N.M’S ROAD TO NON-CAPTALIST PATH OF DEVELOPMENT:

Dr N.M. Perera (Phd. Dsc.-London) who spearheaded the left movement in this country with the energetic and gigantic support of Dr S.A.Wickremasinghe and Philip Gunawardena with the aim of getting rid of the British Raj and colonial rule had two primary objectives as his political and economic vision.

Sri Lankan Politics Scramble for Power, the Bane of the People

The great bane of many third-world countries looms in the craftily orchestrated dramas of greed and struggle for power in the political arena. Formerly Ceylon, 

DR CHRIS URAGODA STEPS INTO THE MIGHTY NINETIES

The eminent medical physician, pre-eminent scholar, prolific writer, an avid researcher and an indefatigable nature lover, Christopher Gunapala Uragoda popularly alluded to as ‘Chris’ or ‘CG’ carves a niche in the annals of medical history as he reaches his 90th milestone in life on September 22 this year, in the arduous journey of samsara.   

Why Sri Lanka loves India’s Modi

Sri Lanka has suddenly shown a keen interest to strengthen ties with India with both Government representatives and members of the opposition meeting up with Premier Narendra Modi, in New Delhi recently.   

Oslo, 25 years on: Peace in tatters!

Shalom, Salaam, peace: Twenty-five years ago, these words reverberated in the White House lawn and were flashed across the front pages of newspapers worldwide, as the adversaries became partners of peace to sign what was then hailed as the peace deal of the century.

MR and India: A business deal

If there had been issues between the Indian Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and if Modi’s Government was willing to refresh the relationship with Rajapaksa now, the best broker for the purpose would be none other than Controversial Indian politician Dr Subramanian Swamy.

Aimless search for puppet Presidents

Media is agog with conspiracy theories over alleged assassination attempts on President Sirisena and Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Let us become channels of peace

Tomorrow is the United Nations World Day of Peace and we all need to be channels of peace though the big powers like the United States, while talking of peace, provide bombs to the Saudi Arabia led coalition which recently dropped one such bomb, killing scores of schoolchildren in Yemen.   

Modi, MR break new ground regarding relations

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s one-on-one meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked fresh political debate both in Sri Lanka and India. It is more so because the 40-minute closed door discussion took place at Panchavati or the Prime Minister’s official residence in New Delhi amidst perception in Sri 

Notes for a Manifesto: Reconciliation

There are words and terms that get bastardized due to improper usage, over-use and association with error, political noxiousness and flippancy. Reconciliation is one which has some currency in this regard and perhaps is second only to ‘yahapalanaya’ (good governance). In a different time we had ‘peace’. Even seemingly benign 

A President Under Threat

The alleged revealing of an assassination plot on President Maithripala Sirisena and former military official now turned politician Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given the Government authorities and the defence establishment plenty to think about the security of VIPs and the country’s citizens.   

Subtle methods of privatising Education and Health - EDITORIAL

It is said that Sri Lanka has a ‘free education’ system and a ‘free health service’. To some extent, it is true as the Government schools and hospitals do not levy fees legally from students and patients. However, in a sense, one cannot call the country’s education and the health services ‘free’ because authorities have developed various methods to levy money from the students and the patients or push t

OF COURSE RAGGING CAN BE STOPPED!

Ever since I remember (and that dates back longer than I care to mention) ragging has been the hot topic vis-a-vis the Universities of Sri Lanka. Under Sir Ivor Jennings – or at least while he was Vice Chancellor, the Colombo University rivalled the British ones. The standards were so high it was felt that going to England for one’s education was not strictly necessary. The same education could be had right here in Colombo. 

Will India’s winds of change reach Sri Lanka?

Indian Supreme Court’s recent landmark judgment means that millions of LGBT people are no longer ‘criminals’ as a result of their identities. What a great moment to be South Asian. In fact, what a time to be alive!   

CONTROVERSIES, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES!!!

One of the leading newspapers carries a front-page headline saying “PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ELECTING AN HONEST MAN AS PM;” what exactly is our President trying to infer here??? As opposed to that, we read in yet another newspaper that the Prime Minister has been given the Award for “MOST ADMIRED NATIONAL 

Mending Walls Instead Mending Fences: The political context of ‘Reconciliation’

‘Kanepahara’ (lit. ‘A’ Box on the ears’) is the title of a series of radio dramas scheduled to be broadcast over the government owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) for the promotion of so-called post-war reconciliation among communities. The serial dramas have been produced under the auspices of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), itself a government body headed by Chandrika Kumarat

Jana Balaya Power of which People?

If you happen to stumble upon Article 12 of the Constitution, which states all people are equal before the law, please, do not get too excited about it.  As experience shows, it means virtually nothing to any serious minded person. Even a Fifth Grader knows that. Besides, there is no impediment to find amusement anywhere anytime, the document called the Constitution itself not being an exception.  

Global warming: Keep cool and carry on the battle

Although a hurricane and floods rising to several metres are devastating Carolina, the United States President Donald Trump—reported by the Washington Post fact checker to have made more than 5000 false or misleading statements during his one year and nine months in office, still continues to describe global warming as largely a Chinese

Female Circumcision: An Islamic practice brings untold benefits to women

Much has been written about female circumcision of late, with many writers confusing this Islamic practice with FGM (Female Genital Mutilation). However this is far from the truth. Female circumcision as prescribed in Islam involves removing only the prepuce (foreskin) covering the clitoris. This is a relatively minor and harmless procedure very much lik

Overzealous investigations into military affairs counter productive to transitional justice

Last Thursday, barely 48 hours after the regular Cabinet meeting, President Maithripala Sirisena convened an emergency Cabinet meeting. The reason for this hush-hush meeting (The

Ensuring free and fair polls: A challenging task in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is to have its 11th parliamentary elections in November-December this year. As in the past, the elections are expected to take place in the midst of several controversies, some new and some enduring. Again, as in the past, ensuring free and fair elections in Bangladesh’s highly divisive, politicized and violence-ridden environment is going to be a major challenge for the State.   

Quo Vadis... or Which Way Sri Lanka - EDITORIAL

Four major political events more than any other, helped shape Sri Lanka’s modern destiny. The winning of independence on February 4, 1948 under D.S. Senanayake as the first Prime Minister of then independent Ceylon...

Identities can be used to divide and to unite; choice is ours

I think this is an opportune juncture to reflect upon what the SLMA set out to do at the beginning of the year and look towards the future from the perspective of the SLMA and Sri Lankan medical professions and medical professionals at large.

SL’s Indian Ocean Diplomacy amidst shifting power alignments

The Indian Ocean has been the focus of frequent and intense diplomatic activity in the past few years. These interactions have had a regional character, while the involvement of external players in the discussions has also been notable.

Taxation: It’s Class Stupid

It is budget season again. For mainstream economists, budgets are mainly about fiscal discipline, and they focus on the impact of state expenditure on the budget deficit and government debt.

World democracy under strain; let’s find the solution

Today is the United Nations’ International Day of Democracy and the theme for the year is appropriate for most of the world – ‘Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World’. Obviously the United States President Donald Trump - with his impulsive and dangerously unpredictable if not idiotic decisions, is one of the main causes for this.   

Guatemalan genocide and its aftermath

In 1981 on the editorial page of the New York Times I wrote a column showing that the mass atrocities against the Indian population of Guatemala were carried out under the direct orders of the then president, Fernando Lucas Garcia. His former vice-president, Francisco Villagran Kramer, had given me information that was incontrovertible evidence of the murders. 

The brother who is certainly a contender - EDITORIAL

Former Defence Secretary and brother of ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya, got a hint that he could be the next possible candidate from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) for future elections. 

Dudley Senanayake Commemorative Oration - on September 14 : Dudley, the Only Liberal Democrat in SL

D. S. Senanayake was a man of restricted book education but of incredible sophisticated wisdom. His eldest son an illustrious product of S. Thomas’ College, and blessed with an adorable personality, young Dudley Shelton, “Shelley” to close acquaints, showed little attention to marriage. 

‘Arab Spring’ compared to unsuccessful ‘Janabalaya Colombata’

The recently concluded “Janabalaya Colombata” was a damp squib according to most of the political analysts in Sri Lanka as well as abroad. It was compared to the Arab Spring but was not at all anywhere near to this uprising which spread to most of the Arab countries in the world.