‘Discipline is the foundation for a peaceful society’

Daily Mirror sat with former Education Minister, UNP strongman and current ambassador to Sri Lanka in China, Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku for an interview during a visit to the island. Dr. Kodituwakku spoke 

WHERE EVERY PROSPECT PLEASES AND ONLY MAN IS VILE

These words were written by no less a personality than the late Bishop Heber, hundreds of years ago, about our country - then it was Ceylon - a much more musical sounding name than its present one, Sri Lanka. The words ring true today, when the cruelty of man to man continues unabated in a myriad 

Respect nature and it will bear fruit

In the United States East Coast, tomorrow is likely to be the coldest night with temperatures plunging to about 40 degrees below zero. Though President Donald Trump -- whose mental fitness to rule the world’s most powerful country is being widely questioned -- still claims that climate change is largely a hoax made in China.   

Japan courts Sri Lanka maritime order in Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka’s strategic location, astride the main shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, has kept in the gaze of the world powers more and more. The latest example of such attention turned out to be the 

Pots, kettles and an all-black political system

Dulles Alahapperuma, having first entered Parliament in 1994 and having retained his seat in the General Election in 2000 surprising decided not to contest in 2001. He had his reasons. His argument was that he was ‘too white’ to be in Parliament.   

From rule of Monarchs to Tyranny of Political Party Rule

I refer to the article under the heading by the Columnist Vishwamithra in the Daily Mirror of January 3. It is a true and objective analysis of the state of affairs and the degradation of the Sri Lankan Nation during the 60 years period, since gaining Independence.

Bond-scam probe is turning democracy into ‘demo-crazy’…

One can examine the Bond-scam report and arrive at conclusions after such a close perusal in two diametrically opposed lights. 1. In the context of the current political environment, its apparent findings and President Maithripala Sirisena’s interpretations of the findings and his vicarious intentions of 

Election Culture: A frontal assault on civilized society

Now that the local government elections are on the cards, at long last the entire society is about to be exposed to the perilous elements of electioneering ,the way it is done in Sri Lanka. Despite the delight and relief that the right of the citizen to express his voice through ballet has been secured, one feels 

Bond Issues ; The Plunder must stop now

With the principle of openness, transparency and accountability working as it should, parliament will meet in a special session today to debate the nearly 1400-page report and recommendations of the Presidential Commission which probed the Central Bank bond issues from February 2015 to March 2016.   

We never obtain votes by duping the public

In the series ‘Direct Talk’ we feature COPE Chairman Sunil Handunnetti where he airs his views on the latest developments connected with the Bond Commission Report. Following are excerpts of theinterview done with Handunetti. 

Three years of Yahapalanaya: Some progress but corruption must stop

Yesterday, January 8, was an important day in Sri Lanka’s history. It was on January 2015, that in a dramatic and unexpected people’s revolution, President Maithripala Sirisena and his rainbow coalition came to office promising what was described as a ‘Maithri Yahapalanaya’. 

Rejection of nomination lists ‘A pre-scrutinizing system would avoid such rejections’ - Canishka

Constitutional Lawyer Canishka G Witharana, in an interview with the , spoke about nomination lists of some political parties being rejected and the legality involved. The interview done with Witharana follows:   

A footnote to Bond Commission report

Last week, President Maithripala Sirisena swung his ‘sword’ that he recently vouched to use. The UNP had a good deal of its vital parts cut off. It would be nursing those wounds throughout the local government election campaign, which it was earlier expected to win hands down. The president in his much awaited statement on the report of the Presidential Commission appointed to investigate the alleged irregularities in the Central Bank

Post-election issues stymie Government Formation in Nepal

Elections to the 275-member Lower House of the Nepalese parliament – House of Representatives – were held between November 26 and December 7, 2017. Earlier, elections to the legislatures of the seven provinces had been concluded. The Left Alliance, comprising the Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), and the Communist Party of Nepal - Maoist Centre (CPN-MC),swept the elections to the House of Representatives.&

Will Tamil film hero Rajinikanth become Tamil Nadu Chief Minister?

In the May 2014 Indian General elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Narendra Modi swept the poll in many states to form a government...

A ROBUST REGULATOR: A FUNDAMENTAL INGREDIENT IN A SUSTAINABLE MARKET ECONOMY

I first published an article with the above-mentioned caption, in the “Accountant” (now “Abacus”) the magazine of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka....

DS Senanayake Vs SWRD Bandaranaike: Battle for Control

Don Stephan Senanayake, as in Shakespearian ‘dogma’, was not born great, but achieved greatness and greatness, to a certain extent was trust upon....

Global war against fake news - EDITORIAL

A few days back, hosting media for a New Year reception, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his government’s plan to bring....

Battle against climate change: Get young people involved

Though the United States President Donald Trump is still insisting that climate change is a Chinese hoax, a bomb cyclone or a powerful blizzard battered the U.S. Northeast yesterday, knocking out power for tens of thousands of people and snarling travel amid a cold snap that has gripped much of the US for a week and killed more than a  dozen people.   

Why Constitutional reform is a threat

The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution is considered the first constitutional reform effected under Yahapalanaya Government. Reducing Presidential Immunity to some extent, making President responsible to the Parliament, restricting number of terms a person can be elected to the office of 

Govt. urged to return lands to people of Paanama

The International Tribunal on Evictions has sent an official communique dated 26th December 2017 to Sri Lankan authorities including President Maithripala Sirisena, Secretary to the President Austin Fernando, Minister of Land and Parliamentary Reforms Gayantha Karunathilaka, Minister of Tourism and Christian Affairs John Amaratunga, Land Commissioner R. M. C. M. Herath, Provincial Land Commissioner East D. D. Aruna Dharmadasa and others, to imple

Star footballer is now president of Liberia

It was late 2003, the Liberian war was winding down after taking the lives of 250,000 civilians, spawning a small army of deadly child soldiers, and I was sitting at lunch in Monrovia inside the president’s palatial office and residence with the American ambassador on my right and George 

Bond Commission report; A tough lesson for politicians

Dismissing criticism by cynics and opposition leaders, President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday, assured that effective and immediate legal action would be taken against those facing serious charges in the report of the Presidential Commission, which probed the Central Bank bond transactions from February 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016.

Trump gambles with aid, but Pakistan has the ace

The United States President Donald Trump’s first tweet for 2018 concerning foreign relations should have been on North Korea. Instead, he targeted Pakistan.

UNP, SLFP will govern country together till 2020

Tourism Promotion and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga, in an interview with Dailymirror, speaks about the current political situation of the country.

Unity Government Impaled By Bond Commission But Sri Lanka’s track record on Commissions of Inquiry h

Hard on the heels of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and the United National Party (UNP) led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the so-called National Government having lapsed on December 31, the President on Wednesday made public the findings of the report of the Presidential Commission on Central Bank bond scam, to the utter disappointment of the UN

Predictable Crises All Round Either way, the results would leave very little possibility for the Sir

The popular question that is making the rounds is “Who would come on top, at this election?” They mean “Which party?” Will MR and his SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) outnumber Sirisena’s SLFP and the UPFA? What most, want to know in advance is the outcome of the elections.

Pakistan undertakes policy reversal to address fertilizer issue in Sri Lanka

Not only did the fertilizer crisis create effects in local politics but it also involved the decision making process in Pakistan as a country exporting such agriculture inputs. Apart from the apparent absence 

Right of Reply Fair exchange is no robbery

Government must be really disappointed that police still couldn’t find a valid reason to arrest former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Any foreigner who reads the above opening statement of this article may wonder what is happening in this country. A government is looking for reasons to 

Wilpattu: Missing the ecological wood for communalist trees

Last week I wrote that Wilpattu should be the core issue of the forthcoming local government elections because the said election has taken on a national character and because ‘Wilpattu’ is a national issue.