Editorial
Home » EditorialCash-strapped Govt. turns to China
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa once told the then Indian High Commissioner, who complained to him that the contract for the extension of the Colombo harbour had been given to China, not to worry too much as the next extension contract would be given to India. That was his simplistic ‘Non Aligned’ policy of balancing the [...]
Terrorism: End the duplicity
Europe is reeling under yet another terrorist attack on one of its capitals; its cities are locked down and on high alert. All Sri Lanka can say is “we’ve been there before; we’ve seen it all”. We know the pain and anguish law-abiding peace-loving citizens are going through in those countries. Even across the Atlantic, [...]
Darkness at noon
A fortnight ago, we mentioned in this space how farmers accustomed to a fertilizer subsidy would resist its withdrawal even if it came packaged differently. Similarly, this country, now accustomed to uninterrupted power supply, considered a privilege in countries in this part of the world, went ballistic this week when plunged into the third major [...]
Parity for women, take practical steps
International Women’s Day has come and gone marked locally by the Prime Minister announcing that there should 25 percent women’s representation in local government bodies. Not to be outdone, a former President, the first woman Head of State of Sri Lanka, said it should be 50 percent. Fortunately, the incumbent President didn’t enter the bidding [...]
Fertilizer subsidy; IMF and new agri-culture
The price of fertilizer may not interest most except that it will affect rice, fruit and vegetable production and therefore hit their stomachs at some stage. Vegetable farmers in Bandarawela, Welimada, Keppetipola in the central highlands and Hambantota in the south, worst hit by a shortage and paddy cultivators in the North Central and North Western [...]
Capitulating to India on fishing issue
Last week, our INSIGHT team went to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) that separates Sri Lanka from India to follow up on an earlier investigation into the continuing rape of the country’s sea resources — the fish and the environment — by illegal Indian fishing expeditions. This was hardly three weeks after the Indian [...]
Important role for oversight committees
The Parliamentary Oversight Committees began their work this week, but alas, it was not a very auspicious start. Many Members of Parliament did not attend the inaugural meeting. Long advocated by the Prime Minister as what he calls turning the whole Parliament into a Government, the scheme is an extension to the National Government now [...]
He came, he saw, he conjured
Foreign experts, they used to say, were persons who came to the country to find out, and left before they were found out. Foreign correspondents were known as “Running Johns” or “Running Janes” as the case may be, for the ‘in-out’ reporting they would do from the world’s hot-spots. One recalls these jibes of the [...]