Editorial
Home » EditorialKerry visit marks revival of US-SL ties
US Secretary of State John Kerry leaves Sri Lanka today after an overnighter. It is the first official -dedicated – visit by so senior a US diplomat since William P. Rodgers came, back in 1974. Colin Powell visited along with two ex-US Presidents in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, mostly to inspect the damage. [...]
If you are ‘Honourable’, put country before self
The spectacle in Parliament earlier this week speaks for itself. It reminds us of a postprandial speech made by the late Lakshman Kadirgamar at a UK-SL Friendship Society dinner, before he turned from lawyer to lawmaker. He said that in Britain, Members of Parliament were not referred to as ‘the Honourable MPs”, but some are, [...]
19A defeats Govt’s well meaning RTI Law
On Tuesday, the new Government is optimistic that those parts of the 19th Amendment (19A) to the 1978 Constitution — cleared by the Supreme Court — would be passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament, notwithstanding undercurrents of a spoiler by lawmakers unhappy with the outcome of the January 8 Presidential election. While there is [...]
Implement promises; not elections now
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has long felt that the 1978 Constitution has run its course. Quoting the third US President Thomas Jefferson, he wrote in a United National Party (UNP) publication ‘Vision and Reality’ on the 35th anniversary of the 2nd Republican Constitution that all Constitutions must be revised every 19 years. Why 19 years [...]