Economic Crisis is the Top Voter Priority
In the latest polling by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) conducted from August to November, 74% of Sri Lankans named the economy as their top…
Politics and Governance
Voters Want More Government Spending on Health and Education
As Sri Lanka approaches the general election, the Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling reveals strong voter support for prioritising increased government spending on health and…
Towards Stability, Equity and Prosperity in Sri Lanka – Part 5
As I have previously pointed out, although IMF programmes appear to solely focus on development, they do not cater to or deal with matters that affect socio-economic justice and a fair go.…
Amending the Online Safety Act and the Centrality of Human Rights Principles
Cabinet Spokesman Minister Vijitha Herath’s position on the Online Safety Act (OSA) at the press briefing held on November 6 essentially re-affirms what was noted in Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s manifesto in relation…
Nyet
No more refugees. No more border- crossers. No more morning after pills. No more right to decide who will decide if I will bear the greatest child in the greatest nation.…
Sri Lanka’s Path to Systemic Change: Need for Support and Vigilance
The election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka’s executive president has introduced a transformative environment into the country’s political landscape. His approach is marked by an emphasis on empathy, transparency and…
Towards Stability, Equity and Prosperity in Sri Lanka – Part 4
Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked the voters to elect members with experience back to the parliament at the Nov 14 election. He alleges that those who have worked with him in…
The Politics of Foreign Aid
The focus of this article is the politics of foreign aid given by other states to the Sri Lankan state during the post-colonial period. The post-colonial period is an interesting case study…
Development: What Kind?
During this campaign year there are various discourses by political parties and alliances about how to develop the country or bring development in order to address the current problems faced by the…
Traveling Genocide
I will not be silent. When Sri Lankan soldiers murdered seventy thousand Tamil civilians in the Vanni during the last months of the last Eelam War, there were cries…
Towards Stability, Equity and Prosperity in Sri Lanka – Part 3
The public appears to be pleased with most of the measures the president and the interim cabinet have taken. Yet there is much more to be done. The recent allegations made against…
AI and the Erosion of Humanity: Lessons from Israel’s Wars
Washington Post The ongoing conflict in Gaza has become a chilling showcase for the perils of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in warfare. Israel’s deployment of AI-powered systems to generate target lists and guide…
Out of Yaffa
He has never visited Yaffa, home of his grandfather, just forty miles away across No Man’s land and the border fence. He has not seen the Wailing Wall, stepped on the…
The Need for Stable Government and Strong Opposition
Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its political and economic history. As the country prepares for the parliamentary elections on November 14 with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s party, the National…
Towards Stability, Equity and Prosperity in Sri Lanka – Part 2
The interim NPP government wants to make negotiated changes to the IMF conditionalities already agreed upon by the previous regime. If that is not feasible, the NPP will have to move away…