The youth have much more to do than staging protests

Youth representing several youth clubs gathered in front of the Maharagama Youth Services Council urging the government to avoid politicising youth clubs. To begin with, these youth clubs were defunct in most areas of the country for the longest time. These clubs have been established to allow youth in different parts of the country to gather and serve their communities. They engage in fundraising initiatives for various projects, organising dans

Doing away with MPs’ pensions -- the good, bad and ugly

Just days ago the NPP government in keeping with its pre-election promises set in motion legislation to do away with the pension scheme for parliamentarians. The scheme was the brain-child of our first Executive President JR Jayawardene way back in 1977. It was also, according to reports, the first legislative enactment of that regime! The motive was clearly, looking after MPs interests over those of citizens.

Accountability and Agriculture Rice Farmers - Legally Required to Stay Poor

Sri Lanka’s agriculture remains beholden to a law from 1958 that compels nearly half of the country’s poorest farmers to plant rice, even though alternative crops could more than double their earnings. What began as a measure to protect tenant cultivators and secure food supply has become a straitjacket, trapping farmers in persistent poverty and denying them the freedom to respond to market signals. This is accountability turned on its head, wit

Garbage at Armour Street Flat

What a shame in this urban sprawl, Where filth and stench have built a wall.

When do accidents become pathological?

We have always seen bad accidents in Sri Lanka. That didn’t start yesterday, or last year. Some of them – bus, train, even air crashes – were terrible. But most major accidents occur on the roads, involving motor vehicles, rather than trains and aircraft. In 2024, 2,521 people died in road accidents. We shall therefore confine ourselves to that sphere for the sake of this discussion.

Underworld Activities A Clear and Present Danger to Sri Lanka’s National Security

The recent statement by the Secretary of Defence that underworld activities do not pose a threat to national security is a point of contention that demands a rigorous and fact-based examination. This perspective, which seemingly compartmentalises criminal activity from the broader security framework, is at odds with the modern understanding of national security. The evidence, both anecdotal and statistical, points to a clear and direct link betw

Beyond Trump Tariffs, Sri Lanka should strive to climb up export ladder

Last week, Sri Lanka secured a major reduction of Trump’s import tax on goods, placing it on par with its regional competitors.

Time is ticking on Sri Lanka’s wildlife

Just three days after Sri Lanka commemorated leopard day on August 1, the skinned carcass of a leopard was recovered from the Maduru Oya National Park on Monday.

Police harassment should have its limits

Since last month, there is an ubiquitous police presence in Colombo at night, and some of the ‘tent’ checkpoints are back and manned.

Pension for politicians; Handle with care

Once the ‘Presidents’ Entitlement (Repeal) Bill’ was gazette on July 31 to abolish the entitlements for the past Presidents, as its name indicates, Opposition parties seem to be gradually teaming up against it, and another law for the annulment of similar facilities provided for the members of Parliament is to follow.

Transnational repression of dissent concerns Western democracies

There are two kinds of cross-border invasive action one sees today – cross border terrorism and transnational repression. The former is perpetrated by non-State actors and the latter by States. Even as the world is trying to find ways to check cross-border terrorism, transnational repression has gained ground in Western democracies, requiring attention.

Is the NPP Government Supporting Zionism in the Name of Tourism?

A protest organised by the Free Palestine Movement (FPM) was held yesterday evening outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fort, opposing the government’s decision to grant free visas to Israeli nationals. The FPM has consistently raised serious concerns over what they allege is the Government’s complicity with Zionist interests. Several troubling decisions by the National People’s Power (NPP)-led administration warrant serious reflection: Tole

Eastern Development – farming and fishing at the mercy of exploiters

My work with the co-operatives in the North has led me to frequently visit the East in recent years for collaborative initiatives.

Lanka caught up in a whirlwind of tariffs and threats

In April 2022, our government announced that it was defaulting, making it the first sovereign default. Our external debt for 2023 was 61.71 billion US dollars. The country was facing shortages of all basics from food and fuel to power. Blackouts were the order of the day.

Empowering Citizens Against Bribery: A Step Further

The new Bribery Commissioner and his team are indeed performing a daunting task in combating corruption and promoting transparency in governance.

Political thuggery refined to the level of crude art

While researchers have worked hard over the years to study a plethora of socio-economic, archival and archaeological phenomena – from cults to beggary, ghosts, ola leaf manuscripts and ancient inscriptions, to mention just a few – I have not found yet an authoritative study of Sri Lanka’s political violence and thuggery.

Constitutional reform:An acid test for NPP

The promise given by the National People’s Power (NPP) at the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections to introduce a new Constitution had resurfaced last week following an oral question raised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) member Ajith P. Perera in Parliament on July 25.

Tourism, foreign exchange and loss of dignity

In July 2022 our then government accepted that the country was bankrupt. We had lost the ability to repay our foreign debts and import essential food items for our people.

Income tax and EPF arrears

We read in the news from time to time that there are huge sums of tax and EPF payments that have gone into arrears, in many cases without any chance of recovery.

Sri Lanka’s Tariff Triumph: A Cool President in a Hot Crisis

Donald Trump’s tariffs shook the world. Financial markets around the world plunged. The US stock market registered its largest two day loss in history. Businesses and politicians were in panic.

Minting money during the Kandy Esela Pageant!

The Kandy Esela Pageant started with all its glory on the 30th of July with the Kumbal Perahera. There is much to learn about this historic pageant which began during the time of King Kithsiri Mevan (301-328 BC). This event could easily be named the most prominent pageant that takes place in this Buddhist majority country.

Amir: Gaza’s little boy preyed upon by vultures

Let me begin today’s column with the story of Amir, a boy barely 10 years old. His story depicts the everyday tragedy that awaits starving and highly emaciated Palestinian children and adults at the US-Israeli food distribution points in Gaza.

R2P and the stench of the dead global conscience

In response to last week’s column titled ‘R2P RIP: Its grave is in Gaza’, Iranian Ambassador Alireza Delkosh makes a comment:

The state should protect its citizens

Recently, the Supreme Court declared that the former Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Hasalaka Police Station had violated the Fundamental Rights of a woman who was arrested and detained for wearing an item of clothing bearing a ship’s wheel, which was mistakenly interpreted as a depiction of the Dhammachakra.

The Unravelling of a Presidency: Why Gotabaya Rajapaksa Failed in 2022

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s meteoric rise to the presidency in 2019 was built on a formidable reputation. As the Defence Secretary credited with orchestrating the decisive victory against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009, and for his perceived efficiency in beautifying Colombo, he embodied the promise of strong and decisive leadership.

A lament on Sri Lanka’s public service

Much has been spoken about Sri Lanka’s administrative service and its culture of lethargy and inefficiency. While certain citizens have had the privilege of getting the required services within a span of a few hours or in one day, most citizens have experiences of walking in to government offices on multiple rounds to obtain a simple document.

Sri Lanka wins top travel award despite twisted history

Sri Lanka is at present cock-a-hoop after topping the list in a survey done to find out the 50 best islands to travel to. Sri Lanka fared extremely well in this survey, conducted by www.enjotravel.com

What happens to our bus services at night?

As early as eight-to-nine p.m., one can see so many people walking for miles at night on Colombo streets. This is because there are no buses plying even on some of the major routes. If this is the situation in Colombo, it must be worse out of Colombo and in distant areas.

Proposed Education reforms: A momentous opportunity that should not fall victim to cheap politics

The government’s proposed education reforms, in their snippets that are still available for public knowledge, appear to be transformative.

NPP’s ten months - promises fulfilled and hopes hanging fire

On September 21, 2024, the National People’s Power (NPP)’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), was elected president of this country.