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President Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to crack the whip and ask ministers and government MPs to leave if they are not actively engaged in his election campaign and remain mere bystanders. This came after others working for the president’s victory in the upcoming presidential election requested him to do so. The President has said that [...]
Parliament offers up more drama in the last sitting before election
By Sandun Jayawardana The last two days of parliamentary sittings before the 2024 presidential election offered up their fair share of drama, with one government MP crossing over to the opposition, a state minister declaring himself as an “independent” MP and another parliamentarian accusing a former minister of engaging in a “conspiracy” to frame him [...]
A unity that never was
My dear Uncle Ranil and Sajith, I am writing to both of you because we hear rumours of you getting together and becoming one team, with only days to go for the big race. So far, they have been just that, rumours. For all the speculation in both camps, it will not happen. It makes [...]
Government’s proposed salary increases to public servants highlights weaknesses in governance processes
The Government’s announcement in the middle of the presidential election campaign that it will increase salaries for public servants from January 1, 2025 has come in for a great deal of flak from election monitoring organisations on the grounds that it is in violation of election laws. The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections [...]
‘The NPP is the only non- racist party in Sri Lanka’ – really?
When NPP (National Peoples’ Power) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake proclaimed unblushingly during election campaigning in the North a few days ago that his party is the only ‘non-racist’ party and he is the only ‘non-racist’ candidate in the coming presidential poll, that claim must be taken not only with a pinch but also a whole [...]
Manifestoes, promises and policies to usher in economic prosperity
The future of the economy depends very much on the policies that the next president and the government implement rather than the promises the candidates make in their manifestoes. The manifestoes are full of promises that are not only difficult to implement but ones that would destabilise the economy. Manifestoes Last week, the four main [...]
Deception, distortion, deification and desperation on the road to presidency
Sri Lankan politicians make such unimaginable and unattainable promises at election time that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once described it pithily. He called it the auction of nonexistent resources. During a chat I had with him in Hong Kong when I was with “The Standard” newspaper, he made a similar remark but more [...]
Sajith begins last lap in marathon race to win the President’s House
SJB candidate lays his manifesto at the feet of the sacred Dalada He did not present his manifesto in the manner other candidates did in hotel halls to Buddhist monks. He presented his litany of promises—his hallowed covenant with the people—at the feet of the Buddha’s sacred Tooth, enshrined in the Sri Dalada Maligawa. In [...]
President sounds a ‘note of caution’ to voters
SJB candidate Premadasa’s chances boosted by ITAK support; crossover to Ranil’s side unlikely NPP candidate Dissanayake expresses confidence of a victory; tries to allay fears of economic crisis By Our Political Editor It is known that any serving president, by virtue of his office, has some inherent advantage over rival candidates at a presidential [...]
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