Presidential elections and changing global economic realities - EDITORIAL

We are entering the second half of this election-charged year. All major presidential candidates are now presently directing their political campaigns....

TheVersatile and multi-faceted Nissanka Wijeyeratne

Nissanka Parakrama hailing from a prominent Sabaragamuwa province family was born in Colombo on June 14,1924. He was the second son of Sir Edwin (EAP) and Lady Leela Wijeyeratne of Buddhenipola Walauwa, Kegalle. Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne served as Home Minister in the first post-independence Cabinet of Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake and was later Colombo’s envoy to London and New Delhi. Nissanka’s elder brother Tissa was a barrister and diplomat who

Dwindling hydro, petroleum resources makes nuclear power viable

The world’s resources of petroleum and natural gas are running out. On the other hand, the world’s population is growing. The global human population reached 8.0 billion in mid-November 2022 from an estimated 2.5 billion people in 1950, adding 1 billion people since 2010 and 2 billion since 1998. It has been estimated that known oil deposits will run out by 2052. While, there may be new wells discovered in the future, what is certain is that the

13A conundrum: A shared legacy of SJB

As some politicians in the North are vigorously debating whether to boycott the forthcoming presidential election or to field a common Tamil candidate the interest among the main presidential contenders in the Northern voters seems to be growing. President Ranil Wickremesinghe who seems to be undecided on his candidature has toured the Tamil-dominated Jaffna peninsula thrice this year, in his capacity as the President but with an ostensible elec

Should we ‘kill’ the postman?

Sri Lankans believe in resorting to strike action to resolve grudges related to employment. And the government plays dumb till then; in other words the state has to be told that workers have a problem. Just a day ago, postal workers commenced strike action citing existing job vacancies not being filled.

Hajj and Gaza: Waiting for the ram that saved Abraham’s son

As millions of Hajj pilgrims and Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-ul-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, on Sunday, their focus should be as much on Gaza as it is on Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham.

Youth to the forefront in combatting hate speech

While the crime rate all over the world is intensifying with US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, recently being found guilty on three charges related to his possession of a weapon and using it under the influence of drugs, and Former President Donald Trump being convicted of numerous criminal charges with other cases to come, there are also crimes that the world talks little about, and one of them is hate speech. With the elections due to

How can the National Policy for Day Care Centres be made successful?

The National Policy for Child Day Care Centres will soon be received by the Cabinet. The policy is guided by the vision of providing high-quality, affordable and accessible day care services that protect the rights and well-being of all children and enable parents (particularly mothers) to take up or return to employment due to the availability of day care services. This vision represents a welcome shift in the policy discourse, which has for to

Child labour: It’s time to CLEAR supply chains

When 16-year-old Jude Kumar Ishalini from Dayagama succumbed to severe burn injuries while being employed at a former Minister’s residence, it exposed the harrowing consequences of child labour. Subsequent arrests and two

A voter’s alternative to Preference Voting and Mixed Member Voting system

The historic amalgam of “People’s uprising’’ through the ‘Peaceful new generation Aragalaya-2022’ and the Country’s declared ‘Bankruptcy’ has provided overwhelming and glaring evidence that cannot be matched by any measure of research, regarding the weaknesses in our Electoral system which has over the last several decades allowed power-hungry, mediocre and nepotic politicians to rule the roost in our Parliament. Thus, the following

Presidential pardons shouldn’t encourage impunity - EDITORIAL

The Supreme Court’s June 6 reversal of the order of President Maithripala Sirisena to grant a pardon to Jude Shramantha...

Sri Lanka is now well on the way to harnessing nuclear energy

Having taken a firm decision to include nuclear energy in its mix of energy sources, Sri Lanka is now well on the way to harnessing....

Poverty and homelessness stare elders in the face - EDITORIAL

Not many decades ago, our country was held up worldwide for its welfare state policies. Today, unfortunately, such praises ....

UK centre-right media gearing up for a Third World War

Social media is agog with fears over a looming Third World War. According to the centre-right Daily Telegraph of the UK....

The Ranil-Chandrika Debate of 1999 that never occurred

Following the articles ‘Sajith-Anura debate, that never happened’ and ‘Mahinda-Ranil 2005: That never was,’ let us revisit the ‘Ranil-Chandrika....

The right to strike and motivated strikes

For over the past 35 days, the non-academic staff of government universities in the country has been on strike. There is no doubt that the working class of this country is burdened with low salaries. In some instances, workers’ wages were reduced during the economic melt-down. On June 6 the Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union of Sri Lanka Railways suddenly decided to go on strike. The trade union action according to the Union is being carried o

Presidential election: Good and bad foreign meddling

What a big fuss would have been made by the embassies of Western countries had the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong met with the members of the Election Commission (EC), as American Ambassador Julie Chung and several other Western diplomats had done recently? Also, can we at least imagine a meeting between the Sri Lankan or Indian Ambassador to the United States and the election officials of the US, including those of the Federal Elect

Why people shouldn’t fear ‘Mr. Talent’ - EDITORIAL

These are days when people are working hard to make ends meet; even when the spouse is employed too. With regard to those frequenting the corridors of power, they too are working immensely hard to be in power when the next government is formed.

Slaughter of the Gaza lamb: Israeli Pharaoh’s crimes against children

On Tuesday, June 4, the day the world was supposed to mark the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, the silence of the pro-Israeli world powers was deafening. In Gaza, the day had little meaning as there was no let-up in the slaughter of Palestinian children.

An assessment of China growing ties with the Arab world

China’s strengths in the Arab world are its economic heft, willingness to take up expensive infrastructure projects, non-interference in internal affairs, and the declining political credibility of the US in the Middle East. But the impediments in China’s way are the West’s technological superiority, the unassailable position of the dollar, and transparency characteristic of Western systems. Against the backdrop of the 10th Ministerial Conf

Sports for peace and development

Devastating cricket fans across the country, South Africa beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at the T20 World Cup, on Monday (3). It may be a cliche in the scorebook, but a famous saying lasts a lifetime. It goes like this: “For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, He writes, not that you won or lost, but how you played the Game.” Though often quoted, Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ also applies to what we learn and what we should be

Lifestyles of politicians and the life of an artist

A politician’s ‘life’ is often hectic. It has to be; because he has to serve the people who elected him to office. But we also see the ‘lifestyles’ they live and often envy them. Talk about our lawmakers having hectic lives, there are some who are the opposite, are lazy and not worth the salaries they earn. The outside world sees Sri Lanka as an island. Tourists dream of coming here on vacation and experiencing the lifestyle of islanders. But th

Flooding and rainwater running unutilised to sea

As has been usual in our country, at every monsoon season especially during the South-West monsoon flooding, landslides and displacement of citizens have become normal. Every year this newspaper has highlighted this fact and called on authoriti

JVP Guaranteed Rajapaksa’s Victory in 2005 Ranil-Mahinda: First Presidential Debate that Never Was

It was reported that Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva secretly administered the oath of office to President Kumaratunga for a second time in August 2000. CBK initially took oaths on December 22, 1999. The statement unsettled the UNP, prompting strategic discussions. They challenged the claim that the President could remain in office until 2006.

Trade unions must realise their limits - EDITORIAL

University students in the country have been severely inconvenienced due to administrative functions at state universities....

“We need to dream new dreams”

The biggest festival of democracy, the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections is concluding today in our nation, the Mother...

O/L Exam mess puts Department of Examinations in soup!

The experience of sitting for an exam is competitive for a child. Having dedicated countless hours to studying, they approach....

Can any candidate achieve 50%+1 at presidential polls - EDITORIAL

All political parties are in election mode. Presidential elections are scheduled to be held between September and October....

McDonald’s secret: Shares rise while food sales decline

It’s hard to believe, but McDonald’s is losing customers in the US because they can no longer afford McDonald’s....

When IMF targets become Sri Lankan law

Even as Sri Lanka prepares for elections, laws are being rushed through a parliament without legitimacy. Among those many....