The old order changeth, but is it for the better? - EDITORIAL

Recently, the media has been airing the ‘Ranjan tapes’, a collection of audio and visual recordings which outline the disintegration of respected institutions of justice and containing converstion bordering on the obscene and vulgar.

Dire warning to the warming world

The widely respected British naturalist Sir David Attenborough said yesterday it was “palpable nonsense” to suggest that Australia’s bushfire crisis had nothing to do with climate change as he warned “the moment of crisis” has arrived. In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the 93-year-old Sir David made the direct link between the ongoing bushfires and climate change. “As I speak, south-east Australia is on fire. Why? B

A Secular National Flag, A National Pledge and The National Anthem

By definition, a Muslim is a believer in Islam. Is it correct then, to say that while the majority of Arabs were Muslims, that all Muslims in the present day, are not Arab? Non-Arabs need not wear traditional Arab dresses.

Unity in diversity under a Sri Lankan identity

We now have a strict disciplinarian as our President. It is unlikely that the presidential form of governance would be abolished. Setting up an ‘Upper House’ to prevent or delay hasty legislation and having a restricted number of ministers would never happen.

English as the medium of modern education

We are glad that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hit the nail on the head about the meaning of education. Not a promising opening sentence? I do not wish to get into a harangue on education but just want to say there is an alternative to the education modus operandi which we practise by and large for more than a century.

Will SL tourist industry perform in rap style? - EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is screaming for a shot in the arm and the present regime has heard this call loud and clear. We all know how the tourist industry was badly affected following the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.

Hybrid warfare: No winners, no ceasefire

Mercifully, the tensions between Iran and the United States did not escalate into an all-out war. If they had gone to war, the consequences would have been disastrous not only to the region, but also to the whole world, including the US.

THE POVERTY OF PROTEST

I find it useful to distinguish between two kinds of radicalism; that which tries to eradicate the structural causes of social injustice and that which glosses over such causes and simplifies them, presenting a stark.....

Improving English Language proficiency

After opening the new session of parliament, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made an announcement about his policy statement. He has stated that one of his policies will be to develop facilities at all schools to improve English language skills.

Why only Ranjan?

Many government politicians and supporters rightly claim that the alleged conversations between United National Party (UNP)MP Ranjan Ramanayake and certain police officers and judges would erode public.....

Family planning in Sri Lanka: A case of ensuring individual well-being

Forty-year-old Kavitha (pseudonym) was gripped by panic when she learnt she was pregnant for the sixth time. What made her most fearful was that she was ill-equipped to support and sustain yet another child...

Lose your integrity and you lose it all

The audio clips recovered from actor-turned politician, United National Party (UNP) MP Ranjan Ramanayake`s home at Madiwela have opened as it were the proverbial ‘can of worms’ if not having stirred a hornet’s nest, implicating various government officials including some in the Judiciary and the Police Department.

What is your preference, citizen: Pillow - talk or public concerns ?

Should public figures have private lives? This is probably a question that has been asked and answered countless times across time and space. A related question would be ‘can public figures have private lives?’ Again an old question but one to which the ‘possible’ response has and is becoming increasingly muted courtesy technological innovation and surveillance complexities that are hard to notice and even harder to keep track of.

UNP crisis : Why influence of Buddhism is vital in politics

The United National Party must learn to read the pulses of the masses. Its Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe learned the hard way that his way of leaving religion out of politics made him an unpopular politician. It’s time that the green party learns quickly that religion is marketable and can fetch votes for a politician. These are days when we get to read so much in newspapers that the saffron robed monks are demanding that the UNP leadership is

Three world powers engage Sri Lanka on same day

January 14 will go down in Sri Lanka’s history of foreign relations since the country witnessed top level diplomatic engagements with three world powers- the United States (U.S.), Russia and China- which have competing interests in the region.

Why protesting undergrads have clout

The Government’s call to protesting undergraduates to chose the peaceful path of negotiating might not go well with university students. Though the path to negotiating is the preferred way in a civilised society, university students have got used to making demands and doing so from a position of strength.

LET’S PRACTISE KINDNESS

Kindness is very important in life – no matter who or what you are, demonstrating kindness in all walks of life is important!!! In order to show kindness to others, we need to have a level of vulnerability ourselves!!! We need to be capable of opening up to the emotional, physical, psychological, sociological or religious needs of people whenever we are called upon to do so!!!

Ranja redux

The new year, for that matter, the new decade has started off with social media dominating every nook and corner of Sri Lanka political dialogue.

Vehicle horn etiquette

Sri Lanka is being touted as the best tourist destination by quite a few travel magazines. Certainly it is an achievement that makes any Sri Lankan proud. Unique locations, low cost, friendly and helpful locals, cleanliness, clean air and hassle free travelling have contributed to this feat.

Higher Education Crisis

Higher Education Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardane has said that the government would monitor and regularise the private institutions that send Sri Lankan students to foreign universities. He had said this on Sunday after visiting the home of one of the three female students who had died in Azerbaijan due to suffocation while pursuing higher studies at a university in that country.

Ranjan’s tapes and Looming Coup Against Independent Commissions

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who claims that he is waging a lone crusade against corruption and for social justice recorded incriminating phone calls he made to top cops, judges and the former director-general of the commission probing the allegations of corruption, without the knowledge of his callers. If that was not embarrassing enough, he had them copied to CD

Iran’s Islamic regime will be in deep trouble if it doesn’t reform

The United States’ 40-year sanctions-based economic war against the radical Islamic regime in Iran may end in the not too distant future, if the regime gives in to the growing domestic demand for an end to a dictatorship masquerading as a democracy. Events in the past two or three months appear to justify the US claim that US and international sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy, and that more of these will definitely bring the Islamic

A case against ragging

“I was overjoyed when I got selected to the university. It was a dream I had since my childhood. My parents were really happy and proud of me as well. The only problem I had about starting university was my fear of ragging. I had heard so many stories of university ragging and how brutal it could be.” This is an account shar

Making sense of the future: Developing a new model for public services

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his policy statement affirmed he would ensure that his government will remove all inefficiencies and make the public sector responsive to the people’s and country’s needs.

Watergate, WikiLeaks, Whistleblowers and Stooges in Tapes: Art of Apprehending ‘Dignified’ Parliamentarians

MPs of both sides have informed police and the Defence Ministry, Arresting an MP should be done in a manner which would not impair the honour and dignity of a ‘worthy-of-respect’ parliamentarian.

18A and proposed 21A and 22A: A road down memory lane

Just before the dawn of the New Year, two constitutional amendment Bills were presented as private member bills by parliamentarian Wijedasa Rajapakshe. These Bills; if enacted, would impact some of the progressive and....

slaying of General Qassem Soleimani - EDITORIAL

In the early hours of Friday morning, the US, using drone-fired missiles killed Iranian General Soleimani just outside Baghdad’s international airport. Soleimani was the second most powerful man in Iran.

Tamils want to sing national anthem in their mother tongue

This is my third and final column in the trilogy of articles about the singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in Sinhala and Tamil languages. I would have very much liked to write about hot topics like Ranjan Ramanayake’s voice recordings or President Gotabaya’s policy speech or internal troubles of the UNP,

Never again another Holocaust

This year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the ending of the Second World War, and the ending of the Holocaust. The year also marks the setting up of the United Nations, formed in response to atrocity crimes of the Holocaust and the Second World War with the aim of building a world that is just and peaceful. The UN says that, acknowledging the milestone year, the UN Outreach Programme has chosen as the theme for Hol

Bête-noire of Sri Lanka’s economy

The crippling national debt problem which all recent governments of the post-independence era have been forced to face, has been a veritable eye-sore in the face of our dear motherland. Each successive government is guilty of having added to debt due to constant borrowing from funding agencies and entering into imprudent and hasty trade agreements based on borrowed capital. Sri Lanka is one of those unfortunate and karmic nations which has conti