Will elephant obscure betel leaf; making ‘Pohottuwa’ Govt’s dominant rival?

It is timely to consider Elections, politics and Legislators in pre-independence Ceylon as elections of one sort or another appear to have become a way of life in this country. Sri Lankan people hate postponement of elections—history records that every time an 

Pollution is the greatest enemy of GREEN ECONOMY

Green Economy is a subject being talked about all over the globe. What is Green Economy has to be understood before debating about it. Most educated are aware of it and those not educated about Green Economy have to be educated. Getting on to 

(Pick)pocketing the Town Hall

Local government elections are typically held immediately after a major election. What typically happens is that the party winning the latter sweeps the former. In this sense the 

Only a tantrum away from a nuclear catastrophe

With the dangerously unpredictable United States President Donald Trump plunging the world closer to nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula and in the volatile Middle East, last Sunday’s warning by the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize winner needs to be seriously reflected 

Constituents should prevail upon their MPs

Dr. Anula Wijesundere, a consultant physician involved with the work of the Nationalist Movement in Sri Lanka, speaks about the constitution making process, women’s rights and the impact of the price reduction of beer as proposed in the Budget. She is the 

Shedding the war mentality: Are we capable of it?

The war mentality represents an unfortunate confluence of ignorance, fear, prejudice, and profit. - Gabor Mate`

Don’t import teachers; Recruit Tamil-speaking unemployed graduates

During the height of the war, the Tamil medium schools in the Central Province were filled with teachers from Jaffna or rather the Northern Province.   The Northern Tamil teachers dropped their pride, set aside the Sri Lankan Tamil-Indian Tamil divisions and 

REVISITING CALHOUN: DEATH BY CONGESTION

Congestion is something we take for granted these days. So much so that we cannot now imagine a world without it. Even a casual glance will show us that we live overcrowded lives. Drowning in a thick soup of human beings, vehicles, buildings, 

If the Rajapaksas were in power the people would be eating grass

Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife and Minister of Buddhasasana Gamini Jayawickrama Perera in an interview with Lankadeepa aired his views on the present 

“OBATA PUTHE MAGAK NATHE” STORY OF A FAILED SOCIETY

People - blame themselves in back peddling a lost leadership back to power. Think before you act stupidly - realize the folly in creating a situation of having no foreseeable future for the country you truly love: to whatever denomination you may belong - desire 

Statement from Lord Naseby Sends detailed evidence to United Nations including Gash Despatches

Lord Naseby wishes to state the following with regard to the response attributed to the British High Commission in Colombo following a query raised by the Sri Lankan newspaper ‘The Island’, published on 6 December 2017 under the headline ‘Naseby’s call doesn’t reflect UK’s stand- HC’.

Nepal’s new Left Govt.’s Tasks cut out

Tentative results of the Nepalese Parliamentary elections suggest a massive victory for the Left Alliance comprising the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) led by Khadga Prasad Oli, and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda.

Political showboating won’t end impunity

Last week, at a UNESCO organized conference to end impunity of crimes against journalists, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe found fault with lack of attendance by media personnel, and alleged that some media organizations and senior journalists were at cahoots with the former regime.  

From Balfour to Trump... a changing game plan in the Middle East - EDITORIAL

If the Balfour Declaration of November 1917 permitting the setting up of a Jewish State of Israel on Palestinian lands turned the Middle East....

Sri Lanka’s Present Predicament: Where do we go from here?

The change of regime on January 8, 2015 raised public expectations regarding good governance and socio-economic development. Yet, after...

Working in Fort and Colpetty Five Decades Ago: Shocker, with ‘Que Sera…, Sera’ transforming to a Ch

Let me share with your readers some lunch time experiences in the Fort in mid 1960s. In 1967, working as an audit trainee at....

To end violence, we must hear about it: Let us break silence

Every year, 25 November marks the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of all forms of Violence against Women and the....

concept of dividing Police Service into 9 Prov. Police Services flawed

The Association of Chiefs of Police (Rtd.) of Sri Lanka, an organization started in 2009 with those police officers who retired from the service holding the ranks of Deputy Inspector General of Police and above had its 10th Annual General Meeting on November 25.  

Human rights must begin at home

The legendary Nelson Mandela whose fourth death anniversary was commemorated on Tuesday, has said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Eleanor Roosevelt wife of the long serving United States 

LG elections with national importance Alliances without policy basis

With the preparations by the political parties for the local government elections that are to be held in February being underway, a sense of insecurity can be seen in almost all parties, big or small, representing northern, southern, eastern or central parts of the country.   

What is “Media Freedom” in the South?

UNESCO has over the decades contributed very much in establishing social acceptance for “the free flow of ideas by word and image” and thus works to foster free, independent and pluralistic media in print, broadcast and online, across the globe. 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem: The world cries for thee

Wednesday night’s decision by United States President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, showing only utter contempt for the aspirations of the Palestinian people, has pushed the prospects for peace into a black hole, never to see light again. 

“Even if SLFP and UNP contest separately they must govern the State together”

Says  Convener of National Movement for a Just Society Prof. Sarath Wijesooriya referring to those representing the Joint Opposition and hoping to contest the upcoming elections under the ‘pohottuwa’ symbol

Corruption attacks foundations of democracy

With corruption and specially political corruption continuing to spread like a cancer in Sri Lanka, tomorrow’s International Anti-Corruption Day needs to give important lessons to our politicians at all levels and from all parties.   

A literary effort to Rekindle Peradeniya University Review: Coffee Table Book; Garden University of

The Co-authors Dr. R.M.K. Ratnayake and and Mr. S.A.C. Mohamed Zuhyle need to be commended for bringing out a beautiful Coffee table book on University of Peradeniya.

Maithri, Ranil go up the hill

With legal issues being cleared, the Local Council Elections are now likely to be held in February with the possible date being February 10. Earlier the Elections Department had planned to hold elections 

Intermediaries struggle to unite JO and SLFP

Though formal talks aimed at uniting the factions within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) failed to produce results last week as the two sides declined to soften their stances, it is revealed that fresh 

‘We’re very comfortable living with the majority community’

Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) General Secretary Arumugam Thondaman, in an interview with Daily Mirror, spoke about the current political environment and his plans to contest the elections. Following are excerpts of the interview done with Thondaman. 

Who is really afraid of whom and why?

Way back in the year 1988 an island-wide poster stamped in the public conscious the notion of political teaser advertisements. It was a simple question: (Who is this [and] what is he doing?

Let’s throw out the complex ‘Mixed Voting’ system for good

It’s learned that the proposed, imported ‘Mixed Voting System’, is designed to elect more than 225 parliamentarians through (First Past the Post) FPP and (Proportional Representation) PR on an adhoc 50:50 basis. The declared objective of FPP is to assign a MP from the area to be responsible for each