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Home » ColumnsRiveted rulers and thugs in uniform
One is overcome by a sense of déjà vu these days. Right now in London we have witnessed a political tragi-comedy played out by an arrogant and stubborn prime minister. Boris Johnson seems to believe that laws and rules are made for the people and not for him and those closest to him. He is [...]
How not to run the economy: A lesson from Lanka for the region
Thanks to the poor management of the country’s economy by successive governments and deep-rooted corruption of the political class, Sri Lanka has become ‘a lesson’ to other countries on how not to run the economy of a state in the region. For Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad (97), the Sri Lankan crisis is something [...]
Paradise in turmoil
My dear friends at the ‘aragalaya’, I wrote to you last almost three months ago when you had just launched your struggle, or ‘aragalaya’. Many events have happened since then. I daresay that we owe a lot of that to the ‘aragalaya’. So, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t write to you again this [...]
Delay, doubt, difficulties and uncertainty in foreign assistance
Foreign assistance is urgently needed for the country’s economic survival. This has to be followed by an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilise and revive the economy. Uncertainty There is a great deal of uncertainty at present on the prospect of the country obtaining bridging finance that is vital [...]
Breaching the president’s gates, mocking the Rajapaksa security state
As the spark lit by Sri Lanka’s youth flamed into incendiary nation-wide revolt on Saturday, this column is written even as citizens breach the gates of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence in Fort, swarm within its premises and shout their now famous rallying cry, ‘Gota, go home’ from its rooftops where once, not long ago, [...]
22A an obstacle to formation of all-party interim Government
The 19th Amendment reduced several of the powers of the President by transferring such powers to Parliament and the Prime Minister. It also contained several provisions designed to strengthen the democratic framework through the creation of the Constitutional Council and setting up several Independent Commissions. Basically 19A was a response to the demand for strengthening [...]
President departs amid Go-Home-Gota chants; SJB, NPP say ready to form govt.
By Sandun Jayawardana President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would have known when he arrived in Parliament on Tuesday (5) that he would likely meet with a hostile reception from opposition members. Nevertheless, the chants of “Go Home Gota” that echoed in the Chamber as he sat in the front row listening to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe speak [...]
Moves to make the nation keep its tryst with destiny
Time for Ranil to move on and allow Rajapaksas to fend for themselves Chips are down for PM as minister demands his ‘finance’ head Monks in Satyagraha demand President and Cabinet to resign If the knives are out for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, it was only to be expected. Surrounded by a predatory pack into [...]
The heat is on: A beleaguered President increasingly being isolated
Hardly any Government member came to his defence, when the opposition confronted him with Gota-Go-Home chants Gotabaya tells confidants he has the support of a powerful external source and therefore has no overt concerns about his future The fissure between President and Prime Minister widens; PM believes Dhammika Perera’s attack on him had blessings from [...]
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