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Home » ColumnsFilling stations: List-savvy NPP’s charge falls flat; fuels fact-check calls
The National People’s Power (NPP) has been quite prolific in Parliament so far in sharing various “lists” that paint opposition MPs in a bad light. A few more of these lists were shared this week as well during the Committee Stage debate of Budget 2025. During Monday’s debate on the expenditure head of the Ministry [...]
A game of Hora-Police
My dear Deshabandu, I am writing to you because you are the talk of the town these days, setting unprecedented records with your ‘achievements’ as IGP. This was after you were declared a suspect in relation to an incident at a hotel in Weligama some time ago. You have now given the phrase ‘Hora-Police’ a [...]
Sustaining the momentum from recovery to growth
The economy has moved from a crisis to a recovery. Economic growth is expected to be 5 percent this year to reach the level of national output prior to the 2018-19 economic crisis. Sustaining this economic growth momentum is the national challenge. Remarkable performance The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has described this economic performance as [...]
That ‘Batalanda’ allegation; a ghost that persists
Whatever possessed former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to flamboyantly claim that the report of the Commission of Inquiry inquiring into the use of the Batalanda Housing Scheme as an unlawful detention and torture chamber (1998-1990) was not formally on record, one would never know. Derisive click-bait journalism This claim was made during an entirely ‘cringe-worthy interview’ [...]
Looking back on women’s day: Progress made but leagues to go
By Sandun Jayawardana The expenditure head of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs was debated yesterday (8) in the backdrop of International Women’s Day, with MPs pointing to progress already made but also outlining the many challenges that continue. Making a ministerial statement prior to the start of the debate, Prime Minister Dr. Harini [...]
In the National Interest: Indo Sri Lanka relations – a friendship tested by the issue of illegal fishing
India and Sri Lanka have long shared a deep-rooted relationship, bound by geography, history, and culture. Over the years, India has played a crucial role in supporting Sri Lanka, particularly during times of crisis. One of the most significant moments of this support was during the economic crisis of 2022, when India was the first [...]
Ides of March named Rilaw Day
The date: 15th March. The time: Between 8 and 8.05 AM. That’s the auspicious date and nakath time the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, JVP’s Namal Karunaratna, has preordained for the people to step out to their garden plots and to agricultural fields and participate in the great national endeavour of gathering firsthand data for an [...]
Monkeys, donkeys and assorted stupido ready for political antics
When our masterminds in the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry asked the nation to stand by on the forthcoming Saturday for the launch into a strategic exercise that would not only keep Sri Lanka Clean but keep the brains of our national thinkers ticking as efficiently as a Rolex watch, one thought sprang to mind. Who [...]