Steering Sri Lanka Away from Kakistocracy
By January 2022 Sri Lanka was well on its way to becoming a failed state. Bankrupt, riddled with corruption from top to bottom and at the mercy of evil leaders, the country…
Development
Sri Lanka’s Path to Systemic Change: Need for Support and Vigilance
The election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka’s executive president has introduced a transformative environment into the country’s political landscape. His approach is marked by an emphasis on empathy, transparency and…
Development: What Kind?
During this campaign year there are various discourses by political parties and alliances about how to develop the country or bring development in order to address the current problems faced by the…
Financing Sri Lanka’s Marine Conservation Ambitions: Time for a Reset?
This year marks a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s biodiversity conservation ambitions – three decades of commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since its ratification after the Rio Earth Summit….
Poverty and Malnutrition in Sri Lanka: An Overview
Today is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Poverty and malnutrition are interconnected issues that continue to affect millions worldwide and Sri Lanka is no exception. In recent years, global poverty…
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…
Economy, Inflation and Unemployment: Most Pressing National Issues
Sri Lankans overwhelmingly cite the economy and inflation as their biggest concerns going into the September presidential election in the latest Institute for Health Policy (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS)…
Revisiting Ray Wijewardene at 100: Reality is Catching Up With His Vision
Ray Wijewardene (1924-2010) often quoted these words by the English poet Robert Browning, embedded in the poem Andrea del Sarto. An engineer, aviator, inventor, farmer and a public intellectual of the highest…
Celebrating the Adivasi of Sri Lanka
The Adivasi, historically known as the Veddas, are considered the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. They have lived on the island for millennia, maintaining a distinct ethnic identity and a way of…
Focus on Inequality
Sri Lankans will participate in another presidential election before the end of this year. This election will be held after the country has faced what was probably the worst economic crisis in…
The Impact of the Gig Economy After the COVID-19 Pandemic
The tides of work in Sri Lanka are shifting and Gen-Z is at the forefront of this change. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyzing factor to throw young adults into this…
Climate Change: How Serious is Sri Lanka?
Climate change is one subject that has consistently dominated the world headlines over the past decade. Increasing consumerism fuels large scale fossil fuel usage and damages the natural environment. This results in…
Reconsidering the De-gazetting of Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve
As both a developing nation and a biodiversity hotspot, Sri Lanka has to tread a delicate balance between conservation and development. The recent decision to degazette portions of the Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve…
Most Sri Lankans Think the Country is Going in the Wrong Direction
Three out of four Sri Lankan adults (75%) said that the country is heading in the wrong in April 2024 while almost none (3%) said it was on the right track. The…
Paying Lip Service to Environmental Protection and Mitigating Climate Change
In February this year Sri Lanka received an UN award in recognition of its efforts to rebuild and restore its mangrove ecosystems, highlighting best practices and methodologies that could serve as a…