Racism could pave way for foreign invasion through a fifth column

The Sri Lanka Podujana Permauna’s triumph in the August 5 general election is massive if not astounding, given the improbabilities of the Proportional Representation system. But if there is one infliction that blemishes this super majority victory, it is racism.

Are Tamils tilting towards National Politics?

The polarisation of the electorate on ethnic lines that had been highlighted at the previous elections was not so visible at the last week’s Parliamentary election or it was eclipsed by some of the new developments in the north, this time.

‘Right to Reject’ as a fundamental right

At the recently concluded General Election, Colombo District topped the list of rejected votes with 81,034 ballots going to waste of a total 1,263,810 registered votes. Several other districts including Gampaha, Kandy, Kalutara....

Non-career lawmakers secure political authority

The results of the August 5 Parliamentary Elections reflected on new political dynamics in Sri Lanka, be it in the north and the east, or outside.

When political power dwarfs everything around

Sri Lanka gets little praise from the rest of the world for anything these days. But there was praise showered on the nation by Japan for conducting a fair and peaceful election. This is a good start for a country which is trying to be counted among the world’s performing nations; at least going on the promises made by the incumbent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

What of the 13th, 19th, Circular 5/2001 and MCC Compact?

Election results meet aspirations, exceed them and sometimes fall way short of the expected. The winners are naturally euphoric. The also-rans struggle to explain defeat, cling to consolation-straws and put on a brave front. Such behavior is timeless.

People have spoken: Govt’s turn to deliver the goods

The ‘Grand Old Party’ -- which strode Sri Lanka’s political arena for the past 70 years since it was founded on September 6, 1946 by the country’s first post-independence Prime Minister Don Stephen Senanayake,

Saving the leopard for future generations

Sri Lanka Leopard or Panthera Pardus Kotiya is the largest species of cat in Sri Lanka. It is unique to the island and categorized as ‘endangered’....

MORE VIRUS!

The “HUNGER” ‘VIRUS’ kills about 8,000 children a day and the vaccine for it exists, it is called ‘FOOD,’ but you won’t hear that in the media.

A tsunami of change hits the North and East - EDITORIAL

The much-awaited August 2020 general elections have been completed. A new government elected, and the Prime Minister sworn in. The electoral tidal wave, brought about by the electors saw....

Over half a million dollars spent on FB ads

What happened over August 6 night as ballot counting reached its conclusion in Jaffna is testament to the growing influence of social media during an electoral process. As the counting neared the end, the accusations.....

People expect government to deliver, not excuses

Parliamentary election which had been postponed twice due to issues related to the spread of COVID-19 in the country, is over and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) along with its friendly parties has swept the electorate with two thirds majority in Parliament. Now it is time to look ahead without wasting time on celebrations. The first and foremost

Opposition in the oblivion; how and why it happened?

What happened on August 5 was an epic rout of the Opposition. No time since the proportional representation system was adopted under the 1978 Constitution, had the Opposition been relegated to oblivion as it was at the parliamentary election held last week. Not even before that. Many refer to the UNP landslide in the Parliamentary election in 1977 when it won 140 seats out of 16

The director in ‘New Age Cinema’

For the past three decades the Sinhala film industry has languished in a state of economic and emotional crisis. The anguish has always been the tight investment money which slowed the production of Sinhala films. The film industry faced bankruptcy, not just financially, but creatively. The product, ‘motion pictures’, were slumping all too visibly into a stupor of mundane drama. Today, we could be on the threshold of the ‘New Age of Cinema’ in Sr

Cartography’s links with war and conflict

Maps have been linked to war and conflict from the earliest times. According to S.J.Schuler (360.here.com), the oldest is a Chinese “Garrison map” dated 180 BC which was discovered in a cave in Hunan in 1973. The Arabs and the Ottoman Turks used maps in their military campaigns in Europe. In 1539, as England faced the threat of invasion from France, Henry VIII’s minister Thoma

Fragmenting Tamil Politics

As Sri Lanka powerfully consolidates under the Rajapaksa-led SLPP, the Federal Party’s long hegemony of Tamil parliamentary politics is unravelling. The parliamentary election results are unsurprising given the long economic....

Waste not, the tidal wave of confidence - EDITORIAL

From the time the date for elections were announced, a majority people in the country were certain that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) or the Pohottuwa as it is popularly known, would win the election.

TNA suffers electoral setback in North and East polls

The long awaited 2020 Parliamentary Elections has concluded with a 71% voter turn out despite the difficulties imposed by the COVID -19 Pandemic threat. Appropriate health procedures were followed by the authorities with enthusiastic cooperation of the people.

The night of the yahapalanists is over

Could it have been otherwise? The Sri Lanka Podu Peramuna (SLPP) has swept the boards, claiming bigger majorities where they scored heavily last November (predominantly in the South),

The people elected you, serve them sincerely and sacrificially

Most independent political analysts had forecast a clear victory for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Hung Parliament gone: What is going to replace the 19A?

The victory of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) at the Wednesday’s Parliamentary election was not a surprise; it was a foregone conclusion, since last Local Government elections held on February 10, 2018.

Federal demand in TNA manifesto Need for a recalibration

The TNA manifesto which reiterates its position with regard to a Federal Constitution has been received with a storm of protests from Southern politicians and even threats of bloodletting from some quarters.

New leadership must embrace old saving habit - EDITORIAL

The Parliamentary Elections this time around will map a route for the country to sink or swim. The SLPP promised a lot before the elections and during the time its representatives formed the caretaker Government.

Good governance is not for political jokes

The delicate task of holding a countrywide general election amidst a deadly pandemic was no easy performance. Kudos to the Election Commission (EC), its staff, health officials, police officers and others for their dedication....

A fully-fledged budget the priority of new Govt.

Sri Lankans went to polls yesterday (August 5) in adherence to the health precautions outlined by the respective authorities to make sure that COVID -19 will not spread as a result of the polling process. Every election has its own significance, and so is the case of this election. Polling was conducted primarily to elect members to the Legislature that has remained defunct since its dissolution on March 2, 2020 by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The Indian connection in Sri Lankan drug trade

The death of a notorious Sri Lankan born gangster in India opens a window for us to peep into the past and observe how our closest neighbour offers us both the good and the bad.

The die is cast; who knows what lies ahead

Unlike at previous national and provincial elections since 1948, the counting of votes cast at the August 5 general election will only begin today at 7.00 a.m. with the final results at party level being declared towards dusk.

Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan, Srilankanness

Sri Lanka: A nation, a constitution, a state and a distinct landmass. Sri Lankan: the term could refer to a citizen or an expatriate; to people,

The pandemic empties purses and loads minds with anxiety and alienation

No one expected the epidemic to last so long. No one expected so many to fall ill or die. Everyone wants it to end, but there is no end in sight.

Ravana cult energises Sri Lankan nationalism

When the media reported that the Sri Lankan Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has issued a newspaper advertisement in Sinhala urging people to share documents,