Don’s Diary: One week in Sri Lanka
Saturday: Fly from Heathrow to Colombo; uneventful journey; drink gin and tonic, take long sleep. Hear that an aunt passed away just before departure. Sunday: Catch up on sleep and go to…
Year: 2010
Concerns of first time voters in the 2010 presidential elections
In the upcoming presidential election a new voter base will be in play. A generation of first time voters whose futures will depend on the winner of next month’s election, are faced…
Paying global media for local elections
It is probably not the incumbent President himself in charge of the massive re-election campaign which has no qualms about misusing State property and public finances or perverting telecoms regulations to deliver propaganda…
TNA’s Failure to Seize the Moment: Who Will Fill the Vacuum?
The TNA’s ability to negotiate a comprehensive devolution package for the Tamil community with either Mahinda Rajapaksa or Sarath Fonseka is becoming more and more distant as the Presidential election draws nearer.…
Guidance on Star Gazing: Government to set up Advisory Council for Astrologers?
- A special Advisory Council for Astrologers is to be established in the lead up to presidential elections to ensure “consistency” in astrological forecasts, claims a source from the Ministry of Indigenous Sciences…
Engage the Diaspora
As all issues pertaining to ethnicity in Sri Lanka the role of the Diaspora Tamils has become a point of contention in Sri Lanka. As usual this group is defined in monolithic…
Sri Lanka awaits a change
The present President of Sri Lanka, who consolidated his power after defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militarily, has spurned the pledges of ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ manifesto of the 2005 presidential…
Unsolicited SMS messages are spam. Please desist Mr. President.
All mobile phone subscribers, across all networks got an SMS from the President this morning – Many thought it was a hoax until it was confirmed in the media that the message…
A bitter feud and an ugly media spectacle in the lead up to Presidential elections
This presidential election is unlike any other. There are no manifestos published yet to augment a healthy political debate and policies do not appear to concern the two main candidates. At this…
DAYAN JAYATILLEKA’S CRITIQUE OF TAMIL NATIONALISM: A COMMENT
[Editors note: This article responds to Dayan Jayatilleka’s article.] I have read with considerable interest Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke’s recent critiques of the post-war strategic and normative dynamics of Tamil nationalism in terms…
Happy New Year!
Over the historic 2009, will soon launch a completely revamped look and feel to strengthen the site’s signature content. We invite you to contribute to and comment on the site, and participate…