Response to Ranga Jayasuriya Political shock that cannot make anyone oblivious...

“I find hope in the darkest of days and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe” – Dalai Lama

How Japan uses its economic credentials to further its strategic objectives in South Asia

After it rose from the ashes of a nuclear holocaust to be an economic marvel not long after World War II, Japan re-appeare

World is unwilling to defeat COVID-19 - EDITORIAL

The number of coronavirus disease across the world has crossed 23,383,472 mark according to ‘Worldometre’, and 808,715 succumbed.....

Highlights of Aug. 20: President’s convincing address and Sajith’s eloquent oratory

In a meticulously prepared speech leaving no room for opposition to use fresh ammunition, the President delivered broad implications for his new government’s....

A teenager’s worldview Climate Change: Legal Remedies

Myopia - a blight which, if not addressed and eradicated, will surely be the end of humankind as we know it.

MMDA Reform: Where are we now?

A year ago, on August 22, 2019, the then Cabinet approved a set of reform recommendations to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act.....

Future course of defeated ITAK leader “Maavai” Senathirajah

The recently concluded Sri Lankan parliamentary election resulted in the defeat of several veteran politicians.

Error can cause terror: Never again yesterday - EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka while being an island paradise blessed with the Buddha Dhamma and the virtues of at least three other major world religions has also been one of the worst victims of terrorism where hundreds of thousands of people were killed or injured and displaced with the economic damage being incalculable.

Resist the corrupting influence of Power; for absolute power corrupts absolutely

The saying of British parliamentarian Lord Dalberg Acton that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely conveys the belief that as a person’s power increases, his or her moral sense diminishes

President reminds top politicians and officials—you are servants of the people - EDITORIAL

In a policy statement yesterday to the newly elected Parliament where the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has a majority of almost two-thirds, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made what most independent....

E PLURIBUS UNUM - (Out of many, one)

Liberal democracy is rooted in the rights of individuals, and not the rights of groups or fixed communities. Liberal democracy cannot exist without a national identity that defines what citizens hold in common with one another.

Viduthalaitivu - A Jewel in the Crown!

A video going viral disseminated by a group of passionate environmentalists to save a pristine Marine Nature Reserve in imminent danger, was picked up by a set of eagle eyed nature loving activists of Ladies’ College Class of ‘72.

Why is the National List slot so precious?

Despite Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) having an issue with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) over the sharing of the National List seats allocated to it, in a way, it must be happy with the adamancy of the latter.

A glorious past in Sri Lankan politics we dream of

The first week at work by cabinet and state ministers was disrupted by a sudden island-wide power failure on Monday (August 17) which called for a response from the subject minister Dullas Alahapperuma.

GoSL to reset foreign policy with Asia-centric approach

The foreign policy motto of the previous government was ‘friendship with all, enmity with none’. Its verbatim meaning suggests the then Government’s policy was to be even-handed in its dealings with the world,

Plea for a nuclear-free world - EDITORIAL

A fortnight ago, the world joined Japan to mark the 75th anniversary of the detonation of two atomic bombs by the United States over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the final stages of World War II in 1945.

Two-thirds, 19th and other oppositional anxieties

In the run up to the recently concluded parliamentary elections we saw grave concerns being expressed by certain quarters over the possibility of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) securing a two-thirds majority.

With power comes great responsibility - EDITORIAL

At the August 5 general election, the people gave the president and his Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) a landslide victory, which together....

Parliament convenes sans a single UNP member the new shape of representative democracy

The unforeseeable has happened. For the first time in the history of our Parliament, at least after the UNP was founded in the year 1944....

LESSONS ON HUMANITARIANISM

Humanitarianism is not just qualified by man’s humanity to man, but encompasses the world in general. For the betterment of humanity....

Understanding politics and the politicians

In spite of the current electoral system being called Proportional Representation (PR) system, in fact there are elements in the very system that disturbs the proportional representation. One is the bonus seats awarded to the party that gets the highest number of votes in a particular district while another being the appointment of members to the parliament through the national list.

Saving UNP Karu Jayasuriya as interim leader may be the best out of the fratricidal struggle

The United National Party (UNP) is on life support. Its plight is an aberration in the history of centre-right politics. Generally, it is the polar opposite of the UNP’s political ideology, the Communists, Marxists and the hard Left that found themselves thrown into the dustbin of history at home and elsewhere. Even in comparison to the gradual decline of the LSSP, Communist Party and ideological bedfellows, the UNP’s fall from grace is all too s

UAE-Israel peace plan and a cry for Justice - EDITORIAL

During World War I, the Arab countries having come to an agreement with the British colonialists, via the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence....

DEBT, DISTRESS, SUICIDE

When someone takes their own life, it is the ultimate consequence of great distress. But the specific causes for such tragic endings are never clear, and are often compounded by a myriad set of factors. H

Rethinking religious education

A teenager’s worldview... In writing this article, I’ve been cautioned against using the word “secular” too much, and while that seemed shocking to me, it seems to be reflective of Sri Lanka’s - and even the world’s - general ineptitude at word association, and how in increasingly dynamic and constantly changing societies, this has caused more problems than one would think. Secularism is, sim

SJB and what official election results don’t show

Sajith Premadasa’s newly formed Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) has managed to overcome the hurdles and booby-traps laid in its path ahead of the 2020....

Did Sumanthiran Win In Jaffna By “Stealing” Sashikala’s Votes?

The one-word answer to the question “Did M. A. Sumanthiran of the Tamil National Alliance win in the Jaffna Electoral district by “stealing” the preference votes cast for another TNA candidate Ms. Sashikala Raviraj?

Humanitarian work: let’s live it as the norm

Essentially, a good human being is not selfish or self-centred but other-centred and ready to share and care for others, mainly the millions of people caught up in the poverty trap. While some look at or judge by outward actions or appearances,

Four lessons from my father

My father was the first in his family and my mother’s, to foretell Mahinda Rajapaksa’s rise to power in the 1990s. At the time the man was in charge of Labour and Vocational Training, a threadbare though challenging ministry if ever there was one. Challenging, not because one could not do much in it, but because by then the SLFP’s approach to labour had begun to depart from its traditional vantage point.

Young lawmakers and golden opportunities - EDITORIAL

The engagement of youth in politics is important in reconciliation work and for the prosperity of the nation. In the present Cabinet sworn in on August 12 we saw two youthful faces that of Namal Rajapaksa (34) and Jeevan Thondaman (26) being presented ...