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Home » ColumnsAxe falls on historic banyan tree at President’s House
Most Sri Lankans are unaware of the disappearance of the banyan tree, which was a historic landmark at the Janadipathi Mandiraya or the former Queen’s House in Fort. It was planted by then-Governor Sir Joseph West Ridgeway to honour the 25th anniversary of the ascension of Queen Victoria to the throne. She ascended at the [...]
SLFP, ‘JO’ talks intensify; Sirisena asked to sever links with UNP
Both factions appoint teams to negotiate moves to jointly contest local polls, but Rajapaksa places tough conditions Senasinghe’s media conference remarks pushes President to ‘JO’ corner, insists on total commitment to a clean and corruption-free Govt Party leaders discuss various means of holding LG polls early, Musthapha no-confidence motions unlikely to come up before committee [...]
Slipping out
My dear Robert Mugabe, I thought I must write to you when I heard that you had resigned as President of Zimbabwe after thirty seven years in power. As you would expect, the news came as quite a shock to us, even though we in paradise are quite used to the habit of Presidents trying [...]
Difficulties, constraints, opposition and obstacles to implementing Budget
Despite the overwhelming two thirds majority that the budget received in parliament, its implementation is not likely to be smooth. Achieving the budget’s fiscal outcomes, as well as its developmental objectives, will face many difficulties, obstacles, opposition and obstructions. These difficulties and obstacles must be overcome to achieve a healthier fiscal outcome and to implement [...]
On misplaced ecstasy and the loss of the ‘Yahapalanaya’ moment
The misplaced ecstasy of those who greeted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s appearance before the Commission of Inquiry into the Treasury Bond Issuance early this week with cries of ‘Bravo”, (including former President Chandrika Kumaratunga), was equaled only by the palpable agony of those who watched the unfolding scenario with disbelief. Need for some gravitas Here [...]
No-faith motions,Parliamentary privileges overshadow debate
The Committee Stage debate on the Appropriation Bill is turning out to be more eventful than expected, not because of the subjects under debate but, because of the sideshows by way of ‘No-Confidence’ motions and ‘Privilege’ issues. This week saw two separate ‘No-Confidence’ motions handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. One by the Joint Opposition [...]
Phone storm rages as Rajitha gets on line to defend COPE members right to call Arjun
‘I have every right to phone any one I like’, says Sujeewa ‘I need tell none my meeting with Aloysius, says Dayasiri If UNP’s Sujeewa Senasinghe and SLFP’s Dayasiri Jayasekera, two ministerial members of the COPE committee that probed the bond scam last year and were exposed last week as having made and received calls [...]
And now a snake in the house
Most of us have heard of that English idiom “snake in the grass”. You don’t have to go back to 37 BC and be a reader of the Roman poet Virgil to be acquainted with this metaphor. Surely there are more snakes in the grass today than Virgil could have imagined. It is not because [...]