Columns
Home » Columns
EAM media releases come in cart before horse It’s literally a case of placing the cart before the horse, as one witty External Affairs Ministry (EAM) official revealed yesterday. News releases related to Minister G.L. Peiris’ engagements are usually written ahead of the event. A case in point was Dr. Peiris’ briefing for Colombo-based diplomats [...]
Casino crisis: First major revolt within Rajapaksa regime
The UPFA Government this week cleared the last hurdle for what it calls three different ‘integrated resorts’ to be set up at a total cost of US$ 1.4 billion (more than Rs. 182 billion) but its costlier political fall-out is sure to have its effects for months and years. This is because many, including some [...]
From the Mayor to Mervyn: The toy gun trick
My Dear Lord Mayor of Hambantota, I thought I must write to you, though I hadn’t even heard of your existence before. Pardon my ignorance, I didn’t even realise that Hambantota was one of those cities which had mayors but in this day and age, I should have known better because these days Hambantota has [...]
Stoned UNP wolf down Southern brunch
Had the five UNP MPs who made a scheduled visit to view the Hambantota Port last week remembered to have stashed a rash of bacon or a string of sausages in their pockets, it would have been the complete traditional English breakfast. But then, the morning repast was not on their agenda even though it [...]
Projections, prospects and prerequisites for growth
The Central Bank expects the economy to grow by 7.8 per cent this year. The IMF projects a lower growth of 7 per cent and the World Bank 7.3 per cent. The common consensus is that it will grow by at least 7 per cent which is satisfactory. What is more important than the annual [...]
Learning from a court across the Palk Strait
These are extraordinary times. Victory in a war that many thought unwinnable, the utter decimation of the traditional political opposition and the formation of an authoritarian family cabal with an unprecedented centralisation of power has grossly subverted Sri Lanka’s political process. The utter degeneration of the judicial system and the authority of the law is [...]
No tattoos please, we’re Buddhists — but casinos no problem
A combination of events in the past week has brought into focus some home truths about the officially projected image of Sri Lanka as a country where Buddhism is protected and nurtured — as the ‘state religion,’ no less. These events should surely make people ponder on what exactly it is, that is being protected [...]
Govt. plays name game to present wolves in sheep’s clothing
The Government may have had its way by getting Parliamentary approval for three regulations made under the Strategic Development Projects Act, which the Opposition claims gives an open licence for foreign owned casinos to operate in the country, but despite the victory, the first signs of dissension within the ruling Alliance surfaced during the vote [...]