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Groundviews

Author: Harendra Alwis

Year
Month
Colombo, Elections, Politics and Governance

The Significance of the Local Government Elections

The upcoming local government elections scheduled for May 6 represent more than just another trip to the polling booth. They mark a critical juncture in the country’s democratic journey, emerging from the…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 04/24/2025
Colombo, Development, Economy, Politics and Governance, Poverty

Reforming Welfare from Dependency to Reciprocal Dignity

Sri Lanka stands at a pivotal moment in its social development. After weathering a profound economic crisis and decades of welfare policies that have created complex patterns of dependency, the nation must…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 04/10/2025
Colombo, Development, Education, Politics and Governance

Reimagining Education in Sri Lanka – Part 3

Every weekday morning in cities and towns across the globe, a familiar ritual unfolds. Millions of young people file into classrooms, sit in neat rows and organize their days into precisely timed…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 02/05/2025
Colombo, Education, Politics and Governance

Reimagining Education in Sri Lanka – Part 2

To understand why our education system needs fundamental transformation, we must first understand its origins. As education pioneer Sugata Mitra explains in his influential TED Talk “Building a School in the Cloud,”…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 01/21/202501/24/2025
Colombo, Development, Education, Politics and Governance

Reimagining Education in Sri Lanka – Part 1

Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its development journey. The new government’s policy framework, “A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life,” correctly identifies education as fundamental to national revival and economic…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 01/17/2025
Colombo, International Relations, Politics and Governance

Sri Lanka’s Political Moment in 2024: Part 3

At the cusp of a significant political transformation, Sri Lanka stands at a crucial juncture in its history with an opportunity to reclaim and redefine its place among the community of nations….

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 10/15/2024
Colombo, Culture, Development, Political philosophy, Politics and Governance

Sri Lanka’s Political Moment in 2024: Part 2

The year 2024 marks a watershed moment in Sri Lanka’s political history. The National People’s Power (NPP) party, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), has ascended to power on a platform that…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 10/09/2024
Colombo, Elections, Political philosophy, Politics and Governance

Sri Lanka’s Political Moment in 2024: Part 1

Jazeera In the wake of the National People’s Power (NPP) party’s remarkable victory in the 2024 presidential election, some observers have been quick to attribute the result to a protest vote against…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 10/04/202410/04/2024
Colombo, International, Sport

Kumar Sangakkara: The greatest hero of our time

The Cricketing world will pause for a moment, to celebrate the legendary career of Kumar Sangakkara that draws to a close, and then move on; a bit richer for the legacy he…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 08/24/201508/23/2015
Colombo, Politics and Governance

Sri Lanka’s political moment: Rediscovering our kinship and common history

Photo courtesy EPA/M.A.PUSHPA KUMARA via Sky News As the new administration has begun to unpack promises made during a hasty election campaign, it is clear that they are constrained by their own political…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 03/24/2015
Colombo, Elections, Politics and Governance, Presidential Election 2015

Sri Lanka’s Political Moment: Part 2

Photo by REUTERS/Stringer, via Al Jazeera A transformation of the political agenda Despite many detailed analysis of Sri Lanka’s present political moment by a myriad experts, two of its significant aspects have so…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 02/16/201502/16/2015
Colombo, Elections, Politics and Governance, Presidential Election 2015

Sri Lanka’s political moment

  Image via Maithripala Sirisena A change of guard The future of Sri Lanka’s democracy has reached a pivotal point. On the 9th of January, it awoke after decades of paralytic slumber….

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 02/05/2015
Colombo, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Religion and faith

How must we respond to religious extremism and incitement to violence?

Image from Ingulfed Do not despair. It helps to try to understand the situation as it evolves, rather than crystallise your view of it in judgment. If you know your enemies and…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 06/17/2014
Colombo, Identity, Sport

A failed test match and lost identity

Photo courtesy AFP/ISHARA S. KODIKARA At the post match conference after the third test against Pakistan, the captain of Sri Lanka said that his team lost; not because they were too negative…

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 01/23/201401/25/2014
Colombo, Identity, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Remember the Riots

The perpetual conflict: Part 3

Photo via blackjuly.info The Politics of Identity It seems all too obvious that the regular cycles of violence that have emerged in our recent history since 1915 are distinctly communal in character….

Harendra Alwis Harendra Alwis on 07/26/201307/31/2013

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