That old bo tree
Can we look back with pride at what we achieved during the past 70 years after independence in 1948 February? What’s our balance sheet like in terms of 70 years of socio-…
Corruption
Poll: Reader Reactions to CoI report on Central Bank bond issue
On January 10, Parliament will convene for a session to discuss the report released by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Bond Issuance of the Central Bank, which was handed over…
Killing Tuskers and Culling Hopes
“I just passed a polling place and it’s crowded. There’s no parking… There’s an electricity. It’s exciting.”[i] That was American activist Lecia Brooks (of the Southern Poverty Law Centre), referring to the…
Corruption and Complicity: Perceptions from across Sri Lanka
Discussions around corruption and its prevalence often focus on the highest echelons of power. In Sri Lanka, irregularities around the Central Bank bond issue continue to make the news – with the President most…
The Crackdown on Corruption
On November 8 President Maithripala Sirisena called the irregularities around the Central Bank bond issue a (a huge destruction) and said that those behind it must accept responsibility. He was speaking at…
Public Service Failure – Sexual Harassment at the DMT
On the day of my exam, I went to my driving school’s office at around 6.30 am. I discovered through conversation with others in the group that only I had not paid…
Power, Religion and Impunity
I ordered, he says, as if those two words would suffice. Perhaps they do, in his eyes. ‘I’m the state,’ Louis XIV declared, according to Carlyle. Mahinda Rajapaksa sees himself as the…
Examining Facets of Corruption in Sri Lanka
Recent events have brought the issue of corruption into the spotlight. When you open a daily newspaper, chances are there will be four or five cases involving corruption within its pages, reported…
#anticorruptlka: On Combating Corruption and Complicity
On August 28th, Groundviews hosted a Twitter chat themed around corruption, using the hashtag #anticorruptlka. Participants included Executive Director of Transparency International, Asoka Obeysekere, Research Director at Verité Research, Gehan Gunatilleke, Chilaw…
The Monarch and the Hegemon: Tales of Suicidal Folly
Emma Lazarus’ poem, , became news recently when a poetry website carried it in response to Donald Trump’s immigration policy, and Mr. Trump responded with a characteristic twitter-barrage. Lazarus’ poem, written to…
The significance of Ms. Anika Wijesuriya’s evidence: What should we request from President Sirisena now?
Photo courtesy Getty Images, via As the media predicted last week, alluding to an off-guard comment made by a junior member of the Attorney-General’s legal team of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry…
Forecast for 2017: Gomin Dayasri
This is the eighth in a series of video interviews forecasting what 2017 will have in store across different sectors. Attorney-at-law, Gomin Dayasri speaks about developments in the legal sector over the…
[VIDEO] RTI In Practice
The Right to Information Act officially came into effect on February 3, 2017. We compiled a short video on the process involved in filing a request for information. The information was compiled…
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…
Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe’s resignation: The Fallout
Last week, on October 12, President Maithripala Sirisena lashed out at independent commissions, in a speech that drew condemnation from many quarters. This week, the Director General of the Commission to Investigate…