Taking Aragalaya Ideas Seriously
The emergence of Frontline Social Party (FSP) in July as a major voice of the aragalaya (‘People’s uprising/struggle’) movement has led to many negative reactions. Searching questions are being raised and debated…
constitutional reform
On the Side of Justice
Why is it so difficult for the All Ceylon Jammiyathul Ulama (ACJU) to acknowledge 18 as the minimum age of marriage? What is interesting is that the Qur’an does not specify a…
Paradise Lost? Preliminary Notes on a Constitutional Coup
There were three dramatic announcements on the evening of Friday 26th October 2018 from the Presidential Secretariat, which occurred in the following order: (a) the announcement of the withdrawal of the UPFA from…
A Litmus Test: The Debate on the 19th Amendment
On April 28, 2015, the 19th amendment to the Constitution was passed in Parliament, with a two-thirds majority. 212 MPs voted in favour of its passage, with just one MP at the…
LEAKED: Report of the Committee Appointed to Consider Alternatives to MMDA
was sent a copy of the Justice Saleem Marsoof (JSM) Committee report on the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), leaked from a reliable source. Download it here. The Marsoof Committee was…
MMDA: Personal Narratives – 7
This is the seventh in a series of videos conducted by sister publication Maatram, highlighting the difficulties faced by women under the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). Article 16 of the constitution states that…
Waiting for the Muslim Man to “Soften Up”
The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) is in need of amendment and has been under the scrutiny of a most ineffectual committee for the past nine years. For years, individuals and…
Breaking Down the Interim Report: On Proposals for Devolution and the State
October 30 marked the beginning of a Parliamentary debate around the recently released draft interim report on constitutional reform by the Steering Committee in the Constitutional Assembly. In order to better inform the commentary…
Our Constitutional Conundrum – A Commentary
Image courtesy project, which marries architecture and constitutional theory. Sri Lanka’s current political debate on constitutional reform is significant for a variety of reasons. The Interim Report of the Constitutional Assembly has…
Breaking Down The Interim Report
October 30 marks the beginning of a Parliamentary debate around the recently released draft interim report on constitutional reform by the Steering Committee in the Constitutional Assembly. In order to better inform the…
Constitution, equality and Beethoven’s ninth symphony
I’m responding to one aspect of the article by Dr Rohan Wickramasinghe published in The Island of 17 July, 2017. He poses the question as to what the aristocratic framers of the…
On framing our Constitution
Featured image courtesy ConstitutionNet On Independence Day we had a Constitution framed primarily by a British academic, Sir (then Dr) Ivor Jennings in the mid-40s. In formulating this document he consulted Prime…
Are socio-economic rights, rights?
Through the ping of a tweet and a quick scan of the media, I’ve been alerted to a polarising constitutional debate in Sri Lanka. The debate is on whether justiciable socio-economic rights…
Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2017: Finalist
is pleased to announce the ‘Corridors of Power’, a path-breaking project marrying constitutional reform and theory with architecture, is a finalist in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2017 awards, under the Urban…
Forecast for 2017: Luwie Ganeshathasan
This is the ninth in a series of video interviews forecasting what 2017 will have in store across different sectors. Researcher from the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Luwie Ganeshathasan speaks about expected…