Reflections on 50th anniversary of priesthood

My first meeting with His Eminence goes back to the time of the late Archbishop, His Grace Oswald Gomis. I met His Eminence in the company of Archbishop Gomis many years ago, when His Eminence was the Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo. He had come to see my late father, Dr. Cyril Perera. Subsequently when His Eminence became the Archbishop, I was called by him to be the lawyer of the Finance Committee of the Archdiocese. From there on I have had a very close relationship with him.

This relationship got much closer with the tragic Easter Sunday Bomb attack in 2019. We worked very closely during those eighteen months of the Commission. Throughout that period and whenever I wanted certain factual matters clarified I was able to do so, without a moment’s hesitation even whilst the Commission was in session. One thing I discovered during this period was his immense love for his people. Many times here and abroad he used to break down and cry, when recounting the tragic bomb blast – ‘Tears are words the heart cannot express’.

His Eminence requested the then President to appoint a Commission to look into the Easter Sunday Blast. The Commission report very clearly stated as follows;

“In view of the intimation made by the President that one reason for the appointment of the Commission of Inquiry was the request made by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, it was decided to allow him legal representation from day one of the proceedings. Accordingly, Mr. Shammil Perera, President’s Counsel and a team of lawyers were present throughout the reception of evidence including evidence in camera”

In fact His Eminence took it on himself to give evidence personally on two days at the Easter Sunday Commission. The Commission has recorded as follows inter – alia on his evidence;

“His Eminence said that religions are for peace but unfortunately in this consumerist material world religions have become an element to divide humans rather than nurturing, nourishing and uniting them. Mutual respect to others religions and their beliefs is in the preaching of all religions and no religious leader born to this world has said to divide mankind, kill humans in the name of God and religious diversity that this country is having today is a blessing according to His Eminence. He went on to state that if religions are followed in the right manner it can lead to social transformation towards a better life. The beauty of Sri Lanka is in its diversity similar to the diversity in our natural environment with a vast collection of fauna and flora, His Eminence added”.

I need to state with deep gratitude that during the height of the Commission, my safety was His Eminence’s main concern and he even offered his car and asked me to come and stay at the Archbishops house, where he said that he would personally look into my well being. It reflected how much love and compassion he had towards the victims and on me personally. It was his firm belief always that ‘the tears in their eyes you can wipe away, the ache in their heart will always stay’. That determination of His Eminence to find the truth of the Easter Sunday carnage is something unique. Napolean Bonaparte said ‘the word impossible is found only in a dictionary of fools’. His Eminence will leave no stone unturned in his quest to find the truth.

During the days of the Commission, when our time was spent full time on the Commission, there was no one on whom we could turn to for consolation except His Eminence. I could say without any hesitation and from the deepest depths of my heart, when I used to drive back home alone after the Commission sittings in the early hours of the morning that I took great consolation and strength from the fact that my Archbishop was there for me, come what may. St. John of the Cross aptly described this as ‘the dark night of the soul’. God in his mercy gave me this father figure to help me. There are moments which mark your life, moments when you realise nothing will ever be the same. Time is divided into two parts, before this and after this. That is how it was for me.

Another vital yet often unappreciated facet of His Eminence’s leadership has been his unwavering commitment to fostering interfaith harmony in Sri Lanka’s diverse religious landscape. In the aftermath of the tragic Easter Sunday bombings in 2019, a moment of deep national trauma, His Eminence called not for revenge but for unity, peace and restraint. In this context, if I might quote from the Final Report of the Easter Commission of Inquiry;

“The invaluable reconciliation effort by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith is written in the history of Sri Lanka is immemorial. His Eminence’s appeal for Sri Lankans to non violence, non retaliation and clemency for enemies saved the country from fueling ethnic and religious tensions that were about to spread”

His Eminence is a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. As a Cardinal he is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the Holy Father who is the Bishop of Rome and the visible head of the universal Catholic Church. It has to be stressed that His Eminence as a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, went to the United Nations in Geneva on three occasions and met with the Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and briefed them about the Easter Sunday carnage. We also met a number of High Commissioners and Ambassadors of the United Nations in Geneva and kept them informed of the developments on the aftermath of the attack. On all these occasions, I saw for myself, first hand the trouble he had to undergo in making these long and arduous journeys. I asked myself the question a number of times, “why does His Eminence have to do this?”. The Answer was clear it was all for the sake of his people whom he loved and who suffered immensely.

I am proud of the fact he was the first Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church to have addressed the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights. In fact to do so, he had to get the permission of the Holy Father, which he got in person. The Holy Father, the late Pope Francis was very keen to see some of the victims. This too was organised by His Eminence and there was a Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on the 29th April 2022. The mass was packed to capacity by the Sri Lankan community in Italy and 50 victims of the bomb blast were specially flown to Rome for this occasion.

His Eminence was also instrumental in getting his lawyers to file 289 cases for damages in the District Courts of Colombo and Negombo on the injuries sustained by the innocent victims. These cases had to be filed within two years and His Eminence spear headed that enormous task.

In the final analysis, I can say with great certainty that If His Eminence had not got involved personally this whole ugly traumatic event would by now have been swept under the carpet as has been the case in a number of contentious matters in Sri Lanka.

A further matter that needs to be stressed is the case where compensation was given by the Supreme Court in a sum of Rs. 311 million which was the highest amount of compensation ever paid in a Fundamental Rights case in the history of Sri Lanka. In fact, the interest His Eminence, took in that case was stupendous. The day the Judgement was being pronounced he was determined to come to Court but due to circumstances beyond his control he was out of the island and his flight was delayed. Neither His Eminence nor I were able to even visualise that great and singular Judgement. There is no doubt that, that was the hand of God.

It was not only the Easter Sunday issues but His Eminence intervened in public interest litigation wherever and whenever it was necessary. To name a few, the Muthurajawela issue, the appointment of the IGP, the Online Safety Bill, the draconian Anti Terrorism Bill, the Richmond Castle case and having tuition classes on Poya Days were some of the matters that were entrusted to me. All these actions were instituted not for his personal glory but rather for the well being of his flock. As the late Holy Father, Pope Francis said of priests “priests should be shepherds with the ’smell of the sheep’, grounded in the situation of their flock……… a pastor is one who puts God’s holy faithful people at the centre …………”. This would aptly apply to His Eminence who was deeply concerned with the welfare of his people.

I would say without hesitation that it was one of the greatest privileges in my life and a gift I received from Almighty God to have been able to work for His Eminence. It is a gift that I will never tire of unwrapping. I have found a great person in him and always would love to work with him as long as I can. It was said of Sir. Winston Churchill, ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’. I would without any hesitation tell the same of His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. He is a great gift to the Church in Sri Lanka, a giant, the like of whom we may not see again’.

by Shammil J. Perera
President’s Counsel

The Sri Lanka Medical Council, as the sole regulator of medical professionals in Sri Lanka, has played a vital role in shaping the nature, quality, and character of medical professionals and the medical profession for a century.

The speech made by Justice Yasantha Kodagoda on 5 July 2025 at the Centenary Celebrations of the SLMC, deserves praise and our sincere thanks for its forthrightness. The speech presents to the medical community at large, an invitation and opportunity to look more inwards than outward in its regulatory role for the future. His Lordship’s speech was aptly titled “Strategies for Addressing Malpractices in Healthcare Systems”. This is also the very point that was reiterated by the current registrar of the SLMC who stated, “With a vision for continuous improvements and adaptation, the SLMC is poised to navigate the future of healthcare with the same dedication that has defined its first century.”

We have been told for at least the past decade that there is a new Medical Bill which is with the Ministry of Health which will address the issues raised by the medical professions and health professionals which will enable the dedicated men and women of future SLMCs to perform the duty of the SLMC. In summary, it is to protect the citizens of Sri Lanka from the medical professionals (‘The SLMC is a statutory body established for the purpose of protecting health care seekers by ensuring the maintenance of academic and professional standards, discipline and ethical practice by health professionals who are registered with it’)

As pointed out by Justice Kodagoda, issues pertaining to medical ethics by practicing medical professionals, and the manner in which the SLMC has handled such issues in the recent past in particular, has led to increasing public concern about the SLMC. His Lordship went further and even proposed a mechanism/s to overcome such public concern with a particular reference to ethical issues resulting from the practice of medicine. He quite correctly used words such as ‘neutrality’ and ‘representation’ to a ‘Complaints Secretariat’, which he proposed to be instituted to handle issues on complaints against medical professionals. He even suggested that non-medical professionals should be allowed to serve on such disciplinary panels.

As of now the composition of SLMC Council is exclusively limited to doctors as far as the medical profession is concerned. Thus, whatever process is suggested within this fundamental framework, it will, as of now, ultimately result in Self-regulation of Doctors by Doctors. This is the real question which needs addressing and one hopes that the new Medical Bill, decades in the making, will address the fundamental question of ‘Can the medical profession self-regulate itself or does the composition of the SLMC need fundamental reform to include non-medical personnel on its council to unbiasedly perform its statutory duty of protecting the Sri Lankan citizen from the Sri Lankan medical profession?

The institution on which the SLMC was modeled on, over a century ago is the General Medical Council (GMC) of the United Kingdom which was established in the year1858. Initially its members were elected by the members of the profession and enjoyed widespread confidence from the profession. The 167-year-old GMC has undergone many reforms to serve the public and profession in a more transparent, accountable and responsible manner over the years. With regards to public concern that the GMC was self-regulating itself to the detriment of public trust in it, was addressed in 2013. The General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK was reduced to 12 members from 24 members on January 1, 2013. The Council has 12 members, include 6 medical professionals (registrant members) and 6 non-medical individuals (lay members). The GMC also has an Executive Board that handles daily operations and over 1,000 associates who support its work.

An interesting article appeared in the comments section of the British Medical Journal of 12th November 2022. That opinion piece was titled The GMC (General Medical Council) has been failing for 30 years. The opinion of the authors, Martin Mckee and Scott L. Greer, dealt with matters of transparency pertaining to the regulatory role of the GMC within the profession in the United Kingdom. This opinion piece was brought to the notice of the SLMC by way of an e-mail and regular post on 17th November 2022. The point of discussion which was requested from the SLMC was ‘is the current composition of the Council of the SLMC unbiasedly capable of ‘self-regulation’ of the profession at large?’ and ‘Has/Is the Sri Lanka Medical Council acted/acting in the best interest of the citizens of Sri Lanka or Is it acting in the self-interest of the profession, or more specifically the self-interest of an elected/selected segment of the medical profession?’

With regards to the composition of the SLMC Council, and the Medical Bill of a wider outlook which has been proposed, the SLMC called for submission of proposals by way of a newspaper advertisement on 5th October 2018. The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) Council at the time submitted a set of proposal to be included in the new Medical Bill to the SLMC on 22nd October 2018 (the deadline for submission was 28th October 2018).

As the SLMC is celebrating its Centenary and has stated its desire ‘for continuous improvements and adaptation, to navigate the future of healthcare with the same dedication that has defined its first century’ we reproduce below a few submissions made for the consideration of the SLMC back in 2018 with a particular reference to the Council of the SLMC and the process of appointment to the Council of the SLMC

(A). The composition and the term of office of the SLMC

1. The SLMC shall consist of a total of fifteen (15) members appointed by the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka.

i. Ten (10) members shall be reputed medical/dental practitioners, who have been registered with the SLMC for a minimum period of 20 years.

ii. Two (02) members shall be Deans from the Faculties of Medicine, who have been registered with the SLMC for a minimum period of 20 years.

iii. Three (03) shall be leading professionals of high repute from education, law, finance or management professions, from the private or public sector, with a minimum period of service of 20 years after obtaining the first professional qualification or degree.

2. The President of the SLMC should be elected by the members of the SLMC at its first meeting.

3. The term of office of the Council shall be three (03) years.

4. Any person can serve in the Council only for a maximum of six years in toto.

(B). The process of appointment to the Council of the SLMC

1. The Registrar of the SLMC shall call for applications from eligible members of the Medical/Dental profession and members of the education, legal, finance or management professions, at least three (03) months before the expiry of the term of office of the SLMC.

2. All applications received shall be forwarded to the Constitutional Council through the Executive President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

3. The Constitutional Council shall appoint the members within a period of six (06) weeks from the date of submission of the names to the Constitutional Council by His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka.

4. The Constitutional Council shall ensure that the appointees can discharge their duties free from the influence of politicians and trade unions and can perform their functions without fear or favour.

These are a set of submissions among many the SLMC would have received during the period it sought public opinion for the new Medical Bill. We hope that the SLMC in its centenary year will revisit these proposals carefully and seriously address the issue of self-regulation of the doctors by doctors, and introduce more transparency in guiding the medical profession in Sri Lanka in to the future, keeping in mind its statuary role of ‘protecting health care seekers by ensuring the maintenance of academic and professional standards, discipline and ethical practice by health professionals who are registered with it’

As the SLMC enters its 2nd century, the powers that be at the SLMC and medical profession itself, must reflect objectively on the core statutory function of the SLMC. The outcome of this reflection ought to be finding the most suitable answer to the question (perhaps not the ideal answer) How can the SLMC as a statutory body protect the health seekers by ensuring the maintenance of academic and professional
standards, discipline and ethical practice by health professionals who are registered with it?

In doing so the SLMC must not revolve around what it thinks it is doing well but revolve around selected core issues and evolve in manner to serve the interest of the Sri Lankan public which is it’s statutory bound to do.

By Dr Ruvaiz Haniffa

Past President, Sri Lanka Medical Association (2018)

A troubling trend with global echoes and local implications

By Dr Isuru U. Kariyawasam
Senior Lecturer,
Department of Botany,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
isurufasi@sjp.ac.lk

At a time when biodiversity loss, climate change, and food insecurity dominate international headlines, and sustainable development are at the forefront of global priorities, it seems paradoxical that the systematic study of plants — botany — is quietly disappearing from high school syllabi across the world. Both globally and here in Sri Lanka, botany is gradually being absorbed into broader biology curricula, or worse, omitted altogether, raising serious concerns for the future. This shift is not just a curiosity of education policy; it is shaping a generation that is alarmingly disconnected from the very organisms that sustain life on Earth.

Recent research underscores this concern. A 2023 study published in BMC Biology Education found that only 9% of secondary school biology exam questions across ten countries pertained to plants. Meanwhile, a meta-analysis in New Phytologist (2022) documented declining enrolments in botany and plant taxonomy courses at universities globally, linking it to reduced curricular emphasis in schools.

The global erosion of plant science education

Around the world, educators and scientists have sounded the alarm over what is sometimes called “plant blindness” — the tendency of people, especially urban populations, to overlook plants in favour of more charismatic fauna. Studies in the US, UK, and Australia have documented a steady reduction in botany-specific content in school syllabi. Biology courses overwhelmingly favour human physiology, genetics, and zoology, often relegating plants to a few cursory chapters.

For instance, a 2019 survey of secondary school biology curricula across several OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries found that less than 15% of biology syllabus time was dedicated to plant-related topics. Universities report that fewer students choose botany majors, leading to shortages of trained botanists — ironically, just as we need them most to tackle agricultural resilience, forest restoration, and conservation.

The Sri Lankan story: from colonial botany to modern neglect

Sri Lanka’s experience mirrors this global trend but also has a unique historical arc. During the British colonial period, botany was a prominent part of school education. Many early syllabi (e.g. 1902 & 1921 Ceylon Education Codes) included separate subjects on botany and plant classification, reflecting both colonial interests in plantation crops and the global push for natural history education. Students examined local flora, collected specimens, and engaged with plant taxonomy.

By the 1990s, however, reforms gradually merged botany and zoology into a single subject: general biology. While intended to modernise science education, this merger drastically curtailed the depth of plant studies. A glance at our own G.C.E. Ordinary Level and Advanced Level biology syllabi reveals a disproportionate emphasis on human biology. Today, at G.C.E. A/L level, botany is reduced to a handful of chapters on plant histology, physiology, and reproduction, with scant attention to Sri Lanka’s astonishing plant diversity.

Consequences at university level: a shrinking knowledge base

This shift is evident in our undergraduates. A 2021 survey conducted among first-year biology majors at two Sri Lankan universities revealed that fewer than 15% could identify even five common endemic plant species. Their understanding of fundamental plant taxonomy — once the backbone of biological education — was described by lecturers as “abysmal.”

The consequences ripple into higher education and research. Universities now struggle to fill botany specialisations, impacting critical fields such as conservation biology, plant systematics, and herbal pharmacognosy. Ironically, this occurs as Sri Lanka grapples with forest degradation and the need to sustainably harness its rich endemic flora.

Botany as a stand-alone subject, once offered alongside zoology, has all but disappeared from school syllabi. At A/L level, botany is merely a component within the broader biology syllabus. Consequently, fewer students develop a deep interest or expertise in plant sciences before entering university, affecting enrolment in specialising Honours Degrees in botany, plant biotechnology, and related fields.

The global plant blindness problem

This is not a uniquely Sri Lankan failing. International scholars warn of “plant blindness,” a term coined by Wandersee & Schussler, describing how humans fail to notice plants in their environment and undervalue their importance. A 2022 paper in Science Advances reported that biology textbooks worldwide devote less than 10% of pages to plants, despite plants constituting over 80% of Earth’s biomass.

Why does it matter?

Plants underpin life on Earth. They produce oxygen, regulate climate, stabilise soils, provide food, medicine, clothing, and shelter. In Sri Lanka, where over 1,400 plant species are endemic and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is rich, understanding our flora is not merely academic — it is part of our cultural and economic heritage. Moreover, traditional knowledge systems, from Ayurveda to local agroforestry practices, hinge on a deep familiarity with plants. When the next generation is not taught to recognise even the common species around them, we sever links to this ecological and cultural inheritance.

Neglecting plant science education threatens our ability to conserve biodiversity, manage ecosystems, and innovate in agriculture and herbal industries. With climate variability already affecting tea, coconut, and rice yields, we need more — not fewer — young minds trained in plant science.

A call to restore balance

Internationally, there is growing recognition of this gap. Organizations such as the Botanical Society of America and campaigns like “Plant Love Stories” work to re-engage young people with plants. Initiatives such as the “Plants in Our World” curriculum in Europe and botanic garden outreach programs aim to restore balance. Some countries are revising curricula to integrate more ecological and plant-based studies.

Sri Lanka too must consider revising syllabi to reinstate rigorous botany components — from plant anatomy and systematics to field-based identification exercises. Reintroducing school herbaria, medicinal plant gardens, local flora surveys, and digital plant ID tools could stimulate interest. Universities could partner with schools for hands-on taxonomy workshops, reconnecting students with the extraordinary diversity outside their classroom doors.

In conclusion

As we confront environmental challenges that are inherently tied to plants — from deforestation to food insecurity — we cannot afford a generation indifferent to botany. Addressing this educational blind spot is essential not only for scientific advancement but for safeguarding our ecosystems and cultural legacy.

If we truly aim for a sustainable future, it is time to bring botany back to the centre stage of our classrooms, both globally and right here in Sri Lanka.