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Home » ColumnsGovt. continues extravagant borrowing and spending spree
Divided UNP voiceless on this and other vices such as rampant corruption, bribery and kickbacks Mahinda takes steps to implement more LLRC recommendations ahead of UNHRC sessions in Geneva Tensions deepen over ‘Maveerar day’; Wigneswaran says his life in danger, TNA insists Governor must quit Preparations for the UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva in [...]
Delivering on the home wicket
My Dear Murali, I thought I must write to you after hearing that you had played cricket with that British Prime Minister chap, David Cameron during his visit here. Although it didn’t seem like you could get him out-at cricket, of course-we were told that you had given a piece of your mind to him. [...]
Appropriating unto the Rajapaksas what is due to the people
Spend in haste, repent at leisure. That is exactly what the majority of Sri Lankans will have to do over the next 12 months, not because they are directly responsible for the Government’s extravagant expenditures in 2013, but because they have little, or no say in where their tax money goes. And spend indeed the [...]
CHOGM, a slanging match between unruly schoolboys
In retrospect, it appears that the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) Summit hosted by the Sri Lankan government at huge economic cost represented nothing but a slanging match between unruly schoolboys boasting an unfortunate penchant for alpha male posturing. Engaging in farcical drama The stand-off between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and visiting UK Premier David [...]
Some silver linings in containing fiscal deficit
Three critical challenges of the 2014 budget were: containing the fiscal deficit, providing cost of living relief to the poorer sections and generating an environment conducive to higher investment. There is ample recognition of these in the budget recital, but whether the measures adopted would achieve the needed results is doubtful. Today we discuss the [...]
Top auditors shoot Mihin Lanka to the ground
An internationally reputed audit firm has made a damning indictment of Mihin Lanka, touted as Sri Lanka’s regional carrier, after examining its accounts for 2010 – 2011. PricewaterhouseCoopers has said in the report to be tabled in Parliament that “The company had incurred a net loss of Rs. 940.49 million for the year and the [...]
Devil’s disciple dines on Prabha’s gory feast
Last Tuesday on the so-called Maaveerar day, from the Well of Parliament in which he pledged to uphold the constitution and swore not to promote, espouse, advance or encourage the establishment of a separate state on Lankan soil, Tamil National Alliance MP S. Sritharan piled praise upon praise on the very ogre who was the [...]