A Reconciliation Slipping Away
As with every war the silencing of the guns or the signing of a treaty are often only a small step in a long journey of reconciliation. The true progress in rebuilding…
Elections
The political landscape post the provincial polls
Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images The elections to the North Western, Central and Northern provincial councils are over and the results have been largely as many political analysts predicted. The UPFA won…
Welcoming the Verdict of the Tamil People
Image courtesy AFP The TNA has swept the polls in the North. More importantly, the Tamil people have voted courageously, convincingly, and clearly. It was an expected outcome, but as President Rajapaksa…
THE TNA TSUNAMI: RE-BALANCING THE EQUATION
Image courtesy The Sri Lanka Guardian The TNA victory has shown that Sri Lanka remains a functioning democracy; that it functions when there is competition; and that with or without the 17th…
Northern Provincial Council Elections: A Pre-Election Survey
Image courtesy Sri Lanka Brief Provincial Elections in the Northern Province will be held on the 21st of September 2013 – the first time in 25 years. According to the Department of…
Is a Black July being threatened through the State media?
Image courtesy Sri Lanka Guardian “Now intolerance is the badge of the tribe and the scribe. A papier-mâché patriotism is the last refuge of a petrified elite that has lost its nerve,…
Dayasiri causes confusion in the North West while Vigneswaren prepares to lead the North
Photo courtesy dbsjeyaraj.com Last week, Rajavarothiam Sambanthan, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance pulled a political rabbit out of a proverbial hat, when long running rumors were confirmed that eminent jurist…
The Importance of Working With
Image courtesy “Machan, I hope a couple of UPFA guys get elected, too!” said my drinking partner, the Sri Lankan Tamil fellow Sivapuranam Thevaram. It is a warm and beautifully sunny day…
The Wigneswaran Factor: Sampanthan’s Master-Stroke
Photo courtesy In this country, it is a rarity to witness really smart politics on strategic issues. We have just done so and got two breakthrough moves on the same issue. The…
Why a TNA-run Northern Council is more positive than negative
Image courtesy in.com Had the Government not made the mess it has by fussing over the 13th amendment, it could have shown off the TNA run Northern PC in all global forums…
Viroda Vipakshaya, General Fonseka and early presidential stakes
Image courtesy The political opposition in Sri Lanka seems freshly energized if recent events are anything to go by. The UNP has formed some form of a broader opposition coalition through the “Viroda Vipakshaya”…
The consequences of political representation or the lack of it
Image from AsiaNews.it The focus of my article in the of 5 May was on the need for Northern Provincial representation. It now looks as if those elections may be held in…
Northern Provincial Council Election and the Future of Lankan Tamil Politics
This year promises to be a decisive one for Lankan Tamils. Events that take place this year will considerably determine the future trajectory of Tamil politics. It is only a beginning where…
Black, Brown, and White Voters Could Think Alike: A Quest for a New Social Contract!
Photo by Carolyn Kaster/AP, courtesy Christian Science Monitor Implicit in Mitt Romney’s claim that President Obama won the election with “gifts” to people of color, women, and youth is the idea that…
Reflections on the US Presidential Elections
Photo courtesy BBC The outcome of the United States Presidential elections is too close to call. Yet, three presidential debates reinforced the perception among informed voters that Mitt Romney is both a…