‘Honourable’ Speaker and the Spirit of Democracy

The United National Party (UNP) has informed Speaker Karu Jayasuriya of the party’s intention to move a resolution on forming a ‘National Government’. The UNP has in doing so identified a UNP-Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) coalition as satisfying constitutional conditions for such an eventuality. The SLMC has just one 

Election Phobia? Only one Cure; Face it PC poll will set the trend

Politicians’ fear of facing the constituents in an election held on the due date is not listed, explained, or discussed under common phobias by psychologists. Probably, it is so rare in the democratic world that psychologists are yet to invent a term to denote the phenomenon. A few dictionary definitions blended together, ‘phobia’, is an extreme and illogical fear reaction. 

Uproar within SLPP over President’s move to secure candidacy

The Presidential Election has to be declared only in October, this year, but the main parties have already swung into action to prepare for it. Interestingly, President Maithripala Sirisena enhanced his efforts to secure the consent of the SLPP/UPFA alliance to be its presidential candidate.  

are we ready to drop ‘independence’?

Sri Lanka didn’t forget to celebrate its 71st National Day with all the pomp and pageantry forgetting however that seven decades have passed after British rule with her true potential as an island nation not being realised. 

WORTH OR WORTHLESS!!

Having written at length on politics, politicians, their misdemeanours, greed and, more importantly, their false sense of values; I felt compelled to dwell a little philosophically, on the knowledge of reality, the causes and nature of things and the principles governing our existence, our personal rule of life!!!  Most times I get 

How ethical is puffing up of the Cabinet?

Although some comments made by President Maithripala Sirisena during his Independence Day speech yesterday might be inappropriate to the occasion, the view he expressed on the move by the Government to increase the number of Ministers hiding behind the term National Government might have been endorsed by the majority of people in the country.   

Hope for the best; Prepare for the worst

There was a time when the average voter was taken for just another pawn in the cruel and conniving hands of politicians. The arrogance of the politician was so immeasurable; his disdain for the average voter was surpassed only by his greed for the material wealth he thought he could muster for his family and himself.  

71 years of Independence and the challenges that lie ahead

As we celebrate 71 years of Independence from the British, challenges that await us as a sovereign state are formidable. On that account, there seems to be hardly anything to be celebrated. As politicians, military officials, ambassadors as well as common people gather to the Galle Face Green to celebrate independence, the challenges that confront us as a nation remain, blurring our modest achievements into oblivion.  

Lion vs Tiger; An Indian dilemma

It is a fact that as in Sri Lanka the symbol of the lion has been playing an important role in India as well. The sculpture of four Asiatic lions standing back to back or the Lion Capital of Ashoka was declared the official emblem of independent India.

Good, bad and complacency

As Sri Lanka celebrated her 71st anniversary of independence, there are two competing schools of thought that take stock of the performance of the foregone period. One is blinded by a heavy dose of patriotism, and the other, by an overdose of bitterness and acrimony.   The former selectively crows about accomplishments, especially in the broader area of social justice at the same time, glossing over the manifest underachievement in a mu

A postscript on the National Freedom Day Let me stretch my legs

The opening is hackneyed but yet holds.“Your liberty ends where my nose begins.”- a phrase wrongly attributed to many but was attributed to US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. who said: “Your Liberty To Swing Your Fist Ends Ju

Opposition forces Modi to retreat on two politically motivated communal bills

Facing stiff opposition in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of the Indian parliament, where it does not have a majority, the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has all but given up its bid to pass two politically- motivated,Hindutva-driven Bills.    These are, the  “Triple Talaq” Bill a

Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake and his Commitment to Buddhism

I thought of writing this article on the First Prime Minister of Ceylon D.S. Senanayake-the- father-of-the-nation, with great respect and reverence and I, strongly believe that it is the right time to educate the present generation about this great exemplary leader and his religious activities as well as commitment to Buddhism.   During 253 AD a group of Buddhists with regional leaders brought a Sapling of the old Bo tree from Mahiyanga

Sri Lanka @ 71 adrift in a chaotic world

Today the country celebrates its 71 anniversary of independence at a time marred by internal political divisions and heading towards decisive elections which may yet not fix most of our system of governance that has metastasized....

Malays, the fast vanishing minority

The Ceylon Malay community which is rich in culture and religious traditions is an important ethnic minority that has played a major role in shaping the history and diversity of Sri Lanka.

Who wants Provincial Council elections - EDITORIAL

The delay in holding Provincial Council (PC) elections is very much in the news these days, especially since Elections Commissioner Deshapriya threatened to quit his post if elections were not held before November 2019.  

Independence, Sovereignty and Emancipation

If Independence Day on February 4 is about a deeply political moment from our past, our current political moment is characterised by deep political divisions and disarray.

Trump is building up the US’s nuclear firepower

The number of nuclear weapons possessed by the US and Russia is a fraction of what it was during the height of the Cold War. Successive presidents on both sides, since the time of John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, have feared their destructive power. Their supposed value, so called Mutually Assured Destruction, known by its capitals, MAD, is in fact valueless.

World Wetlands Day: Think before you leap

Colombo is one of the first 18 cities that have been accredited as a Ramsar Wetland City at the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP13) held on October  25, 2018 in Dubai,  United Arab Emirates.   

Wetlands a natural treasure, let’s preserve them

On issues relating to global warming and climate change, it is essential that all people – children and adults – need to be enlightened on the catastrophic consequences if we do not take urgent steps. Ignorance is a mortal sin that aggravates this crisis. Such ignorance was heard from the highest level this week.

Cultural legacy brings ancient perspectives to new water challenges

In some ways, the reservoir near Mr. Kapuruhami’s farm looks more like an ungroomed football field. Stretching alongside rice paddies, the water’s surface is overlain with lotus pads and the scruff of tiny grass islands. Kapuruhami’s family has been farming in the Malwatu Oya river basin for generations. Each generation has relied on the water gifted by a unique irrigation system developed by ancient Sri Lankan kings.  &nbs

Stooging in the name of democracy

On Tuesday last, when the Cabinet of Ministers met, President Sirisena had submitted a paper requesting Cabinet Approval to hold Provincial Council Elections to the dissolved councils before the end of May 2019.

Who is afraid of Deshapriya?

The threat on Monday by Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya to resign if Provincial Council elections were not held before the Presidential Election is an indication of his Commission’s helplessness.  

Tea stories which make us depressed - EDITORIAL

The breathtaking sceneries at tea estates would not be complete without the pluckers who know the art of choosing which two leaves and the bud should go into their baskets.

Trump’s coup to strangle Venezuela’s Maduro

In what is seen as the most outlandish foreign policy declaration the Donald Trump administration has hitherto made, the United States on Monday tried to unseat Venezuela’s democratically elected president by recognising the pro-US opposition leader as the new leader. 

‘Prisoners are human beings’

“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones,” - Nelson Mandela

Two uniforms that shaped our independence

Sri Lanka’s history shows that two uniforms have helped shape the independence and identity of this nation. One is the saffron coloured robe worn by Buddhist priests while the other is the dark green attire worn by the ‘soldiers’ of the Sri Lanka Army. Individuals wearing these uniforms were much talked about during the war against terrorism. 

How INDEPENDENT is JUDICIARY?

This is a very difficult question to answer and it is only the average citizen/litigant that is capable of answering this million dollar question.  In the West and many other countries in the Commonwealth and civil law jurisdictions the Judiciary is independent with sufficient checks and balances.  But in a highly politicized society with 

President puts ball in UNP’s court

It seems that President Maithripala Sirisena is heading for another collision course with the United National Party (UNP) as he has presented a Cabinet memorandum seeking approval to conduct the provincial council elections before May 31, this year. 

Provincial Councils and the silence of the federalist ‘lambs’

M.A. Sumanthiran of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) makes much of caveats in the proposed constitution that makes ‘division impossible’. The call then is for a new constitution where ‘indivisibility’ is scripted in. That’s lovely. On paper. Politics doesn’t happen on paper and neither are constitutional proclamations worth the ink they are