“OBATA PUTHE MAGAK NATHE” STORY OF A FAILED SOCIETY

People - blame themselves in back peddling a lost leadership back to power. Think before you act stupidly - realize the folly in creating a situation of having no foreseeable future for the country you truly love: to whatever denomination you may belong - desire 

Statement from Lord Naseby Sends detailed evidence to United Nations including Gash Despatches

Lord Naseby wishes to state the following with regard to the response attributed to the British High Commission in Colombo following a query raised by the Sri Lankan newspaper ‘The Island’, published on 6 December 2017 under the headline ‘Naseby’s call doesn’t reflect UK’s stand- HC’.

Nepal’s new Left Govt.’s Tasks cut out

Tentative results of the Nepalese Parliamentary elections suggest a massive victory for the Left Alliance comprising the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) led by Khadga Prasad Oli, and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda.

Political showboating won’t end impunity

Last week, at a UNESCO organized conference to end impunity of crimes against journalists, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe found fault with lack of attendance by media personnel, and alleged that some media organizations and senior journalists were at cahoots with the former regime.  

From Balfour to Trump... a changing game plan in the Middle East - EDITORIAL

If the Balfour Declaration of November 1917 permitting the setting up of a Jewish State of Israel on Palestinian lands turned the Middle East....

Sri Lanka’s Present Predicament: Where do we go from here?

The change of regime on January 8, 2015 raised public expectations regarding good governance and socio-economic development. Yet, after...

Working in Fort and Colpetty Five Decades Ago: Shocker, with ‘Que Sera…, Sera’ transforming to a Ch

Let me share with your readers some lunch time experiences in the Fort in mid 1960s. In 1967, working as an audit trainee at....

To end violence, we must hear about it: Let us break silence

Every year, 25 November marks the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of all forms of Violence against Women and the....

Muslim Congress Founder’s Son Aman Ashraff Speaks Out Against SLMC

Aman Ahamed Ashraff is the only son of legendary Muslim Congress leader the late Mr. M.H.M. Ashraff and Ms. Ferial Ashraff who was Sri Lanka’s first Muslim woman cabinet minister. In spite of this family background 36- year- old Aman Ashraff who is the executive creative director of Ashraff Associates (pvt) Ltd has kept aloof from politics so far. However there has been in recent times 

concept of dividing Police Service into 9 Prov. Police Services flawed

The Association of Chiefs of Police (Rtd.) of Sri Lanka, an organization started in 2009 with those police officers who retired from the service holding the ranks of Deputy Inspector General of Police and above had its 10th Annual General Meeting on November 25.  

Human rights must begin at home

The legendary Nelson Mandela whose fourth death anniversary was commemorated on Tuesday, has said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Eleanor Roosevelt wife of the long serving United States 

LG elections with national importance Alliances without policy basis

With the preparations by the political parties for the local government elections that are to be held in February being underway, a sense of insecurity can be seen in almost all parties, big or small, representing northern, southern, eastern or central parts of the country.   

What is “Media Freedom” in the South?

UNESCO has over the decades contributed very much in establishing social acceptance for “the free flow of ideas by word and image” and thus works to foster free, independent and pluralistic media in print, broadcast and online, across the globe. 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem: The world cries for thee

Wednesday night’s decision by United States President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, showing only utter contempt for the aspirations of the Palestinian people, has pushed the prospects for peace into a black hole, never to see light again. 

“Even if SLFP and UNP contest separately they must govern the State together”

Says  Convener of National Movement for a Just Society Prof. Sarath Wijesooriya referring to those representing the Joint Opposition and hoping to contest the upcoming elections under the ‘pohottuwa’ symbol

Corruption attacks foundations of democracy

With corruption and specially political corruption continuing to spread like a cancer in Sri Lanka, tomorrow’s International Anti-Corruption Day needs to give important lessons to our politicians at all levels and from all parties.   

A literary effort to Rekindle Peradeniya University Review: Coffee Table Book; Garden University of

The Co-authors Dr. R.M.K. Ratnayake and and Mr. S.A.C. Mohamed Zuhyle need to be commended for bringing out a beautiful Coffee table book on University of Peradeniya.

Maithri, Ranil go up the hill

With legal issues being cleared, the Local Council Elections are now likely to be held in February with the possible date being February 10. Earlier the Elections Department had planned to hold elections 

Intermediaries struggle to unite JO and SLFP

Though formal talks aimed at uniting the factions within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) failed to produce results last week as the two sides declined to soften their stances, it is revealed that fresh 

‘We’re very comfortable living with the majority community’

Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) General Secretary Arumugam Thondaman, in an interview with Daily Mirror, spoke about the current political environment and his plans to contest the elections. Following are excerpts of the interview done with Thondaman. 

Who is really afraid of whom and why?

Way back in the year 1988 an island-wide poster stamped in the public conscious the notion of political teaser advertisements. It was a simple question: (Who is this [and] what is he doing?

Let’s throw out the complex ‘Mixed Voting’ system for good

It’s learned that the proposed, imported ‘Mixed Voting System’, is designed to elect more than 225 parliamentarians through (First Past the Post) FPP and (Proportional Representation) PR on an adhoc 50:50 basis. The declared objective of FPP is to assign a MP from the area to be responsible for each 

Is he an Aladdin with a magic lamp, Or a misguided Messiah?

A few days ago, I was watching Pathikada on MTV, the Bandula Jayasekara morning show that gave a good all-round insight into happenings in Sri Lanka.

Who is the Liberal? Dudley, SWRD, CBK or GD?

A person open to new behaviour or opinions and willing to discard traditional values, that is the dictionary definition of a Liberal.  

THE POSSIBLE DEATH OF THE POLITICAL CENTRE

If the talks between the official SLFP and the JO-SLPP conclusively fail, it will be because the SLFP (MS) is unwilling either to leverage the bond scam report and de-couple the PM from the governing coalition, or to vote against the “fast track liberalization and globalization” (i.e. free-market 

No presidential cheers for beer - EDITORIAL

We congratulate President Maithripala Sirisena for saying he has “no cheers” and would stop the 2018 Budget proposal to give big tax incentive to beer manufacturers, though Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera has justified it by saying his aim is to reduce hard liquor or ‘Kasippu’ 

Whitewashing will boomerang on ‘Yahapalanaya’ & Country

The alleged Treasury Bond scam is probably the largest financial scam to affect this country in its post-independence history. For sheer impunity and involvement of a wide spectrum of politicians in collusion with a section of the corporate sector and regulatory authorities it is hard to beat. The muted response of the opposition exemplifies the rot in the 

Rather than cowering down, the President should face off the Joint Opposition

Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a gifted deal maker. His two- term presidency was a classic case of successful deal making: He got Velupillai Prabhakaran to prevent Northern Tamils from voting in 2005 and by virtue of that won his first term as the President; he cajoled the JVP to support him, and then split it; he engineered two large scale cross-overs of opposition MPs to the government, first for understandable reasons of the political stabi

Memorialization might facilitate reconciliation

  The Great Heroes Day (MaaverarNaal) observances this year in the Northern Province was notable, and perhaps path breaking too, in two ways: Firstly, a record number of people participated in the various events in public places including Hindu temples and churches. Secondly, the Government allowed the observances to take place, though the State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene subsequently stated that participants would be arrested an

Reviewing proposal to reduce tax on beer

“It is a good thing what your country is trying to do. Please don’t criticise that.” This was the advice of a friend of mine who was not very familiar with the Sri Lankan setting. “They are trying to convert hard spirit users to BEER!,” the friend said.