Sri Lanka Snapshot, 2010
The giant leafy mango tree in the back garden has been cut down screamed the poet, Scar and the hyenas are in charge, the stomach queasy, revolted, Il Duce megaphoned War is…
Issues
VALEDICTORY FOR A SEASON
The Sri Lankan crisis continues, sourced in and stemming from two major flaws/factors: (i) There is no comprehension that “justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done” and…
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term: Opportunities and challenges for constitutional reform
I interviewed recently Rohan Edrisinha, who lectures at the Law Faculty, University of Colombo. Along with a number of other issues related to prospects of meaningful constitutional reform in Sri Lanka during…
Unemployment: Where did it go wrong and what should be done?
The unemployment rate in Sri Lanka is not exceptional when compared with other countries in the world. In fact, it might seem relatively low. On a list of countries ranked in order…
TNA and the New Era of Tamil Politics: Are They Living Up to the Challenge?
The TNA, the remnant of old politics in the Tamil community has entered a new era. The post LTTE politics has made it possible to create conditions for a democratic culture in…
Justice Everywhere?
A young TV journalist asked me whether Martin Luther Kings’ philosophy of non-violence will work in bringing true peace to Sri Lanka ? I cannot remember how I answered it facing the…
Sri Lanka: A country without citizens
Note from author: For someone who is not in the least interested in politics – and is more often than not bored by it – my reaction to the 2010 Presidential Elections…
election 2010
there was a lovely tree in the yard at the back of our house. a lovely sinewy and tall mango tree.             one day in the morning we were woken to the sound…
Abolition or reform of Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka?
A pre-presidential election conversation I had with well-known lawyer and activist Javed Yusuf touched upon a number of issues vital to Sri Lanka over the course of 2010 and well-beyond. Javed Yusuf…
An open letter to the Remote Control Diaspora
Dear RCD, I was having a meal at home recently when I heard this piece of news repeated on the radio. “…two men caught while trying to buy missiles and hundreds of…
Yes, I am Tamil!
When Weerasena (1)Â was interdicted And the sun was on fire Above the textile factory Shouting slogans Screaming hoarsely Brother Nadesan(2) At the flaming pickets I was a Tamil When Weere(3)Â got the job…
Should Vice-Chancellors pledge support to the President?
[ was informed that this open letter was penned on 20 January 2010, before the presidential election. Tellingly, efforts to publish it in the traditional print media before the presidential election, we…
Updates capturing aftermath of presidential elections
From the first update after the close of polls at around 10pm on the 25th and then from around 3am on the morning of the 26th, gave regular updates on the high…
Challenges of Development: The Next Phase
It is over. We have a winner, and we have a loser. The margin of victory has many messages. In mature democracies, play leading up to the climax is performed in a…
President’s second term: Two options before the Supreme Court
There is, at present, much excitement over the question of when re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second (and new) term begins. Various news reports concerning the matter have been published in the print…
