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Home » ColumnsFM Herath stuck in Dhaka traffic, misses Khaleda’s funeral
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath flew to Bangladesh on Wednesday (December 31) to attend the state funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, who passed away at the age of 80. The plane carrying the minister had departed the Bandaranaike International Airport at 9.20am and landed in Dhaka at 1.00pm, which left him only an [...]
A disappointing year
My dear Mother Lanka, The year that just ended was one of ups and downs, one of great surprises, some notable achievements, but other equally significant disappointments. I feel that reflecting on last year could benefit us as we look forward to this year. For those who said the ‘maalimaawa’ chaps will have to abandon [...]
Grade 6 module controversy: Need for consultation, oversight and quality control in education reforms
In the final weeks of 2025, as Sri Lankan households prepared for the dawn of a new year, a website URL ignited a firestorm that threatens to derail the NPP Government’s efforts at Educational Reforms. The discovery of an “objectionable” link within a Grade 6 English language module, prepared under the government’s new education reforms, [...]
Rebuilding, reconstruction and recovery in the year ahead
The new year that has just dawned is one of formidable challenges to recover, reconstruct and rebuild the country after the devastating Cyclone Ditwah in November last year. The indomitable spirit that was shown by our people in the face of the extensive cyclonic disaster has to be redoubled in the coming months to reconstruct [...]
‘System change’ rebutted; empowering the national security state at the expense of the constitution
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led National Peoples’ Power (NPP) Government’s draft ‘Protection of the State against Terrorism Act’ (PSTA) law rebuts the easy defence of apologists that the Government is more sinned against rather than being an active sinner (as such). Repeating the abuse of the past Put unapologetically and with the utmost gravity [...]
Harini’s New Year for Lanka’s seed and blossom
Oh dear! Ms Harini Amarasuriya’s ambitious plans for educational reforms with same-sex on the school menu for 10- or 11-year-old kids suddenly seem to have come a cropper after it was revealed that the English module for students in Grade 6 contains a weblink that leads to an adult gay chat room. The revelation made [...]
What will another new year bring – more bloated rhetoric and hocus-pocus?
I suppose it is traditional to wish your relatives and friends a happy and successful New Year. So I suppose one should adhere to custom before being accused of doing the dirty and dumping good luck to politicians and their kind in the bin. I suppose it comes after covering fifty years of politics at [...]
Gay website for Grade-Sixers: A textbook case of government under fire
Calls grow for Premier Amarasuriya to take responsibility and step down, but she remains mum As education reform process falls into jeopardy, Govt. says it suspects sabotage and lodges complaint with CID Budget victory in CMC and tourist arrivals offer some relief to the government Positive shifts in UNP-SJB unity efforts; supporters urge early direct talks [...]
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