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Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser and MP Namal Rajapaksa is headed to the United Kingdom despite attempts by some sections of the Tamil diaspora to stop him from addressing the Oxford Union.

The Cambridge Union, which had also invited him to address it, yielded to the pressure from diaspora groups and cancelled the talk even though the one scheduled at the Oxford Union is still on the cards.

Mr Rajapaksa had been invited to speak at the Cambridge Union on February 27 as a “prominent political figure and a leading voice in Sri Lanka’s public life” whose views on the evolving political landscape of South Asia would be of immense interest to the union members. However, the Cambridge Union has given in to pressure from Tamil groups and cancelled the lecture.

The Oxford Union has invited Mr Rajapaksa to speak to its members on February 25 on his experiences as Minister of Youth and Sports, stating that his continued advocacy for young people would resonate with the Union members and his insights on governance, political transitions and the future of Sri Lanka would make for a compelling address.

Mr Rajapaksa had accepted both invitations, but the news of his upcoming address to two of the most prestigious higher education institutes in the U.K. had caused uproar among Tamil diaspora-led groups.

In a joint statement, the Tamil Student Unions of the United Kingdom and the Tamil Youth Organisation of Britain (TYO UK) called for the immediate cancellation of the speaking opportunity extended to Rajapaksa.

After the Cambridge Union cancellation, there is growing pressure on the Oxford Union also to cancel Mr Rajapaksa’s address, but it’s yet to be seen if they will also yield to such pressure. So much for freedom of speech and expression that countries such as the U.K. boast about.

Divisional secretaries condemn interference by deputy minister’s private secretary

In yet another display contradicting the NPP government’s claim of having put a stop to incidents of political interference in the public service, the Sri Lanka Association of Divisional Secretaries and Assistant Divisional Secretaries has sent a strongly worded letter to the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, protesting against what the association says is political interference by the Private Secretary of the Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation.

The letter reveals that the association has received reports that the private secretary of the deputy minister has sent letters to divisional secretaries regarding land matters and was attempting to interfere in their affairs.

The association points out that when dealing with public requests related to land matters, issues can be avoided by sending the ministry’s observations to divisional secretaries via letter under the Ministry Secretary’s supervision through an additional ministry secretary, senior assistant ministry secretary or a designated officer in the ministry’s office.

Registering its strong protest over political interference by the deputy minister’s private secretary regarding land issues, the association has called on the ministry secretary to immediately devise a mechanism whereby its officers will be able to engage in their duties free from such interference.

Nalinda meets new Bangladesh PM

Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa with the new Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman

Health and Mass Media Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa represented Sri Lanka at the swearing-in of the newly elected Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Dr Jayatissa also held a meeting with Premier Rahman at his office on the evening after he took the oath of office as the 11th Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He conveyed wishes from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the people of Sri Lanka to the new Bangladeshi leader.

Mamdani’s Doosra trending in Sri Lanka

New York’s newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani has gone viral on Sri Lankan social media following his interaction with New York-based comedian Shenuque Tissera on Instagram.

NY Mayor Mamdani with comedian Shenuque Tissera

In the viral clip, the young New York mayor responds to the comedian’s question on how to be “a good Sri Lankan boy” by saying, “Never let them know your next move.” He adds that he would argue the phrase has Sri Lankan roots and goes on to make a reference to Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan and his ‘Doosra’, the off-spinning delivery which goes ‘the other way’.

“What I learned from the Sri Lankan community is the importance to be prepared,” he explains.

Mamdani’s unconventional, social media-savvy campaign was at the heart of his historic victory during last year’s New York mayoral election.

Political interference leads to yet another resignation

The spate of resignations of heads of government statutory bodies continued this week with another high-profile resignation.
Lanka Sugar Company (Pvt) Ltd Chairperson Sandamali Chandrasekera resigned from her post with immediate effect, citing pressure from certain local politicians.

In a letter addressed to Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunnetthi, she cited ongoing pressure from local politicians to act in ways inconsistent with the law, regulations, and government circulars, which had made it increasingly difficult to perform duties in line with good governance and institutional integrity.

Anandasangaree joins mourners at Prof. Vitharana’s funeral

Veteran Tamil leader Anandasangaree seen in conversation with Sarvajana Balaya leader Dilith Jayaweera at the furneral of Prof. Tissa Vitharana

Veteran leftist politician and former minister Tissa Vitharana passed away at the age of 91 a few days ago, and many, as expected, came to pay their last respects to him. They included President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Veteran Tamil politician V. Anandasangaree was also among those paying respects to the late comrade. Prof. Vitharana was the nephew of Dr N.M. Perera and leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), one of the country’s oldest political parties.

Sajith’s elephant diplomacy with Lammy

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa presenting the picture of a baby elephant to Britain's Deputy Premier David Lammy

During his brief visit to Colombo, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy held several meetings. In one such meeting with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, he discussed strengthening bilateral ties, trade growth, governance reforms, and wildlife conservation.

Mr Premadasa, who gave up the elephant symbol of his former party for the telephone, praised Britain’s humanitarian support after Cyclone Ditwah while also taking on one of his pet subjects, that of wildlife conservation, particularly of the Asian elephants. Following the meeting, Mr Premadasa, an avid wildlife enthusiast and photographer, gifted a framed photograph of a baby elephant, captured through his own lens, as a gift to Mr Lammy.

Health Ministry’s condom bridge falls apart

The Health Ministry social media team ended up in a soup this week over a post to encourage the use of condoms for family planning.

The problem was not with sending out the message but over the use of a graphic of a man making a perilous crossing on a makeshift bridge with the caption “When there is a bridge, why are you walking across a makeshift bridge with difficulty?” Many social media users quickly identified that the image was similar to a photograph taken of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa in 2019 showing him crossing a makeshift bridge cautiously. Under attack by social media users over the use of the image, the Health Ministry quickly deleted the post.

Sweden rolls back classroom digitisation; Lanka should follow suit

While the government has initiated educational reforms which are aimed at shifting to the use of more digital platforms, some countries in the economically developed world are ditching digital learning and returning to old-fashioned text and notebook-style teaching.

Sweden, one of the most developed countries in the world, announced this week that it is investing more than 100 million to swap classroom tablets for traditional textbooks in a bold move to reverse declining student performance and focus. The Swedish Ministry of Education announced a renewed focus on printed textbooks after concerns grew over excessive screen use and its potential impact on learning. The authorities there attributed declining critical thinking skills and poor academic performances to over-reliance on screens.

Contrary to this, the government is pushing for so-called ‘smart classrooms’ and more use of digital technology in Sri Lankan classrooms, but it may be good to take a cue from Sweden and many other developed countries which have realised that old-fashioned school is best for students.