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Home » ColumnsLessons from India: Good governance, reforms and business confidence
The new directions in policy of the Indian Government provide valuable lessons for Sri Lanka. The declared policies and initial initiatives of the new Indian government offer useful lessons for Sri Lanka. Minimum government and maximum governance, a climate of business confidence, economic reforms, fiscal consolidation and cutting down wasteful government expenditure are as much [...]
Lanka frees small fry as Jayalalithaa fishes for Katcha
Like releasing trussed parrots in captive cages to appease the rage of heaven and placate the gods, the Lankan Government has now resorted to releasing Indian fishermen captured poaching in Lanka’s territorial waters by the boat load to pacify the wrath of India in the hope that such action and willingness to free those caught [...]
Are we facing a ‘Nahinda chinthanaya’?
Even the most stubborn among us would concede that the complete subordination of Sri Lanka’s police establishment to political command is now uncontestable. A Law and Order Ministry and a wearingly unctuous Secretary who can only wax eloquent on public service by the police are just cosmetic trappings. Catastrophic consequences of misrule Presidential promises of [...]
Will the thirteenth amendment be modified?
India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sprung yet another surprise on the foreign policy establishment by announcing that his first trip abroad will be, not to any of the centres of influence that had been speculated on, but to neighbouring Bhutan. The tiny Himalayan Kingdom’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was among other SAARC leaders [...]
Major changes to ETF Act
There are 72,000 private sector employees who have so far contributed around Rs. 165 billion to the Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF). Yet, the Minister of Labour and Labour Relations has no legal powers to appoint a member to the ETF Board, the governing body that administers the fund which was created in March 1981. Now, President [...]
Cracks within UPFA widen as Pillay finalises probe team
A mixed bag of political developments this week forced the UPFA leadership to go into high gear. After the weekly ministerial meeting last Thursday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa asked members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to stay behind. He had some strong words of caution. He said Ministers in the SLFP should first check for [...]
Given out even before howzat
Dear Alistair Cook and the English cricket team, I thought I must write to you after watching the cricket matches in England last week, where you were defeated quite convincingly after which you are now complaining about that silly run-out and saying that our chaps were not playing in the correct ‘spirit’ of the game. [...]
GL ‘choosy’ on clarification sought by Ranil regarding Mahinda-Modi talks
External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris did not mince his words in Parliament on Wednesday, when he categorically stated that the devolution of police powers to Provincial Councils was not up for discussion at the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), loosely termed by officials as the “One Sri Lanka Committee.” And that, according to Minister Peiris, was [...]