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Home » ColumnsCutting the Legislative knot with ‘Urgent Bills’
Two urgent Bills put to the House for approval within the span of less than a month, is a cause for concern, however progressive the legislation maybe. While there may be some justification for pushing as urgent legislation, amendments to the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol which made it mandatory to carry pictorial warnings [...]
SLFP accuses Govt of going soft on Rajapaksas
The United National Party (UNP) dominated Government appears to be coming under increasing pressure from its major partner, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) over its ‘poor’ performance in the past 59 days. The latest is Thursday’s near unanimous decision by the SLFP Central Committee empowering President Maithripala Sirisena to form a ‘National Government’ [...]
Constitutional reforms and timely cautions
As we ready ourselves for a package of reforms in yet another stage of our profoundly unhappy history of constitution-making, particular cautions appear to be timely. Cynicism in regard to constitutional changes Sri Lankans are generally cynical regarding matters of the Constitution. The reason for this is simple. Unlike across the Palk Straits for [...]
Defence Ministry top lady goes Down Under
A high ranking Defence Ministry official, now under investigation in a high profile case, has left Sri Lanka, raising doubts about her return. Criminal Investigations Department (CID) sources say she is one of those who have been questioned at length in the high-profile case. They were in consultation with the Attorney General’s Department on what action [...]
Truth bites: So we hear nothing but the tooth
My dear Rajitha, I thought of writing to you because you are very much in the news these days, telling us what Maithri and his team have already done, would want to do and what we should do for them in return in your new role as Cabinet spokesman for the government in addition to [...]
A longer view to improve economic fundamentals
The ‘interim’ government cannot be expected to pursue long-term economic policies. Admittedly some steps have been taken in its one hundred days programme to improve economic governance, but its primary concern is to establish itself by delivering the promises made during the presidential election campaign. Political expediency will determine its economic policies for the [...]
Modi’s visit – too much, too soon?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka — historic in the sense that it is the first by an Indian PM in 28 years — comes at a time Sri Lanka’s political landscape is in a state of flux. With a general election looming on the horizon, discussions are going on between the [...]
Thoughts from London: Good intentions don’t always lead to good governance
So, we are just over halfway down the track in this 100-day sprint to keep our election promises. The public will remember that the coalition of forces determined to overthrow the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime came up with the sheaf of promises they said would be fulfilled in a hundred days. These promises included shaving off [...]
‘We blew and blew the grate for years: Now the griddle’s hot, go burn the rotiya’
Ven. Sobitha loses cool as corruption crackdown advances at the speed of continental drift With the much promised crackdown on corruption moving at the speed of continental drift, the nation senses an unnerving rumble in its belly and smells a foul fishy stink pervading the air giving rise to nagging doubts whether some shady [...]