Pro-Rogue: Lobbing a post-referendum durian of discord

“History has ended”, proclaimed Fukuyama -- a gig intellectual of the last quarter of the 20th century -- with apocalyptic certainty. This assertion was made despite heavy hitters like Hegel, Spencer, Marx, who proclaimed that History was yet vending its weary way, moving ever forward. It has turned out that Fukuyama’s claim was a trifle exaggerated, for History may have ended but it is not over. Even while History’s obituary was being written, i

Election PHOBIA

Whatever the outcome of yesterday’s Working Committee meeting of the United National Party (UNP) on its presidential candidate was, the damage inflicted on the party by the feud between its leader and....

Minorities may decide Sinhala Buddhist president with ‘no return’

It seems all major players are ready for the November 16 presidential poll. While the Sinhala constituency dominates presidential election, divisions at times provide Tamil and Muslim people the opportunity to decide on who the next President....

Let’s do our part for disabled soldiers - EDITORIAL

It was heartening to see protesting disabled soldiers win their demand to enjoy a full salary after retirement, which would now be offered to them till they breathe their last.

Britain’s Supreme Court gives vital lesson to Lanka

When the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court in a landmark ruling held that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s advice to the queen to prorogue parliament was unconstitutional, the air was similar to what prevailed in Sri Lanka....

Why the educated voter will be feared

We are at the tail-end of the Wickremesinghe led regime. Even of some can’t afford the luxuries they enjoyed five years ago they can be happy that they are able to enjoy so much freedom as citizens of a democratic country. Now a presidential election is approaching and the echoing voices are calling for a change.

To be UNP’s candidate PM lays down tough conditions for Sajith

Whatever little information that emanated from the top level discussion among the senior leaders of the United National Party (UNP) on Tuesday suggested that there was, more or less, agreement to appoint party’s Deputy Leader Housing, Construction and Cultural Affairs Minister Sajith Premadasa as the presidential candidate.

It’s the season of ‘bluffoonery’

There’s a game I came across when I was checking if there was a word called ‘bluffoonery’. I’ll get back to the game in a moment. The reason for the search was simple; there’s been an overload of bluffing in the politics related to the presidential election of late. Secondly, I was also thinking of ‘buffoons’ which refers to ridiculous but amusing persons. Clowns. That’s how I got

Doctors, why hold poor patients to ransom

The doctors were at it again last Wednesday when the members of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) launched yet another 24-hour token strike, which according to media reports, had crippled the healthcare services in hospitals countrywide.

Let’s put ourselves in Ranil’s shoes !

The chaotic political environment in the country is just what some lawmakers want. The Mahinda Rajapaksa group reached its peak in politics during 2005-2015, a turbulent time in the island.

The bane of Sri Lanka’s politics!

If there is one exercise our Sri Lankan Politicians are brilliant at it is ‘Power Struggle’ and the struggle is on!!! All the Rajapaksa brothers are in the forefront, CASES PENDING IN COURT AND ‘DUAL CITIZENSHIP’ NOTWITHSTANDING!!!

Shameless Abolition - EDITORIAL

The issue of abolition of executive Presidential mode of governance has become a laughing stock since lately, especially following the latest efforts by the ruling United National Party (UNP) and President Maithripala Sirisena to materialize it.

What role will Fake news, hate speech play in elections?

Presidential Election is fast approaching and if anything; the campaigning has already begun, largely on social media. It was after the 2010 elections that Sri Lankan politicians began to use social media.

Monkeys in the Capital

Monkeys are superior to men in this: when a monkey looks into a mirror, he sees a monkey - Malcolm De Chazal For years people who live in the lower end of Sri Nanda Jotikarama Road, Thalawathugoda, just 2 km South-East of parliament have got used to a relatively unique wake up call. The call made by waking up m

The Return of Burka

Last week, the Police officially announced that the ban on the full-face veil which was imposed under the emergency regulations in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks is no longer valid as a result of the expiration of the emergency regulations. That might end the confusio

Parallels of Road to 2005 and 2019

It was Karl Marx who said, ‘History repeats itself, first as Tragedy second as Farce’- the Kumarathunga-Rajapaksa confrontation in 2005 was very much similar to today’s crisis in the UNP’s Wickremesinghe—Premadasa Clash.Kumarathunga....

Reply to Ilika Karunaratne’s article headlined “Rebels without a Cause”

Ilika Karunaratne in her article in the Daily Mirror under the caption “Rebels without a Cause” begins her article with the facile sentence “They know very well the procedure that is followed and should have bode their time....

Abolishing the post of Executive President - EDITORIAL

Since we gained independence from the British in 1948, the country has had two Governors General, one Constitutional President and six Executive Presidents. We have also had three constitutions.

Yes, Sri Lanka has too many public holidays

Sri Lanka is quite famous in creating world records. A few of them are good records but most of them are bad ones. At the moment we have the record of being in 2nd position among the countries which have the highest number of public holidays.

Bangladesh Assessing impact of climate change

On September 23 (Monday) the United Nations had convened a Climate Action Summit (CAS) with concrete and realistic plans to accelerate action to implement the 2016 Paris Agreement on climate change. The Paris Agreement covers issues such as mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, climate adaptation and finances to back mitigation programs. The International Monet

Did I go wrong about Sajith ?

Tempered by the travail of time, now I am ever ready to accept blame when I go wrong. Further, I admit an ageing brain can misinterpret facts. On seeing the glaring headline “Where did Dr. Upul go wrong” (Daily Mirror, 19 September), I began wondering whether this is happening to me. However, on re-reading my article “Where did Sajith go wrong” (Daily Mirror, 14 September), after carefully studying the comments of Dr Susantha Karunaratne, I reali

The Prime Minister Is Dead

“The Prime Minister is Dead” was the striking headline in extra-large, bold letters of a special edition published by the now defunct “Times of Ceylon” on the morning of Saturday, September 26, 1959.

Strike not for cash but against climate change - EDITORIAL

With Sri Lanka’s presidential election to be held on November 16, the main party candidates need to give a pledge that they will give priority to climate change issues and we are happy to reveal....

SOMEONE KEEP SCORE!

On the strong recommendation of a friend, I visited an astrologer cum séance whose skills were hailed with words such as “unbelievable, fantastic and amazing”. I went to see this “gifted” person with the air of a certain Thomas with doubts.

Enter Karu Jayasuriya: UNP crisis deepens

National Elections Commission (NEC) on Wednesday announced the dates for the much-talked-about Presidential election and the nomination period for it. Nominations will be entertained on October 7 and the election....

“Crisis” beyond 9/16 and importance of JVP

The hype that came about immediately after Gotabhaya was announced as the SLPP presidential candidate by a sullen faced Mahinda Rajapaksa whose preamble for the announcement was all about his own credentials...

GMOA shouldn’t lose human touch - Editorial

The island-wide token strike launched by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) not only crippled some of the health services in the country, but also inflicted mental wounds on patients who were inconvenienced.

For children’s sake, let there be peace in Yemen?

Neither Saudi Arabia nor the United States will start a war on Iran following last Saturday’s attack on two Saudi oil installations in Abqaiq and Khurais. The strikes, seen as the most devastating of a series of recent attacks....

How politicians squander taxpayers’ money

A National Savings Bank (NSB) official admitted to the recruitment of 1,707 staff assistants and office assistants since 2015 of which 390 recruitments have taken place since 2017 based on name lists provided by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s private secretary. So much for recruitment based on meritocracy!.

Where did Dr. Upul go wrong

The article titled ‘Where did Sajith Go Wrong’ by Dr. Upul Wijayawardhana in the Daily Mirror a couple of days ago was interesting enough, but it would have been more readable, if he stuck to facts rather than to fiction and to his own assumptions. In the opening lines itself, he states that politicians should go for compulsory retirement in their old age for reasons of progressively