Press freedom in the cyber age
When I first heard of indispensable machine, I left the island on voluntary exile. Some seven years later, the information technology landscape of Sri Lanka has seen dramatic transformations, in keeping with…
Year: 2009
General Sarath Fonseka and politics
Sage words indeed from General Sarath Fonseka. Now that the euphoria of winning the war against the LTTE is over, our minds must turn to the complex issues facing the country, such…
The Public Servant and the Politician: in Harmony or in Conflict?
[Authors note: This is the text of my comment as a Panel discussant, delivered at the Institute of Public Management on 3rd November 2009] My reflection will be in the context of…
A response to Kusal Perera on political honesty and questioning Sarath Fonseka
[Editors note: Mano Ganesan kindly accepted our invitation to respond to Kusal Perera’s article .] This subject of Sarath Fonseka should not be considered as an isolated issue. Sri Lanka is a…
Caught between the real and virtual in Sri Lanka
Dear GROUNDVIEWS, I congratulate you on your continued publication on the web! I am truly happy that Sri Lanka’s contributions to the global community has not been merely such things as the…
An open discourse with Mano Ganeshan on political honesty
It was no surprise in any way to read that Mano Ganeshan, Colombo district MP, leader of the Democratic People’s Front (DPF), Chairman of the Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC) and the leader…
Understanding horror
I’ve tried to understand this war, and failed. It’s made me feel rather stupid – this inability to wrap my head around 30 years of horror, why it all started and who…
The case of Jaseekaran and the Rule of Law in Sri Lanka
The case On 26 October 2009, B. Jaseekaran and V. Valarmathi were released as the state council withdrew the charges filed against them. Both of them were partners of journalist J. Tissainayagam…
From Here to Hanoi
Vietnam was the first country to be informed by Sri Lanka of its victory over the Tigers. It was from the on the record remarks of a top Vietnamese leader that I…
Adjutant Australia: Controlling Boat People
The ongoing brouhaha around the boat people ‘storming’ Australian maritime waters displays two tendencies in Australian politics and its cultural underpinnings. The first tendency, A, is the insidious influence of a long-standing…
1,000 posts on Groundviews: Bearing witness, shaping peace
Exactly three years after its launch, published its 1000th post today. In it Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu identifies the site with quality debate and asks citizens to use it to canvass their ideas…
Needed: An Agenda for Reform on Groundviews
Whilst it is not clear as to whether we would be voting in both the presidential and general elections on the same day, it is clear that we will be voting in…
The duty to talk loudly about Police Reforms
Police Reform was the theme of a discussion organised by the Commonwealth Initiative in Delhi last week. Among the participants were senior police officers from South Asian countries including a few who…
Deepavali Dilemma: Reflections from the Diaspora
Every year, when Deepavali rolls around, I feel a twinge of sadness creeping up on me. I didn’t dwell on it because it seemed indulgent and pointless. It’s not like we celebrated…
General Fonseka and the interview
Over the last couple of days there has been a significant amount of discussion back and forth about General Fonseka and the Department of Homeland Security interview. However, nobody seems to have…
