When your electoral wishes come true….

Diplomacy depends on decency

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara who was in Qatar with Environment Minister Nazeer Ahmed on June 30, said that Sri Lanka had decided to lift the ban on ‘Qatar Charity’ which had been imposed following the Easter Sunday terro

Mr. President, it’s not too late!

The current state of our beloved nation could be broadly described as a story, a story that is excruciatingly painful to hear, w

Japan’s Altruism: Bombed us on Easter ‘42; we ‘Recompensed’ in ‘51

In choosing my title I feel it may seem rather an arrogant one; but, when examined, it will be seen that exactly the opposite is the case. Have they, the Japanese....

It’s time to reconcile energy policy with long term generation plan

Energy is a vital factor for any country’s economy and in Sri Lanka there is much public focus on the subject because of the power cuts the people are experiencing every day. The power cuts....

Fuel shortages, spiraling costs, falling wages and corruption - EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka is in the grip of simultaneous fuel and food crises, brought on by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a downturn in tourism and led to a shortage of foreign currency. To make....

When they can’t govern, they must Go Home

Protests come in waves and July will be a month of struggle. The great mass of people are all talking politics. They are questioning the rulers for hours while waiting on petrol queues. Farmers....

Kamal Haasan returns to cinema with blockbuster ‘Vikram’

Are we learning anything from the crisis?

Almost all Sri Lankans have reposed or they have been made by their leaders to repose all their hopes on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for their economic salvation.

Revive the co-operative movement in Sri Lanka

With the Aragalaya or the public revolt against the Rajapaksa Government continuing for the 85th day and the crisis getting worse day by day with political leaders warning of a possible famine and hundreds of people surviving with one meal a day,

Schoolchildren need a hug and not a lecture! - EDITORIAL

The life of schoolchildren has once again become chaotic. Most Colombo schools have been closed till July 10 after the government announced several professions which went into an essential....

Lesson for Lanka from Ecuador’s crises, its relations with US and China

In faraway Ecuador, a crisis similar to the one Sri Lanka is facing, is threatening to unseat a President. Similarities of the crises in the two countries are striking in some....

Some mill owners sell imported rice under local brands - Dudley Sirisena

President of Rice Millers’ Association and Chairman of Araliya Group Dudley Sirisena takes questions from DailyMirror on the current status of the rice market. Rice is the staple food.....

#De-dollarizenow

Sometime in the year 1992, an Economics student at the University of Peradeniya confessed confusion over a comment by Dr S. B. De Silva regarding multinational corporations.

Sri Lanka in dire straits: Begging bowl not a long-term answer

The headlines in the print and electronic media these days are depressing to say the least. They describe, in vivid detail Sri Lanka’s sad state of affairs.

Spotlight on losses associated with so called development projects

Many of the projects aimed at developing the country have only become a burden to the regime. Mattala Airport, Lotus Tower, the Conference....

The need for a reset

The last column I wrote on why the media is increasingly in the firing line of public anger elicited some interesting responses. A few wrote....

The Biblical seven lean years - EDITORIAL

According to the biblical story, the Pharaoh of Egypt had a dream that no one could interpret for him. Joseph, then a prisoner with a history.....

IMPROVING PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Following are three paragraphs from an article written by Professor Amal Kumarage of the Department of Transport and Logistics Management, University of Moratuwa and published in the Daily FT last week. These three paragraphs thr

Free-fall of the nation Where is the alternative to ruinous Gotabaya regime?

There is a great deal of ruin in a nation, Adam Smith once said - meaning that the modern states are innately strong enough to withstand a good deal of external and internal pressure. It takes serious and serial bungling by the policymakers to break a nation. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has shown how a country could be ruined on a fast track. Consider these n

Without a Plan will Sri Lanka Overcome?

Nomination of Droupadi Murmu for the Indian Presidency should help uplift India’s Tribals

The 104 million Tribal population has been languishing at the bottom of India’s social, economic and political ladder since the earliest times.

Growing disillusion among young Lankans - EDITORIAL

Since 2020, there has been a growing trend of disillusionment among young people in our country. At the presidential election of 2019 and the general election which followed, they came out in droves.....

A just tax system

Government revenue plummeted since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa came to power. This was driven by tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, in a bid to increase investment and spur economic....

A firsthand account of Life in war-torn Ukraine

I made friends with a Ukrainian called Sergei A. on the internet. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he abruptly went silent, and I wondered what happened to him. I finally managed to.....

Kangaroo Vs Lions ; 140-Yr Sticks & Stones Rivalry Reconciled with All-Yellow Bat & Ball Game

Australian cricket authorities and players responded positively to a tour that was hanging in balance after political insecurity and the economic catastrophe that prevailed. Appreciating their gesture, spectators....

New political formation under Dullas in the offing?

In a time of crisis of epic proportion, the end result may be something unpredicted, and it is more so in politics. What Sri Lanka goes through currently is a period of social, political and economic turbulence with uncertainty hanging on the horizon.

Opposition dilemma over IMF programme

With the appointment of United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister on May 12, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa seems to have been relieved of a heavy burden and a massive pressure which had nearly ousted him from power.

How disaster reigns when greed replaces ambition

A private bus plying from Athurugiriya to Kollupitiya recently was packed mostly with office workers. A good number of passengers were standing and it went without saying that they were feeling the ‘heat’ inside the bus.

For public servants, there is no higher calling than serving others

Employees working for the Government service are often referred to as Government servants but in reality they are public servants because they are expected to serve the people sincerely, sacrificially and selflessly.