Archive for April, 2010

April 8: The best case scenario

The government wants a two thirds majority in order to replace the Constitution, it says. The UNP opposition hopes to form a coalition with other Opposition parties. It would be unhealthy for the body politic if the electorate were to grant the wish of either side. What would be healthy is for the Opposition to have a strong enough representation in the legislature so that a two thirds majority is out of reach for the government even by means of defections. The most authoritarian administrations we have had have been those with a two thirds majority and the worst experiences we citizens have undergone, have been at the hands of governments enjoying a two thirds majority.  Of the three Constitutions we have had, those produced in 1972 and 1978 were far less enlightened and prudent than the one we started off with at Independence, the Soulbury constitution. The government wishes a two thirds majority to ‘protect the country from foreign…

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Confusing reportage over comments by the President: Propaganda or fact?

Screen shot 2010-04-04 at 2.20.47 PM

Angry President tells jeering crowd to leave published in the Sunday Times today is a story based on reportage that first appeared on two sites on the web, Lanka Truth and Lanka News Web. The version on Lanka Truth, published on 3 April, attributed contentious comments, outrageously derogatory towards the Tamil community, to the President in a rally held in Jaffna on 1st April. Two audio (MP3) files were embedded in this story. One in which the President says in Sinhala, translated to English on the site, “I am also a Sinhalese just like you, but I will speak only in Tamil, and if you cannot understand, then leave the venue” I am also a Sinhalese just like you, but I will speak only in Tamil, and if you cannot understand, then leave the venue and the other, again as translated on the site, where he says “since you have tried to interrupt me I will continue to speak in…

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Black Paintings & Other Works: An exhibition by Chandraguptha Thenuwara

Dhammapada,Triptych on wood,2007

Chandraguptha Thenuwara’s “Black Paintings & Other Works-an exhibition of paintings and installation” was inaugurated today (3 April 2010) at the Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo. The exhibition will continue till 5 April 2010. He has used perfect colours to depict the situation.  Many art lovers had a preview today. Chandraguptha Thenuwara says “The exhibition consists of two parts – one, the preface consists of three previously exhibited works and the other represents the current moment with nine new paintings and an installation. The preface was needed because the ideas expressed through the works are still valid. Among them is a triptych (2007) based on three selected Dammapada of the Lord Buddha that – ‘hatred never ceases by hatred’; ‘to all, life is dear and all fear death’; and ‘one should neither kill nor cause to kill’.  The other is the ‘Erasing Camouflage: Peace’ Triptych (2008); and the third is a painting which I exhibited last year in July, with the slogan…

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Baby 81: 6 years after the tsunami

Abhilash Jeyaraj

“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in” ~Henry Graham Greene (October 2,1904- April 3,1991). Novelist, Playwright and short story writer Abhilash Jeyaraj who is usually very shy to meet visitors waits with his mother Junita Jeyaraj at their gate. He wears a pair of jeans and long sleeve tshirt with stripe and neatly combed hair. His big smile invites me immediately, while he holds my hands and directs me through the main entrance of the house. He calls his cousin Thulanika Uthayaramesh and they begin to play cricket in the courtyard at dusk. His mother joins them. Abhilash is excited and begins to bat as quickly as possible. “My favourite subject is English. I like to play cricket with my cousin” says smiling Abhilash. As the sun sets its rays, he quite often hits the soft ball over the wall for six runs. He enjoys playing cricket. “I am very sad and…

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Akon and Buddhism in Sri Lanka: A Response to Bhikkhu K. Tanchangya

[Editor's note: This article is a rejoinder to “Akon and Buddhism in Sri Lanka – A Monk's Response” by Bhikkhu K. Tanchangya published on the Buddhist Channel website on the 28th of March 2010. Bhikkhu K. Tanchangya's article was a response to the author's original article 'Akon and Buddhism in Sri Lanka'.] I wrote “Akon and Buddhism in Sri Lanka” exclusively for Groundviews, a prominent citizen journalism website in Sri Lanka. I expressed my opinion on the “Akon issue” as a citizen of Sri Lanka. Groundviews published my article on the 27th of March 2010 and later ‘The Buddhist Channel’ website published it attributing the original article to Groundviews. The Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees its citizens the freedom of speech, expression and publication [Article 14(1) (a)]. Therefore, as a citizen of Sri Lanka I have every right to publish what I think and write be it under my name or under a nom de plume. I feel that Bhikkhu…

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Interview with Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka

Ranil Wickremasinghe is the Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka, party leader of the United National Party (UNP) since 1994 and for the up-coming parliamentary elections, head of the United National Front alliance. In this interview, Mr. Wickremasinghe both answers and dodges questions about the challenges to his leadership within the party, the acceptance of the UNP and its policies amongst voters, his ability to communicate policy, lessons learnt from his stint as Prime Minister from 2001 – 2004 and any regrets during or after the time of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). He is also asked for his opinion of a war crimes tribunal and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, plus views on developing the North and East in a manner different to that which is proposed by the incumbent government. My final question to him is whether he believes in astrology, the practice of which can get one arrested in Sri Lanka. Watch a complementary interview in Sinhala with…

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About Groundviews

Located at the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Groundviews is a citizen journalism website that uses a range of genres and media to highlight critical perspectives on governance, reconciliation, human rights, the arts and literature, democracy and other issues. The site has won two international awards, including the prestigious Manthan Award South Asia in 2009. The grand jury's evaluation of the site noted, "What no media dares to report, Groundviews publicly exposes. It's a new age media for a new Sri Lanka... Free media at it's very best!"

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