LG Polls assume national significance

With the intensification of public pressure, the government reached a point beyond which it cannot delay the elections to the local authorities. As such, the government leaders met at Temple Trees on Tuesday evening with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the chair to work out modalities for the elections.

“Sri Lankans aren’t a psychologically advanced group”

“Neither my life of luxury in the palace, nor my life as an ascetic in the forest were paths to enlightenment,” Gauthama Buddha had once said. Hence, by giving up on worldly pleasures, one can end the journey in Samsaara.

The danger of postponing elections

When the then President J.R. Jayewardene held a referendum instead of general elections in 1982, most legal and political analysts said that while it may have been legal, it was illegitimate. Mr. Jayewardene’s Government obtained a 50.1% majority at the referendum. But it was immorally blown up into a 5/6th majority in Parliament.

COALITION IS A FOUL WORD IS IT ‘ME BEFORE YOU’ OR ‘AFTER YOU’ - ON MR AND GOTA

Mahinda Rajapakse [MR] is the front-runner in an opposition soft on the government. Appears overcome, by the enormity of his personal problems. Best way to negative is to be at the helm of politics.

Congress to crown Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi is a type of young man one meets near a small stream, perched on a rock with a fishing rod or seated under a tree writing poetry. A soft hearted romantic, la Byron.  

NOT A FOREIGN HAND BUT A LOCAL ONE WHO PLANNED A NEW CONSTITUTION ?

Who is the inspirer and driver of the new Constitution project? It certainly wasn’t the “foreign devil”--those wicked ole western imperialists. 

‘SLFPers in the Govt. are helpless’ -John Seneviratne

?Minister of Labour, Trade Union Relations and Sabaragamuwa Development John Seneviratne in an interview with our sister paper ‘Deshaya’ spoke about groups in the Government that are frustrating others and his love for the SLFP. Following are excerpts of the interview with Minister Seneviratne

Tragedy of the fall of once great Sri Lanka - Can it be great again ?

2358 years of the Sri Lankan Kings that rule fell on March 2, 1815 due to the coup of the Chieftains headed by “Ehalapola” who signed the disputed historic and decisive Convention to hand over the country and powers of governance to the colonial power despite the silent protest of the common man

Militarization of Mullaithivu… true or not? Highest military to civilian ratio: 1: 2, new report fin

The Executive Summary of a new report contests the government’s demilitarization process and reveals, ‘Mullaithivu district, with a population of 130,000 has an estimated 60,000 security forces, giving it an extremely steep (1:2) force to population ratio’.

‘Caveat emptor’ let buyer beware ‘Caveat venditor’ let seller beware

Sri Lankans suffer as consumers in dealing with prices, quality, presentation and hygiene of food, introduction of harmful dyes, preservatives, flavours and additives to them, warranties in electronic goods, quality of building material, sales, leases, loans in house and property, safety standards in vehicles, machinery and gadgetry of all types and so on.

Taboo: cruelty to children From ‘servant girls’ to school kids, children are paying a price

Sri Lankans were not known to be a cruel, yet instances of outright wickedness are now rearing their ugly heads. 

Constitutional obstructionism

Recently Buddhist High Priests have been showing a rather unholy penchant to torment the government, perhaps making use of the opportunity that no one is now calling from the President’s House to threaten with ‘Sanga Bedaya’ (division among Sanga) unless Maha Nayakas toe the line.  

We fear Muslim representation will be reduced -Rauff Hakeem

  Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Rauff Hakeem in an interview with the  spoke about the current political situation in the country and added that he was cautiously optimistic about the status of the constitution making process. Following are excerpts of the interview done with Hakeem, who is also the Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage.  

Gross violation of ‘Human rights’

The latest issue of our sister paper Sunday Times carried a news item which quoted the Auditor General’s Department as saying that the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) was still holding on to a balance of more than Rs.3.2 billion from money remitted by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) to pay Sri Lankans who were employed in Kuwait during that country’s invasion by Iraq in 1990.   

Upgraded US-India defence partnership: DEEPENING FAULT LINES IN THE INDIAN OCEAN?

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s speech in Washington on Wednesday (18) where he named China as the cause for the US’s intensified interest in the Indian Ocean, and as the reason for its deepening defence ties with India, has brought the big-power contestation in the region to a new level.

AMERICA COURTS INDIA WHILE XI PURSUES THE CHINA DREAM

President Xi Jinping opening the 19th Communist Party Congress and imminent to be re-elected as President of China and the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, stood in front of nearly 2300 party delegates and delivered a speech that spanned 3 hours 25 minutes in which he outlined his achievements of the last 5 years. 

Deepavali again but promised devolution still eludes all Lankans….

After the Unity Government was formed in 2015, the President and Prime Minister on realizing that the Tamil issue needs to be resolved first for the country is to go forward, had turned the parliament into a Constitutional Assembly. 

RUSSIAN ELECTION AND THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION - EDITORIAL

The month of October is of special significance world-wide. It commemorates the overthrow of the Tsar in Russia and the first attempt to install a worker controlled state in what was then imperial Russia, which was renamed the Soviet Union.

Death and taxes

Benjamin Franklin thought that one could never avoid death and taxes. However if you meet death, then you don’t have to pay taxes. Perhaps we may avert one because of the other.   

Gramashakthi: Giving villages freedom from poverty

In a major step towards building a just, fair and all-inclusive society, the National Government yesterday launched a historic Gramashakthi People’s Movement with the vision of alleviating poverty by 2030.   

Worker rights vs people’s rights

Newspapers carried a picture of several Policemen risking their lives in saving a locomotive engine driver of the Sri Lanka Railways at the Fort Railway Station during a surprise strike on October 11 by the railway employees. 

Cambodia changes gear into reverse

Cambodia is no longer going forward, it is slipping backwards, as it has many times before. Earlier this month the government asked the Supreme Court to dissolve the main opposition coalition.

School admissions: Let there be accountability

Parents of affected school children were on Monday successful before the Right to Information (RTI) Commission in obtaining the name lists and numbers of school children admitted to Grade One of Visakha Vidyalaya in 2014.

She went the extra mile – that was the dedicated teacher she was

When Yohan called me, to ask me whether I could speak a few words at Devika de Alwis Perera’s memorial service, at first I was taken aback to be given such an honour but I was deeply touched to have been asked.

Democracy without people

This is sheer common sense. No law, no bill passed in Parliament without any opportunity for people to feel an ownership to, will even be implemented the right way and efficiently too. 

Giving the poverty-trapped voiceless people a say in decision making - EDITORIAL

With more than 330 municipal councils, urban councils and pradeshiya sabhas likely to go to the polls on January 20 next year...

We have nothing to do with this Government

JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake spoke about the much looked forward to provincial council elections, the SAITM...

LG polls hanging in the balance again

As the three pieces of legislation, amending the Municipal Councils Ordinance, the Urban Council Ordinance and...

A poser on PC Elections Amendment Bill

Those supporters of the Yahapalana Regime whose apologies have diminished to the point they take refuge in what...

Right of Reply to Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara: THE SINHALA ALT-RIGHT AND THE TAMIL QUESTION

Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara asks “Simply show us how the Tamils are being discriminated against and....