides and droughts, and oceanic disasters like X-Press Pearl, the field of study of ‘civil-military relations’, both in theory and practice, is important. In all these activities women should be given equal prominance. The proposed KNDU Bill, with positive amendments, can expand university education, upgrade and diversify courses and curricula, and also promote civil-military relations, of course without jeopardizing free education.

A civil-military seminar in Australia (ACMC)

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Opinion

Jeffrey: Cartoonist par excellence

Published

2 hours ago

2026/01/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

If there exists a print media personality who does not receive the due recognition and appreciation he rightfully deserves, it undoubtedly is ‘Jeffrey’ of The Island newspaper. The works of many a journalist have been frequently highlighted and appreciated but the capabilities and efficiency of personnel of the calibre of ‘Jeffrey ‘ are, more or less, taken for granted.

In every sphere of life, professional or occupational, there are people who function, not necessarily from behind the scenes, but nevertheless perform an equally efficient service, which in all probability goes unnoticed.

To be frank, even before reading the headlines of the Newspaper, as is customary now, my eyes seek for the Cartoon of the day. Indeed, a sight for sore eyes each morning, the lovable ‘Jeffrey’ makes my day.

Suffice to say that a ‘Good Job done man’ type of occasional pat on the back, to a person who puts his very soul into his work, would touch the only place where it matters the most – his heart. If a smile could work wonders, then how much further would a word of appreciation go.

‘Jeffrey ‘ has, time and again through his cartoons, aptly proven his innovative and creative skills to present factual depiction of current affairs, both local and global. His drawing pen effortlessly covers all boundaries, irrespective of whatever nature. On a previous occasion, too, I have openly commended his abilities, finding it difficult to fathom how he could convey pertinent incidents, normally requiring hundreds of words to express, with a single drawing.

To all intents and purposes, ‘Jeffrey ‘ ranks much higher and could be considered as a rare find when compared with the numerous others actively engaged in this particular field of professionalism.

In ‘Jeffrey ‘, The Island newspaper indeed has a Cartoonist par excellence!

Jeffrey, more power to your elbow!

WILLIAM PHILLIPSZ

Opinion

Anti-aging injection shows promise in re-growing knee cartilage

Published

2 hours ago

2026/01/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

Scientists at Stanford Medicine have reported a discovery that could change how arthritis and joint damage are treated. In experiments on animals and human tissue, researchers found that blocking a protein linked to aging can restore worn cartilage in the knee and prevent arthritis after injury. The treatment works not by adding stem cells, but by reprogramming existing cartilage cells to behave in a more youthful way.

In aging mice, an injectable drug rebuilt knee cartilage that normally thins with age. In mice with knee injuries similar to anterior cruciate ligament tears, the same treatment prevented the onset of arthritis, a condition that often follows such injuries in humans. A pill form of the drug is already being tested in early clinical trials for age-related muscle weakness, raising hopes that a similar approach could one day be used for joints.

Human knee cartilage removed during joint replacement surgery also responded to the treatment. When exposed to the drug in the laboratory, the tissue began forming new cartilage that resembled healthy, functional joint cartilage. These findings suggest that cartilage lost to aging or arthritis might eventually be restored through injections into the joint or even oral medication, potentially reducing the need for knee and hip replacements.

Osteoarthritis affects about one in five adults in the United States and costs tens of billions of dollars annually in direct health care spending. Despite its prevalence, there is no drug that can stop or reverse the disease. Current treatment focuses on pain relief, physical therapy and, in advanced cases, joint replacement surgery.

The new therapy targets a protein known as 15-PGDH, which increases in the body with age. The research team classifies it as a gerozyme, a type of enzyme that contributes to the gradual decline of tissue function over time. Previous work from the same group showed that rising levels of 15-PGDH weaken muscles with age. Blocking the protein restored muscle strength and endurance in older mice, while forcing young mice to produce it caused muscle loss.

Unlike muscle, bone or blood, cartilage does not rely on stem cells to repair itself. Instead, cartilage cells called chondrocytes can change their gene activity. By inhibiting 15-PGDH, researchers found that these cells reverted to a more youthful state and began producing healthy cartilage again.

“This is a new way of regenerating adult tissue, and it has significant clinical promise for treating arthritis due to aging or injury,” said Helen Blau, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford and a senior author of the study.

There are three main types of cartilage in the body. Elastic cartilage forms flexible structures like the outer ear. Fibrocartilage is tough and shock absorbing, found between spinal vertebrae. Hyaline cartilage, also called articular cartilage, is smooth and glossy and allows joints such as the knees, hips and shoulders to move with minimal friction. Osteoarthritis mainly affects this last type.

The disease develops when joints are stressed by aging, injury or excess weight. Chondrocytes begin releasing inflammatory molecules and breaking down collagen, the main structural protein of cartilage. As collagen is lost, cartilage thins and softens, leading to pain, swelling and stiffness. Articular cartilage rarely regenerates on its own, and attempts to find stem cells capable of rebuilding it have largely failed.

In the new study, researchers compared knee cartilage from young and old mice and found that levels of 15-PGDH roughly doubled with age. When older mice were treated with a drug that blocks the protein, either throughout the body or directly in the joint, their knee cartilage thickened and regained function. Importantly, the new tissue was true hyaline cartilage rather than weaker fibrocartilage.

The results were equally striking in injured joints. In mice with ligament injuries, repeated injections over four weeks sharply reduced the likelihood of developing arthritis. Untreated animals showed high levels of 15-PGDH and developed arthritis within weeks. Treated animals moved more normally and placed more weight on the injured limb.

Detailed analysis showed that the treatment shifted the balance of cartilage cells. Cells associated with inflammation and cartilage breakdown became less common, while cells responsible for producing healthy joint cartilage increased markedly. This change occurred without the involvement of stem cells.

When human osteoarthritic cartilage was treated in the laboratory for one week, similar changes were observed. Levels of harmful gene activity fell, and signs of cartilage regeneration appeared.

The findings are encouraging but still early. While safety trials of a 15-PGDH inhibitor for muscle weakness have shown promising results, clinical trials focused on cartilage regeneration have yet to begin. Even so, researchers are optimistic.

“Imagine regrowing existing cartilage and avoiding joint replacement,” Blau said. For millions living with joint pain and stiffness, that possibility now seems closer than ever.

Opinion

Why is transparency underfunded?

Published

1 day ago

2026/01/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

The RTI Commission has now confirmed what many suspected — although the RTI Act grants it independence to recruit staff, this authority is rendered toothless because the Treasury controls the purse strings. The Commission is left operating with inadequate manpower, limiting its institutional growth even as it struggles to meet rising public demand for information.

This raises an uncomfortable question: if the Treasury can repeatedly allocate billions to loss-making State-Owned Enterprises — some of which continue to hemorrhage public funds without reform — why is adequate funding for the RTI Commission treated as optional?

Strengthening transparency is not a luxury. It is the foundation of good governance. Every rupee spent on effective oversight helps prevent many more rupees being wasted through inefficiency, misuse, or opaque decision-making.

In such a context, can one really fault those who argue that restricting the Commission’s resources conveniently limits disclosures that may prove politically inconvenient? Whether deliberate or not, the outcome is the same: weaker accountability, reduced public scrutiny, and a system where opacity is easier than openness.

If the government is serious about reform, it must start by funding the institutions that keep it honest. Investing in RTI is not an expense — it is a safeguard for the public purse and the public trust.

A Concerned Citizen – Moratuwa