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Montessori incident: Reply and rejoinder Last week’s story headlined ‘President’s armed guards play havoc at Montessori’ has drawn a response from Brigadier H.D.G. Ranasinghe, USP for Commander, the President’s Guard. He said; ”Your kind attention is drawn to the above story in your newspaper of 16 Nov, 2014, in which a minor altercation has been exaggerated with [...]
Economics of infrastructure investment: Benefits, costs and debt.
The development of physical infrastructure has been conspicuous, especially after the end of the war five years ago. One of the striking achievements of the Government has been the improvement in the country’s infrastructure that had been neglected over the years. While recognising these achievements and their contribution to the economy and quality of life, [...]
Will the Sirisena-led coup restore democratic balance?
When a workers’ uprising in 1953 in East Germany was crushed using tanks, the German poet Bertolt Brecht in a famous poem asked, if people disagree with the rulers: “Would it not be easier In that case for the government To dissolve the people And elect another?” The bitter irony of his words resonates with [...]
Going beyond political game-playing
Four short years ago, it would have seemed quite unbelievable that esoteric concepts such as ‘an independent judiciary,’ ‘the Rule of Law, ‘the 17th Amendment’ and ‘abolition of the Executive Presidency’ would be tripping off the tongues of Sri Lanka’s citizenry, from a humble tea kiosk owner in an obscure corner off Pilimatalawa to a [...]
Sirisena revolt: Presidential race gets on the road
Ranil and CBK playing crucial role in formulating strategy for the common opposition candidate; Sajith to handle grassroots campaign Mangala, Ven. Athureliya and Rajitha to spearhead campaign; Ven. Sobhitha attends meeting More crossovers soon; Chandrika says 31, Kiriella 60, but Temple Trees restricts it to 11 There are neither permanent friends nor permanent interests when [...]
UNP cheer home and home match as Ranil outsources victory
Struggling to hold back the insistent tear, Mr. Maithripala Sirisena on Friday came out of the UPFA closet to declare himself as the UNP led joint opposition parties’ choice to challenge President Rajapaksa for the presidency of Lanka. “My wife Jayanthi, my children Charuni, Dahranie and Dhaham, they all came to me and said thaththe, [...]
Maithri: Lessons from history
My dear Maithri, I thought I must write to you because you are the man of the moment. Everybody is talking about you because you have offered yourself as the ‘common’ candidate that the entire country was speculating about for the past few months — and declared that you would take on Mahinda maama. I [...]
UPFA’s slip is showing and coming apart at the seams
When President Mahinda Rajapaksa presented the United Peoples Freedom Alliance’s (UPFA) 10th consecutive Budget to Parliament on October 24, a month ahead of the usual Budget period, it was obvious it was intended to win favour with voters at an early Presidential poll. What was not so obvious were the rumblings within the President’s own [...]