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Home » ColumnsRoyal rumble and Lanka’s chaotic crumble
My dear King Charles, I thought I should write to you now as the dust has finally settled on the Queen’s funeral and you take over the royal duties of being King. It must have been a difficult few days for you because, even as you grieved for the loss of your mother, you had [...]
NC passed without a vote amidst rumblings from Opposition
By Sandun Jayawardana A “National Council” (NC) with a key responsibility of guiding short, medium, and long-term national policies and representing all recognised political parties in Parliament was passed this week without a vote. Opposition parties though, were critical that the government had diluted the NC and that its original purpose has been lost. Prime [...]
Bandula’s state ministers face space issues
The appointment of 39 state ministers has been questioned by many as the cost of maintaining them has turned out to be an issue while the country continues its efforts to come out from an economic crisis. It is up to the state ministers themselves also to efficiently manage the available resources. However, that seems [...]
Electronic media— self regulation a wiser option
The issue of media regulation is always a controversial topic with all the attendant issues of media freedom and its limits coming to the fore. When the proposal emanates from a Government it is often viewed with suspicion as an attempt to protect the Government from public scrutiny rather than strengthening the Constitutional right of [...]
Political culture serious impediments to achieving fiscal consolidation
Fiscal consolidation that is absolutely essential for the economy’s recovery is a politically challenging task. Although fiscal consolidation is imperative to mitigate the current financial and economic crisis, obtain IMF financial assistance and for economic stabilisation, recovery and growth, the country’s political culture is inimical for adopting and implementing the needed fiscal policies. Pre-condition Fiscal [...]
Dangerously misguided resort to the archaic Official Secrets Act
Whatever the motivations for the Ranil Wickremesinghe Presidency to drag the Official Secrets Act (1955) out of cold storage and employ its provisions to declare certain places as ‘High Security Zones,’ that decision is both foolish and counter productive. Waving of the red flag to an enraged bull The Wickremesinghe Presidency may, perchance be the [...]
The return of the prodigal and the flight of the other
The Rajapaksa saga continues: As Gota flies in, Basil flies out with SC ok Like a thief in the night, he flees the island state, furtively sneaking out past midnight’s godless hour aboard a military jet, deserting his presidential office and leaving his country in the ruins he wreaked. In dereliction of duty as Commander-in [...]
Ranil’s ideas win positive responses on London visit
President Wickremesinghe’s first official visit as head of state was on a sad occasion here in the United Kingdom. The country was mourning the death of a much beloved Queen who had been the longest reigning monarch in England and had endeared herself to her subjects so much that many people queued for more than [...]
Presidential order to declare High Security Zones under Offical Secrets Act draws fire
Gazette notification declares high-security zones, but activists say they are reviving Aragalaya on behalf of people Coal tender cancellation may lead to longer power cuts; concern over aggravating food crisis Opposition parties claim Govt may lose parliamentary majority before November budget Dullas-GL group says they have been denied right to speak in Parliament SJB meets [...]
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