Some Thoughts on Inequality
This article was prompted by a question I came across during some recent discussions. Does inequality matter? My immediate reaction was to point out that all types of social oppression such as…
Year: 2023
Nyet…Yahu
Do you think we can put this aside, forget, go to the reading with books and introductions, nothing nagging in gut and mind? No vision of a baby wrapped in…
75 Years On, UDHR’s Relevance in Sri Lanka and Beyond
On December 10, 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Drawing on grim experience of how misuse of power caused massive destruction and suffering and reflecting…
Combating Corruption: Role of Civil Society
There are actors, arrangements, acts, laws, regulations and institutions responsible for combating corruption. There are circulars issued on matters starting from admission to Grade 1 of a school to buying a ship…
Vaishnavee: Sumitra Peries’ Feminist Swansong
The French Embassy screened Vaishnavee at the National Film Corporation, the last in a series of cultural items commemorating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between France and Sri Lanka. The finale…
Falsehood vs. Free Speech: Competing Narratives of the Online Safety Bill
In the last two decades, the internet has connected millions of people across the globe and not only changed how humans interact with each other but also transformed the internet space as…
Economic Revival and Accountability in Governance
As we approach the end of 2023 and with about a year to go for the next presidential election due before end 2024, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s frequent refrain and indeed the rationale…
Old Wine in New Bottles? The 2023 BRI Reset and Africa
President Xi’s l Jinping’s landmark speech at the 3rd Belt and Road (BRI) Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing on October 18 grabbed the headlines in suggesting a vision for a reset…
Downgraded to Repressed: Assessing Sri Lanka’s Ever Shrinking Civic Space
The CIVICUS Monitor, an organization that tracks the status of civic space around the world, has downgraded Sri Lanka’s civic space in 2023 to repressed from obstructed due to authorities attacking protesters,…
Why Sri Lanka Has Descended into Chaos and the Way Forward Part 3
With British colonisation, the freedom that the royalty and the radala nobility had to rein over the subjects was lost. They were displaced and replaced by the colonial rulers who expressed allegiance…
Children are the First Victims of Every Conflict
Children have always been the most vulnerable and innocent casualties of any conflict. Past conflicts have had a devastating impact on children’s lives and ongoing conflicts continue to perpetuate their suffering. The…
Aswesuma: High Exclusion, Low Transparency?
The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) called for applications last year for people to be included in the new registry that will bring all the current benefits schemes under one platform names Aswesuma.…
Understanding Kissinger
For 30 years if not more, Henry Kissinger, who died this week aged 100, shaped the course of US foreign policy and in one sense defined global politics. A Nobel Prize Laureate…
Shadows on Justice: Unraveling the Crisis of Custodial Deaths
The Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) took a decisive step towards justice by submitting a special petition to the UN, European Union and the Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka.…
Most People Believe Political Forces Were Involved in Easter Attacks
More than half the Sri Lankan population – 53% – believes local political forces were involved in the Easter Sunday attacks carried out in 2019, according to a survey commissioned in October…
