Features
Choosing the president who will be best for country
by Jehan Perera
As the final lap of the presidential election campaign comes to its close at midnight on Wednesday, there is no certainty about the outcome. The only certainty is that it will be one of three candidates—incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa or NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The other 35 candidates including the young scion of the Rajapaksa family and candidate of the SLPP are at best “also-rans.” But even they are hopeful. There appears to be a substantial number of voters who are undecided, and their hope is that those votes will come their way. Indeed, the principle of the “echo chamber” is working to the fullest extent at this election.
The “echo chamber” principle in social media refers to the phenomenon where users are primarily exposed to opinions and information that reinforce their existing beliefs, due to algorithms and user interactions. This limits exposure to diverse viewpoints, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of like-minded content. In other words, those who favour one candidate above the others tend to meet and discuss the prospects of the candidates with likeminded people which leads them to the belief that their preferred candidate is going to be the winner. The difficulty in ascertaining the validity of these beliefs is compounded by the fact that Sri Lanka does not have reliable public opinion polling agencies. Even in countries with reputed polling agencies, the predicted results have often been at variance with the final outcome.
These presidential elections are different from any in the past as they are not between just two main candidates representing the two largest mainstream political parties but between three who are running neck to neck. These elections are unique in that a political party that obtained no more than three to six percent of the vote at previous elections has suddenly achieved a position among the front runners, if not being the front runner. This reflects the disintegration of the main political parties in the face of their failure to deliver results to their supporters and to the country at large. The disenchantment of voters with the mainstream political parties and intention of voting for an alternative also reflects the willingness of the people at large to reform themselves.
LOST OPPORTUNITIES
At its independence in 1948, Sri Lanka was referred to as the Switzerland of the East. As late as the 1960s its economy and general standard of living was on par with countries such as Singapore and South Korea. Today, they are at an incomparable level of prosperity and development compared to Sri Lanka. Countries like Vietnam which in the 1980s were far behind Sri Lanka have now gone ahead in terms of their incomes and standard of living with large scale foreign investment and infrastructure development. In 2022 after the economic crisis, Vietnam’s per capita income was USD 4164 compared to USD 3354 of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s current per capita income is no different from what it was 10 years ago while prices have doubled or trebled.
The economic collapse that the country experienced in 2022, and the Aragalaya protest movement that followed, have everything to do with the NPP’s dramatic rise. The economic collapse has come to represent the failure of the mainstream political parties to develop the country’s economy and protect it from economic bankruptcy. During the Aragalaya protests the main slogan of “system change” was buttressed by the demands for an end to corruption and for accountability for economic crimes. One of the most important motivations of voters at this election will be to ensure that the corruption is brought to an end. They will wait to see if retribution follows those who engaged in pillage of the country’s wealth, or whether, at least, the new leaders eschew such practices and show zero tolerance for it.
At the root of Sri Lanka’s regression has been its long-term failure to balance expenditures with its earnings. The nature of electoral competition propelled political parties to promise more in terms of economic benefits to the people than the country could afford. The promise to bring rice from the moon was based on the assumption that loans could be obtained from abroad to feed the people. Employment was provided by the state for the unemployed and many subsidies were given to uneconomic ventures. For a time, the Sri Lankan people enjoyed a high physical quality of life that exceeded many other countries with higher per capita incomes. But this was not sustainable and in 2022 the consequences of spending beyond earnings became manifest.
WORK TOGETHER
Aggravating the problem of government over-spending has been the increasingly unbridled corruption which in too many instances has become the primary cause for overspending. The call for “system change” during the period of the Aragalaya has continued with the general population understanding the connection between the country’s financial bankruptcy and the consequences of the looting of the economy by the ruling politicians and their accomplices in business. Today, corruption has got so enmeshed in the system that even the general public have become complicit in it. The willingness of an increased proportion of people to vote for the NPP, which is most distant from the mainstream politics of the past, is a sign of rejection of this corruption which has enmeshed society.
At its independence Sri Lanka was also referred to as the “Switzerland of the East” on account of the hope that its political leaders would be able govern the multi-ethnic and multi-religious population in a manner that unified rather than divided the polity. But what happened was different, and in the decades that followed the country was driven into ethno-religious conflict that spiraled into terrorism and war that consumed both human lives and economic resources in a monstrous manner. This has deterred the foreign investment that could have taken Sri Lanka on the path to development like in Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. At the coming presidential election, the choice of the people needs to be the person who is able and willing to take the decisions to overcome these failures of the past.
The three leading presidential candidates are each exceptional leaders in their different ways with the capacity to give leadership to take the country in a new direction as never before. They each have, in their own ways, legacies of corruption and violence to overcome including among those who may surround them. They need to show commitment to work across political, ethnic, class and other divides to unify the country to overcome its challenges. These are to bridge the mismatch between national earnings and spending so that loans are taken not for consumption purposes but only for rational investment purposes. Second, to address the problem of corruption without getting mired in it. Third, to be able to resolve the ethno-religious conflicts in a manner that heals the wounds of the past and gives space to all communities, like in Switzerland.
PALESTINE and IRELAND: UNITED BY PARTITION – I
by Jayantha Somasundaram
“Partition is the Englishman’s favourite way out of a difficulty. But it is a confession of failure” Irish Independent Dublin.
On Sunday, 15th December, Israel’s Foreign Minister closed their Embassy in Dublin. The following day The Jerusalem Post pointedly remarked that “if Israel were to close embassies in all countries that are diplomatically hostile, its number of representations would be dramatically reduced…Norway and Spain have also recognised a Palestinian state, and their criticism of Israel is often as equally harsh…the same is true of Belgium and smaller EU states such as Malta and Luxembourg.” Interestingly Dublin did not retaliate and closed its Embassy in Tel Aviv. Ireland had recognised Israel in 1963 and they exchanged Ambassadors in 1996.
The Irish Army has, since 1978, participated in the UN peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon, named UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), as does the Sri Lanka Army. On three occasions UNIFIL was commanded by Irish Army officers. Not only has the Irish Army suffered 48 fatalities, the most casualties of any of the UNIFIL participants, but they claim that in 1987 Corporal Dermot McLoughlin was deliberately killed by Israeli tank fire.
Though the Tel Aviv-Dublin diplomatic standoff may seem trivial, and marginal, given the brutality, the intransigence and the intractability of the Israeli-Palestinian War, the Irish sideshow throws up a plethora of issues relating to history, religion, nationalism and conflict that impact on the main drama.
Though Jesus of Nazareth and His disciples were Asian, His most influential follower Paul, through his missions to Turkey and Greece in the first century, took Christianity to Europe. There, with the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine in AD313, Christianity became the religion of the Empire and consequently of Europe. And, in time, traditional European religions and local beliefs disappeared.
As early as the 4th Century missionaries to England established churches along the Bristol Channel; while St Patrick is revered as having Christianised Ireland in the 5th Century. Though England would become Protestant during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th Century, Ireland remained faithful to Roman Catholicism despite English persecution. But over the centuries many people in Northern Ireland did adopt Protestant Christianity.
The Irish War of Independence 1919-21 led ultimately to the predominantly Catholic southern counties becoming the State of Ireland in 1937. While Ulster, the predominantly Protestant counties of the north, remain part of the United Kingdom.
Jews in Europe
The Jewish presence in Europe preceded the rise of the Roman Empire. Once Christianity dominated Europe the Jews remained the exception, a conspicuous minority who rejected Christianity. Moreover, Jewish contemporaries of Christ had listened to Him, seen His miracles and yet refused to acknowledge Him; and succeeding generations in Europe, living among Christians, continued to deny Him. This refusal to accept Jesus as the Messiah long promised to the Jews was construed not as ignorance, but diabolical obstinacy.
In fact St. Augustine (354-430) the most influential Christian theologian of his time, argued that Jewish communities should be allowed to survive in conditions of degradation and impotence to underline the failure of Judaism and the triumph of the Church. Consequently Christian attacks on Jewish Synagogues in Europe began as early as the fourth century. Soon the Jews would be denied all rights and access to office in Christian Europe.
The Greek Christian John Chrysostom in his ‘Sermons against the Jews,’ delivered in Antioch, presented the Jews as murderers of Christ. Thus by the 5th Century anti-Jewish pogroms spread even to Palestine resulting in the burning of entire villages. And in 629 when Emperor Heraclitus retook Jerusalem from the Persians, there was a massacre of Jews by Christian Rome.
In Spain, Jews were forcibly converted to Christianity on pain of death, and the Inquisition was established by the Church to uncover under torture, those Jews who remained secret believers. When the Moors from North Africa invaded Spain in 711 the Jews welcomed them because under the Caliph, Cordoba became a centre of Jewish learning, a city of Jewish scholars, philosophers, poets and scientists. By the 11th Century the Muslims had created an Islamic Commonwealth that stretched from Spain to India. To the Muslims, Jewish monotheism was as pure as their own.
Rumours that Christians were being ill-treated in Palestine by Jews and Muslims, fuelled hostility in Europe and sparked the Crusades. The first Crusade was launched in 1095, and as they marched across Europe these ‘holy warriors’ targeted the Jews. “Marauding crusaders on their way to the Middle East in 1096 stopped to slaughter Jews in the Rhineland. One crusader account recalls thus: Behold we journey a long way to seek the idolatrous shrine and to take vengeance upon the Muslims. But here are the Jews dwelling amongst us whose ancestors killed him and crucified him groundlessly. Let us take vengeance first upon them – let us wipe them out as a nation,” records Collin Hansen in the journal Christian History.
Martin Luther
Anti-Semitism
By the 15th Century Jews had been expelled from all major west European areas: Vienna in 1421, Cologne in 1424, Augsburg in 1439, Bavaria in 1442, Milan in 1489 and Florence in 1494. And in Venice, in 1541, the term ghetto nuovo was applied to the area in which the Jews were confined. European Jews tended, therefore, to move east into Poland, Lithuania and Russia.
In comparison to continental Europe the Jewish presence in Ireland was not significant, but when all Jews were expelled from England, in accordance with the Edict of Expulsion of 18 July 1290, a Jewish holy day (the ninth of Ab, commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple in AD70), it is believed that Jews in the English Pale in Dublin would have been also evicted.
Initially, European Jews had welcomed the Protestant Reformation in the expectation that the persecution they had endured for centuries at the hands of the Roman Church would end. Martin Luther in turn expected the Jews to voluntarily accept Protestant Christianity. When he realised that the Jews still remained faithful to their own beliefs, Luther turned on them with fury in his 1543 publication On the Jews and their Lies. “First their Synagogues should be set on fire…their homes smashed and destroyed…they should be put under one roof or in a stable like Gypsies…banned from roads and markets…their property seized…drafted into forced labour.” The Holocaust had been chartered!
Not only Karl Marx but Eduard Bernstein in Germany, Rosa Luxembourg in Russian Poland, Bela Kun in Hungary, Kurt Eisner in Bavaria and Leon Trotsky in Russia dominated revolutionary politics in Europe. Jews like Martov, Dan, Radek, Zinoviev and Trotsky were conspicuous in the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917. The Russian Revolution prompted the creation and dissemination of a forged document, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion about an international Jewish conspiracy. The ‘Revolutionary Jew’ became a further excuse for Europe’s Christian establishment to persecute Jews.
Holocaust
Race theories that Nazi intellectuals were formulating concluded that as Teutonic Aryans, the Germans were inherently superior to the Jews of Semitic ancestry. Even before the Nazis took power in 1933, Jewish lecturers and students were being driven out of German universities. Adolf Hitler himself was explicit – as early as 1922 he said: The annihilation of the Jews will be my first and foremost task. Paradoxically, there is reason to believe that Hitler’s own father may have been the illegitimate son of a Jew.
Once they took power, the Nazis used the 1935 Nuremberg Decrees to strip the Jews of their basic rights. On the Kristallnacht or Crystal Night the Nazis attacked and looted Jewish shops and burned all the Synagogues. Hitler had promised a ‘final solution’ to the ‘Jewish problem.’
Himmler responded by opening the first concentration camp at Dachau. By the end of World War II in 1945, of the eight million Jews in German-occupied Europe, six million had been killed.
Not far from the Dachau concentration camp is the Bavarian village of Oberammergau. Because its inhabitants believed they were spared during the Bubonic plague of 1634, they enact a now world-famous passion play every 10 years. In 1934, having witnessed the performance, Adolf Hitler said, “it is vital that the passion play be continued; for never has the menace of Jewry been so convincingly portrayed. There one sees Pontius Pilate, a Roman racially and intellectually superior, who stands out like a firm, clean rock, in the middle of the whole muck and mire of Jewry.”
At the height of the Holocaust, in 1942, when the Papal Nuncio – the Pope’s Ambassador – in Slovakia was asked to intervene on behalf of Jewish children destined for the gas chambers, his response was: “There is no innocent blood of Jewish children in the world. All Jewish blood is guilty. You have to die. This is the punishment that has been awaiting you because of the sin of deicide (the murder of God).”
A contrite Pope John Paul II admitted in 1997, that many Christians had looked the other way during the Holocaust because in their estimation, the Jews were getting what they deserved for rejecting Christ.
By Ifham Nizam
The Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, biodiversity hotspots along India’s southeastern coastline, play a pivotal role in sustaining marine ecosystems and supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities. Amid growing concerns about climate change and human-induced pressures, a comprehensive study, titled Marine Ecosystem Status and Health Monitoring 2023-24, has brought much-needed attention to these vital regions.
Edited by Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara of the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, along with Dr. Jayanthi M. of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and Dr. J. K. Patterson Edward from the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, this publication focuses the importance of regular ecosystem monitoring.
Speaking to The Island, Dr. Kumara, Professor in Oceanography, Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology, University of Ruhuna/ Director of the Centre for International Affairs (CINTA), told The Island: “Marine ecosystems are the lifelines of coastal economies. Their degradation not only impacts biodiversity but also the communities that depend on them. Our study aims to provide actionable insights for sustainable management.” With over 4,000 species reported in the Gulf of Mannar alone, these ecosystems are treasures of marine biodiversity.
The report, authored by V. Naganathan, Deepak S. Bilgi, A. S. Marimuthu, T. K. Ashok Kumar, and Bakan Jagdish Sudhakar, highlights several key findings:
Coral Reefs: Live coral cover has seen a slight recovery in the Gulf of Mannar, increasing from 23.3% in 2022 to 23.5% in 2023. However, the Palk Bay’s coral cover remains precariously low at 18.4%.
Seagrass and Mangroves: Seagrass beds, critical for carbon sequestration, exhibit varying health across regions, while mangroves, vital for coastal protection, remain under threat from anthropogenic activities.
Pollution: While physico-chemical parameters are largely within safe limits, seasonal fluctuations and marine debris continue to pose significant challenges.
Dr. Kumara emphasizes the global significance of these findings: “As part of the Indo-Pacific realm, the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay hold a unique place in global marine conservation efforts. Collaborative actions between India and Sri Lanka are crucial.”
The report, backed by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, and other key stakeholders, provides a framework for future conservation efforts. Dr. Kumara and his co-editors, Dr. Jayanthi and Dr. Patterson Edward, hope the findings will catalyze policy changes and foster stronger community involvement.
“This decade is critical,” Dr. Kumara concludes. “We must act now to ensure that future generations inherit thriving oceans.”
For conservationists, policymakers, and researchers alike, this report is a clarion call to protect the invaluable marine ecosystems of the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay.
Marine Ecosystem Monitoring: Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay (2023-2024)
The Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, located along the southeastern coast of India, are biodiversity hotspots with immense ecological and economic significance. These marine ecosystems encompass coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests, supporting a vast array of flora and fauna while providing livelihoods to coastal communities. This article explores the findings of the 2023-24 monitoring report, highlighting the status and health of these ecosystems, the threats they face, and recommendations for their conservation.
The Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay fall within the Indo-Pacific realm, known as the world’s richest region for marine biodiversity. With over 4,000 species reported in the Gulf of Mannar and nearly 3,300 species in Palk Bay, these ecosystems are critical for sustaining marine life. The Gulf of Mannar is India’s first marine biosphere reserve and was designated as a Ramsar site in 2022.
However, these ecosystems are vulnerable to both climatic and non-climatic factors, including coral bleaching, pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction. Recognizing this, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has established permanent monitoring sites to assess and manage the health of these vital habitats.
Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara
Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. The monitoring data for 2023-24 revealed a slight improvement in coral health in the Gulf of Mannar compared to previous years:
The live coral cover averaged 23.5% in the Gulf of Mannar and 18.4% in Palk Bay. However, these figures are significantly lower than the baseline of 37% recorded in 2005 due to multiple bleaching events and human-induced stressors.
Some 70 coral species were identified in the Gulf of Mannar and 36 in Palk Bay. Massive corals dominated, followed by branching and table forms.
Juvenile Coral Density: This metric, indicative of reproductive success, averaged 9.0 m2 in the Gulf of Mannar and 5.8 m2 in Palk Bay.
Coral reefs are threatened by invasive species like Kappaphycus alvarezii, marine debris, and rising sea temperatures, which have consistently exceeded the bleaching threshold during summers.
Seagrass Meadows
Seagrass beds are crucial for nutrient cycling, coastal protection, and as habitats for species like dugongs and sea turtles. The study recorded:
Seagrass Cover: The Gulf of Mannar showed seagrass coverage ranging between 27.9% and 67.8%, while Palk Bay ranged between 19.5% and 60.9%.
Species Diversity:
Nine seagrass species were identified, with Cymodocea serrulata, Syringodium isoetifolium, and Thalassia hemprichii being the most common.
Shoot Density: Higher in regions with greater seagrass cover, showcasing a healthy ecosystem.
Mangrove Forests
Mangroves are natural buffers against coastal erosion and provide critical habitats for marine organisms. The study recorded:
Gulf of Mannar: The largest mangrove cover was in the Tamiraparani river estuary, spanning 172 hectares. Four mangrove species were identified, including Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata.
Palk Bay: The Karankadu region had the highest mangrove cover of 250 hectares, with three dominant species.
Challenges: Mangroves face threats from habitat destruction, pollution, and encroachment.
Coastal Pollution
Physico-chemical parameters indicated that water and sediment quality were generally within acceptable levels. However, seasonal fluctuations caused by strong winds and water currents led to elevated turbidity and suspended solid levels. Heat stress during summer also exacerbated coral bleaching.
Marine Debris: Significant debris was observed, affecting 838 m2 of reef area in the Gulf of Mannar and 90 m2 in Palk Bay.
Conservation Efforts and Recommendations
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has taken steps to mitigate threats and improve the health of these ecosystems:
Invasive Species Control: Manual removal of Kappaphycus alvarezii has significantly reduced its spread.
Community Involvement: Programmes, like eco-development committees and self-help groups, empower local communities to engage in conservation.
Regular Monitoring: Permanent monitoring sites provide long-term data critical for effective management.
Recommendations: Strengthen marine protected areas and expand eco-sensitive zones.
Promote sustainable fishing practices and regulate tourism.
Enhance public awareness about marine conservation.
Continue monitoring and restore degraded habitats using scientific interventions.
The Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay are ecological treasures that require vigilant protection. While the current state of these ecosystems is fair, ongoing threats necessitate robust conservation efforts. By fostering a balance between biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods, these marine ecosystems can thrive for generations to come.
by Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne
(Former Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy
and Former Sri Lanka High Commissioner to Pakistan)
The Navy, under the aegis of its Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera and his lady, and President of Sri Lanka Navy Seva Vanitha Unit, Mala Lamahewa, conducted the National Canoeing and Kayaking Competition in the Jaffna lagoon last September. It was a difficult task as boats/equipment and teams required to be transported to Jaffna.
The National Regatta, held in the Jaffna lagoon off the picturesque Jaffna Dutch Fort, under the able leadership of the President of the National Association in Canoeing and Kayaking in Sri Lanka (NACKSL) Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumaratunge, and with the assistance of Secretary of NACKSL Captain Wijesiri – injured Navy Special Forces (SBS) officers and their staff.
Practising at Diyawanna Oya
Canoeing champs
Delft Dragon Boat youngest member receiving her gift from Mala Lamahewa
What is interesting was that the Boys and Girls teams from Delft Maha Vidyalum beat all Colombo Schools in the Dragon Boat category, after just one week of training !
It was amazing to see these youngsters paddling together as a team and winning both the categories convincingly.
The President of the Navy Seva Vanitha Unit, who was present with the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province, L Ilangovan, kept to her promise and arranged these talented Northern Children to visit Colombo last week and undergo special training sessions at the Diyawanna Oya Navy Rowing Club, under the guidance of proper coaches.
Out of 42 children who visited Colombo, under Navy arrangements, 32 of them were visiting Colombo for the first time. They were delighted. Students of other leading schools joined their counterparts from the North at Navy Rowing Club and now they have friends in the Delft Island when they visit Jaffna next time and enjoy the breakfast at Deft Island with pittu, Ssodai curry and sambol!
The children were hosted to Dinner at the Navy’s Wave-N-Lake Restaurant at Walisara and the First Lady of the Navy had a gift each for those students from Jaffna .
They are badly in need of two Dragon Boats and I wonder if there is anyone who could sponsor them?
Canoeing is in their blood. They paddle Theppam with their fathers every morning, before going to school!
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