The need to keep the fire burning - EDITORIAL

Despite who will win it, the upcoming election in its own right is paramount because it marks a key turning point in Sri Lanka’s 57-year post-independence political history. 

There is no LTTE now, so how can TNA be a proxy - Sampanthan

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan told an interview with  that the TNA was prepared to fully cooperate with the Government in resolving the Tamil question within a United,...

People’s problems can be solved by engagement with Govt - Douglas

Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Minister Douglas Devananda,...

I was not allowed to use the powers of my ministry - Faizer Mustapha

Extremism, a centralized power structure and insufficient powers in his ministry had led him to offer his support to Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the upcoming Presidential Election. 

Mister Deshapriya you must do or die

As the campaign for the crucial January 8 presidential election enters its final stretch a disturbing feature is the extent to which election laws are being violated or blatantly abused,..

Palestine trapped between two rogues

Politically speaking, 2014 ended on a disappointing note while New Year 2015 dawned on a somewhat positive...

EDITORIAL : STOP THE ABUSE OF STATE MEDIA

A free, fair and peaceful election is the foundation of democracy. One of the key pillars for this is an independent...

Sri Lanka’s sovereignty will remain intact under me

The Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena in an interview with the  conducted at his residence...

I will be more of a statesman than a politician

On the eve of 2015 and days before the crucial presidential polls,...

A way out of Ukrainian imbroglio

The vote last week in the Ukrainian parliament was a seriously disturbing move- it has made reconciliation with Russia near impossible.

Make it a wonderful 2015 - EDITORIAL

Another New Year 2015 dawned today and while the goodwill of the hundreds of Happy New Year greetings we give and receive generates positive vibrations,...

We don’t have horses or Lamborghinis

Namal Rajapaksa, the son of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Hambanthota District parliamentarian, in a candid interview with the   responded to allegations against him, the state of the country, broken promises and the way forward.

Last throes of a corrupt regime…

?One more week for the Presidential Elections. The people of Sri Lanka are being asked to make a decision and it’s going to be the most crucial political judgment they have been challenged to make.

Patriotism and national pride redefined - EDITORIAL

M?any Sri Lankan politicians seem to suffer from a conspiracy phobia and view everything against them or not in line with their thinking as a conspiracy. This malady surfaces especially during elections. 

Swing towards Maithri is not only an urban phenomenon

UNP Colombo District MP Sujeewa Senasinghe, is currently playing a central role in the campaign for the Common Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena. In an interview with the Dailymirror  he insisted that the incumbent regime is corrupt and hence should be voted out. 

Manifestos and the Political Pulse

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who just lost the support of the Muslim political parties this week, is facing political isolation of an unprecedented character. Unfortunately for the President, he has neither a political manifesto to help him, nor clever political strategy to back him in this crisis.

Let’s be citizens and not subjects - EDITORIAL

Change hasn’t always been for good; but that’s how hope and conviction kicks in. Martin Luther King once said, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” But it seems so many Sri Lankans have lost hope nowadays. And a good many of them simply don’t care.

Desire for change; hope for democracy’s survival

Less than two weeks more to the Presidential Election, scheduled for January 08, 2015, the political temperature of the country is rising amidst incessant rain and unusually cold December.

Why a future govt. will not probe mega corruption

Many Sri Lankans concede that the current government was corrupt (In addition to being autocratic and nepotistic).

FF: Curb malpractices Elections Commissioner

A civic society has written an open letter to the Elections Commissioner has called on him to punish publisherswho had violated the Presidential Elections Act,...

BETRAYING RAVANA: THE STATE-NATION-HERO TRIANGLE

“When Ravana approached the end of his tether, there was a sequence of pitiable happenings.

The deluge enters debate - EDITORIAL

With eight days left in the campaign for the crucial presidential election and the two main contenders and parties or civic action groups supporting them going into the highest gear,...

“Colombo Society,” “Colombo Businessmen” and Presidential election

?In this week’s column, this columnist decided to share with readers the views of a very experienced political campaigner about how “Colombo Society” (what he likes to call the “Cinnamon Garden Crowd”) and the big wig Colombo businessmen, view the current presidential campaign and their vote. 

Will torture deter terrorists?

?In George Orwell’s classic work 1984, Winston Smith is an ordinary citizen who lives in permanent fear of Big Brother in a totalitarian state. Even thinking of rebellion is a serious crime. Arrested for anti-state activities, Smith is detained without trial for months.

New president must put us on disarmament map

The new Sri Lankan President will be named on January 9, 2015. The ongoing presidential election campaign should discuss linking Sri Lanka to the World Disarmament Map from which the country has been disconnected since 2004. 

Restore dignity of the public service - EDITORIAL

S?ince 1978 and especially after 2010, the dignity of the once highly-respected public service has been seriously damaged. Today    it is virtually a Government service working for the party in power with posts, promotions and transfers depending mainly.......

Will ATT turn swords into ploughshares?

A landmark treaty regulating the global arms trade came into force this Wednesday, but questions remain over its...

EDITORIAL - TSUNAMI : LANKA MUST TURN TO A GREEN ECONOMY

As Sri Lanka today commemorates the 10th Anniversary of its worst ever natural catastrophe the...

Manufacturing world crises

The negotiations over Iran’s supposed nuclear bomb-building abilities seem to be stuck in a rut. Given the detailed...

Pressures of big dreams

As such, the definition of success varies among different groups of people. For some it would be intrinsic...