Nuisance parking; tough action needed

A phenomenon noted by everyone with the rise in the number of vehicles on the roads is the mushrooming of garages in every nook and corner in the Colombo suburbs. Almost 75 percent of these are tiny, shady spaces and probably without even proper licences. 

The 19A as the UNP’s plaything

It is reported that the Government has decided to seek the opinion of the Attorney General on the possibility of increasing the size of the Cabinet of Ministers to 32. The argument is that the President and Prime Minister should not be included in the 30 member cabinet, as limited by the 19th Amendment. The Government is therefore 

When reading the pulse of the people is vital

The Xmas spirit in Sri Lanka was dampened somewhat due to both manmade and natural disasters. Much of the north is affected by adverse weather which had left 26,314 families and over 80,000 people displaced by Wednesday(December 26) morning. We heard Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith Perera appealing to the people to provide 

Presidential vs Parliamentary elections Govt. divided on which poll to have

Though President Maithripala Sirisena reappointed United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister, he vowed that he would not have political ties with the new Government.   True to his words, he declined to swear in anyone from his United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the new Cabinet 

POWER CORRUPTS

It would appear that the much hackneyed phrase “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely,” was specifically coined to portray what is happening in our country today!!!

Ranil won the battle but could still lose the war

After fifty long days, sanity returned to the Government quarters. The Executive ultimately blinked. The showdown on the greener patches of Colombo, the Presidential Secretariat grounds, ended in peaceful, yet a not-so-amicable....

Size of the Cabinet - EDITORIAL

The current debate over the number of ministers in the Cabinet is ridiculous and ironic. It is ridiculous because it is vividly clear that the debate is not in the interest of the people of the country.

Lo and Behold, The Three Unwise Men…..

Merry Christmas to all our readers! It is a relief indeed that after 51 days of political jugglery, trickery and tom foolery,  we are back on terra firma ; not that we are home and dry by any stretch of the imagination.

What does the birth of Christ mean to us today ?

Today is Christmas Day and is dutifully celebrated the world over, before people go back once again to the lives they were leading before. Can we draw a meaningful lesson from this day on which Christianity’s founder the Lord Jesus Christ was born?   There is a common saying warnin

Sri Lanka heads for an uncertain future

As a year of political upheaval and economic stagnation is winding down, Sri Lanka is entering into an uncertain 2019. Politics is as toxic as it has ever been in recent times. The illwill between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, expressed in the most overt gesticulations, is bound to overshadow government policy. The public euphoria over the rollback of the Constitutional coup evaporated in no time. Most te

An Indian viewpoint Emerging South Asian scenario

Despite striking similarities in culture and a shared history going back to ancient times, South Asia is one of the least integrated regions in the world. But there are visible signs of change both within South Asia and in the way the world looks at the region, avers  Dr. Swaran Singh, Professor at the Center for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  Currently a Senior Fellow at t

Sajith, Sannasgala and large trees

Much is said about Sajith Premadasa that he should be UNP Leader, but questions are raised whether the UNP Deputy Leader is hungry enough to lead the ‘Green Party’. 

Celebrating Christmas 2018 as a time for Creating harmony and seeking reconciliation

The core message and challenge of Christmas embody a powerful call to foster the goodwill of all and an imperative for efforts at creating harmony and seeking reconciliation of differences.

Agony of Lower-Middle Class and Disintegration of Liberal State

With almost universal literacy and high levels of educational attainment among many of the adult citizens in the country, one would have expected by now overwhelming public support for a State based on secular, liberal values.

Geopolitics of Western interest in Sri Lanka’s political impasse

The inordinate interest shown by Western states and their Colombo-based diplomats in Sri Lanka’s political imbroglio, sparked off by the President Maithripala Sirisena’s sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe....

Spirit of X’mas and realities in Sri Lanka - EDITORIAL

In two days - on December 25 - the world commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, who preached a message of love, forgiveness and demanded irrespective of religious or political beliefs, a steadfastness to truth, justice and the upholding of the dignity of man.  

Migration: Powerful driver of Economic Growth

In this destabilized and dangerously uncertain era when the United States President Donald Trump has virtually declared a war on migrants though the country itself was built up by migrants over the past few centuries, the United Nations this week marked International Migrants Day.    UN Secretary General Antonio Gut

The Problems of Democracy

In the Western world there is a constant debate about democracy. In the US the Democrats charge quite correctly that the House’s constituencies are gerrymandered against them. Then there’s the insoluble issue of the Senate’s anti-democratic bias where its numbers are tilted against the Democrats by the fact that rural, less populated states which ten

The politics of Amendments

Is that ugly, unruly conflict over? Was democracy brought back since going back to the pre-October 26 status quo? Democracy was the most cherished word during the past 50 plus days, along with the Constitution. 

Political Crisis drags racism to the fore

Of the twin crises that engulfed the country for 51 days with the unseating of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and the replacing of him with Mahinda Rajapaksa...

Abolish the executive presidency or reduce its powers further

For forms of government, let fools contend; whatever is best administered is best, said Alexander Pope. The 18th century poet’s one-liner still rings true, in the context of ceaseless constitutional crises and ubiquitous debates over political reforms.

Who’ll be watchdog in Parliament? - EDITORIAL

As Sri Lanka seemed to have sorted out a large share of its political crisis on December 20 (Thursday) by appointing a 29-member Cabinet, there still seems to be burning ashes under the fire caused....

Solidarity could lift people out of poverty

After more than 50 days of unprecedented political turmoil, the new United National Front government has recommitted itself to work towards its 2015 vision and goals -- a just, peaceful and all-inclusive society with interracial and inter-religious unity in diversity. Such pledges have often been made before and most people have become 

When an unchanging man promises change

The United National Part (UNP) has gone from strength to strength reminding the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) of an old saying ‘united we stand, divided we fall’.

Political crisis not over yet

When President Maithripala Sirisena finally succumbed to pressure and reappointed United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesimnghe as the Prime Minister, the dust looked settled as far as the political crisis was concerned. Instead, it was a relative lull. The crisis is not yet over as the UNP is struggling to finalise the list of Cabinet Ministers. 

Are we Sri Lankans, one people Where are our leaders

Politically, it may appear that we are not one people. We have a long history of ethnicity-based politics within a small island with a measure of ethnic diversity unrivalled in countries of our size. But socially and culturally the reality appears to be different. Our ethnic communities are closer to each other culturally and socially than in many 

Professionals to replace politicians

There remains less than a year until Sri Lanka braces for its next elections. With the recent series of political dramas that unfolded, it is no surprise for Sri Lankans to witness the advent of new parties or old alliances being reborn. That is what happened during almost all the elections that have taken place. While the most asked 

20A without repeal of 13A will be disastrous

‘Stand Alone’ is a term that was used a lot during the discussion on the power of the President to dissolve parliament. The issue was whether the clause preventing dissolution until Parliament completes four and a half years supersedes the surreptitiously inserted clause permitting dissolution. That insertion was pernicious as was 

Mamata Banerjee and India’s open race for opposition PM slot

When Sri Lanka became one of the most contentious topics in Indian politics during the second term of the Manmohan Singh-government, a whole host of politicians led by late Jayalalithaa took the Congress government to task. The charge was that the centre was mollycoddling the Sri Lankan government without punishing it for the war against the “Tamils”.  

Disce Aut Discede Warning from Polonnaruwa Royal to Cinnamon Gardens or was it the Other way Around?

The Latin phrase Learn or Depart is used as the motto of many educational institutions and schools around the globe, the first to exploit it being King’s School, Rochester, the second-oldest school in the world, established in 604 AD.