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Home » ColumnsPolice slow on Weerawansa: Ministers accuse Sagala
Public Safety Minister Sagala Ratnayake came in for strong criticism at last Tuesday’s weekly ministerial meeting. It was over the alleged inability of the Police to deal with cases relating to former Minister and National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa. His party colleague Sujeewa Senasinghe was the first to raise it when he was [...]
UNP-SLFP relations on a political see-saw
President and ministers of both parties say 2017 Budget was the best in many years But divisions persist on issues relating to the bond controversy and COPE report; SLFP wants parliament to initiate action against those found culpable Basil pushing hard to promote new SLPP for next year’s polls but Mahinda likely to take over [...]
Celebrating your win
My dear Donald Trump, I am writing to you to congratulate you on your election as the next President of the United States. Your win at the election, over your more fancied opponent Hillary Clinton, surprised many people who expected that lady to become the first female President of America. In our little paradise island [...]
Will “People’s Budget” achieve fiscal consolidation, rational objectives and realistic expectations?
Paramount issues in the minds of economists are whether the 2017 budget would decrease the fiscal deficit, increase revenue, contain wasteful expenditure, increase developmental expenditure and contain public debt to a sustainable level. These are prerequisites for macroeconomic stability and sustainable economic development. While these are the rational objectives of economists, are they realistic expectations? [...]
Let us rebuild our country, starting in our homes
Our Lord Buddha and founders of other religions have given a clear direction about the efforts that are expected from us in life. All living beings, humans and animals wish to be happy. We dislike grief. If that is the case both the rulers and the people must realise that as we cannot clap with [...]
That pesky problem of calling a government to account
When the Experts Panel of the European Union (EU) released its Interim Report in August 2009 on the question of whether to renew GSP Plus benefits for Sri Lanka, it signaled an early warning of trouble to come. Sunny optimism about regaining EU GSP Plus The report expressed considerable dismay in regard to multiple violations [...]
Inclusion or exclusion: The Budget debate kicks off
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said the second budget of the “yahapalanaya” government which he presented to Parliament on Thursday was aimed at accelerating growth with social inclusion but as the debate on its merits and demerits got underway, opposition lawmakers tried to blow the lid off what government MPs referred to as a “people friendly [...]
‘I did it my way’ refrain rings as Trumpzilla takes US of A
If Donald Trump’s race to the White House had consisted of a consistent barrage of surprises, bombshells and shocks, he delivered the biggest shock, surprise and outrage to America and to the world this Tuesday when, having groped the electorate’s contours from tip to toe and felt its pulse wanting, willing to embrace him and [...]
Everybody Trumped – even coconuts didn’t save Clinton
“The old order changeth yielding place to new”, wrote Tennyson in his poem Idylls of the King. Donald Trump did not just change America’s political orthodoxy. He took a sledgehammer to it. He is the outsider who took on the Washington establishment and its elitism and taught a lesson that will be permanently etched in [...]