Opinion

The inevitable implosion in the Tamil Nationalist Alliance (TNA) in the current run up to the parliamentary elections has caused more splinters than an LTTE bomb.

Lakmal Sooriyagoda of Daily Mirror interviews UNP Anuradhapura District candidate former parliamentarian P. Harrison

Former UNP MP Range Bandara knew well that he wouldn’t have to quit politics when he staked his political career on the issue of removing illegal political propaganda items such as cutouts, billboards, banners and posters.

Breaking News! The 2010 Corporate Gender Gap Report, a global report which surveyed the heads of human resources at 600 companies in 20 countries and benchmark them against gender equality policies, found that leading companies are failing to capitalise on the talents of women in the workforce!

Q: What is the platform from which you’re asking for votes in Gampaha?

The Gampaha District boasts the most number of government servants and teachers. It is therefore a highly intelligent electorate possessing the ability to understand what is right and wrong and what the country needs at a given time.

As usual, and as it happens every year on 8 March, the International Women’s Day dawned this year too. And as usual, many a function and celebrations were held to mark the occasion. Also as usual, topics of equal rights, equal opportunities, women and violence, women and conflicts, women and their working conditions,

I think the main problem facing the youth now is that they do not have enough jobs and access to jobs. Therefore what we hope to do is to give them hope; hope that there are better opportunities out there for them and that they can gain the skills necessary to obtain these jobs and do well.

Tension is building up in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians, especially the youth, are furious, because Israeli troops stopped them from visiting the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem — Islam's third holiest place of worship.

There was a time when the Federalist/Eelamist lobby masquerading as neutral do-gooders who were disinterested in conflict outcome in terms of who wins and who loses out, spent a lot of time, energy and (other people’s) money to promote a ‘political solution’ over a ‘military option’.

Ayubowan, vanakkam, assalamu alaikkum and best wishes as the government works confidently for a bountiful betel harvest in the National New Year -- while the wounded elephant is rambling somewhere in the jungle with jingles and jumbles and the new trophy looks like a tainted tincan.

The sin of the Tamil National Alliance in the post-war period and the current electoral context is that of omission rather than commission. It has failed to qualify and de-limit its use of the concept of ‘self determination’ and thereby signal its full separation from separatism.

I feel that I have a huge responsibility. I represent the entire Buddhist sasana, the order of monks in Sri Lanka Buddhists of the country and I will work to resolve issues and problems that arise with them.

Even  today, the names of Pottu Amman and two others linked with him  have been posted  under red notice in the ‘wanted list’ of Interpol website. If Pottu Amman is dead, there is no reason for his name being published in the ‘wanted list’ in the Interpol website. His name has been included in the Interpol ‘red notice’ list last December.

Q: What chances do you think you and the party have in winning the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Kandy District?

The political event of the week would be that today, Tuesday 16th March and tomorrow, retired General Sarath Fonseka faces Court Martial proceedings, reportedly for five charges under the Army Act. The

Elections whether they be presidential . parliamentary or provincial councils brings into our culture a new ethos .Cut outs take on larger than life  gigantic proportions emphasizing perhaps  the huge gap

When Buddhist monks decided to enter politics and enter Parliament many in this country, which prides itself by calling ourselves ‘Buddhist country’, were happy that, in the first instance, we would see

Corruption and politics in Sri Lanka seem to go hand in hand. For the past two months the biggest political scandal has been around the SF family. The authorities found a stash of money in the bank

SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem has told Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao that if there is anyone who could solve the problems of Tamil speaking minorities it is President Mahinda Rajapaksa, because he has won the confidence and trust of the Sinhala majority, a news report said. He had also told Ms Rao that the President could solve the problems at issue if he had the will to do so.

If there is one thing that may stand out at the end of the parliamentary polls of 8 April, it’s the possible emergence of an identifiable Tamil political leadership for the people in the post-LTTE era. It is only a hope but the chances are that such a leadership could continue to be a ‘divided’ and a further fragmented group but identified by a wholly democratic process, unlike when the LTTE was around.