Storming to Performing in 100 Days
Photo courtesy The Business Times Taking over the country’s governance, especially under the current circumstances in Sri Lanka must take an emotional and physical toll on the politicians. At this level of…
Elections
Sri Lanka’s Newfound (Cautious) Optimism
Photo courtesy Colombo Gazette Amra Ghouse, Kumaran Nadesan, Suthamie Poologasingham, Nima Ranawana and Viranjith Tilakaratne When Sri Lanka celebrated its 67th Independence Day on February 4, it did so filled with hope…
Sri Lanka’s political moment
Image via Maithripala Sirisena A change of guard The future of Sri Lanka’s democracy has reached a pivotal point. On the 9th of January, it awoke after decades of paralytic slumber.…
Sri Lanka: A Democratic Revolution in the Making?
Image courtesy Sri Lanka Guardian by Rohini Hensman and Faizun Zackaria A time for gratitude Two disasters were recently averted in Sri Lanka. The first would have been the re-election of the corrupt…
IMPLEMENTING THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT: THE FIRST STEP OF A LONG JOURNEY
Photo courtesy Sri Lanka Guardian “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu In his first trip abroad to India, the new Foreign Minister has stated that…
THE EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY AND THE SRI LANKAN STATE: MYTHS AND REALITIES
Photo courtesy The Business Times If there was a central plank to the common opposition platform in the presidential election, it was about what to do with the executive presidential system in…
First week of “Good Governance”: Three Good Speeches, One Promise Kept and One Postponed
The of President Maithripala Sirisena (MS) was launched last week with three good speeches, one of two promises largely kept and the third postponed, hopefully to be fulfilled sooner rather than later.…
Ideas for a Road Map for Truth and Justice in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy Aquila Style The new year has brought significant changes in Sri Lanka. President Maithripala Sirisena and his Government face many challenges and opportunities. Reform has been promised and expectations are…
DONOUGHMORE, BUNDESTAG, WESTMINSTER, OR ‘YAHA PAALANAYA’? AN ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL FOR THE REFORM OF THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE SYSTEM
Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images, via Huffington Post According to President Maithripala Sirisena’s timetable for his 100-day reform programme, the Standing Orders of Parliament are to be amended on 20th January to…
Charting a New Course: Sri Lankan Foreign Policy
Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images, via Time There could not have been a better time to be a student or a professional of International Relations in Sri Lanka, given the geopolitical dynamics…
Anti-Corruption Commission for Sri Lanka: Some thoughts
Photo via Transparency International There is renewed interest and concern among various quarters of Sri Lankan society about the need for a more effective system of preventing, investigating and curbing corrupt activities…
An end to culture of retaliation: Transitional justice in Sri Lanka
Photo via Asia News “In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?”—St. Augustine “When will our conscience grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather…
SECURING THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN THE NEW SRI LANKA: ESSENTIAL INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
Cartoon by Awantha Artigala via Sri Lanka 16 days Chapter 11 of the common opposition candidate’s presidential election manifesto is devoted to media freedom. Among other things, it includes simple commitments such…
Maithri’s Mandela Moment: An open letter to the President
Dear Mr President, Please accept my good wishes on your election victory on a platform for good governance, justice and fairness. During the past few weeks, we watched – first in astonishment,…
‘The Jewel of the East yet has its Flaws’ – The Deceptive Tranquillity surrounding Sri Lankan Independence
Image courtesy Sumith Wickramasinghe. For a wider examination of the issues covered in this article see my recently published book , London: I. B. Tauris, 2013 The just concluded presidential election saw…
