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Crisis escalates as PSC finds CJ guilty of three charges
Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, who walked out on Thursday from the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing her, much to her surprise, received a compromise formula from a leading UPFA politician. The compromise would have ended all her woes. She would have to tender her resignation. In return she would be appointed to “an important” position [...]
Lobby
Fallout from PSC sittings to impeach CJ overshadows Budget debate
This year’s Budget debate is going to be remembered for one thing, and one thing only – all the drama associated with the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to probe charges against Chief Justice (CJ) Shirani Bandaranayake, and the subsequent developments which have now left the country on the verge of a constitutional [...]
Talk at the Cafe Spectator
Handunetti wanted to become a farmer
Parliamentarians from different political parties — most of them old boys of Ananda College — were at a musical show held at Kularatne Hall of the College premises. The compere asked some of the MPs whom they wanted to be during their childhood. Arjuna Ranatunga, the cricketer turned politician said that he wanted to be [...]
5th Column
Seeking a legacy, trampling democracy
My Dear MR, I thought I must write to you because these days, your decisions and actions are being compared to what I did when I was ruling paradise-and indeed, you seem to be having the same kind of problems that I did. I think, however, that with the benefit of hindsight, I could offer [...]
From the sidelines
Indian foreign policy, ground realities and mixed messages
A talk by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director General of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi, held at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies on Thursday marked an interesting development in the trajectory of local research activity in international relations. It was the first time such an event was [...]
Focus on Rights
Reducing of Sri Lanka’s judiciary to a mockery
Nowhere in South Asia or indeed the entire world (excepting in failed states) would a responsible government hire thugs and party supporters to jeer and hoot at the Chief Justice of the country while she was leaving the superior courts complex to appear before a parliamentary select committee considering her impeachment. Yet in Sri Lanka, [...]
The Economic Analysis
Economy vulnerable to climate change
This year has seen some of the worst damages caused by climatic changes. Storms, floods droughts and extreme weather all around the world has wrought havoc to human lives and damaged crops in vastly different areas of the world. These occurrences are attributed to global climate changes. Despite massive international conferences for the last 20 [...]