Education; Are the children moulded to build a just society?

At one time you would say Sri Lanka had the highest literacy rate in South Asia. Thanks to the hard work by farsighted free thinkers like C. W. W. Kannangara who introduced free education. Influenced by the Western education system, patriotic leaders like Mr. Kannangara laid the foundation for an educated future generation.

Do you see the ‘middlemen’ in this haze? - EDITORIAL

These are days where Sri Lankans are sinking into the possibility that LG Polls would not be held after all. This government- unelected by the citizens of the country –doesn’t have to please....

Islamophobia: The inhuman politics behind the scourge

March 15 came and went. None celebrated the Ides of March. Also on March 15, the first-ever United Nations Day to combat Islamophobia, too, came and went. There was very little awareness campaign....

The Debt Digest – March 2023

The Debt Digest by Verité Research provides analytical commentary on the latest developments in Sri Lanka’s debt crisis.

Happiness: For more inclusive, equitable, balanced society

Due to the unprecedented increase in the cost of living and related problems, most of Sri Lanka’s people are obviously unhappy.

Addressing poverty is a state responsibility - EDITORIAL

Whether the country is reeling from an economic crisis or not Sri Lankans once in every few years witness a trend among some sections of the society taking drastic decisions to ruin their own life and....

Misery is quickly forgotten except by those who suffer

We get so mired in our own problems that we forget how troubled the outside world is. Not that it’s any comfort. The problem is that, while the epicenters of violence which threaten world stability, such as...

Whither goest our trade union movement

Major trade unions, student unions and a number of political parties are up in arms over the recently revised income tax structure of the country.

When strikers take govt. hostage, the state unravels

Sri Lankans often draw the comparison to Singapore or South Korea and lament why their country could not replicate the economic success of the other.

How fair is welfare

How fair is it for a country like Sri Lanka that has a fertile land and natural resources in abundance, to go after welfare, subsidies, grants....

Final solutions and a rose by another name - EDITORIAL

In December 2022, then incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a visit to Canada made a startling claim -’that the Arabs....

‘Trias Politica’ & Budget Allocations: Call for 22 A

18th-century French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu coined the term ‘trias politica.’ He says in his book, ‘The Spirit of the Laws -1748’....

He Needs Your Help!

Father of 18-year-old Kavindu Kushan of Kahawala, Yatawathura, Padukka pleads with generous donors to help his son to buy a pair....

Defeat in Ananthapuram Battle denoted the LTTE’s end

Many battles were fought during the long war between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Among these was the five-day battle fought at Ananthapuram in the Mullaitheevu District from March 31 to April 4, 2009.

Hypocrisy, democracy and the silence of lambs

From the time we received independence, we Lankans have been warned by the US and the UK -our former colonial master- that democracy in our country was being endangered by various acts of omission and commission of our widely divergent different governments.

The Rise of Rupee and Rise of political hopes

Can the continuous appreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee against the US Dollar since February 28 change the current political alignments among voters which were indicated by recent opinion polls is a major question one might raise these days.

Why Hindu-nationalist BJP wins in Christian-dominated Indian States

The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on a winning streak in the Christian and non-Hindu heartland of North East India comprising Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. This phenomenon....

“Though the Indian quake doesn’t pose a huge danger, remain vigilant” - Prof. Senaratne

The had an interview with Athula Senaratne, Senior Professor of the Geological Department, University of Peradeniya on the effects Sri Lanka could experience in the event the predicted earthquake-expected....

Leaders, men in rags and presidents! - EDITORIAL

These are days when we come across less affluent individuals demanding money from others who are walking on the road. Sometimes walking on the roads at present becomes annoying because a good number....

Can chess master Russia be checkmated in Georgia?

When the revolution is hijacked, people lose it. They simply become a pawn in a foreign-power-led regime-change op. It happened in Ukraine in 2014 and it is happening now in Georgia. These regime-change...

White Elephants in Kanchana’s room

Kanchana Wijesekera was all, but salivating in a tweet following trade union action launched by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees. Pointing out that despite the strike, operations continued, he did obtain some traction for the government’s plan to restructure the CEB.

If we save fresh water, we are good citizens

Freely what we receive, we often tend to misuse or waste. This is the case with water, which is essential for life. We have heard the saying that little drops of water make the mighty ocean. Experts have found out that just as the superpowers like the United States have gone to war for oil, in the coming decades they may go to war to gain control of fresh water resources.

Be generous with your time too, not just money

Do we have time to talk to people? Above all, do we have time to listen to others?

Why threatened countrywide strike is Self-seeking, opportunistic and reeking of hypocrisy?

After a one-day token strike last week, which achieved nothing other than inconveniencing hapless patients in the government hospitals and holding up several ships at the Colombo port, the government....

Lankan women and International Women’s Day - EDITORIAL

Today March 8, is International Women’s Day and its time to pay tribute and recognise the contribution Lankan women make to the country’s development. The month of March is globally dedicated to honour....

Inflation, Interest Rates and Economic Depression

Inflation seems to be the only major concern for the economic policymakers shaping Sri Lanka. They include the Central Bank,

Dump politicians’ rubbish, evaluate their policies

In spite of the Supreme Court having issued an interim order preventing the Treasury Secretary from withholding funds for the local government elections from the allocations made for the purpose by the budget that was passed in December last year,

War in Ukraine, strikes in Sri Lanka - EDITORIAL

The war in Ukraine has dragged on for over 371 days. Ukraine has been laid waste. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 8,006 civilian....

Hartal ‘53, Bloody- ‘88/89’: Peaceful Aragalaya and Crocodile Tears

The above sentence was an ornament Karl Marx’ added to the beginning of Chapter One of his masterpiece, ‘The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte’, which endeavored to explain in elegant style how in times.....

The vision of a multipolar world

With the worldview crisis in Russia’s relations with the West entering a hot phase after the beginning of the Special military operation in February 2022, the future of the world order and principles of international....