Why Women Need Survival Guides in 2024
After the results of the US election were announced and Donald Trump was elected as the 47th President, I am seeing many women’s “survival guides” popping up on my TikTok advising them…
Issues
Rohingya Refugees in Sri Lanka Seek a Permanent Solution to Their Plight
Hundreds of thousands of terrified Rohingya refugees flooded onto the beaches and paddy fields of southern Bangladesh in August 2017. When the refugees – almost 60 per cent of whom were children…
Emphasising Child Rights and Confronting Challenges
Universal Children’s Day is celebrated on November 20 every year globally and honours the youngest members of society by recognising children’s unique rights and needs. While the purpose has evolved since its…
Power To The People
Reflecting on the recent elections in both Sri Lanka and the US is an interesting exercise particularly because, as the two countries now have synchronized election cycles, comparisons and contrasts are readily…
An Election That Signals the Transition to a New Political Culture
The presidential and parliamentary elections of 2024 have clearly sent strong signals of a clear change in the political landscape in Sri Lanka. On September 21, the country elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake…
A Magic Wand
The Grimm version is known wider but the Turkish one cuts deeper. In both tales, the boy goes in search of fear and finds a crown. In the Grimm version, fear comes…
NPP’s Historic Victory Sparks Hope and Unity
Sri Lanka stands on the brink of a transformative era. The National People’s Power (NPP), under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has secured a historic two thirds majority in parliament.…
Will the Parliamentary Election Result Add to System Change?
The parliamentary election on November 14 is going to be like no other in Sri Lanka’s post independence history. Like the presidential election held on September 21, it will be another ground…
Gurunagar Church Bombing: Justice Must Be Done Even After 31 Years
November 13, 1993 will be 31 years since bombs were dropped by the Air Force over St. James Catholic Church in Gurunagar, Jaffna. Nine civilians were killed, several others injured and church…
Decoding Falsehoods of Online Information During Elections
The 2024 presidential election marked the first major electoral event following the aragalaya and the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The election highlighted the country’s shifting political landscape, moving away from traditional…
Listen
Listen to the doctor, the pediatrician, the head of the children’s hospital in North Gaza. Listen to him mourn his son. Listen to his cries, his wailing. his son killed…
NPP and Women’s Parliamentary Representation
Leading political parties, mostly in the Sinhala speaking south, are known to loudly proclaim the need to elect more women to parliament. The reality has not caught up with that political rhetoric.…
Economic Crisis is the Top Voter Priority
In the latest polling by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) conducted from August to November, 74% of Sri Lankans named the economy as their top…
Voters Want More Government Spending on Health and Education
As Sri Lanka approaches the general election, the Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling reveals strong voter support for prioritising increased government spending on health and…
Towards Stability, Equity and Prosperity in Sri Lanka – Part 5
As I have previously pointed out, although IMF programmes appear to solely focus on development, they do not cater to or deal with matters that affect socio-economic justice and a fair go.…
