Taking Stock for the New Year
Photo courtesy A tumultuous year has ended, and an uncertain future lies ahead. Democratic space is already closing around us, and it is critical for civil society to be clear-eyed about where…
Governance
The Ethno-Economics of Majoritarianism: Notes on Conflict and Gotabaya’s Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy Tribune.lk In the aftermath of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election victory, a number of competing narratives have emerged offering differing explanations of how we arrived at this result. The prevailing liberal account,…
Of a Disciplined Society
Photo courtesy Lesley Barnes On the day that marks a week since a new era of Sri Lankan politics dawned, the country that voted for a hinted at during the Mahinda Rajapaksa…
Implications of the populist frenzy of the Presidential Election
Photo courtesy In the aftermath of the 2019 Presidential Elections which concluded another era of the Sri Lankan political journey, it is necessary to delve into the fragility of the Sri Lankan…
The Emerging Political Vacuum in Sri Lanka: Is JVP the Answer?
If there is one question that troubles many rights activists in Sri Lanka today, it is the current political instability within the coalition Government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena government…
Namal Rajapaksa, bots and trolls: New contours of digital propaganda and online discourse in Sri Lanka
Image courtesy , by Quartz Late 2017, the Twitter account of has generated all manner of violent, venomous pushback and responses to content it has produced, published and promoted. Over the years,…
Mixed feelings one year on
One year ago, on August 18, a new Parliament was elected on an ambitious premise of good governance. The public voted for change, and for an ambitious overhaul of the status quo….
Ghosts from the Past
Photograph courtesy Business Today ‘The sleep of reason produces monsters.’ Goya (The title of the 43rd etching of Los Caprichos) Post-Rajapaksa Sri Lanka is being haunted by the ghost of the Rajapaksa…
Small Country Diplomacy
Bosom buddies, Libya’s Qadaffi and Sri Lanka’s President, courtesy Of late there have been several critical comments levied against the manner in which Sri Lanka has conducted her diplomatic relations. Traditional alliances…
Have we faltered in Sri Lanka?
Pictures of Sri Lankans mourning the victims of the bomb blasts in the past few months have occupied local and international press agencies; the former to a greater degree. What were once…
A military pathway to nation building
The leaders of the Tamil community and the left movement, who had joined the governments of UNP and SLFP since independence had helped the leaders of these two parties to bring this country to the present catastrophe – war and more war.
Going for the Kill in More Ways than One
What does the failed abduction attempt against Namal Perera of the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), which turned into a brutal assault on him and his friend Mahinda Ratnaweera , Political Officer…
When servants of the people become oppressors in Sri Lanka
In the Republic of Sri Lanka, sovereignty is in the people and is inalienable. We elect a President, Members of Parliament, and Provincial Councilors etc using the powers vested with the people…
Bus Terrorism and Justice
It was a busy afternoon on the Galle Road in Moratuwa and I stopped my vehicle at a pedestrian crossing to allow a few women and children cross the road. The vehicle…
How high is our Social Esteem in Sri Lanka?
Our self esteem is central to our survival. Yet, we do not value its importance as we face life’s challenges. Self esteem, whether our own or others’, is strengthened or takes a…