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Home » ColumnsIn-House free-for-all when PM invites Fonseka to reply
Mahinda Rajapaksa may no longer be the all-powerful President of the country, but his ‘troops’ in the form of the “Joint Opposition” (JO) in Parliament, this week, once again showed how passionate they are when it comes to defending him. The latest showdown with the Government, which resulted in fisticuffs between two groups of MPs, [...]
SriLankan pilots divided: Guild writes to Chairman
SriLankan Airlines pilots have declared that they have “no confidence” in their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Captain Suren Ratwatte over what they claim is his “derogatory and unprofessional conduct.” The accusations are contained in a letter Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) President, Captain Renuke Senanayake, wrote to SriLankan Chairman Ajit Dias after the [...]
Fragile economic fundamentals and weak economic performance in 2015
The dip in economic growth to 4.8 per cent in 2015 was as expected. It was a continuation of the declining trend in economic growth of recent years compounded by politically motivated economic policies in 2014 and 2015, disruption and distraction of two elections and unfavourable global economic conditions. The fragile economic indicators and the [...]
The Supreme Court’s mind on RTI and priorities ahead
Contrary to what certain media reports excitably proclaimed this week, the Supreme Court’s Determination on the constitutionality of Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) Bill held little surprises. In the main, the ruling did not pose formidable challenges to the basic integrity of the Bill. However, it did reflect a degree of judicial conservatism therein. [...]
Weeratunga flying freely with two passports: Govt. fails to ‘Red Notice’ ex-envoy
Public anger grows over failure to prosecute politicians, officials who plundered public money More details of how the fomer diplomat dined with Rajapaksa and other Lankan businessmen in Thailand Sirisena and Rajapaksa happy with May Day turnout but widespread fear of betrayal of January 8 victory Udayanga Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s former envoy to Russia — now at [...]
A fracas in the Well of the House
My Dear Karu, I am writing to you because there appears to be something seriously wrong in that place by the Diyawanna Oya where you are supposed to be in charge. It is said to be the ‘august assembly’ of the country but I don’t think it can be called august in any way- not [...]
Freedom of the press and power to suppress
What a cruel irony that was. While media bodies in Sri Lanka like others round the globe were preparing to observe World Press Freedom Day underscoring the importance of media freedom in strengthening democratic governance and calling on governments to remove the constricting shackles that inhibit effective and serious journalism, Sri Lanka was threatening to [...]
Joint Opposition draws first blood in Parliament’s black day of shame
Did rebel horde form unlawful assembly with vicarious liability attached to each? The joint opposition stands in the nation’s dock this morning accused of turning Parliament into a well of violence. With scant regard to the inviolable norms of the House, their leader by proxy Dinesh Gunawardena led the charge to the well of Parliament [...]