Mahindagamanaya 3
“We have not abandoned our people, neither will we do so.” Mahinda Rajapaksa (Budget 2023, second reading debate) The seminal event of the 2023 Budget cycle was not Budget 2023. The Budget…
Economy
2023 Budget: False Promises at the Expense of Women and Working People
The government’s budget presented on November 14 is incredibly callous. It fails to acknowledge the suffering Sri Lankans are enduring due to the economic crisis. The budget speech refers to rapid economic…
Stability or Protest, That is the Question
One striking issue is currently polarising society. Should the country forget about demanding system change and accept the status quo for now to get the economy back on track? The argument is…
Politics of Capitalist Transition and State Repression
Capitalist transition within a state is a process that involves changing institutions or the rules of the game so that markets become the primary mechanism for resource allocation. These changes must be…
Red Lights Are Flashing as over 9.5 Million People Descend into Poverty
Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence with a rapidly declining economic growth rate coupled with widening deficits in the balance of payments, government budget and investment and savings….
Creating a New Poor: the Fertiliser Ban that Marked the Beginning of the End
Although Sri Lanka takes pride in being an agricultural economy, the agricultural sector only contributes to 7.4% of the national Gross Domestic Production (GDP) out of which only 5.2% comes from farming. Despite…
Thinking About Resilience Beyond Coping in the Fishing Industry
Although the current financial crisis has had a broad impact on life and livelihoods in Sri Lanka, the effects are felt by different social groups in varying and unequal ways. When a…
Facing Starvation: Averting a Catastrophe
Scrolling through newsfeeds I find at least one article that refers to the number of people who are starving every day in Sri Lanka. My friends who are teachers say that children’s…
The Politics of Economic Reform
The recent tax proposals have created quite a ruckus in all quarters of Sri Lanka. While the popular opinion was that economic reforms would be opposed by the poor and the trade…
Gotabaya Rajapaksa – Getting Away With It All
After temporarily living in Maldives, Singapore and Thailand, the previous President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived back in his homeland in early September. Any Sri Lankan citizen, including a president who abandoned his post,…
The Problem of the People
Sri Lanka, unravelled and unravelling, is mesmerised by a new wonder: the Lotus Tower. When that monumental symbol of Rajapaksa folly was opened to the public last week, people thronged to pay…
Cricket-nomics: Can Sports Support Economic Recovery in Sri Lanka?
In June 2022, Sri Lanka was thrust into the international spotlight during the tour of the Australian cricket team which coincided with the recent political and economic crisis in the country. The…
Fighting Malnutrition in Vulnerable Families
Sri Lanka has long been known for its positive human development indicators in the health sector including low infant mortality, low maternal mortality and good nutritional status of children. However, the past…
Sri Lanka Faces a Gathering Storm at Geneva Sessions
As the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) prepares to meet, the regime’s multiple failures to protect and respect Sri Lankans are under local and international scrutiny. A hard-hitting report from the…
