Archive for May, 2010

After the Elections: Demilitarize Development for Sustainable Peace

“Counter-terrorism is terrorism’s best ally.” –Joseba Zulaika in “Terrorism: The Self-Fulfilling Prophesy” (2009) On April 12, 2010 the majority of citizens of the island’s two main linguistic communities celebrated the “Sinhala and Tamil New Year” and the categorical end of war and terrorism with considerable optimism, despite lack of a clear political solution to the ‘ethnic conflict’. The New Year celebrations, the first since the end of the State’s 30 year war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were in the wake of recently concluded parliamentary elections that returned the ruling party to power. President Rajapaksa, who in January had already won the Presidential elections for another 6 year term, noted that the New Year brings into focus shared culture and kinship ties between the Sinhala and Tamil speaking communities in the island. There was not talk of ‘human rights violations’ or ‘war crimes’ or the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon’s plan to set up an Advisory…

Continue reading »

The Right NOT to Vote

Approximately one year ago on May 18th 2009, I wrote an article on Sri Lanka’s second “independence”, the spirit I fostered at the time is not reflected in this article one year later. On April 8th 2010, Sri Lankans went to the polls to vote. Yet I did not vote. Many others did not as well. It is clear cut that Sri Lanka’s population did not feel that their vote counted, and rightly-so. Yet, was it wise NOT to vote? Perhaps if one thinks of it as legitimizing an increasingly theocratic government by participating in the hopelessly flawed façade of democracy, then it makes sense not to be a party to it. Post-conflict human societies are usually vacuums for militant or ambitious leaders to fill. Now this can either be through questionable installations of “democracy” e.g.- the Hamid Karzai establishment or it could be military dictatorship much like Idi Amin’s. In a society that has just emerged from a murderous…

Continue reading »

Jaffna after the war: Observations by a visitor

Large crowds rush to Jaffna every day. Some of them have never been there before. The 30 years war is over and thanks to president Rajapakse, (General Fonseka is already forgotten), they are now at last free to visit those territories the Tigers once claimed as theirs. They are eager to visit the many places of worship including a few recently discovered ones. They are genuinely happy to be there, moving from Nallur to Mavattapuram, Keerimalai, Nagadeepa, Dambakola Pattuna and   Kandarodai. Dambakola Pattuna in Madagal is where Theri Sangamitha is said to have landed with the sacred Bo sapling. A new dagoba has been built there and a statue of bikkuni  Sangamitha has been installed in December 2009, by the first lady herself. Kandarodai where the mini dagobas are found has acquired a new Sinhala name. In all these places name boards and notices are found in Sinhala. Therefore the visitors from the South feel very homely and comfortable. The…

Continue reading »
  • 7 May, 2010
  • 1,076 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Identity,
    Religion and faith

The Agnostics vs. The Believers regarding karma, reincarnation, nirvana as described in Buddhism being real aspects of this world

One of the challenges put forth by The Agnostics camp (myself, SomewhatDisgusted, BalangodaMan, with help from Heshan) to The Believers (Yapa, Wijayapala, Off The Cuff, etc.) in the 1000+ comments discussion/debate that’s taking place in the comments section of the Akon & Buddhism article at Groundviews is: prove, using modern science or math or any other verifiable method available, to non-believers, that karma, reincarnation, nirvana, as described in Buddhism, are real aspects/actual things that exist in this world. So far, in spite of their strong feeling that karma, reincarnation, & nirvana are real, and in spite of hundreds of comments by them, The Believers have not been able to show that karma, reincarnation and nirvana are in fact real – and not just speculative items used to introduce and sustain the Buddhist world view. So, I will renew the call at this new article (since the previous article mentioned now has over 1000 comments – many wildly off point –…

Continue reading »

BUDGET OR NO BUDGET? IT IS A CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION

There has been speculation this week that the government is planning to present a Vote on Account rather than a full and proper budget. The DNA/JVP has already announced its opposition to this, and perhaps more importantly, the IMF has indicated that the next tranche of the loan granted last year in order to avert the balance of payments crisis may be affected if there is no proper budget in which the deficit is brought down to the agreed 7% of GDP from the current 9.7%, fiscal reforms are introduced, and public spending is cut to a more sustainable level. Traditionally, the Sri Lankan electorate is not only uninterested in the way governments manage their money, but positively rewards fiscal and expenditure irresponsibility (that government is seen as the principal provider of free lunches is a legacy of democratisation in the hands of the Left, but that is another story). In the absence too of any notion of an effective…

Continue reading »
  • 6 May, 2010
  • 1 Comment
  • Economy,
    Politics and Governance

PIGS: The Achilles Heel of the EU and lessons for Sri Lanka’s policy makers and corporate sector

First it was the Swine ‘Flu and now it’s the PIGS. The four countries of the European Union; Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, saddled with the current debt crisis, weak economies, and high unemployment; are referred to by the acronym PIGS. Will it be the end of the road for the European Monetary Union (EMU)? The EU “fortress” was meant to withstand such crises and provide protection for it’s member states. However it’s “immortality” has been threatened by its Achilles Heel, the PIGS. Greece started it and so I thought it appropriate to refer to Achilles. We all know the term “Achilles’ Heel”. However, for those who need to refresh their memories, Achille`s was the son of the Sea Nymph Thetis and King Peleus of Thessaly, in Greek mythology. He was half divine hero, made immortal by his mother when he was a baby, by holding him by his heels and dipping him into the river Styx. Thetis made Achilles’…

Continue reading »
  • 5 May, 2010
  • 5 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Politics and Governance,
    Post-War

The legacy of Chanaka Amaratunga and the future of liberalism in Sri Lanka

Screen shot 2010-05-05 at 9.29.13 PM

Download a PDF of this special edition here. The 19th of April was the 52nd birthday of  Dr. Chanaka Amaratunga, the founder of the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka. Groundviews invited leading political commentators to contribute to a special edition commemorating Chanaka’s role in politics and the liberal movement in Sri Lanka. Essays in this series included: Remembering Chanaka by Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Alternatives TWO CONCEPTS OF THE CONSTITUTION: AN ESSAY IN MEMORY OF CHANAKA AMARATUNGA by Publius IN MEMORIAM DR. CHANAKA AMARATUNGA by Tissa Jayatilaka, Executive Director, United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission A Liberal Dilemma by Dr. Devanesan Nesiah THE TRAGIC TRAJECTORY OF CHANAKA’S LIBERAL PROJECT by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

Continue reading »

Human Rights: An analysis of options and challenges facing South Asia

As always the debate in Sri Lanka is needlessly polarised. The human rights fundamentalists do not give a damn about national sovereignty, thereby reinforcing the nationalist backlash against the human rights constituency and concept. The nationalist fundamentalists don’t give a damn about human rights, thereby undermining civil liberties, tarnishing the profile of Sri Lanka and furthering international pressures which threaten sovereignty.  This polarisation is counterproductive, furthering neither human rights nor sovereignty. The experience of South Asia shows that it need not be a zero-sum game and that there is a way in which human rights, national sovereignty and people’s sovereignty can be brought together, fought for, with remarkable success. The concept of human rights is damaged, discredited and rendered less effective by those who deploy it as part of a discourse that urges surrender of national sovereignty and is nihilistic towards the nation. The attack on national sovereignty and the nation-state proceeds by way of a number of false arguments…

Continue reading »
  • 4 May, 2010
  • 16 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Media and Communications

Has journalist J.S. Tissanaiyagam really received a Presidential pardon?

The External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris, who has absolutely nothing to do with the judiciary, claimed at his first press briefing yesterday – 3 May – that President has DECIDED to pardon journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, who was ruled guilty by the HC of Colombo and sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment. The Minister for External Affairs, who was a Professor of Law, said the President has powers to do so and that it comes on a very important day for the media, the Press Freedom Day. The Sri Lankan mainstream media, that plays into politicians without much ado, carried this news as if Tissainayagam was “set free”. Most reports sort of gave more weight to this statement than even an actual “pardon”. The electronic media was all out with this news from last afternoon. Wow! Tissainayagam pardoned! they sounded. This morning, Dinamina, Divayina and Lakbima Sinhala dailies and Daily Mirror, The Island English dailies, (wouldn’t know of Tamil news papers) made…

Continue reading »

The future of tourism in Sri Lanka: A conversation with Renton de Alwis

Renton de Alwis was one time Chairman for Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. As noted on this website, he has over 35 years experience in marketing, communications and tourism related areas, having worked in an international environment covering over 30 countries. In this interview we talk about the future of tourism in Sri Lanka. Renton comes out strongly in favour of the greening of Sri Lanka and eco-tourism in line with our traditions and culture. I asked him about the Akon incident, but he said he didn’t know enough to comment. After speaking at length about the environment, Renton in the last minutes of the interview went on to ardently support the commercial use of land in Kalpitiya, owned by the State, for tourism purposes. He noted that the best use for this land would be to turn it into a gambling centre, modelled on the lines of Macau. Details about the proposed developments in Kalpitiya can be found on…

Continue reading »
  • 1 May, 2010
  • 1 Comment
  • Colombo,
    Politics and Governance

Colgate, Signal, smiles and politics: From Clinton to Chandrika and Queen Mother’s rotten teeth

Chandrika’s winning smile, Mahinda’s wide grin and Clinton’s leer at Monica’s underwear speak volumes than their political agenda. Then who would listen to an ageing toothless cur of a politician or the late Queen Mother with her rotten teeth when Colgate and Signal herald the new millennium not with promises of a better future but a better and impressive look with two fine sets of gnashers. Case in point is Tony Blair vs Gordon Brown; Blair wagged his tail at Dubya and sent his troops to Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein based on baseless dossier that it had weapons of mass destruction whereas Gordon Brown withdrew troops from Iraq but who had the most support from voters? Blair of course and we all know why. It is to do with his conniving smile and Brown and his crooked yellow teeth cannot muster the same support from his voters however much the latter is strong on economic policy and shows more…

Continue reading »
Page 5 of 512345

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!"

cezarneaga.eu