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Groundviews

Author: Lionel Bopage

Year
Month
75 Years of Independence, Colombo, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance

Still Looking for Independence after 75 years

The media have been replete with the pronouncements that the president of Sri Lanka was going to resolve the ethnic issue by taking some rapid action measures. However, scepticism was inevitable when…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 02/05/2023
Human Rights, Politics and Governance, Post-War, Remember the Riots, Transitional Justice

July 1983 Pogrom: the Black Week that Impacted Sri Lanka Forever

The political leadership of Sri Lanka has yet again demonstrated that even in the midst of the worst socio economic and political crisis the country has faced since independence, they do not…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 07/24/202207/24/2022
Constitutional Reform, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War

Sri Lanka: Constitution-making – Opportunities and Pitfalls

In a divided and polarised society like Sri Lanka, constitution-making presents unique challenges and opportunities of its own. These opportunities are more likely to be realised if the constitution-making processes are inclusive,…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 02/05/2022
Colombo, Economy, Politics and Governance, Youth

Bridging the Generational Divide to Prevent Future Conflict

The youth of a country are the forerunners of social progress; notwithstanding this historical fact, we cannot underestimate the role other social strata play in the social development of a nation. Youth…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 04/09/2021
Colombo, Constitutional Reform, Long Reads, Political philosophy, Politics and Governance

Sri Lanka: Rising Autocracy and Historical Experiences

S. P. Huntington has presciently warned that democratic transitions are vulnerable and reversible if ruling elites do not show genuine commitment to democratic values. He argues: “When they are out of power,…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 10/28/202010/28/2020
Colombo, Elections, Parliamentary Elections 2020, Politics and Governance

The Best and The Worst – 2020 General Elections

Photo courtesy of The Diplomat The general elections on 5 August turned out to be an outstanding victory for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the Rajapaksa Family and the Sinhala Buddhist nationalists…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 08/09/202008/12/2020
Colombo, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance

Sri Lanka And The US: A Pogrom And A Black Death At The Hands Of A White Policeman: Salutary Lessons

The Scene The morning of July the 25th 1983 is etched in my brain. I saw a group of people running or walking very fast away from the environs of Colombo. On…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 06/20/2020
Colombo, Elections, Politics and Governance, Politics and Governance

The Spectre of an Authoritarian Regime Based on a Putschist Model

Photo by AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, via Living in challenging times can be a blessing if changes during that time move one’s country towards a fair and progressive era. Otherwise its society will…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 06/14/2020
Colombo, Memorialisation

Our Departed Colleague, Saman Wagaarachchi – My Recollections

Comrade Saman Wagaarachchi had joined the JVP in early 1977 while we were still being held incarcerated for our role in the April 1971 uprising. Later I  heard that he had supported…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 03/19/202003/19/2020
Development, Diaspora, International, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance

Sri Lanka: Past Experiences and Current Trends

Image courtesy Dear Friends, First let me thank the Darebin Ethnic Communities Council and Darebin Intercultural Centre for inviting me to speak at this . The biography , which Michael Colin Cooke…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 06/17/2017
Corruption, Groundviews at 10, Issues, Politics and Governance, Presidential Election 2015

Good Governance and Corruption

Featured image courtesy Al Jazeera Good Governance is a key challenge Sri Lanka has faced and spectacularly failed to deliver for most of its modern history. This challenge is not only about…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 01/31/201701/31/2017
International, International Relations, Issues, Political philosophy

Yester-Years: The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and The Cuban Revolution

In the 1950s, Cuban revolutionaries launched their July 26 Movement () to get rid of foreign domination and economic injustice. In 1952, Fulgencio Batista launched a coup d’etat, which made the Cuban…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 12/01/201612/01/2016
Colombo, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War

A Reflection on Conflicts in Sri Lanka

Photography courtesy Dev Policy We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we make this reflection, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects, to…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 09/19/201609/22/2016
Colombo, Politics and Governance

Somawansa Amarasinghe – Some Recollections from Our Political Journeys

Comrade Somawansa Amarasinghe since joining the JVP in 1969, had been committed at that time to the political line of the JVP. I understand that while he was held in custody in…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 06/17/2016
Colombo, Gender

It’s time to rethink the feminist agenda!

Photo courtesy Hispanichorizons, via SoundCloud Today is the International Women’s Day. It is 41 years since this day came out as a result of an event the Socialist Party of America organized.…

Lionel Bopage Lionel Bopage on 03/08/2016

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