Violent Monks and the Buddha’s Dispensation
The world is going from bad to worse, day by day; with the spread of conflict, terrorism, political instability, poverty and impending economic crises spreading like wind. At times, the interpretation of…
Constitutional Reform
Remember? Remember!
‘Motherland is in danger,’ it is claimed, again. The words are familiar, echoes from the late 1980’s. Sixty-thousand died in the South, it is said, during that time. The dead were men…
Why I Oppose Federalism for Sri Lanka: Reply to Dr. Devanesan Nesiah
I thank Dr. Devanesan Nesiah for his constructive engagement (Constitutional choices and Tamil Politics-1 Sept 28th 2017) with the ideas I had recently expressed at this crossroads of contemporary Sri Lankan history….
Constitutional choices and Tamil politics – Part 1
In his articles in The Island of Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st September 2017, Dr Dayan Jayatilleka starts by asking the correct question, provides a correct answer and goes on to identify…
‘Corridors of Power’ exhibition in Kurunegala
Royal International School Auditorium, Kurunegala 23 (Saturday) & 24 (Sunday) September 2017, from 10am-5pm daily Entrance free. Interactive, guided tours of the exhibition by the Curator will be conducted on both days…
Constitution, equality and Beethoven’s ninth symphony
I’m responding to one aspect of the article by Dr Rohan Wickramasinghe published in The Island of 17 July, 2017. He poses the question as to what the aristocratic framers of the…
On framing our Constitution
Featured image courtesy ConstitutionNet On Independence Day we had a Constitution framed primarily by a British academic, Sir (then Dr) Ivor Jennings in the mid-40s. In formulating this document he consulted Prime…
Sri Lanka’s current political impasse: Some additional thoughts
Photo courtesy Editors note: Read in conjunction with by the same author. Sri Lanka has entered another phase of political crisis. It is a three-fold crisis. The first is at the level…
Colombo Pride: The History
On June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich, New York, a group of queer patrons decided to fight back during a police raid. The Stonewall riots were a reaction to…
Making Recommendations based on Revelation and Reason: The Challenge before Justice Saleem Marsoof’s Muslim Personal Law Reforms Committee
In the current debate about reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act of 1956 (MMDA), those opposed to reform are arguing that all reform must be consistent with the i school…
Power in the wrong hands: The ACJU and MMDA
ACJU’s latest media statement on the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) does not mention anything about altering their previous position. In other words they are still right. How can they not…
Ending poverty by judicial decree: Constitutionalised welfare rights are a utopian nightmare
There is a movement around the world that is clamouring for the recognition of an extensive catalogue of positive social, economic and cultural rights as constitutionally protected and judicially enforceable entitlements. The…
Are socio-economic rights, rights?
Through the ping of a tweet and a quick scan of the media, I’ve been alerted to a polarising constitutional debate in Sri Lanka. The debate is on whether justiciable socio-economic rights…
Socio-economic rights in a Constitution: Should we trust courts over democracy?
Image courtesy Al Jazeera Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta, an eminent Indian Political scientist shared his insights into incorporating socio-economic rights in the new constitution in Sri Lanka recently. Speaking at a public…
Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2017: Finalist
is pleased to announce the ‘Corridors of Power’, a path-breaking project marrying constitutional reform and theory with architecture, is a finalist in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2017 awards, under the Urban…