Distortion of Names

Our sister paper Lankadeepa on Thursday reported that 35 students of Paanama Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya had to submit affidavits to sit for the GCE Ordinary Level examinations, as their names in their national identity cards and examination admission cards had been distorted. It said that lack of knowledge in Sinhala among the officials in Batticaloa Divisional Secretariat had caused the blunder and this had seriousl

Equality for all, not just the chosen few

In the light of the recent political turmoil in our country it is fair to say we have witnessed, and not for the first time, the ugliness of politics in Sri Lanka. That politicians from all sides can play with our lives, squabble pettily and behave in the most ungracious and ugly way is so unbecoming of their stature and goes to reiterate that politicians are only in office for their 

When the ‘third eye’ is absent in politics

The political impasse in the country has been described in many ways than one. The latest comes from president Maithripala Sirisena himself. Sirisena has said that though people want to relate the political stalemate to a clash between him and ousted premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, it is more to do with a battle between Western influenced thinking and national thinking. 

Sri Lanka is now the lonely planet

This remark was made recently by a Colombo wit at a recent function. The  political uncertainty caused by the constitutional coup  together with the disgraceful behaviour of lawmakers recently, has brought about  gloom and a sense of doom. Non recognition of the illegal Government internationally,which is clearly against the Constitution  has led to unprec

Gamblers, Scribblers of the Divide are RESPONSIBLE for D-Ropes, erratic 19 A

Was it on October 26, 2018 by Sirisena? - The conventional explosive, attached to a detonating mechanism ready to be used by any future administrator was set 41 years ago, on September 22, 1977 by JR Jayewardene.

LawAsia observers visit Sri Lanka: SL judiciary praised for conduct, independence and tolerance

As Sri Lanka awaits another historic judgement to be given by the Supreme Court on President Sirisena’s move to dissolve Parliament, the Sri Lankan judiciary is being praised for its independence.

‘League of Nations’, the UN and the world’s longest running conflict - EDITORIAL

In the aftermath First World War (1914 - 1918) in which 15 - 19 million lives were lost, the League of Nations (LN), an intergovernmental organisation wasfounded on January 10, 1920. 

The Present Political Imbroglio... Some random thoughts

The present Constitutional imbroglio has given rise to a spate of constitutional opinions being expressed by legal experts some genuine others spurious. Democracy is said to be, endangered and  the  Sovereignty of the people is much spoken of.

UNP, JVP mull over impeaching Prez Any compromise on current crisis is a question of pride for UNP,

The United National Party (UNP) along with the like-minded parties such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), was upbeat when the Court of Appeal issued an order restraining the Cabinet and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa from functioning.   However, it flew out of the window as President Maithripala Sirisena even 

The world is ending wars Middle-income countries are more warlike than very poor or rich ones

We need jaw jaw not war war”, said Winston Churchill rather hypocritically. Still, he would be glad to see that the number of wars around the world has fallen dramatically since the end of World War II, despite the conflicts in Korea, Africa, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Pakistan versus India, Central America, Cyprus, ex-Yugoslavia, Syria and now Yemen.  

How many are ready to die for democracy?

At a time of unprecedented political turmoil when Sri Lanka’s political leadership and people’s mainline representatives are in a crisis where for most of them their reputation has been shattered, the world on Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of the death of South Africa’s legendary President Nelson Mandela.   

Will not declare snap presidential poll President

Ahead of the Supreme Court ruling, President Maithripala Sirisena, in an interview with , speaks about the steps taken by him to appoint a new Prime Minister and his intentions for the future. 

The Rajapaksas, the SLPP and the unfolding Indo-Pacific Great Game

The current political impasse in Sri Lanka marks an important opportunity for Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa to think about the consequences of their current actions for future support from the United States and....

Hypocrisy and colonial condescension of the West: Interference of certain Western countries and UN i

The United Nations has through the actions of its Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer, and in violation of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and practice and United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations....

Where are the PEOPLE ?

Searching for ‘truth’ is not searching for what you like-Albert Camus Sri Lanka now lives with two temporary Stay Orders from the Judiciary; the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court. Sri Lanka now lives with a Parliament that is dysfunctional and in chaos every time it meets. 

TNA could be the saviour

The essence of the special statement made on Sunday by Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was prevented from acting as Prime Minister by the Appeal Court on Monday, was nothing new.

TELO’s demands and the national question - EDITORIAL

The support of Tamil minority parties to elect a government has never received such importance as of now. The United National Party (UNP) is hellbent on obtaining the support of the Tamil National Alliance...

Lanka on judicial cliffhanger: A lesson from Pakistan

Sri Lanka’s constitutional coup or crisis, as the case may be, has an eerie similarity to a constitutional coup that took place in Pakistan in 1953 – and the evolution of that country’s judiciary – from servility to supremacy – stresses the importance of judicial activism.

So who is cheering the 19th Amendment now?

When Maithripala Sirisena said bye-bye to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and went against Mahinda Rajapaksa, there were wild cheers from those who supported the United National Party (UNP) and/or were against the Rajapaksa Regime. Sirisena was hero. He was poster-boy. Chandrika Kumaratunga even said that he was the 

We need volunteers as our politicians

How self-centred or other-centred are we? This being the principle virtue of our character, one of the main ways to measure or recognise it is our critical role as volunteers or first responders in emergencies and crises. Do we think of self-survival and run away from it or do we have the courage to take a risk and run into the 

Minority parties are key players in the equation

We see the predominant Sinhala-Buddhist community agitate more these days because they no longer have the power to elect the country leader of their choice. Wanni Parliamentarian Shanthi Sriskandarajah making a comment recently saying that ‘National parties must now kneel down before Tamil parties’ confirms this. 

Hashtag battles

There are political moments – like when President Maithripala Sirisena addressed the media after his defection in November 2014 or Speaker Karu Jayasuriya surrounded by police officers without badges conducting parliament seated on the side next to a wall, an act of defiance as powerful as that of Sirisena, four years back. 

It’s time for the leaders to strengthen and prepare their rank and file

We are amidst three nationally and politically very important and serious legal tussles, with the entire country waiting with baited breath, for the final outcome of them. And all three cases are a kind of first in the history and hence nobody’s experience at least hints as to what the final outcome of the current political stalemate and the Constitutional conundrum is.  

A STORY WORTH TELLING!

Moving away from the reprehensible political arena of our country, I would like instead to share with you a heart warming story I received, as told by Radhanath Swami!!! In the vicious world we live in today, it provokes a little soul-searching and conscience evaluating!!! Swami says and I quote: 

ARE JUDGES NEXT?

On October 26, 2018,President Maithripala Sirisena, in an unprecedented and unexpected move, deposed Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and appointed his one-time adversary, Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister. This otherwise illegal transfer of power was justified by the President on the grounds that his coalition, the 

INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY

(Not by passing arbitrary judgments does a man become wise. A wise man is one who investigates both right and the wrong. He who does not judge others arbitrarily according to the truth, that sagacious man is a guardian of law and is called just. One is not wise because one speaks much. He who is peaceful, friendly and fearless 

Wounding a nation’s conscience Rajapaksas are not saviours, they are the cause of the crisis

Ever since the substantial breach of our Constitution by the Executive branch, only one political party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has been consistent in its action and speech; only one political party, JVP, has been trying to drive home the point that there is no possible compromise between Constitutionality and non-constitutionality; 

A Sri Lanka accessible to all

The United Nations yesterday marked the International Day of Persons with disabilities (IDPD) with this year’s theme being Empowering disabled or differently-abled persons and ensuring inclusiveness and equality. According to the UN, this theme focuses on empowering people with disabilities for the inclusive, equitable and sustainable development envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  The 2030 Agenda, pledging to &l

Constitutional crisis heading to a solution:But on whose terms ?

The constitutional crisis that had plagued the country for over six weeks appeared to be heading to a closure. That prospect however is subject to the next earthy temptation in an unruly mind of the executive president, and chaos he sowed by his arbitrary sacking of the government of Ranil Wickremesinghe. However, as of the weekend, it appeared, Presiden

Is there a difference between Ranil and Mahinda ?

Sri Lanka has become the centre of attraction in the Asian political scene with the island’s government struggling to survive sans the majority in parliament.    The latest we hear of is the attempt planned by President Maithripala Sirisena to take a vote on Wednesday (December 5) to oust Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa because he doesn’t have the support of