Editorial
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Buddha Jayanthi 2561 is just concluded and so too today, in the historic city of Kandy will the 11th UN Vesak Day — the first to be held in Sri Lanka since its Christian-born then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar spearheaded Resolution 54/15 at the General Assembly of the world body — have its grand finale. [...]
Let the Buddha’s message radiate from Lanka!
More than two millennia ago, India gave to Sri Lanka its greatest gift – the gift of the Dhamma. The ‘Doctrine of the Middle Path’ pronounced first by India’s greatest son, Gautama the Buddha at a Deer Park in Saranath and brought to this island by the son of the great Emperor Asoka. It changed [...]
May Day politics and worker issues
With May Day – the day marking solidarity with the workers of the world approaching, one might think the most important issues would be the cost of living; the wages and safety of workers; or their trade union rights. Wrong. The main issue at the highest political levels in the country is – can the [...]
Transparency vital in ties with India, China
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe leaves for New Delhi next week on what is a working visit with Indian leaders in the backdrop of some controversial issues in an otherwise seemingly friendly environment between the two countries. It is no secret that India entertained concerns over Sri Lanka’s previous Administration cosying up to China a little [...]
Build on linguistic links with Western India
The traditional New Year was celebrated in Sri Lanka linked as it is to a millennia-old common heritage in many parts of India and South East Asia around the rice harvesting season. Age-old customs and rituals largely connected to auspicious times laid down by astrologers take centre-stage. In this backdrop of the country’s historical connectivity [...]
Counter-terrorism draft: Handle with care
Last week we mentioned that the proposed Inland Revenue Act is being drafted abroad for consumption locally. Now, several versions of a new draft Counter-Terrorism Act (CTA) are floating around in the unreliable domain of cyberspace and do not lend credibility to the art of legislative drafting by this Government. The Government needs to put [...]
New tax law: Capitulating to the IMF
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Bar Association convocation last week that the Government hoped to introduce new laws to replace archaic ones and that while Sri Lanka could be proud of having an old legal tradition in Asia, the country was behind others in the region when it came to enacting modern laws. Speaking [...]
Sri Lanka in superpower geopolitical gymnastics
Marshal Josip Broz Tito of the former Yugoslavia is credited with the famous quote of yesteryear that Non-Alignment meant “signalling left and turning right”. Or maybe it was the other way around, but the drift was clear. Today, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), launched in the 1950s and which went on from strength to strength till [...]
Sri Lanka and the born-again Commonwealth
Interestingly, if not ironically, the British Government having voted to exit the European Union (EU) in accordance with the wishes of a majority of its people, is now looking forward – or maybe looking back – at the Commonwealth once again. The 53-nation Commonwealth, the third largest global grouping, next only to the United Nations [...]
The rights and plight of women
On March 8, various events marked International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to recognise the role of women around the world and their contribution to home, society and country, indeed the world at large. To call them the ‘fairer sex’ as they were once referred to as a compliment may not be politically correct in [...]