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Home » ColumnsBig tussle for top post in corruption-ridden ministry; President intervenes
A key ministry secretary is due to retire next month, and a tussle has already begun among several senior officials who are vying for the coveted post. Several additional secretaries have already thrown their hats in the ring, canvassing ministers and MPs to recommend their names to the President to replace the outgoing secretary. The [...]
The great liberal democrat
Guten Tag, Uncle Ranil, I thought I should address you in German now, Uncle Ranil, after your ‘match winning’ performance with the German radio station Deutsche Welle while you were visiting that country. That video went viral and received rave reviews from some people in Paradise, so congratulations are in order. It is not every [...]
Zero tolerance for corruption—key to economic turnaround
The common consensus in the country is that corruption stands as an impediment to the country’s growth in more ways than one. The extent to which corruption has permeated every section of society is evident when one hears of what takes place in different layers of government for the past several years. Despite the economic [...]
Compliance with IMF conditions crucial for economic recovery
Compliance with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) conditions is the only way forward for economic recovery and growth. The discontinuance of the IMF arrangement would plunge the country into an economic crisis much worse than the one we are recovering from. Implementation The implementation of the 16 reforms in the Governance Diagnostic Assessment (GDA) of [...]
‘To expel or not to expel’ that is the question
Not so long ago, on the cusp of some general election or the other, there was a pithily phrased segment in one of Sri Lanka’s electronic media channels titled ‘Kawde Pannin Ne?’ (in other words, ‘who will jump next?’) Heady inducements of ‘cross overs’ That was a ‘must watch’ commentary on behind-the-scenes happenings in the [...]
IMF puts the shoe on Govt’s foot: demands, ‘get your act together’
Holds second tranche in suspense till ‘good governance’ gets underway After 12 months of piling taxes on the public with impunity on the supposed ground that IMF conditions required financial discipline be introduced to the economy, the Government awoke last week to find the IMF had placed the shoe on its own foot, and put [...]
President’s TV interview and the blame game
Given the widely available content of President Wickremesinghe’s interview with the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, it was inevitable there would be contrary responses to the president’s reaction to a range of questions including two sensitive issues. But surprisingly a new issue has been raised whose intent appears to be to divert attention from what some [...]
Moves again to abolish executive presidency
Resolution in Parliament proposed to conduct national referendum on this issue, but questions about whether two-thirds majority could be obtained SJB, JVP unlikely to extend support, unless immediate general elections are held; Justice Minister says no moves to delay elections UN Human Rights Chief’s office highly critical of Anti-Terrorism Bill and Online Safety Bill; expresses [...]
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