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Thursday September 21st, 2023

COVID-19 vaccine: When must Sri Lanka act?

ECONOMYNEXT – With 165 deaths and 8,812 active cases reported at the time of writing, Sri Lanka has yet to announce a concrete plan to acquire a COVID-19 vaccine. Public health experts, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and other commentators have made various pronouncements on the pressing need to secure a vaccine best suited for Sri Lanka’s people and her ailing economy. Others, however, including experts, advise against rushing into importing a vaccine, suggesting instead that the government concentrate its efforts on containing the spread of the virus for the time being. The calls for a decision either way have become louder in the wake of the establishment’s ill-advised, alarmingly anti-science endorsement of an untested indigenous miracle cure.

State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control Sudarshini Fernandopulle told EconomyNext on Friday (18) that it is still early days. Sri Lanka’s health authorities, she said, have focused their attention on the different vaccines developed by international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies but, in the absence of sufficient data, a decision has yet to be made.

“It is too soon to tell which vaccines would be the best for our country and would be compatible with our citizens,” she said.

The state minister said the government has been in talks with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that 20 percent of the population will receive a COVID-19 vaccine for free through the COVAX initiative once the WHO has approved a vaccine.

COVAX, a global initiative spearheaded by Gavi, an international vaccine alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), aims to equitably cover 20 percent of a signatory nation’s vaccine needs, irrespective of income level. Some 190 countries have signed up for the programme, including wealthy nations such as the UK and Canada.

The WHO said in a statement on Friday (18) that COVAX had arrangements in place to access nearly two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

“For the vast majority of these deals, COVAX has guaranteed access to a portion of the first wave of production, followed by volume scales as further supply becomes available. The arrangements announced today will enable all participating economies to have access to doses in the first half of 2021, with first deliveries anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2021 – contingent upon regulatory approvals and countries’ readiness for delivery,” the statement said.

Sri Lanka’s readiness for delivery is unclear, at best.  State Minister Fernandopulle said the country’s infrastructure shortcomings such as cold chain issues also present practical difficulties with regard to storing a vaccine, particularly the Pfizer-BionTech which must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius.

“Transporting that vaccine at that temperature is not very practical in Sri Lanka,” she said

Pointing to a lack of clarity in the effectiveness of the vaccines currently being rolled out in the UK and elsewhere, Fernandopulle said more information was needed. For instance, both the Pfizer-BionTech and Moderna vaccines are said to be 95% effective. However, as pointed out by the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Forum of Sri Lanka (VIDFSL), these are preliminary phase three results that have yet to be peer-reviewed.

The state minister noted that the duration of  immunity to the novel coronavirus following vaccination is also unclear.

“We’re not told how many times we have to get it. For example, we know the polio vaccine is for a lifetime. With this, we don’t know,” she said.

According to Fernandopulle, in the event a vaccine eventually arrives in the island, high risk groups and frontline workers as well as members of the armed forces and police will be given priority.

The minister gave an assurance that Sri Lanka will import a vaccine that is deemed best suited for the country, though she did not commit to a timeline. The Sunday Times reported quoting a government official today that Sri Lanka is in talks with the World Bank to secure a Rs 10 billion loan to purchase a vaccine.

“We are still studying this. We will bring in the best and the safest vaccine for patients and citizens in the country as soon as possible. Financially we are under no stress. Funds will be given by the World Bank. The president, too, provides his fullest support,” she added.

Meanwhile, Executive Director and fellow of the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) Dr Ravindra Rannan-Eliya said Sri Lanka ought to take its time in working out a strategy for vaccinating the country against COVID-19.

“I don’t think we should rush. We don’t have thousands dying right now. Only two vaccines are approved by some countries, and we don’t have critical data even for those, in particular their ability to stop transmission,” he said.

Speaking to EconomyNext on Friday (18), Dr Rannan-Eliya said the countries who urgently need vaccines today are those with rampant COVID-19 spread and thousands dying.

“We are not in that category, unless the government has decided it has changed the national strategy of aiming at elimination, without telling us. It may have since ministers are now saying we should live with the virus. if you have eliminated the virus, you don’t need vaccines urgently, unless people need to travel abroad,” he said.

According to Dr Rannan-Eliya, to prevent transmission, Sri Lanka needs to vaccinate 90% of the population, an endeavour that is not economically viable at present, to say the least.

“This could easily cost 1% of GDP, and the protection might only last one to two years. We can’t blame the government alone, since our limited fiscal capacity stems from decades of cutting taxes. We’ve chosen to reduce tax collection (10% of GDP) below the average in Sub-Saharan Africa (18% of GDP). Business people will understand that choices have consequences. One of those is that we can’t afford to buy vaccines for everyone with our own money,” he said.

Though COVAX will give Sri Lanka 20% for free, the WHO has yet to approve a vaccine, a process that will take several months. Dr Rannan-Eliya is looking at a timeline between 2021 to 2022.

While it is unclear at present when exactly the WHO will approve a vaccine, The National Geographic reported earlier this month that COVAX’s bargaining power was at risk. The programme’s funding depends on donations from its signatories, the magazine said, which have been slow to arrive.

“Meanwhile, some 9.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines are already reserved as of November 30, and more than half are dedicated to well-off countries through pre-purchase agreements. Assuming the vaccines prove effective, the United States has already secured enough doses to vaccinate its population twice over. For the UK, it’s thrice. And if it fulfills its orders, Canada could offer five doses to all of its 38 million citizens with some left over,” the NatGeo report said.

Dr Rannan-Eliya believes it is possible to eliminate the virus in Sri Lanka through tight border control and through rigorous testing, among other measures.

“This is a fraction of the cost of vaccinating everyone in the next 12 to 18 months. Plus, vaccinating everyone will not eliminate the virus anyway, since the initial vaccines are probably not good enough to do that.

“Our best option is to eliminate the virus using proven methods, maintain secure borders through 2021 and then pick the best and most affordable vaccine options in about six months time when more vaccines will be available and prices have started to drop. It would probably be prudent to raise taxes/reduce debt to pay for coverage for all in say 2022 or 2023,” he said.

In the meantime, Dr Rannan-Eliya said, vaccines will be needed for people leaving the country. If it is for personal reasons, he said, the cost should be borne by the traveller, but for other travels, the state will have to find the funds.

“Maybe a charge on incoming tourists might be an option since they will increase the cost for us of keeping the virus at low levels as we “live with the virus”, which [seems to be] the new policy?” he said.

Dr Rannan-Eliya reiterated that Sri Lanka ought not to rush.

“Pfizer would cost us USD 20 x 2 doses x 20 million people = USD 800 million. This does not include other deployment costs, indemnifying Pfizer for side effects and paying compensation ourselves since Pfizer will not. Even that will not remove the need for other measures, since transmission and deaths will still occur if we open borders,” he said.  (Colombo/Dec19/2020)

Comments (4)

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  1. Ruchira says:

    Beg to differ with Dr. RR. Being able to stop the disease is a good enough reason to have the vaccine. Imagine if you are in a high risk group (or even if you are not) and you get Covid19 and die of it or hospitalize with severe complications that require intensive care, while a vaccine that could have prevented all that is available for a mere 20 dollars in Singapore but not in Sri Lanka because our National policy didn’t think it was the cost effective thing to do! I am sure what he means is that the govt should not invest in vaccination this early but it could be made available for a price in the private sector for any individual who wants it regardless of they are going to travel or not. Otherwise it’s a ridiculous policy. I am sure we can do better than this and actually come up with a strategy based on several criteria like affordability and risk profile. Especially considering that there’s no guarantee that we would or even could succeed in eliminating the virus as he suggests.

  2. Ruchira says:

    This news that is about 2 weeks old claims that Pfizer’s vaccine could prevent transmission of the virus as well as stop the disease. Not sure if the claim has been since then proven or not. Nevertheless posting here as it is relevant to subject matter.

    https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/pfizers-covid-vaccine-could-stop-19659049?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

  3. Ruchira says:

    To vaccinate or not is not the question; where as to vaccinate with which (vaccine) is!

    Sri Lanka according to media reports have ordered 18 million Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccines following the donation of 0.5 million of them by the Indian government. However elsewhere in the world, in Switzerland and several other European Union countries like Germany, Italy and France this vaccine has been rejected, on the grounds that its efficiency is still not sufficiently proven especially in the elderly age group to authorize its use! This is while in Switzerland and in many other countries of the western hemisphere, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are already approved and being rolled out.

    Read more here:
    https://amp.ft.com/content/a6a6d64c-a337-4af4-9525-d194571c7887?__twitter_impression=true&s=04

    Sri Lanka’s decision to import Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine seems like a decision based on economics rather than health and perhaps influenced by other geopolitical pressures too; not necessarily because it is the best vaccine available out there. There’s no talk of getting down any of the other two major vaccines – Pfizer and Moderna, both of which, if my memory is right have efficiency levels of 90% or above. I think it’s 94.5% for the Pfizer vaccine compared to 80% upper limit (I believe) of Oxford AZ vaccine. In addition mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna it seems are not only less affected by the new variants of the virus that everyone is concerned of but also could be produced faster, according to recent comment on twitter by Dr. Rannan-Eliya.

    Excuses of sorts are given indirectly for not importing any of these vaccines. One of the main reasons being that we could not afford the Pfizer vaccine. Another is that the cold storage requirements for this vaccine makes it unsuitable or less suitable for a tropical country like ours! Both these are not necessarily good or valid points in my opinion.

    If i am right Pfizer has a ready made cold storage units in which these vaccines could be stored and transported. You only have to buy those units along with the vaccine. Considering that the temperature requirements in any case are not the room temperature, to me it looks like that it does not matter whether you are a tropical country or a temperate country as long as you have a way of maintaining the cold chain. It’s time the officials tell us what the exact requirements are that makes it unsuitable for a country like Sri Lanka!

    In addition with regards to the price, according to what I read, in the UK to give two jabs of Pfizer vaccine costs, including the cost of cold storage device, only 30 GBP compared to 4 or 5 GBP for Oxford AZ! Now convert those numbers in to Sri Lankan rupees and see what the cost for an individual is and whether you as an individual could not afford it!

    If the government is unable to buy the Pfizer vaccine en masse to be freely distributed and vaccinate people, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t allow the private sector to import it and make it available for those who could afford it and are willing to pay for it! This will not only provide a choice to people who wants to get vaccinated, to be made with specialist consultation and opinion, with regards to what the best vaccine for them, on an individual basis. It will also reduce the burden resting on the government of vaccinating the population, at least to some degree!

    I wonder why no one, professionals and politicians alike, is talking about it! Nor are any of the journos! At least I didn’t see any.

    It is disappointing performance by the administration when you are deprived of the best that money could buy, in this case for a very reasonable price, especially when it could be a life and death situation for some!

    Why aren’t the people not demanding the best for them from the government? Why are the experts silent? Why isn’t their a critical appraisal comparing the different vaccines and their suitability for the country and different demographic and risk groups, available in the local public domain for people to be aware and educate themselves as to what could be the best vaccine for them, in consultation with their doctors!?

    Why? Why? Why? – is the biggest question!

  4. Ruchira Kitsiri says:

    13.02.2021 – My 4th comment here on this news item.

    Scientists at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura has confirmed that the UK Covid19 variant has been found from multiple locations within Sri Lanka. (1)

    Another important variant is the South African (SA) one. It is said that 90% of South African Covid19 infections are due to this variant. It has also been found that Oxford AZ vaccine is only 10% effective against this variant, in light of which South Africa has suspended it’s programme immunization with Oxford AZ! (2)

    While the UK variant has already spread across many countries of the world, bow according to latest news in Sri Lanka too, it will be only a matter of time before the SA variant does the same and arrive in Sri Lanka.

    In the light of these develooments are we still going to immunize 9 million plus Sri Lankans with Oxford AZ vaccine frim the Serum Institute?

    (1) https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/02/12/uk-covid-strain-found-in-sri-lanka-dr-chandima-jeewandara/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

    (2) https://www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2021/2/7/south-africa-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-rollout

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Comments (4)

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  1. Ruchira says:

    Beg to differ with Dr. RR. Being able to stop the disease is a good enough reason to have the vaccine. Imagine if you are in a high risk group (or even if you are not) and you get Covid19 and die of it or hospitalize with severe complications that require intensive care, while a vaccine that could have prevented all that is available for a mere 20 dollars in Singapore but not in Sri Lanka because our National policy didn’t think it was the cost effective thing to do! I am sure what he means is that the govt should not invest in vaccination this early but it could be made available for a price in the private sector for any individual who wants it regardless of they are going to travel or not. Otherwise it’s a ridiculous policy. I am sure we can do better than this and actually come up with a strategy based on several criteria like affordability and risk profile. Especially considering that there’s no guarantee that we would or even could succeed in eliminating the virus as he suggests.

  2. Ruchira says:

    This news that is about 2 weeks old claims that Pfizer’s vaccine could prevent transmission of the virus as well as stop the disease. Not sure if the claim has been since then proven or not. Nevertheless posting here as it is relevant to subject matter.

    https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/pfizers-covid-vaccine-could-stop-19659049?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

  3. Ruchira says:

    To vaccinate or not is not the question; where as to vaccinate with which (vaccine) is!

    Sri Lanka according to media reports have ordered 18 million Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccines following the donation of 0.5 million of them by the Indian government. However elsewhere in the world, in Switzerland and several other European Union countries like Germany, Italy and France this vaccine has been rejected, on the grounds that its efficiency is still not sufficiently proven especially in the elderly age group to authorize its use! This is while in Switzerland and in many other countries of the western hemisphere, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are already approved and being rolled out.

    Read more here:
    https://amp.ft.com/content/a6a6d64c-a337-4af4-9525-d194571c7887?__twitter_impression=true&s=04

    Sri Lanka’s decision to import Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine seems like a decision based on economics rather than health and perhaps influenced by other geopolitical pressures too; not necessarily because it is the best vaccine available out there. There’s no talk of getting down any of the other two major vaccines – Pfizer and Moderna, both of which, if my memory is right have efficiency levels of 90% or above. I think it’s 94.5% for the Pfizer vaccine compared to 80% upper limit (I believe) of Oxford AZ vaccine. In addition mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna it seems are not only less affected by the new variants of the virus that everyone is concerned of but also could be produced faster, according to recent comment on twitter by Dr. Rannan-Eliya.

    Excuses of sorts are given indirectly for not importing any of these vaccines. One of the main reasons being that we could not afford the Pfizer vaccine. Another is that the cold storage requirements for this vaccine makes it unsuitable or less suitable for a tropical country like ours! Both these are not necessarily good or valid points in my opinion.

    If i am right Pfizer has a ready made cold storage units in which these vaccines could be stored and transported. You only have to buy those units along with the vaccine. Considering that the temperature requirements in any case are not the room temperature, to me it looks like that it does not matter whether you are a tropical country or a temperate country as long as you have a way of maintaining the cold chain. It’s time the officials tell us what the exact requirements are that makes it unsuitable for a country like Sri Lanka!

    In addition with regards to the price, according to what I read, in the UK to give two jabs of Pfizer vaccine costs, including the cost of cold storage device, only 30 GBP compared to 4 or 5 GBP for Oxford AZ! Now convert those numbers in to Sri Lankan rupees and see what the cost for an individual is and whether you as an individual could not afford it!

    If the government is unable to buy the Pfizer vaccine en masse to be freely distributed and vaccinate people, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t allow the private sector to import it and make it available for those who could afford it and are willing to pay for it! This will not only provide a choice to people who wants to get vaccinated, to be made with specialist consultation and opinion, with regards to what the best vaccine for them, on an individual basis. It will also reduce the burden resting on the government of vaccinating the population, at least to some degree!

    I wonder why no one, professionals and politicians alike, is talking about it! Nor are any of the journos! At least I didn’t see any.

    It is disappointing performance by the administration when you are deprived of the best that money could buy, in this case for a very reasonable price, especially when it could be a life and death situation for some!

    Why aren’t the people not demanding the best for them from the government? Why are the experts silent? Why isn’t their a critical appraisal comparing the different vaccines and their suitability for the country and different demographic and risk groups, available in the local public domain for people to be aware and educate themselves as to what could be the best vaccine for them, in consultation with their doctors!?

    Why? Why? Why? – is the biggest question!

  4. Ruchira Kitsiri says:

    13.02.2021 – My 4th comment here on this news item.

    Scientists at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura has confirmed that the UK Covid19 variant has been found from multiple locations within Sri Lanka. (1)

    Another important variant is the South African (SA) one. It is said that 90% of South African Covid19 infections are due to this variant. It has also been found that Oxford AZ vaccine is only 10% effective against this variant, in light of which South Africa has suspended it’s programme immunization with Oxford AZ! (2)

    While the UK variant has already spread across many countries of the world, bow according to latest news in Sri Lanka too, it will be only a matter of time before the SA variant does the same and arrive in Sri Lanka.

    In the light of these develooments are we still going to immunize 9 million plus Sri Lankans with Oxford AZ vaccine frim the Serum Institute?

    (1) https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/02/12/uk-covid-strain-found-in-sri-lanka-dr-chandima-jeewandara/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

    (2) https://www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2021/2/7/south-africa-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-rollout

Sri Lanka’s 2022 EPF returns falls to lowest, single digit in near two decades – CB data

ECONOMYNEXT – The 2022 annual average return on Sri Lanka’s largest contributory pension scheme, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), has fallen to its lowest in nearly two decades, Central Bank data showed.

The annual average return in the last year fell to 9.52 percent from the previous year’s 11.40 percent, a central bank response to a Right to Information (RTI) request showed.

Returns on EPF has raised concerns among contributors after the government decided to include EPF investments in the government treasury bonds under the domestic debt optimization (DDO) process.

Last year’s lower return has been recorded despite market interest rates being more than 30 percent towards the end of the year. In contrast, the fund has given a double digit return in 2020 when the market interest rates hovered in single digits.

Analysts have predicted the returns to be further low with the central bank opting for the government’s DDO option.

A central bank analysis on DDO showed the return on EPF could fall to as low as 6.79 percent if the DDO option was not chosen within the next 12 years as against 8.02 percent if opted for DDO.

Trade unions and some politically motivated fractions opposed the government move to include the EPF investments under the DDO. However, parliament approved the move early this month.

According to the data made available from 2005, the central bank, which is the custodian of the EPF, has given the highest return of 16.03 percent in 2009.

The island nation’s largest pension fund has almost 21-million member accounts including 18.3 million non-contributing accounts due to some members having multiple number of accounts.

The 3.38 trillion-rupee ($10.6 billion) worth fund as of end 2022 is managed by the central bank, including its investment decisions.

As of end 2022, the central bank has invested 3.23 trillion rupees or 95.7 percent of the total EPF in government securities, while 84.1 billion rupees has been invested in listed companies in the Colombo Stock Exchange, the central bank said quoting the EPF audited financial statement. (Colombo/September 21/2023)

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Malaysia to support Sri Lanka’s bid to join RCEP

ECONOMYNEXT – Malaysia has agreed to support Sri Lanka’s application to become a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a major regional trade agreement.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe met the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday (20).

During the meeting, the Malaysian Prime Minister expressed a strong desire to bolster economic ties between the two nations, according to a president’s media division statement.

He emphasized Malaysia’s eagerness to facilitate increased investments from Malaysian companies in Sri Lanka.

Ibrahim also expressed positivity towards Sri Lanka’s request to commence negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, which could potentially open up new avenues for trade and economic cooperation.

Wickremesinghe is in a drive to bolster international ties and integrate the country with the global economy.

So far this week he met with the leaders of Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Iran, South Korea, as well as representatives from global bodies such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, USAID, Meta, the Commonwealth, and attended other forums.

Sri Lanka aims to expand its economic reach first within South Asia and then extend further.
Data shows that Sri Lanka has been able to boost exports with FTAs.

Over the past two decades Sri Lanka’s exports have not grown as much as competitors.

Economists involved in trade have pointed out that Sri Lanka should make joining the RCEP a priority instead of trying to negotiate multiple smaller deals for which it does not have the bandwidth in government, or the technical resources to do multiple trade agreements. (Colombo/Sep21/2023)

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Is Tibet Prepared for a Post-Dalai Lama Era?

ECONOMYNEXT – Tibetans have shaped and sustained their lives for more than 60 years under the leadership of the 14th Dalai Lama. The spiritual leader turned 88 in July, and as his longevity is discussed amongst his followers, there is also concern about Tibet’s future without his physical presence.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama divested himself of all political authority, yet, as the architect of democratic governance, he continues to remain a larger-than-life figure for Tibetans.

Along with that come other challenges; safeguarding the democratic system he initiated, engaging younger generations in the cause for Tibet’s freedom, protecting the country’s environment, the influence of external forces and the possible geopolitical fallout of India’s continued support of the Tibetan cause.
Ever since the Lhasa uprising of 1959, and the setting up of a government in exile in Dharamsala, India, the first Tibetan Constitution introduced by the Dalai Lama in 1963 has undergone many changes.

In 1991 the Supreme Justice Commission was added to the other two pillars of democracy, the Legislature and the Executive. Along with that, an Independent Audit Commission, an Independent Public Service Commission and an Independent Election Commission were set up, and women were assigned two seats in the Legislature. The current operational body of the Tibetan government in exile is known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

The debate on Tibet’s sovereignty, which fell under the control of the Chinese in 1951, is ongoing, with the Chinese government terming it the “Peaceful Liberation of Tibet’ and the CTA and Tibetan diaspora referring to it as the “Chinese invasion of Tibet.”

Despite the reforms and the Dalai Lama divesting himself of all political power the spiritual leader exerts considerable influence and therefore there is still, a heavy dependence on him, notes MP Youdon Aukatsang. Speaking at a webinar titled “Tibetan Democracy in Exile’ organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, South Asia, on September 15, Ms Aukatsang pointed to a recent constitutional crisis which was finally resolved following the Dalai Lama’s intervention. “Tibetans must take full responsibility for political matters as envisaged by His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” she said.

There is also the challenge of dealing with the internal dissent amongst Tibetans, which she claimed is spearheaded by China.

The webinar moderated by Ms Tenzin Peldon, the Director and Editor-in-Chief of Voice of Tibet, included Ven Geshe Lhakdor, Director, Tibetan Library and Archives and honorary Professor, University of British Columbia, Gondo Dhondup, President of the Tibetan Youth Congress and Sujeet Kumar, an Indian parliamentarian and the Convenor of the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet.

The current Sikyong, Tibet’s political leader Penpa Tsering and Dr Jurgen Murtens, a member of the German Bundestag also addressed the webinar.

The democratic model, Aukatsang states is successful, yet it is a work in progress. The current make up of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) has 45 members representing the three provinces of U-Tsang, Do-med and Do-tod, the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the traditional Bon faith, Europe, North America and Australasia. It is headed by the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.

Aukatsang would like to see a modification in the composition with more representation from the diaspora, and less from the provinces to better reflect the changing demography. She also proposes an increase in the number of members of the Standing Committee from 11 to 15 and calls for the establishment of a dispute resolution mechanism rather than the direct impeachment process, which is the current practice.

Though the 1991 reforms made way for women’s representation in the TPiE, (currently 10 ministers and the Deputy Speaker are women), Aukatsang is hopeful there would be “more meaningful engagement of women in leadership roles,” for, as she points out, they are the custodians of Tibetan culture and language. Women have also distinguished themselves as founders of several non-governmental organisations and in the field of education.

Her sentiments were reflected by the Sikyong, Penpa Tsering when he said that unless the administration is ready to adapt to demographic and social realities, its relevancy will be challenged.

When the Buddha was on his deathbed, and his followers were fearful of being on their own, the Buddha had advised that the focus should be on his teachings and not his physical presence. Likewise, says Ven Geshe Lhakdor, Tibetans must continue to abide by the teachings of the Dalai Lama, and not worry about his absence. When Tibetans were prohibited from displaying photos of the Dalai Lama, they hung up empty picture frames, he said, aware that the Dalai Lama remains within them.

Ven Geshe Lhakdor also advocates a separation of Church and State, pointing out that clergy must involve themselves in the spiritual upliftment of society, rather than in politics. The idea of the religious ruling a country is outdated, he points out, adding that once clergy get into a “political mindset” they are unable to send out good signals to the people. He adds that their responsibility is to safeguard culture and harmony and be role models.

The principles of democracy are a reflection of Buddhist teaching the Venerable noted, pointing out its time to extricate oneself from a tribal mentality. The focus must be on a long-term, robust vision, rather than quick fixes. He also believes that Tibetans must safeguard themselves from internal fragmentation, even more than external threats.

One unique feature of the administration is that it is free of corruption, the Venerable notes, despite being surrounded by corrupt systems.

Even though Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, sought and had the cooperation of all Chief Ministers to offer refuge to Tibetans in 1959, MP Sujeet Kumar is of the opinion that the current Indian Parliament is rather diffident in openly rooting for Tibet against China.

While acknowledging that Indian parliamentarians have huge constituencies and are busy, he is hopeful his colleagues would take more interest in Tibet and her issues.

Tibetans alone have the right to decide on the Dalai Lama’s successor, says Kumar, and India must back that. India should also rally the support of other nations to help Tibet charter her own course in a post-Dalai Lama scenario.

Kumar would like to see more Tibetan youth become part of India’s trillion-dollar digital industry.
He is concerned, however, at the lack of enthusiasm amongst the youth to use social media to fight disinformation being circulated about Tibet.

Acknowledging that youth could be more engaged in social media to fight disinformation, Gondo Dhondup says all Tibetans are “born to be activists” and to the cause, even though it is difficult to envisage a freedom movement without the Dalai Lama.

Youth are the agents of change, and Tibet’s future citizens, therefore they must stay informed. The TYC organises leadership training, and Tibetans, even those scattered around the globe must take advantage of the programmes, Dhondup says.

While calling on India to introduce a national policy on Tibet, Dhondup cautions that India’s waterways that originate in Tibet are under threat. The rivers are either “diverted or polluted” affecting downstream villagers, and India must ensure her water security, Dhondup explains.

The recently concluded G20 summit was themed “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, and that gives India an opportunity to be more vocal about the environment, he says.

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