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Home » ColumnsNew National Government soon, 9 portfolios likely for SLFP
Next week will see the birth of a ‘National Government’ with at least nine ministerial portfolios going to those in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). President Maithripala Sirisena, authoritative sources said yesterday, would thus effect a re-shuffle of existing portfolios to accommodate the newcomers. The move will ensure that both the United National Party [...]
Don’t play games after retirement
My dear Mahela, Kumar, Angelo and the Sri Lankan cricket team, I thought I must write to you now because this is a time that many people will be blaming you and criticising you after you were knocked out of the World Cup by the South Africans. They will say that it was the manner [...]
The tale of two’yahapalanaya’ speeches
Democracy is messy. Fundamentally, the business of democratic government involves criticism of politicians, rightly stinging sometimes and less deservedly so on other occasions. The shoulders of government are broad enough to take even unjustified public rebuke, far more than when the rights of a private citizen are infringed. This is the rationale on which the [...]
Implications of massive foreign debt for management of external finances
The much larger foreign debt than originally disclosed and the need for further borrowing that will increase foreign debt servicing costs, makes it imperative to contain the trade deficit by restraints in imports and a vigorous thrust in exports. For quite some time this column has argued that the extent of foreign indebtedness was too [...]
19th Amendment: Why this indecent haste?
In proposals on constitutional reform circulated in the form of a discussion paper some weeks ago, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sought to drop the president’s role as ‘Head of Government.’ The changes proposed by Wickremesinghe would have made the president virtually subordinate to the prime minister, by stipulating that the president shall ‘always, except in [...]
The way the presidency crumbles
Maithripala Sirisena rode to the presidency on the silver swan of a sacred promise: to set in motion a revolution that would result in a real change for Lanka within hundred days of taking office. Well brace yourself. The revolution is round the corner and will be upon us soon. If all goes to plan [...]
Thoughts from London: Latest dual citizenship plan also lacks clarity
So now we have still another dual citizenship scheme. After having suspended for two years or more the existing scheme, the then government announced the resumption of dual citizenship, albeit with new criteria for eligibility. It came at the butt end of last year as though Santa Claus was turning up with a basketful of [...]
Startling disclosures: Two former VIPs have US$ 1 billion in Dubai bank
The bank details of two powerful personalities in the former regime have been handed over by the Government to the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative (StAR) of the World Bank and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. One of them with strong family connections is known to have held US$ 530 million whilst the other, a [...]