5th Column
Home » ColumnsAn explosive wish
My dear Vijayakala, I thought I must write to you because everyone is talking about you these days, after you said that people in the North needed the Tigers to be back to ensure that there is law and order. Since then, you have been asked to resign as a state minister by the Green [...]
Arjuna still defiant on lubricant project; damning letter from Austin
Warning of setback to FDI policy and even damage to diplomatic ties with Malaysia At last Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting, there was an unusual turn of events over the US$ 10 million Lubricant Blending project in Muthurajawela by a Malaysian company. Earlier, as exclusively revealed in these columns last week, President Maithripala Sirisena severely admonished [...]
Vijayakala’s outrageous call for Tiger Balm to soothe Jaffna woes
Like some of their Sinhale brethren down south of the border who, within three short years, seem to have forgotten the recent past, display an irresistible craving to return to the era of white vans and reveal a masochistically addictive scratching itch to have a Hitlerite figure to trample upon and crush their fundamental freedoms [...]
Leopards are killed but Tigers get life support
O tempora O mores, wrote that reputed Roman orator, writer and lawyer Cicero disgusted at the viciousness and corruption of his day. Commenting though he was on the life and times then, those who live in Sri Lanka today would wryly ask what has changed from the days of Cicero who lived in the century [...]
Three and a half years of democratic gains and disappointing economic performance
Today marks three and a half years of the coalition government. Although there have been significant gains in democratic governance and political freedom, it has been a period of economic disappointment of below 5 percent economic growth. Since the present regime took office on January 8, 2015, economic growth has been declining. The economy grew [...]
On (political) mad dogs and quicksands ahead
When mad dogs bark at the moon, the wise would probably advocate just a shrug and a sigh. However in a country where those who have lost their senses to all intents and purposes capture the public space so belligerently, shrugging and sighing may not suffice. The tide of insanity is so high that we [...]
Knee-jerk governance as scandals, controversies grab attention
The see-sawing of political fortunes in the country, week after week, is enough to keep both politicians and the public preoccupied, and also deflect attention away from more important issues at hand. The Parliamentary week began on Tuesday amidst an unfolding scandal involving former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his election campaign of 2015, with a [...]
Friction continues between coalition Govt. partners
If their gloves came off last week, now, covert and overt battles among political parties are intensifying. Nowhere is it reflected more than in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-United National Party (UNP) coalition government, which euphemistically continues with the name National Unity Government. The on again and off again relationship took another blow, this [...]
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