by D.B.S.Jeyaraj “The Prime Minister is Dead” was the striking headline in extra – large, bold letters of a special edition published by the now defunct “Times of Ceylon” on the morning of Saturday, September 26th 1959. Though I was only a little kid at that time and sixty years have passed since, I still …
By Meera Srinivasan . The recent passing away of a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka and his subsequent cremation in the northern district of Mullaitivu has brought to the fore an old concern — the power wielded by the Buddhist clergy and the impunity shielding them. It wasn’t the monk’s cremation that was the problem, …
by C.A.Chandraprema By fielding Sajith Premadasa as its presidential candidate, the UNP has put its best foot forward. As a political party, it would not have been feasible to ignore the demonstrations that the Sajith camp put up to prove the fact that he was by far the preferred candidate of the UNP rank and …
Continue reading ‘The Pluses and Minuses of a Sajith Premadasa Presidential Candidacy’ »
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Two manifestly glorious ironies occurred this week. A former President cautioned against a return to what he termed ‘the Premadasa era’ and a former Chief Justice lamented that, during the ‘yahapalanaya’ years, the independence of the Sri Lankan judiciary had been lost. Strange logic and stranger contradictions These claims may have …
By P.K.Balachandran On Thursday, after a month-long bitter inner-party struggle, Sajith Premadasa was nominated as the ruling United National Party’s candidate for the November 16 Sri Lankan Presidential election. The entrenched faction led by party Leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had to bite the dust eventually, and grant Deputy Leader and Housing Minister Sajith …
By Lahiru Pothmulla Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa today said Minister Sajith Premadasa was not a challenge to them at the presidential election and asked how a person who could not even win the Tissamaharama electorate and Hambantota district, could win the entire country. He expressed these views in response to the questions asked by journalists …
By Chandani Kirinde Unanimously endorsed as the party’s presidential candidate, an upbeat UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday said he was supremely and absolutely confident of winning the upcoming election. “I am supremely and absolutely confident of winning against (SLPP candidate) Gotabaya Rajapaksa, because I know the majority of the people of this country are …
By Meera Srinivasan United National Party (UNP) deputy leader and Cabinet Minister Sajith Premadasa will run for President, Sri Lanka’s ruling party announced on Thursday, ending weeks of uncertainty and apparent infighting over candidacy. Mr. Premadasa, 52, is the son of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa. In the November 16 election, he will face Gotabaya Rajapaksa, …
UNP Deputy Leader and Housing and Construction Minister Sajith Premadasa yesterday insisted that he would not yield to any condition on his political journey and that no force would be able to block his path this time. He made this observation with reference to news paper reports appearing on Tuesday which said that his name …
The UN peacekeeping department has decided to ban the deployment of non-essential Sri Lankan army troops in UN peacekeeping missions citing the appointment of new Army Commander who is alleged to have committed war crimes, a UN spokesperson has told the Foreign Policy News. It said Lt. General Shavendra Silva’s appointment as the chief of …
By P.K.Balachandran The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Ven.Galagoda Aththe Gnansara Thero held a Sri Lankan court in contempt for the second time when on Tuesday, he defied a magistrate’s order not to cremate the body of a Buddhist monk within the disputed precincts of a Hindu kovil in the northern district …
By Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera There was general agreement among the seniors of the United National Party (UNP) to nominate Minister Sajith Premadasa as the presidential candidate but on certain conditions to be stipulated in writing, Daily Mirror learns. The UNP seniors backing both Party Leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mr.Premadasa met on …
By T.Virushan S. Thavaseelan and Sivam Packyanathan Over 2,000 protestors yesterday demonstrated in Mullaitivu against an alleged attack on two lawyers in relation to the controversy surrounding the cremation of the remains of Mullaitivu Gurukanda Purana Raja Maha Vihara Chief Incumbent, Ven.Colomba Medhalankarakitti Thera. The demonstrators demanded legal action against the performance of last rites …
A Government Minister has accused the Bodu Bala Sena led by the Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero of attempting to build a sub-national Sinhala Buddhist state. Minister of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs Mano Ganesan said that while the Government is building a Sri Lankan state encompassing Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, yesterday, accused President Maithripala Sirisena of misleading the public with regard to former Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe. Issuing a statement, the Prime Minister said that he could not fathom why the President was raising false allegations against him after a …
By T. Farook Thajudeen Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the American and Sri Lankan citizenship of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and report its progress to court upon conclusion of the investigation. The magistrate also laid by the brief without fixing a date for inquiry. The magistrate …
By Kelum Bandara Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, after a discussion with a team of his party seniors, decided last night to call for a meeting of the working committee on Thursday and conduct a secret ballot to select the presidential candidate, Daily Mirror learns.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa and 7 others have been discharged and released from the Avant-Garde floating armoury case. This is as per the order of the Colombo Magistrate’s Court after receiving the Court of Appeal judgment on the case. A copy of the acquittal order from the Appeals court …
The fallout from last week’s hurried move to abolish the executive presidency continued to reverberate through Government ranks as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday rejected the claim by President Maithripala Sirisena that it was the UNP leader who wanted an urgent Cabinet meeting convened for the purpose. “The President telephoned me at 8.16 a.m. on …
By W.A. Wijewardena Recently, a former CEO of a leading private company expressed his personal view to me of the type of the ruler whom Sri Lanka should have today. Driven by conviction, he said that Sri Lanka at the present juncture needed a dictator to rule the country. He presented his reasons for this …
By P.K.Balachandran Whatever the issue may be, a politician’s or a political party’s stand on it is determined by immediate political interests and not ideology, principles or long-standing commitments. Cold calculation marks choices ahead of the November 16 Sri Lankan Presidential election. This has come out clearly in the stand taken by Lankan political leaders …
By Dr.Rajan Hoole ( Text of Speech delivered by DR. Rajan Hoole at Trimmer Hall, Jaffna, on 21st September 2019 to mark the 30th anniversary of Dr.Rajini Thiranagama’s assassination) Ever since Rajani was killed, on 21st September 1989, many around the world have seen her as a heroic figure that stood for human values, not …
Continue reading ‘Thirty Years After: Rajini Rajasingham Thiranagama’s Lasting Impact.’ »
by Sanjana Hattotuwa What binds a community together? Initially one might assume it is to do with having the same language, external enemies or economic interests. However, something generally precedes all that: common ideas that are passed down from generation to generation and that shape the development of the community. These ideas lend a distinctiveness …
By Aanya Wipulasena Most of it happened behind closed doors. The public knew only what was shown on television and what they read in the newspapers, and one caught a glimpse (perhaps) of the true story, depending on which television channel one watched, or which newspaper one read. Now, six years later, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, …
With reference to the Daily Mirror news story on the appearance of the invalidated national identity card number of Gotabhaya Rajapksa in the electoral registers of 2017, 2018 and 2019, Mr. Rajapaksa said that although he filled the form with the new ID number and the Department of Registration of Persons had informed the Elections …
By Anurangi Singh Attorney General Dappula De Livera will refer the matter of a leaked telephone conversation allegedly between the chairman of the controversial private security firm Avant Garde and the former Director General of the Bribery Commission, to the Public Service Commission (PSC) tomorrow, his office told Sunday Observer. The move comes as the …
By Anurangi Singh A day after the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna made a deposit on behalf of its presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Elections Commission, fresh controversy has erupted over the former defence secretary being registered to vote since 2017 under a NIC number that has been defunct since October 2016. The revelations followed …
TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said yesterday that the emergency Cabinet meeting summoned on Thursday to discuss the abolition of the executive presidency was done with the agreement of both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. “The primary promise of the 2015 Presidential Election campaign was the abolition of the executive presidency, and this …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake SLFP’s Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera will have to give up on his calls for the SLPP and the Gotabaya Rajapaksa team to have a common symbol if contesting the polls in an alliance between the two parties. President Maithripala Sirisena has now sent the symbol of Gotabaya and the SLPP into celestial heights …
By Himal Kotelawala United National Party (UNP) seniors backing Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa in the race to the executive presidency defended their decision yesterday to oppose the 11th hour move to abolish it. Speaking to the media in Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s official residence in Colombo this afternoon, Ministers Thalatha Atukorale, Ranjith Madduma Bandara and Ravindra …
By Chandani Kirinde A Cabinet meeting was hurriedly summoned last afternoon to obtain approval to rush the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which seeks to abolish the Executive Presidency, through Parliament, but was stopped on its tracks after a group within the United National Party (UNP), as well as three minor parties, opposed the move. …
by Kelum Bandara A last ditch attempt to abolish the executive presidency by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was thwarted in the Cabinet today. Minister Mano Ganeshan said the government has decided at the special cabinet meeting on the abolishment of the Executive Presidency not to discuss the matter at the moment. …
By Sandun A Jayasekera The UNP group of the SLFP would either back UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa if he gets the ticket to contest the Presidential poll or slant towards the JVP as the once great political party has become politically destitute today, SLFP rebel Parliamentarian Dilan Perera said today. He added that the …
United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader and Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa yesterday doubled down on being his party’s presidential candidate, calling for the Working Committee and the Parliamentary Group to meet promptly to take a decision. Speaking at an early morning press conference at Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s official residence, Premadasa addressed the media, flanked …
The National Elections Commission has decided to hold the Presidential election on November 16. The Gazette notification declaring the date of the Presidential Election was issued today. Deposits for the Presidential election will be accepted from tomorrow (19) till 12 noon on the 6th of October. Nominations for the election will be called from 9am …
(Text of MEDIA RELEASE issued on September 18th 2019 by former president and Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa under the heading Allegation regarding the disappearance of Rs. two billion in the construction of the Colombo Lotus Tower) Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Colombo Lotus Tower, the President made a statement to the …
By N. Lohathayalan Eluha Thamil demonstrations were called by the Tamil People’s Council of which former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran is the Co-Chairman and essential catalyst. The parades and demonstrations were held over several issues: Sinhalese colonisation of Tamil homelands, the prosecution of war criminals, the release of Tamil political prisoners, an international …
By Manopriya Gunasekara A Fundamental Rights Petition requesting the cancellation of the Extraordinary Gazette notification which brought the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) under the Defence Ministry has been filed in the Supreme Court. Ven. Dambara Amila Thero and Prof. Chandraguptha Thenuwara filed the FR Petition yesterday. According to the Petitioners, the President, under the …
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday indicated his willingness to be the United National Front (UNF) candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election, saying he would run only on the assurance that the Executive Presidency would be abolished within a fixed time frame. “I can consider running for the office of President based on our Party’s pledge since …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya As party infighting continues to dominate the political landscape, voters are still left guessing as to the nature of programmes the main contenders in the forthcoming presidential election hope to introduce if they win. This is with only a couple of months to go before the poll. The uncertainty comes against a …
Formally declaring his presidential ambitions to his leader, United National Party (UNP) deputy leader Sajith Premadasa last night wrote to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe requesting a “consensus-building” meeting of the party’s Working Committee and Parliamentary Group. Members of the two groups are expected to reach agreement on the contentious issue of its presidential nomination at …
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena had bared a scam running into billions of rupees in building a massive tower by Chinese firms, draining funds from Sri Lanka’s cash rich telecom regulator. One apparently non-existent Chinese company had vanished with two billion rupees in the process. The contract to build the tower had been awarded in …
Addressing the opening of the Lotus Tower in Colombo, President Maithripala Sirisena revealed that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government siphoned off Rs. 2 billion in the guise of an ‘advance payment’ for the project. “We came to know that Rs. 2 billion had been paid in 2012 to a Chinese company as an advanced payment. …
By Nirmala Kannangara Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in a candid interview with the Daily Mirror said the country could have saved billions of rupees had the respective Presidents elected since 1994 to date got the presidential system abolished as promised on election platforms.He also criticizes the current presidential system, ‘designed to serve the interests of one …
By Ranga Jayasuriya The UNP’s all lose–no winners cold war over the Presidential candidacy seems to be heading to a saner end. Party heavyweights, including the leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, and constituent parties of the UNF are gradually leaning towards Karu Jayasuriya, the Speaker of the House as the national candidate, who will pledge to abolish …
United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader, Housing and Cultural Affairs Minister Sajith Premadasa says he has formally requested UNP leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in writing to announce the party’s Presidential candidate, without further delay. Speaking at a ceremony to vest with the public two Uda Gammana villages in Tissamaharama, yesterday, the Minister said …
By Saman Indrajith The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday carnage is to ask President Maithripala Sirisena why he mismanaged the affairs of National Security Council and ignored the intelligence warnings of the possible attacks, according to sources. The PSC members met, on Saturday, at the former Agriculture Ministry building near Parliament. PSC …
By Chandani Kirinde The final decision on the United National Party’s (UNP) candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election is likely by the end of the week, sources in the Prime Minister’s office said last night as the likelihood of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya being the likely compromise candidate for the Party gathered momentum. A delegation of …
By Saman Indrajith The selection of the UNP’s presidential candidate would take some more time as the TNA, yesterday, has said it is not ready to accept Sajith Premadasa as the candidate of the coalition to be formed. The TNA has pointed out that Premadasa will not get the votes in the North and the …
by Gnana Moonesinghe Sometimes the fear is that large numbers of the people are blind and deaf; blind and deaf by intent that they neither see nor hear or do so selectively. That will have to be another study, another investigation. But for now this short paper is confined to describe what has been seen …
The Speaker of Parliament and the United National Party’s one-time chairman, Karu Jayasuriya is expected to be proposed as a possible “National candidate” by an influential section of the party following party leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Deputy Leader and Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa digging in to their position on the presidential ticket. The …
United National Party Chairman Kabir Hashim and two Non-Cabinet Ministers face expulsion next week whilst a partnership between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) may not materialise, according to new political developments this week. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Sunday Times learns, has decided to move against three …
By Gamini Weerakoon Even though the presidential election has not yet been officially announced, the cacophony of voices for the proposed candidates is stepping up. Unrestrained, superlative praises of cheer squads are being shouted from roof tops followed by vile, damning condemnation of their rivals. This, of course, is in keeping with the country’s political …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene It has always been an interesting curiosity that politicians trained in law in Sri Lanka appear to be far more blissfully unconscious of basic legal principles than their colleagues who at least do not engage in hair splitting explanations when abusing power. Disregarding legal and constitutional proprieties Indeed, it is better …
By Don Manu Coming out of his shell, UNP State Minister of Defence and Minister of Media Ruwan Wijewardena struck a blow for media freedom this week when he condemned his Minister, the Minister of Defence and Lankan President for his arbitrary takeover of State owned TV channel Rupavahini under his Defence Ministry and thus …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Those who seek power at any price detect a societal weakness, a fear that they can ride into office.” Carl Sagan (The Demon-haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark) One point four million extra votes – that is what Gotabaya Rajapaksa needs to achieve his burning desire to become the …
By Sanjana Hattotuwa A coup’s normalization is key to long-term success. Architects of an unconstitutional transfer of power have to quickly give the impression everything is under control and nothing is going awry, so as to allay public fears, even amongst ardent supporters, that it may lead to more widespread chaos or instability. By November …
By Wisu Karunanidhi and Lahiru Fernando The fisheries issue in the Palk Strait and the situation of detained Indian fisher crews as well as co-operation against cross-border extremist terror outfits were subjects of discussion when rising Tamil Nadu politician and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday. …
By Lucien Rajakarunanayake The drum beats of political pride get louder as the Gam Udawa – Village Re-awakening – score gets closer to the third century. The political legacy of the Premadasa Family is coming to new reaches in the spread of new village names, needing a new listing of the acres or hectares of …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj When Professor Sunil Ariyaratne was studying for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level in 1963 at St. John’s College, Nugegoda, one of his favourite textbooks was W.A. Silva’s novel ‘Vijayaba Kollaya’. Fifty-six years later in 2019, the eminent academic-writer-lyricist-director has made a film out of the novel he relished reading as …
By Chandani Kirinde A meeting between UNP Party Leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa ended last night with both sides agreeing to reach a final decision soon as to who the Party’s candidate should be for the upcoming Presidential Election. Premadasa told reporters after the meeting that it was positive, and …
Non-Cabinet Minister of Mass Media Ruwan Wijewardene yesterday accused President Maithripala Sirisena of repeatedly obstructing his attempts to change the management of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), leading to the impasse which resulted in the Corporation being brought under the Defence Ministry’s purview. “Since I took over the Ministry of Mass Media in February this …
by Zacki Jabbar The UNP’s Presidential candidate would be selected by the Working Committee (WC) and named after a date for the election was announced, senior party sources said, yesterday. Asked when the WC would meet, sources said “Very Soon. But that will be to discuss the need for discipline and unity within the party …
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday in a statement said that SLPP’s presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ‘economic blueprint’, unveiled on Sunday, was meant to build castles in the air. Following is Samaraweera’s statement. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s so-called ‘economic blueprint’ is anything but a plan. The 82 slides, released on Sunday, pump aspiration and dump implementation. A blueprint …
By Nisthar Cassim UNP presidential candidate hopeful Minister Sajith Premadasa yesterday promised a truly prosperous nation to all people, as opposed to enriching a select few as rulers to date have done in Sri Lanka. Delivering the 22nd M.A. Bakeer Markar Annual Commemoration lecture yesterday, titled ‘Foundation for a stronger and prosperous Sri Lanka’ Housing, …
By Chandani Kirinde President Maithripala Sirisena last night brought the influential Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) under the purview of the Ministry of Defence by an Extraordinary Gazette notification. Along with the takeover, the SLRC was also tasked with the “Implementation of programs for the promotion of peace, harmony and reconciliation among people whilst ensuring …
By Nisali De Silva Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) filed a complaint this morning (10) at the Commission to Investigation Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa and seven other Cabinet Ministers who failed to submit their Declarations of Assets and Liabilities for the year 2018/19.
Sports Minister Harin Fernando has issued a temporary directive preventing former Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Thilanga Sumathipala from exercising any powers or holding any office at the SLC pending an inquiry.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential aspirant and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday gave a detailed outline of his blueprint to develop Sri Lanka and pledged to focus on building partnerships with the private sector, appointing technocrats to carry out national policies and strengthening local industries. Speaking at the Viyathmaga Annual Convention 2019 at …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Former national cricketer Muththiah Muralitharan, yesterday, (08) urged the electorate to pick a capable leader who could lead a team. Underscoring the importance of the leader consulting his team, Muralitharan said that it would be the responsibility of the leader to take decisions. The leader required right support, Muralitharan said, underscoring the …
A scheduled meeting between UNP leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and its Deputy Leader Minister Sajith Premadasa which was to take place last evening to iron out differences as to who should be the Party’s presidential candidate was postponed on the latter’s request. Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said that Premadasa sought a rescheduling …
(Excerpts from the “Sunday Times”Political Column of September 8th 2019) Upon his return from the Maldives, on Friday, Premier Wickremesinghe met senior members of the UNP at Temple Trees. For the first time, he made a declaration. He said he proposed to announce his name as the presidential candidate on behalf of the proposed Democratic …
By The “Sunday Times” Political Editor This week’s two major political developments over the presidential election took Sri Lankans by surprise and portend a major change in alignments. One is the declaration by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he would be the United National Party (UNP) candidate. On Friday he told a meeting of party …
Former national cricketer Muthaiah Muralitharan will address civil society grouping Viyathmaga national convention at the Shangrila tomorrow (8). Viyathmaga spearheads a campaign in support of wartime Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s bid to secure nomination for the 2019 presidential polls. The opening statement will be delivered by Gotabaya Rajapaksa Courtesy:The Island
United National Party leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is to hold crucial talks with his deputy Sajith Premadasa on Sunday amid a deepening crisis over the presidential candidacy. Wickremesinghe denied he demanded the nominations to contest up coming presidential elections, a source within the party leadership said adding that a final call would be …
By Chandani Kirinde Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told a group of senior UNP members yesterday that he would be the Party’s candidate at the upcoming Presidential election. A senior Minister, who was at the meeting, told Daily FT that Wickremesinghe had said he would put forward his name to the UNP’s Working Committee and leave …
Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga Friday wreaked havoc after becoming the first bowler in Twenty20 internationals to claim 100 wickets as he struck four times with four balls in the third match against New Zealand. Malinga, who surpassed Pakistan spinner Shahid Afridi’s tally of 97 scalps to become the leading T20 wicket-taker on Sunday, bowled Colin …
By Meera Srinivasan In Sri Lanka’s presidential poll in 2015, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), representing Tamils of the north and east, led its constituency in a crucial protest vote against then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. As the country gears up for the next presidential election, scheduled before the end of this year, Jaffna district MP …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said he remained committed to abolishing the Executive Presidency so its powers cannot be abused with impunity, and pledged to continue upholding democracy. Addressing the People’s Majlis, which is the equivalent of the Maldives Parliament, Wickremesinghe outlined the measures taken by his Government, since coming to power in 2015, to …
By Nuwan Senarathna President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday rallied his party followers with pledges to establish a Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-led Government in 2020, as under the 19th Amendment more powers have been devolved to the Prime Minister, and made no mention of contesting for a second presidential term. Addressing the 68th Sri Lankan Freedom …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj When I was just a little kid enrolled at the Santa Maria Montessori school in Wattala, a song we sang without knowing its meaning then was ‘Que Sera Sera’; when I was a boy studying at S. Thomas’ Preparatory School in Kollupitiya, a song we were taught the meaning of and sang loudly …
by Zacki Jabbar Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is likely to be nominated as the UNP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Presidential candidate, senior party sources say. Sources said that according to the UNP constitution it was the party leader who had to contest the presidential election unless he or she declined or was too feeble to …
The legal secretary of United National Party (UNP),Chairman of People’s Bank and President’s Counsel, Nissanka Nanayakkara, said the party’s Presidential candidate should be nominated according to Article 9 of the constitution of the UNP. He says that after the Elections Commissioner announces the Presidential election, the first step according to party constitution is to summon …
By Aanya Wipulasena “Uba ganiyak nisa nikan innawa. Pirimiyek unanan tho polé gahanawa allagana (I am letting it go because you are a woman. If you were a man, I would dash you on the floor),” shouted the man draped in a monk’s robe. Then he proceeded to give instructions to a police officer, one …
Ministers supportive of Deputy UNP leader Sajith Premadasa have threatened to resign en mass from their posts unless the party names him as its presidential candidate, before the end of this month. A spokesman for them has said that they may even consider quitting politics in protest. UNP MP Hesha Withanage, addressing the media, yesterday, …
By Don Manu Ranil Wicremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa are poles apart. If Ranil is cheese, Sajith is chalk. If Ranil is morn, Sajith is night. It has been so from their respective births. Their one common heritage is the UNP and, though they are both fiercely loyal to it, there is, certainly, no love lost …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene President Maithripala Sirisena’s remarks in Jaffna this week that the 19th Amendment’s transfer of some powers of the Executive President to the Prime Minister while conferring supervision over Sri Lanka’s constitutional commissions to the Speaker has created three power centres, making the political process unworkable and unsustainable is a thin gloss …
By Gamini Weerakoon Narendra Modi is a shining example of the harm that ‘good strongmen’ can do — those who are elected to rescue a country from the doldrums it has fallen into, but instead take it deeper into the hell-fires Modi, the humble tea boy, who climbed from the very bottom rungs of the …
by Sanjana Hattotuwa With documentaries like ‘The Great Hack’ we are deeply fearful – and rightfully so – of how our data can be used, abused and weaponised. Over the past three years, significant political developments on both sides of the Atlantic have fuelled a global debate around the role, reach and relevance of social …
(Text of The Sam Wijesinha Memorial Oration Titled “Parliament and the President” that was Delivered by Dr. Sarath Amunugama, MP This Week) I am deeply honoured by the invitation extended to me by Rajiva Wijesinha and Nigel Hatch to deliver the Sam Wijesinha Memorial Oration, which seeks to commemorate the late Sam Wijesinha, who was …
By Kelum Bandara In the backdrop of a brewing political crisis, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe held talks with Minister Sajith Premadasa for one and half hours at Temple Trees on Thursday evening to find a way out, a party official said. Mr. Premadasa took time off from a function at a temple in Embilipitiya and …
By Victoria Pengilley . A family of Tamil asylum seekers due to be deported overnight have been granted an interim injunction to prevent their transportation back to Sri Lanka, their lawyer has told the ABC. The family of four were removed from immigration detention last night and placed on a plane which departed Melbourne Airport …
By Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe Terrorism Investigation Division officers have so far arrested six suspects in the North believed to have been planning some terrorist activity, TID sources told the Daily News yesterday. The arrests came after information was elicited from the Palai Hospital JMO Dr. Sinniah Sivaruban who had been earlier detained on suspicion. Among …
By Yohan Perera UNP Legal Secretary Nissanka Nanayakkara today said the candidate for the presidential election could be named only after the Election Commission notify the date to accept nominations for the election. Mr. Nanayakkara issuing a statement said UNP’s constitution does not have provisions to name a candidate until such time election commission declares …
A 480 million US dollar grant to Sri Lanka by the Millennium Challenge Corporation of America is held up as President Maithripala Sirisena has not given approval, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. MCC officials had warned that there is a board meeting scheduled for September and if cabinet does not clear the deal, money may …
By Lakdev Liyanagama The entry of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in to the presidential election this year, confirmed by the declaration that its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake would be its candidate, creates a new dimension into what has already become a fascinating contest. With the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) declaring Gotabaya Rajapaksa as …
By Rohana R.Wasala The artificially sensationalized controversy within the UNP ranks about the authenticity of the party deputy leader Sajith Premadasa’s educational qualifications, in the twilight of its barely legitimate rule, is a strangely anticlimactic, but justly retributive, reversal of its unbroken mudslinging campaign against the Rajapaksas, whose democratic return to power they have been …
By Kelum Bandara The United National Party (UNP) has decided to institute disciplinary action against two of its MPs – Non-Cabinet Minister of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology Ajith Perera and Non-Cabinet Minister of Science, Technology and Research Sujeewa Senasinghe – for making certain remarks in breach of party discipline, the Daily Mirror learns. According …
By Rukshana Rizwie Housing, Construction and Cultural Affairs Minister and presidential hopeful Sajith Premadasa says he is for ‘maximum devolution within a unitary state’ to resolve the ethnic issue and feels that the current decision-making structure in the country is ‘ad-hoc, disjointed and personality driven’ that has led to the ‘system favouring one segment’ of …
By Chandeepa Wettasinghe Sri Lanka is at risk of losing a 480 million US dollar grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to improve transportation and land information availability if the island does not sign the agreement by September, an official said. “The 480 million US dollar program needs to be approved by Sri Lanka …
By Harishandra Gunaratna Army Commander Lt.Gen. Shevendra Silva, yesterday, said it was imperative that intelligence capability of the army be enhanced to meet the current security requirement of the country. Addressing the media in Colombo, the newly appointed army commander said the military intelligence would undergo some changes. Lt.Gen Silva was of the opinion that …
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday made sweeping changes to key positions of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Veteran S.B. Dissanayake was removed as SLFP Treasurer and Lasantha Alagiyawanna was appointed as the successor at the SLFP Central Working Committee meeting.
By Saman Indrajith The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday carnage found itself in a difficult situation owing to a clash between the legislature and the executive, PSC sources said. The PSC has almost completed its hearings, except the recording the evidence of President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also the Defence Minister.
The UNP would not announce its presidential candidate without unveiling the policies of the coalition it would establish, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said, on Saturday, at Ankumbura. The party would first build a powerful political coalition and then field a presidential candidate from that alliance, he said, adding that the unveiling of the coalition’s manifesto …
SLPP Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in a statement yesterday, assured an independent commission of inquiry by a future government under his leadership to ascertain those responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks. The full statement of Rajapaksa is as follows. My attention is drawn to the statement made by the Archdiocese of Colombo and Archbishop of …
Text & Pix by David Sadeep Jeyaselvan Sri Lanka’s north western most point, Mannar is a region that is synonymous with flamingoes and other exotic birds that make it a bird watcher’s paradise. It is also known for its kite surfing scene that is increasingly becoming popular post war. The region however, offers much more …
(Excerpts From The “Sunday Times” Political Column of August 25th 2019) President Maithripala Sirisena’s new move this week to swear-in United National Party (UNP) deputy leader Sajith Premadasa as Prime Minister and urge him to form a new Cabinet of Ministers did not materialise. Set for last Friday so Premadasa could attend the rally in …
By Dr. Stephen Long, Los Angeles, California After spending most of my adult life in Hawaii and then Southeast Asia, I returned to the US and settled in Los Angeles in 1998. About two weeks after my move a couple with whom I am very close invited me to an evening event at their amazing …
(Excerpts From the “Sunday Times”Political Column of August 25th 2019) Assertions made by Ranil Wickremesinghe this week, showed little change in the premier’s strong determination to be UNP’s presidential candidate. However, there were indications this week that that he was taking a deeper look at the recent developments to map out countermeasures. In this regard, …
By Sanjana Hattotuwa When and under which conditions is rape acceptable? Is raping a male more acceptable than raping a woman? If it is your wife, is hitting or kicking her once in a while ok? When killing a child, is it better to die quickly or slowly, individually or in a group? As a …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene A comfortable sense of political amnesia has currently gripped all contenders and would-be contenders on Sri Lanka’s Presidential election platforms. From opposing stages, we are being asked to believe that the ruin of this land is not their collective fault. That is too great a lie to be uncritically accepted. Indeed, …