Included in the repertoire of Victor Rathnayake’s cherished songs is “Daivayogayakin Novedo Hamuwune Api Hamuwune, Daivaye saradam labannata Kima Mese Apa Hamuwune”, a song which narrates one’s own fate. 

emocracy must not be confused with liberalism. This government may be liberal but it is not exactly democratic. Liberalism is laudably concerned with individual freedoms. 

Many of our recent problems stemmed from our inability to accept our geographic reality- that is our immutable placement a few dozen....

In many countries, people today celebrate, ‘Your Freedom Day’ focusing on what freedom means to us with the thrust being to draw....

The Stratsight column was initiated to trace the depth and breadth of unprecedented global transformations causing significant....

When Donald Trump was taking oaths in Wahington DC on January 20, 2017 as the 45th President of the USA, in London, an award....

Ceylon’s colonization by the British rule had a sizeable impact on what we now deem as cultural and social norms in Sri Lanka....

Uma Maheswaran, the late leader of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) once described the armed.....

The March 12 Movement was set up two years ago for clean politics, good governance, more checks and balances to consolidate democracy and to eventually move towards a just society.

An excerpt from the memorial oration in memory of Emeritus Prof. J. N. Oleap Fernando’s second death anniversary delivered by Vidya Jyothi Emeritus Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera  I am sure we are all concerned about the current crises in the

In terms of article (2) (h) of Chapter VI under the title “Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Duties” of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, State is pledged to establish in Sri Lanka a Democratic Socialist Society the object

The state of being vigorously anti-Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is becoming out of control. It is in danger of becoming pathological and self-destructive. What does the West gain in the long run if it sees nothing ahead but being anti-Russia? T

South African anti-apartheid activist who worked with President Nelson Mandela and renowned social rights activist Desmond.....

On Monday March 6, (2017) the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) announced a two-day strike action on the eighth and ninth of March, at a media briefing in Colombo

Going by the recent statements made by the leaders of Sri Lanka and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which is stressing the need for reconciliation among various communities in Sri Lanka, it is puzzling as to how long the reconciliati

A world without nuclear weapons is a possibility and that day is not far from us. Thanks to North Korea and its provocative behaviour, such optimism is not the wild imagination of a fiction writer. The United States is developing a smart bomb to deac

It is encouraging to see that Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) Commission has released its 2017 budget estimate, including the salary scales of the Commission members and staff along with its recruitment procedures and cadre provision.

Just after Chandrika Kumaratunga came to power there was a spate of strikes. The phenomenon was celebrated at first by the then Government as an indication of increased space for the expression of democratic freedoms. Not too long afterwards the ve

Not too long ago, there was a call for an international inquiry into allegations of war crimes. The call came from both within the country and without. From within it was the usual suspects, the rights-fixated NGOs and outside it was their internat

There is a pounding on the sand, a sound of thudding footsteps. A young woman in yellow shorts flashes past. Behind her puff several older women in tracksuits, behind them a woman strides out in a black chador.   Colombo was once a shabby thir

Nearly one-and-a-half years has rolled by after the formation of the National Unity Government between the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is underway in this regard. The timel

Sri Lanka Cricket recently appointed Asanka Gurusinha, a member of the 1996 World-Cup- winning team as the Cricket Manager in a bid to help the transition of the national team. In an exclusive interview with Daily Mirror, Asanka domiciled in Austra

At a time when the country is hanging from loose strings as a result of the major debt crisis ‘gifted’ by the former regime, spending lavishly on government projects wouldn’t sound like a bright idea...... 

As Sri Lanka gets placed, once again, on the Human Rights Council agenda this month, it is difficult to ignore the significant shifts -- internal and external -- that have taken place since Sri Lanka was last on the Council’s agenda in Septembe

Today is International Women’s Day. The theme of this year’s Women’s Day is, “Be bold for change” a motto many might accept as appropriate. However, it is not clear whether the meaning of the motto is universally and uni

Will Ferroggiaro, an expert from the United States of America, who is here at the invitation of a Civil Society Organisation, speaks on the importance of the Right to Information Act, Good Governance and democratic norms..... 

In game theory, there is this hypothetical strategy game that is used to explain why two rational individuals may not cooperate....

The restoration of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary were among the important promises made by the rainbow....

The Munich security conference concluded few weeks ago. It was one of the largest and most represented security conferences....

One of the most polarising issues being debated in relation to education currently is that of the virtues of State vs Non-State....