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Architect of the 19th Amendment condemns it as ‘The Curse of Lanka’

Architect of the 19th Amendment condemns it as ‘The Curse  of Lanka’

If there is one solitary candle that serves to dispel the darkness of Maithripala Sirisena’s otherwise lacklustre rule as President of Sri Lanka, it is the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. When it was enacted due to his strenuous efforts during his first hundred honeymoon days as the newly elected president in April 2015 by [...]

Fast-changing political scenario and confusion: Alliances within alliances

Fast-changing political scenario and confusion: Alliances within alliances

In Sri Lanka’s political firmament, one thing certain about is its uncertainty and fast changing scenarios. What is in focus this week would be different from what it was last week. Like in a movie, the main star is President Maithripala Sirisena. In the recent months and weeks, for him, the drama has centred on [...]

Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and the US

Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and the US

UNF Govt. sections fully support ACSA and SOFA, but who is taking the responsibility? If ACSA was “harmless,” why the secrecy?   Political disasters cause as much damage as natural disasters, but in the case of Sri Lanka, paradoxical enough, there appears to be unexpected spin-offs for the good. On October 26 last year, President Maithripala [...]

Let the games begin: Backstabbing, under-cutting and bad-mouthing to the fore

My dear ‘Bond’ Ravi, I thought I must write to you because you are making many statements these days about what type of person the Green party’s next presidential candidate should be – even though you have not said who it would be. That is a strange way of trying to win the next big [...]

The economy in the first and second half of the year

The economy in the first and second half of the year

Looking back at the first half of the year that is behind us, and the second half of the year before us, this year is likely to be another year of low economic growth and much hardship for a majority of the people. The economic recovery after the April bomb blasts is being throttled by [...]

Acts of great betrayal by Lanka’s leaders

Acts of great betrayal by Lanka’s leaders

For good reason and going by past bitter experience, Sri Lankans have learnt to distrust wildly acrimonious statements by their two quarrelling ‘yahapalanaya’ (good governance) leaders, President Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe as a doomed political entanglement unravels amidst mutual personal distaste. But with acrimony between the two men deepening each day, anti-progressive and in [...]

So now we have a duped president

So now we have a duped president

What strange times we live in. Only last week this column mentioned that funny things happen here and elsewhere. We drew a distinction between funny ha ha!, meaning laughable and funny curious meaning strange, broadly speaking. Unlike in most other countries, our politicians like to engage in theatrics. They like to exaggerate or minimise the [...]

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