Editorial
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The General elections will take place tomorrow, and like all such elections, this one is crucial to the country and the likely direction it will take in the next five years. In the past, these elections were even more significant. They were clashes between the Free Market economy and Socialism; a choice between a pro-Western [...]
Manifestation of broken promises
Promising rice from the moon was the nadir of election promises in this country. That clearly over-the-top election pledge made in 1970 to woo the voters has yet to be matched. Today’s voters need to be somewhat wary over these often broken promises, many of which still get into the manifestos of contending parties. The [...]
The tide is turning, so must the TNA
The Northern Province, often crying out for greater autonomy, was a virtual ‘one party’ political entity for years. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a coalition of the former Federal Party and other parties, ruled the roost. Not anymore. The only challenge the TNA faced was from the EPDP (Eelam People’s Democratic Party), a one-time guerrilla [...]
Affronts to the electoral process
In most born-again democracies — countries which have escaped from the grip of long totalitarian rule –in Eastern Europe a few decades ago, some in Africa and more recently in West Asia, voters at their first elections would display their index finger to show the indelible ink painted on it as a proud symbol of [...]
President down but not out
President Maithripala Sirisena created a record this week. He is the first political party president in this country to have taken his own party to court. There have been numerous instances in which party deputies have gone to court against the leadership – J.R. Jayewardene (UNP), Maithripala Senanayake (SLFP) a few decades ago and some [...]