Lester and the year that was, 50 years ago

By the time Vijaya Kumaratunga played the lead role in Hanthane Kathawa, Gamini Fonseka had acted in over 20 films, consolidating his box office drawing power. The year was 1969, which, I rather feel, was to the Sinhala cinema what 1967 had been to the American: one that redefined an entire industry. Many, if not most, of the films that came out of Hollywood in that year were groun

Nepal’s communist regime backs MCC compact despite internal dissent

Like Sri Lanka, Nepal has been struggling to make up its mind on accepting or rejecting America’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact. However, it now appears that Nepal will accept it despite internal opposition. Nepa

Let’s Sing a 50:50 Tamil / Sinhala National Anthem

National anthem is generally a patriotic musical composition - typically in the form of a song of honour - that evokes and praises highly, the history, customs, or struggles of its people.

Is patriotism the solution for Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism?

According to a recent newspaper report, Sri Lankan national anthem would be sung only in Sinhala during the 72nd Independence Day celebrations. This news created an emotional stir not only among Tamils in the North but also among right-minded citizens in the South.

Trump’s latest gift to an unstable world - EDITORIAL

On Thursday, January 3, as the world was still welcoming the New year, US President Trump gave his own New year’s gift to the world - ordering the assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s ‘Revolutionary Guards’.

Global Unravelling and our Democratic Future

The new year and in fact a new decade have dawned under dark clouds in the region and the world more broadly. The concluding weeks of the last year have seen major protests in India...

Past under Mahinda resurfacing under Gota

2020 has dawned! Greetings for the new year to all readers. My article in this column last week about moves being contemplated to forbid the singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in Tamil at the 70th Independence Day event seems to have been received well, judging by the positive responses I have been getting from readers this week. What makes me most happy is the fact that an overwhelming number of these responses have been from Sinhala reade

Education: The answer in this era of ‘truth decay’

This month the United Nations marks the International Day of Education and the world body in a statement says education is a human right and points out that it is enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. In 1989, Rights of the Child Convention went further to stipulate that countries shall make higher education accessible to all.

3rd death Anniversary of Judge C.G. Weeramantry

Judge Christopher Weeramantry passed away three years ago on January 5, 2017. He rendered unmatched service to humanity for a long period of time. Until he parted at the age of ninety he wrote and spoke so much on world peace.

Development strategy for Sri Lanka

Seventy-one years is a long time to govern a country without a sustainable economic development plan and clearly, Sri Lanka did not have such a long-term plan since independence in 1948. Hence, it is little wonder we have regressed economically. We simply depended on revenue from tea and rubber left behind by the British without diversifying our economy for too long. We failed till now to develop appropriate industries, particularly agriculture a

UNP’s suicidal politics

A situation similar to the one that prevailed after the 2015 presidential poll has unfolded. On both occasions, the political party that mustered a majority in Parliament ceded to a smaller party – last time submissively and this time voluntarily.

Painting a rosy picture about tea - EDITORIAL

The Sri Lanka tea industry, which has weathered many storms, now faces the threat of attempts being made by unscrupulous individuals to adulterate tea and make a fast buck.

2020: Wishing for peace, but power politics makes it wishful thinking

We keep wishing peace and happiness at every New Year. In hindsight, it appears wishful thinking, doesn’t it? The underlying truth is that since time immemorial, the desired peace and happiness have been eluding us.

Prez reaches out to LG members in view of General Elections

The New Year dawned yesterday with fresh hopes and challenges for the Government. When President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hosted Local Government members representing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) for dinner on December 28, he had a message for them.

Ambitious Sri Lanka sees China on the Horizon

2020 will be a make or break year for Sri Lanka in all aspects with local politics and foreign relations billed to take the top seat.

Sickness: A Politician’s Preserve?

Politicians are sick. I’ve heard people say that. It is an unfair statement if only because it is a generalization. Nevertheless, politicians can be like a corrosive cancer given the impact that their arrogance, ignorance and incompetence have on society in general. Not all, not some, but most, most would agree.

Make good use of New Year’s 365-day gift pack

Another New Year is upon us and it is left to each one of us to make a success of this fresh lease of life. We have just moved from the teen years of the 20s beginning in 2013 up to 2019 and into the 2020s on January 1.

New Year Reflections

As 2019 winds down and the democratic space quickly closes around us, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year and the monumental human rights challenges ahead.

A DECADE ENDS; ANOTHER BEGINS

As we end one decade and begin another, our thoughts go back in retrospect to the one just gone, and also to the one ahead, wondering what fate has in store for us.

Disaster management agencies play catch up on social media

Fifteen years ago, I woke up on the day after Christmas to something that I was never prepared for. A phone call from a relative was my first alert to get to the coast.

2020 – The decade for conscious living and a year for tolerance

A new decade has dawned. Just like the one that passed and the one before, the fate of the third decade of the new millennium also remains unpredictable.

Reining in private buses

Transport Services Management and Power and Energy Minister Mahinda Amaraweera had said last week that loud songs and improper video clips would be banned from being played on radios and TVs in private buses from January 1 (Tomorrow). Citing that the songs played at high volume irk the commuters, he had stated that classical songs with proper videos would be distributed among the

Dangerous ethnic politics in monopolising the national anthem

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the election to the highest political office in the land without the help of the Tamil voters. But on the day of swearing-in, he pledged to be the president of all citizens of the country. His first mo

Law Makers turned Lawbreakers?

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya justifies his move in visiting Patali Champika Ranawaka MP, in remand prison. Speaker’s media unit issued a statement in this regard. Friday’s Daily Mirror reported that Speaker would not dispute the arrest of MP on a legal basis.

Sumanthiran’s disservice to Tamils

I take exception to an observation by Mr M. A. Sumanthiran PC in an article titled, “Legal challenges faced by the Federal party in its 70-year history,” Daily Mirror, 27 December 2019.) He says that in the said case....

2019 a year of shock, disappointment and silver lining - EDITORIAL

In a day’s time we will be ringing out the year 2019, and dawning the year 2020. It’s a good time to look back in 2019. A year which dawned with great expectancy that in the aftermath of the 2018 October drama...

Revisiting our education, life skills

Addressing newspaper editors and managers of electronic media recently, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa emphasised on the provision of job-oriented training to improve job opportunities for our youth.

Singing national anthem in Sinhala and Tamil languages

The news item appearing in Dailymirror last week was like a bolt out of the blue. It said the national anthem would be sung in Sinhala language only at the forthcoming celebratory event of Sri Lanka or Ceylon gaining full independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. The practice adopted since 2016 of singing the anthem in Tamil too would not be followed. This is what the news item penned by Sandun A. Jayasekera said:

So many children crying, ‘I am nobody’s child’

As we today mark Holy Innocents Day, when Judea’s wicked King Herod slaughtered Bethlehem’s infants because he was jealous and feared that the King of Kings had been born there, we need to reflect on the plight of hundreds of millions of children today affected by war, violence, famine, homelessness, child abuse and other crimes. Religious leaders have told us that anyone who causes harm to a child should be thrown into the deepest ocean with a m

The Tamil problem can’t be resolved either way, but can be managed

It seems that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa intends to replace power devolution, a persistent Tamil demand, with development.