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Home » ColumnsWimal – arms length with elephants
Minister Wimal Weerawansa is vary when it comes to dealing with elephants, be it the political type in the form of the United National Party or friendly ones at a temple ceremony. Hence he feeds a pineapple to an elephant fully conscious it may stretch its trunk suddenly towards him. This is in his new role [...]
Govt., TNA play ping-pong with HR violations
Whether it’s welcome or not, affordable or not, whether pledges and promises are fulfilled or not, it’ll be showtime in November with CHOGM The resolution passed against Sri Lanka last March at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), may be over and done with, but questions about the state of human rights (HR) in [...]
Govt. going ahead with NPC polls; 13th A intact
Despite strong protests and threats by JHU and NFF, Rajapaksa unmoved GL says reports of warning from India fictitious, but facts prove otherwise Questions as to whether too-high a political price is being paid for hosting the summit India’s serious concerns have prompted the Government to promptly clear the gathering storm clouds that threatened to [...]
Fractured opposition within a failed State
My Dear Green Man, Somey and Lalkantha, I am writing to you because you staged-or wanted to stage, really-a general strike this week that was supposed to have brought the country to a standstill. I think even you will agree that didn’t happen and that is what I wanted to write to you about. I [...]
Reform or privatise loss-making public enterprises
The uproar against the electricity price tariff increase has brought to the forefront, inter alia, issues regarding the management of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), its persistent losses, pricing of electricity and priorities in government expenditure. The public interest about the administration and efficiency of the CEB should be broadened to a concern on the [...]
Not foreign conspiracies but our own failures
In his address to the nation on ‘Victory Day’ this month, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s assertion that ‘grease demons’, the Independence of the Judiciary, media freedom and human rights were all part of sinister foreign conspiracies to bring the nation to its knees, calls for measured scrutiny. Somewhat bewilderingly meanwhile, a reference to ‘the Arab Spring’ [...]
13th Amendment and non-TNA Tamil concerns
From the sidelines With the prospect of a Northern Provincial Council (NPC) election in September gaining ground, the debate on the 13th Amendmentseems to grow increasingly fraught, both at the intellectual level and in the political arena. While the public is familiar with the nature of the opposition from the Sinhala hardliners within the ruling [...]