A Second Chance at Independence
It is three days since the dramatic events of Saturday July 9 when Sri Lankans of all backgrounds poured onto the streets demanding that the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (together with Prime Minister…
Year: 2022
If the President Resigns: What Next?
On July 9, an unprecedented number of Sri Lankan protesters marched on the president’s official residence. They demanded one thing: his immediate resignation for his role in causing the most devastating economic…
The Moral Right to Govern
On July 5, in the midst of a worsening economic crisis, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa no longer has the moral right to remain in office. This statement is…
A New Era of Politics Begins
A peaceful mass uprising on July 9 has brought about the end of a political era that started with the promulgation of the 1978 constitution of Sri Lanka, a constitution that completely…
To The New Administrator
The fourth wall has crashed and the audience is now on stage making tea and frying omelets in the kitchen, lounging on the guest beds, diving into the swimming pool. Unheard of,…
Our Day Has Come!
We are drained. At last, after a ninety day struggle, we have a lot to celebrate but nothing left to celebrate with. No fuel, no kerosene, no petrol. No energy. And once…
Ensuring the Rights and Protection of Women Migrant Workers
The cabinet decision last month to ease the Family Background Report (FBR) regulation imposed on all women who wish to work overseas has been received with elation and consternation in equal parts.…
Addressing Nutrition Challenges During the Food Crisis
Malnutrition is a complex issue that many nations in the world face at different levels. To successfully eliminate and prevent malnutrition a nation needs a multifactorial, multisectoral and multistakeholder response. The definition…
Sri Lanka Goes to the IMF
Sri Lanka has taken the (rather delayed) initiative to seek International Monetary Fund (IMF) aid and assistance to cure the economic crisis. Before I delve into what the IMF conditionalities and its…
The Tea is Cold: Cinema as Social Responsibility
A young man from Colombo, Randika, travels to Jaffna on an assignment to find out how the war has affected people there. At first he is more interested in sharing photographs on…
A Call for a Change in Culture
“They will never change” is a phrase that many Tamils overseas often hear from back home. A simple phrase articulated partly in sadness, partly in gloating. It’s difficult to condemn how various…
Bodily Harm: Abortion and the Rights of Women in Sri Lanka
The title of this article is taken from a collection of short stories by Margaret Atwood who has attained celebrity cult status recently due to her dystopic novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which…
Good Governance, Bad Governance and No Governance
Good governance means a system of governance that ensures economic efficiency guaranteeing economic stability throughout a nation. This economic efficiency can only be brought about by the observance of transparency, accountability and…
Looking for a Way Out of the Abyss
Our country has collapsed. Government spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena announced that fuel supply has come to a standstill and fuel will be available only for essential services. These is no one to blame,…
Arrests and Intimidation of Protesters Undermine Human Rights
The arrest of several protestors calling for Sri Lanka’s president and his associates to step down amid the ongoing economic crisis, has drawn attention to the grave human rights situation which persists…
