Saving Sri Lanka’s Paddy Farmers
Much of the country is gripped by drought because the past month was exceptionally dry following the very wet conditions previously. The hydroelectric reservoirs have little water and the government is importing…
Economy
All Shock and No Therapy for Hapless Population
Guardian A nation was promised vistas of prosperity and splendor and about 6.9 million voters opted for it, subsequently providing a two third parliamentary majority to implement the vision. A little over…
Water Pumps and Chickens: Rhetoric vs Reality in the North
December 19, 2021. Jaffna town. 6 am. Three motorcycles parked one behind the other at an angle with headlights on. Two armed military personnel, clad in black, on each motorcycle. Women headed…
To Flee or Not to Flee, That is the Question
Once known as being the best fed, most educated and healthiest people in South Asia, Sri Lankans are facing the bleak prospect of a full blown economic crisis that will dramatically push…
Cutting Heavy Wastage to Reduce Food Shortage
A new year usually brings hope and optimism but when we welcomed 2022, another worrisome issue had surfaced – the imminent threat of a food shortage. When the sudden fertilizer policy changes…
Repay Foreign Debt or Finance Essential Imports
South China Morning Post The available foreign reserves of the country can be used to either repay foreign creditors or to finance imports of essential goods and services required by its citizens….
How Sri Lanka Became a Nation of Beggars
Every economy in the world, developed or developing, is a topic for discussion today. Some economies are being discussed for their sound management, good governance, high growth and overcoming crises while other…
State Owned Enterprises: A Major Crisis in the Making
Sri Lanka has a whopping 527 state-owned enterprises[1] (SOEs). The 55 SOEs classified as “strategically important” alone employ 10% of the public sector workforce[2] or about 1.9% of all workers. Such a…
Making Cash from Trash
The organic fertilizer ship from China was one of the hotly debated topics in Sri Lanka. The quality of the fertilizer shipment, which resulted heated exchanges between the stakeholders, almost sparked a…
The 2022 Budget As I See It
The second budget of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government was presented on November 12 by his younger brother Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Cheer leaders and image builders claim the budget is extra ordinarily…
The Plight of Up Country Tamils in the North
Ever since they were brought to Sri Lanka from South India by the British colonists to work on the coffee, tea and rubber plantations Malayaha Tamils, more commonly known as Hill Country Tamils, Up…
Farmers Bear the Deadly Cost of Going Instantly Organic
The biggest gamble of a lifetime is being played out in the fields of Sri Lanka by over a million people today. Paddy sowing for the rain fed Maha season is almost…
Combatting Corruption is Everybody’s Fight
The sad story of corruption in Sri Lanka stretches far back and, by all accounts, will be stretching far into the future as well. On the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) compiled…
Smashing Fertilizer Myths
About a decade ago, a statement by a medical doctor in the United States made overnight headlines. He was a popular television personality too. When he learned about the presence of arsenic…
Gotabaya Rajapaksa: A Two Year Timeline
To coincide with the end of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s second year in office, the Centre for Policy Alternatives produced a video timeline detailing some of the defining moments of the President’s past…