Opinion

Delta, Drugs, Dematagoda, Data, Disorder and Deluge

Published

5 years ago

2021/08/19

Sahan Weerasooriya

By Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam

(Former Chief Medical Officer of Health)

Chairman, Standing Committee on Health, Colombo Municipal Council

The Delta virus, which sneaked into the country by the middle of June this year, has made its way to almost all four corners of the country, due to lack of proper control measures. How did this happen? It is an interesting question as we have taken many measures to check on passengers that can bring it to this country from India, the UK or other countries where it is spreading fast these days. Although the guidelines changed with time about PCR tests and quarantine periods for foreign travellers, and locals who re-enter our land, they are quite adequate to prevent any entry of the virus with such travellers. Then how it was found in the Dematagoda area, in Colombo, was the million-dollar question.

Alpha variant

Previously, when the Alpha Covid-19 virus started to spread in the country, the Health Authorities always said they could connect the patients to a previously ill one and that there was no community spread. Some blamed the tourists who came from Ukraine or airline crew who rested in a hotel near Katunayake for spreading the virus in this country. These are far-fetched ideas considering that they were traveling in Bio-bubbles and were tested, and the locals involved in that operation also were monitored. Then the blame was put on the firm Brandix.

True they were lax in not understanding the importance of keeping away employees who were down with flu symptoms. If they did that under proper guidance, they would have helped at least to slow down the spread in the country as I believe that virus was in the community before entering their facility. I wonder whether a proper epidemiological investigation was ever conducted on how the virus entered that factory and then spread all over the country. Anyway, the results were never made public. So may be that there were other sources that spread the virus here.

Indian experience

How could that have happened? Our neighbour is India. Both Alpha and Delta variants were in India and at first the Alpha was the predominant variant which was later replaced by the Delta variant. Considering that our airports were on the lookout for passengers with the Covid-19 virus that was a little chance that it could sneak into the country easily. This disease is a communicable disease – spread from one person to another. It cannot come from the wind, blowing through India, although they say it remains in the air for 16 hours and that also obviously not in open air but in closed premises. I believe that this disease came to our island through the unofficial travelling between India and Sri Lanka. When one checks even today for the places where the disease is found, most of them are from coastal areas, even in the East or North. The lowering of the number of PCR, or antigen, tests carried out may be the reason why this was not detected earlier in these areas and this is the price that we have to pay. Talking of PCR and antigen tests I think carrying out random tests is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. What we should do in this late hour is target high risk areas, and, to do that prepare a grading system even for the city where history has shown where the communicable disease outbreaks happened before.

Unofficial travelling between the two countries was in existence for over 50 years. I remember when I was a school- boy, I visited Jaffna and found that people travel by boat to Madras just to watch a movie and then return the same night. Smuggling of sarees, cloth, shoes, etc., were well known and Valvettithurai was notorious for that. Coconut oil and soaps left our shores as far as I remember. Even during the war, arms were smuggled from India. Now I believe that the Delta virus arrived in Sri Lanka with the smugglers of heroin, or Kerala Ganja, when they creep into the country somehow despite many efforts by the Navy to stop it. Of course, it is the people who are infected with the virus from India that may have given it to our people, both smugglers and fishermen, but internally it was spread again from well-known drug selling areas. Dematagoda is one such well-known area for drug distribution. Patients were also found in Galle and Jaffna districts initially. These also could be areas where drugs are unloaded by the smugglers. So, there is an obvious nexus between drugs and the Delta virus spread in this country.

Dematagoda detections

When the Delta virus was found in Aramaya and Albion Roads, in Dematagoda, the obvious thing to do was put all resources to that ward and try our best to stop spreading it to other areas. A lockdown was imposed but when I checked at that time, I was told that people were roaming the streets nonchalantly. PCR testing was conducted but we do not know the numbers and no proper special vaccination programmes were conducted in that area. I think the Colombo Municipal Council and the Ministry of Health lost a golden opportunity to either stop the spread, at least in the city of Colombo, and the district, or at least slow the transmission to controllable levels. The reason is there were no Epidemiologists who have previous field experience involved in the decision-making and lack of understanding how epidemics can create havoc within a short period and of the need to nip them in the bud. What should have been done was firstly make the people in Dematagoda aware of the situation by getting the Public Health staff go from house to house and at the same time get the information out about people who have symptoms of Covid-19 from the residents or the community leaders. In the past, when I was the Chief Medical Officer of Health, I used this tactic to control disease outbreaks.

We had Health Educators who deployed Health Instructors, a category of public health workers who were only at CMC, courtesy the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who did this work. They formed Community Development Councils trained community leaders on community development, provision of basic amenities, hygiene, disease control and the need of Community Participation for the greater good of the people. Today instead of the 600-odd Community Development Councils that we had at that time just a handful are left and that also thanks to the senior Members of the Municipal Council. The cadre and the numbers of Health Educators, instructors have been reduced by people who have not an iota of an idea of the importance of such people in controlling disease outbreaks, creation of awareness and getting community participation. Unfortunately, in their hour of need the residents of Dematagoda did not get that help although MMCs in that area did their best to help the people. No Health Education work or awareness campaigns were done in the area except a vehicle going around announcing the outbreak just on one day according to residents.

New health instructors

The CMC appointed new Health Instructors recently but unfortunately those who got the appointments were already CMC staff members but it should have been young school leavers as it happened during the Premadasa era as the Minister wanted some knowledgeable youngsters to educate the public in slums and shanties.

Now, we have the Delta virus which is officially making around 3500 persons ill every day and perhaps double that number with symptoms are not seeking medical attention, and a further two to three thousand, who do not realise that they have the virus, are in the community. In any epidemic this is the case according to studies. Already we have 150-170 deaths a day, again officially, which is causing a mounting concern about the next few weeks where we may have around 600 deaths a day according to some sources.

Third wave

Lack of proper data is a great concern and I have been mentioning this issue for a long time now. When the third wave started there were nearly a 100 patients who died in their homes without either seeking medical help or not getting it. This is the lack of communication between the CMC and the city dwellers that I had highlighted earlier. In order to find out the reasons for home-deaths I wrote to the Chief Epidemiologist as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of Health & Sanitation to give me data about such deaths so that we at the Municipal Council can discuss the issues and take appropriate issues. I never heard from him. Some of this information is also available with the Municipal Council but it is a jealously guarded secret! Knowing the value of data and information I initiated the GIS for Health Information, way back in 1998 at the CMC as the Epidemiologist for CMC, a newly designated post created by former CMOH, the late Dr. Suranjan Silva. If that system was properly developed, by now we could have been in a position to indicate where the virus is and where it would go next and take appropriate action. We cannot control this epidemic with cooked up data. Every patient is important and so are their contacts. Unfortunately, today when someone gets ill and when they are asked to stay at home sometimes no one contacts them and the contacts are left alone to do whatever. This has become an impossible task and at least in the future the government should take measures to increase the numbers of PHIs, Midwives, Health Educators by 100% at least rather than have management and development assistants in their hundreds in offices.

Then comes the fact that now it is time to apply the theory that if humans don’t move the virus will also not move. But see what happened in the recent past. Protests, demonstrations and marches were allowed to take place in many areas in the country. It is a shame that teachers took the government to ransom to settle a 24-year dispute giving a wrong message to the society and no wonder we have undisciplined citizens in the country who have been brought up by the education system and that is clearly seen by the way they behave on the roads.

Shunning responsilibity

Although Inter-provincial travelling was banned, people got down from busses and walked across bridges and later hopped into a bus on the other side. Where is the social responsibility of the people who should understand that there is something that every one of us should contribute to get rid of this scourge? At least now let them realize that it is not the busses that move the virus but people! This is a land like no other.

All this points to a deluge of death and morbidity that we may have to face in the next few weeks if some thing different will not be done soon. We have a new Minister of Health and may be there should be new faces in the Covid-19 Task Force. They should infuse new thinking of how to prevent the spread than increasing the PCR testing and vaccination. The people should take part in this exercise and all local social organisations in the profiting from respective areas should be taking part in such activities but not be vigilantes so as to not push people who go down with Covid-19 out of their areas. While we encourage people contributing to this cause, we also have to get rid of people who profit illegally from this national disaster.

Already there are allegations of selling of vaccines, profiting from PCR testing, handing over the disposal of dead bodies from private hospitals to funeral parlours for considerations, hotels paying commissions to officials for directing patients and many more. These should be investigated properly and if the allegations are true then the culprits should be brought to book.

Way forward

What should be the way forward? I am totally against Lockdowns by the types we had earlier. That also promotes indiscipline as Lankans love to somehow circumvent the law and have their own way. It is better to have curfews but not for long periods but maximum for about a week and that would be better than loose four weeks travel restrictions and or so called-lockdowns. So let it be a curfew from this Saturday or Monday! This will also not harm the daily wage earners much. But please give at least three days of notice and see that the elite also not travel through provinces by this date armed with travel permits. In the future we have to take quick, strong and timely action to stop the transmission of the disease. For that we need proper data and maps before taking decisions. We must put the Epidemiology Unit in the fore-front of Covid-19 control now. If necessary, the Government should bring back those who have retired and put each province under one of them. The data provided now is not worth to take informed decisions. There should be enough young medical officers with IT knowledge who can bring out great analysed data and maps who can be put to work at the main Unit. But please share the data with others. Show the people where the disease is so that they avoid such places.

Data has shown that eight out of 10 people should stay at home for the corona virus to be controlled. This is an important message as sometimes even the vaccinated get ill. So, what can be done? What can be suggested is that at any time or any day both the Public and the Private Sectors should have only 20% of their office staff at work at least until the end of the year after the initial curfew. All government departments, businesses or institutions should have their own Covid-19 prevention health protocols in place catering to the specific needs of such places.

This is important especially for government institutions. Not only inter-provincial travel should be banned but even inter-district travel should be only for the essential staff. The manufacturing industry can have all their staff in bubbles by providing the staff with lodgings. The factories should reduce staff levels to 50% of the staff but with longer working hours having weekly rotations. The same goes for the building industry. They can have night shifts. The staff can be allowed home once a fortnight after being tested with a rapid antigen test. Private transport for the staff is important and that goes for the government workers also. They can use the school vans which are idling now. Those drivers and conductors in the transport services also should be vaccinated as a priority.

Task Force

As I had mentioned in an earlier article, the Covid-19 Prevention Task Force should work in smaller sub-committees: Disease Control; Security; Logistics, Vaccine procurement and delivery; Hospital Management; Economics, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Trade; Ambulance Service, etc., and meet the Task Force with their own decisions which should be conveyed at the meetings with the Head of the Govt. That meeting should be for only the key officials from these sub-committees or those who are invited specially to hear their opinions. Public Health staff should engage with local communities in the MOH areas to build trust for evidence-based actions to detect possible cases and encourage local leaders to support outbreak control response measures. Strategic decisions with regard to control measures should be taken at central level by an Expert Panel comprising of Epidemiologists, Virologists, Public Health and Hospital administrators. Keep out the ‘Wannabe Epidemiologists’ stupid ideas such as vaccinate people in ‘Virgin Areas’. They do more harm than good as too many cooks spoil the soup. A true Epidemiologist with years of experience gets a gut feeling of what should be done next. All vacancies for health staff should be filled at least temporarily especially, those in the public health workforce. Border control should be strict especially in the northern seas to prevent Delta virus entering the country. Fishermen should be told not to mix with Indian fishermen. All decisions should be based on guidelines, policies and decisions of the Task Force or Presidential directives based on worked out strategies, the analysed information, maps, risk assessments, and the epidemiological situation. The basic messages to the general public should be to wear a mask, wash the hands, keep social distance, get vaccinated, go for self-isolation and get medical help if they suspect they have the disease, home quarantine if required, etc. It is a must to have proper communications with people in the area and the health staff comprising of the field officers are the best to do this. Private or Government institutions not following guidelines and causing outbreaks should be taken to task severely. Stop all gatherings of people.

Natural decline

This epidemic will only stop due to natural decline that will happen when most of the people will get ill even mildly and have immunity against Covid-19 or by vaccination of the population as Israel did for their citizens. Considering the fact that even people in Dambane are down with the disease I think the former will win the race. But the latter should be our priority. People should as early as possible get their doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, whether it is the AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm or Pfizer vaccine that is available in their area. If we want to stop a deluge of deaths in the country this should be done immediately. All people over the age of 18 in high population density areas where the disease affected large numbers should be vaccinated and people in Colombo’s poorer areas should be given the priority and not the people with connections, power or money. We have to prevent Covid-19 but not at the cost of ruining the livelihoods of the people, especially the daily wage earners.

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Opinion

Sri Lanka’s geopolitical positioning for future prosperity

Published

10 hours ago

2026/09/25

Thilina Walpola

Kariyawasam

By Chula Goonasekera
For the LEADS Forum (admin@srilankaleads.com)

Sri Lanka’s future prosperity will depend on how effectively it positions itself within an increasingly complex global environment. At a recent LEADS Forum discussion (https://youtu.be/Bbr3e_qU1Fw), veteran diplomat Prasad Kariyawasam, former Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, High Commissioner to India, Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador /Permanent Representative to the UN in New York and Geneva —outlined the strategic choices Sri Lanka must make to secure long term stability and economic advancement. Kariyawasam offered a rare blend of historical perspective, diplomatic experience and practical guidance.

His central message was clear: Sri Lanka must exercise strategic agency—engaging all major partners while safeguarding its national interests.

Foreign Policy as an Extension of National Aspirations

Foreign policy, Kariyawasam emphasised, is inseparable from domestic priorities. As your text notes, “foreign relations often reflect the medium- and long-term aspirations of a country’s people and its leadership.” Governments must therefore craft external relations that reflect the public’s economic and social expectations, avoiding short-term political impulses that undermine long-term national interests.

For a small nation, foreign policy cannot be symbolic or personality driven. It must be purposeful, pragmatic and directed towards the security and prosperity of the people.

A History of Global Connectivity

Sri Lanka’s history demonstrates that the island has never been isolated. From ancient ties with India and Southeast Asia to Arab, Persian and Chinese maritime networks, the island prospered when connected to the wider world. We must realise that “geography creates opportunity, but geography alone does not create prosperity.” Institutions, infrastructure and policy determine whether geographic advantage becomes economic success.

Colombo’s emergence as a cosmopolitan trading hub and Galle’s role as a resupply station for Indian Ocean shipping in colonial times , illustrate how deeply Sri Lanka has been embedded in global commerce for centuries.

Lessons from Asia’s High Performers

Kariyawasam highlighted the experiences of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam. Their paths differ, but their success rests on common foundations:

• investment in human capital and infrastructure

• merit based institutions

• integration into global markets

• attraction of investment and technology

• export oriented industries

• strategic engagements with both China and Western economies

The lesson for Sri Lanka is not imitation but continuous adaptation and constructive integration with the global economy.

India: Sri Lanka’s Closest Major Partner

India’s transformation into a global economic power presents Sri Lanka with both opportunity and responsibility. India is already Sri Lanka’s largest source of tourists and a major investor. Kariyawasam states, “The larger question is how effectively Sri Lanka can participate in and benefit from India’s growth.”

A partnership should encompass modern, more open pathways for trade, investment, logistics, energy, technology, digital services, education and professional mobility—And asymmetry between the two economies must be handled with maturity and foresight, seeking special and differential treatment .

China and Other Global Partners

China remains a significant economic partner. Sri Lanka must avoid viewing this relationship through a zero sum lens. The goal should be productive and transparent engagement, ensuring better terms of trade and meaningful technology transfer.

Equally Important relations must be nurtured with the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, ASEAN and the Gulf.

All these relationships can be vibrant partnerships that does not lead towards , dependency but mutually beneficial pragmatic arrangements .

A Fragmenting International System

Global geopolitics is becoming more volatile. Trade tensions, wars, sanctions, supply chain disruptions, climate change and technological competition increasingly shape national security. We must realise, “foreign policy cannot be separated from economic policy.”

Sri Lanka’s recent economic crisis demonstrated the importance of international confidence, access to finance and resilient supply chains. Energy security, food security, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure are now core elements of national strategy.

Strategic Agency: The Guiding Principle

Sri Lanka must avoid becoming an arena for great power competition. Strategic agency means making decisions based on national interest, expanding Sri Lanka’s choices, not restricting them.

India is essential. China is important. The United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, ASEAN and the Gulf are important. The objective is a web of partnerships that strengthens resilience and autonomy.

Sri Lanka’s Strategic Assets

1. Location: Sri Lanka’s geography is a long standing advantage. Ports such as Colombo, Hambantota, Trincomalee and Galle can become specialised hubs—if connected to logistics, manufacturing, services and exports.

2. Digital Connectivity: Submarine cables, data centres, cloud services and cybersecurity are now as important as physical geography. Sri Lanka can turn its location into both a maritime and digital advantage.

3. Tourism and Natural Heritage: The focus should shift from tourist numbers to value creation—wellness, heritage, ecotourism, cruise tourism, education and MICE tourism.

4. Human Resources and Demographics: High literacy is no longer enough. Skills in technology, engineering, AI, logistics and advanced manufacturing are essential, especially with an ageing population.

5. Migrant Workforce: Migrant workers are a strategic asset, not merely a source of remittances. Bilateral labour agreements, skills recognition and diaspora engagement should be central to foreign policy.

Requirements for Sustained Prosperity

Sri Lanka’s future depends on:

• peace and security

• access to international markets

• productive investment

• a skilled, productive workforce

• modernised agriculture

• higher value tourism

• demographic preparedness

• climate resilience

• strong, predictable institutions

Please note that “foreign policy can open doors. Domestic institutions determine whether we can walk through them.”

The Role of the State

Sri Lanka does not need a larger state—only a more capable one. Policy continuity, professional institutions, predictable regulation and reduced corruption are essential. Geography does not change; long-term national interests do not change. Intentional relationships built over decades should not be reinvented with each election cycle.

Building Trust Internationally

Trust is a strategic asset. Sri Lanka must be known as a country that honours commitments and maintains predictable policies. This is vital not only for diplomacy but also for investment and long term partnerships.

Avoiding Zero Sum Geopolitics

Sri Lanka does not need to choose between India and China, or between Asia and the West. The task is to identify what each relationship can contribute to national development while protecting sovereignty and freedom of decision making.

Sri Lanka’s geography is an inheritance, but prosperity is not guaranteed. The world is changing rapidly—great-power competition, technological disruption, and climate vulnerability demand a foreign policy that is pragmatic, adaptive, and anchored in national interest.

Sri Lanka must build partnerships without dependencies, maintain strategic agency without isolation, and integrate with the global economy while strengthening domestic capacity.

“We cannot change where Sri Lanka is. We can, however, determine what Sri Lanka becomes because of where it is”

Opinion

A tariff deal with the US? Make haste slowly

Published

1 day ago

2026/09/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

by Gomi Senadhira

Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to the United States Mahinda Samarasinghe is back in Sri Lanka lobbying for speedier finalisation of a new tariff deal with the United States. According to news reports, delivering the keynote address at the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors’ Annual Meeting last week, he stated, “I have recommended very strongly to the government that we need to conclude the agreement so that we can lock in the very favourable tariff rate that Sri Lanka has got up to now“.

I do not understand why the former ambassador is urging the government to expedite the finalisation of a new tariff deal or what is “the very favourable tariff rate” he refers to in his speech. However, given the ongoing terrible tariff turbulence in the United States and the fragile economic situation in Sri Lanka, I believe, this is not the right time to rush into finalising any trade agreement with the United States. I am also of the opinion that at this juncture Sri Lanka should maintain strategic patience and explore all available options.

Lessons from the countries that rushed for trade deals

To better comprehend this, let’s look at experiences of the countries that rushed to conclude tariff deals with the United States after President Donald Trump declared his “reciprocal tariffs” under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in April 2025. As Samarasinghe stated in his keynote, “The bottom line on all these negotiations was that every country that finally agreed to sign the agreement had to give either complete duty-free access for American exports into those markets, or near complete duty-free access.” In exchange for these tariff concessions and other market access commitments these countries managed to get the newly introduced country specific “reciprocal tariffs” reduced.

However, in February 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) struck down these “reciprocal tariffs” under the IEEPA. With that, the market access gains these countries received in exchange for complete duty-free access for American exports into their markets evaporated under U.S. domestic law. By moving too fast to conclude bilateral tariff agreements with the United States these countries are now bound to strict obligations whereas the benefits they bargained from the U.S. administration are not worth the paper those were written on.

Sri Lanka’s experience

In April 2025, President Trump declared his “reciprocal tariffs” and labelled Sri Lanka as the worst offender, imposing one of the highest additional duties at 44%. Since then, Ambassador Samarasinghe and other negotiators have managed to negotiate this down to 20%. I do not know what the deal was through which Sri Lanka managed to reduce the 44% tariff to 20% or what we gave in return for this “concession.” However, what we received in return has absolutely no value after the decision by the SCOTUS.

Current state of US tariffs

After the decision by SCOTUS, the U.S. administration introduced a temporary 10% additional tariff on all countries for 150 days. At the end of that period, this 10% tariff was replaced by a new “forced labor tariff ” of 10% to 12.5% on all trading partners under Section 301 of U.S. trade law. Twenty-five U.S. states and several small businesses have already filed lawsuits against these tariffs in U.S. courts. This new “forced labour tariff ” on Sri Lanka was first fixed at 12.5%. Later, after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake issued a gazette notice prohibiting the importation of goods produced using forced labour, it was reduced to 10%. That means Sri Lanka has already made a substantial commitment to receive this “tariff concession,” and I presume our negotiators understand the implications of this commitment.

Make haste slowly

After President Trump imposed 44% “reciprocal tariffs” on Sri Lanka, through an article published in The Island on 25th April 2026 (), I urged the government to engage immediately with the US administration on these tariffs. However, I also emphasised that the best way to move forward was to make haste slowly.

Two millennia ago, Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of Rome, frequently used the phrase, “make haste slowly”, because he detested rashness and haste in his military commanders. It was the recurring guiding maxim that he emphasised throughout his 40-year imperial rule. After 2000 years, this classical oxymoron remains a definitive golden rule for professional trade negotiators. More importantly it is the exact blueprint required when navigating turbulence in trade negotiations with the Trump administration.

The endgame – The most dangerous moment in trade negotiation

Samarasinghe has also stated the agreement is 90% complete. Any experienced trade negotiator should know that the final 10% contains high-stakes provisions and is the most dangerous moment in a trade negotiation. A single misplaced comma or ambiguous product description in a tariff schedule can cost millions through unintended loopholes. Rushing this last stretch to secure a deal can permanently expose Sri Lanka to sudden shifts in American trade policy, heavy compliance costs, or strict enforcement under Section 301 regarding supply-chain labour standards. Hence, this is the time for strategic patience.

(The writer can be reached at senadhiragomi@gmail.com)

Opinion

Buddhist law and constitutional amendments

Published

1 day ago

2026/09/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

Upon reading the article titled “Prof. Pieris says Buddha Dhamma recognized as source of law under Constitution” (Island, September 12, 2026), the classical Sinhala idiom “Yanne Koheda? Malle Pol” immediately comes to mind. The expression, translating literally to answering “I have coconuts in my bag” when asked “Where are you going?”, underscores a complete disconnect in logic. Because it is uncertain whether the article accurately represents the professor’s precise words, the following critique addresses the contents of the report rather than the speaker himself.

The central premise of the report concerns a statement delivered by the Chief Justice regarding a petition filed against the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. According to the report, the Chief Justice’s observation that the determination would be made strictly on the basis of established law rather than Buddhist teachings was characterised as a “cavalier dismissal” of the Buddha Dhamma. This assertion carries a host of unexamined assumptions. Had the writer specified precisely which tenets of the Buddha Dhamma were violated, a direct legal or philosophical evaluation could take place. However, no specific Buddhist tenet or law was identified as having been transgressed, and for good reason: no such statutory legal framework exists within the Buddha’s teachings.

To understand the flaw in this argument, one must examine the constitutional context alongside the canonical meaning of the terms involved. Article 9 of the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka mandates that the Republic shall give Buddhism the foremost place and that it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, while guaranteeing the fundamental rights of all religions under Articles 10 and 14(1)(e).

While “Buddhism” and “Buddha Dhamma” are frequently used as interchangeable terms in casual dialogue, they represent distinct concepts. “Buddhism” is an umbrella term coined by 19th-century Western scholars to classify the global institutionalised religion, incorporating its diverse sects, cultural traditions, rituals, and socio-political histories. Conversely, Sasana is the ancient term designating the structural framework established by the Buddha to preserve and transmit his teachings, comprising the monastic order (Sangha) and its supporting institutions.

In classical Theravada commentarial literature, the Sasana operates as a functional three-tiered structure. It encompasses Pariyatti Sasana, the preservation and study of sacred texts; Paṭipatti Sasana, the practical execution of the doctrine through ethical conduct and meditation; and Paṭivedha Sasana, the direct experiential realization of ultimate truth, or enlightenment. This structural breakdown raises fundamental questions about state capacity. While a state can readily support Pariyatti Sasana through academic institutions, textual preservation, and educational funding, it cannot legislate or enforce Paṭipatti or Paṭivedha. Practical engagement and spiritual realisation are inherently internal, first-person experiences. Expecting the state to codify or guarantee enlightenment is a conceptual impossibility.

Furthermore, the Buddha Dhamma refers specifically to the unconditioned truths of existence and the teachings imparted to realize them, including the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and Dependent Origination. As the late Venerable Professor Kotagama Wachissara Thera observed, there is no rigid ideologue or “ism” in the core Dhamma. The teachings do not constitute a system of divine commandments or a legal statute enforced through reward and punishment. Rather, Buddhist ethics function as self-directed guidelines for psychological clarity and moral inquiry. Even the Vinaya Pitaka, which contains explicit rules of conduct, functions as an internal monastic code rather than a civil or criminal law intended for the laity.

Throughout the Pali Canon, guidance regarding governance focuses on the moral character of leadership and the social duties of statecraft rather than rigid legal codification. In discourses such as the Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta (DN 26), the Buddha observes that social instability and crime cannot be eliminated solely through punitive measures, emphasising instead that states must provide economic opportunities, fair wages, and resource distribution to maintain societal balance. Crucially, in the Maha Parinibbana Sutta (DN 16), the Buddha explicitly highlights the importance of respecting established laws and traditions rather than enacting arbitrary regulations.

The natural laws articulated in the Dhamma, such as the law of cause and effect or the three characteristics of existence, govern all phenomena universally, regardless of legal statutes or personal belief. They are not human laws to be applied or suspended by a court of law. Therefore, characterizing the Chief Justice’s adherence to constitutional jurisprudence over religious doctrine as a “cavalier dismissal” lacks logical and textual foundation. Framing the judiciary’s adherence to legal precedent as an attack on the Dhamma distracts from fundamental constitutional principles and risks misguiding the public for political ends.

Geewananda
Gunawardana,
Ph.D.