By Harischandra Gunaratna General Sarath Fonseka, leader of the Democratic Party (DP) while announcing that it would field its own candidates at the next general election said yesterday that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was making a vain attempt to cover up corrupt deals by threatening to blackmail the parliamentarians who pledged their support to the common …
by Madura Ranwala President Mahinda Rajapaksa will hand over a part of recovered gold jewellery belonging to over 2,100 Northerners at Temple Trees today. Those valuables had been recovered by the army from the ‘Eelam banks’ set up by the LTTE in the North. Addressing the weekly media briefing at Kollupitiya yesterday, Military and Urban …
Common opposition candidate Maithripala today said he would restore civic rights and all military decorations of former Army commander and Democratic Party Leader Sarath Fonseka within hours if he is elected as the Executive President. “I will restore all rights and military decorations of former army commander within hours of my election,” he said. Mr. …
By Arundhati Roy My father was a Hindu, a Brahmo. I never met him until I was an adult. I grew up with my mother in a Syrian Christian family in Ayemenem, a small village in communist-ruled Kerala in southwest India. And yet all around me were the fissures and cracks of caste. Ayemenem had …
By DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA MUST A BE A DENG HSIAO PENG, NOT A MIKHAIL GORBACHEV “I hate the goddamn system! But until someone comes along with changes that make sense, I’ll stick with it.” – Clint Eastwood as “Dirty Harry” Callaghan, in ‘Magnum Force’ (1973) Those who criticize my continued ‘nonaligned’ approach to …
By Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. Enemies of the President’s Promise – 20 Sneezy – 1 If G L Peiris moved only gradually into seeing his principal role as advancing the agenda of the Secretary of Defence, his intellectual counterpart in the inner echelons of government, Mohan Peiris, had from the start been associated with Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. …
by Zacki Jabbar The Joint Opposition’s Presidential candidate Maithripala Srisena said yesterday that he would win the January 8th Presidential Election but would not step into the President’s House since he was committed to abolishing the Executive Presidency within 100 days. Addressing a campaign meeting at Hyde Park in Colombo, Srisena, who recently resigned as …
By Dasun Edirisinghe UPFA Nuwara Eliya District MP Navin Dissanayake who crossed over to the UNP on Sunday said yesterday that he had been offered Rs. 100 million by the government to remain in the UPFA coalition. Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo flanked by Opposition Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena and …
By Don Asoka Wijewardena The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary Susil Premjayantha addressing the media yesterday in Colombo revealed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election manifesto was being prepared to accommodate major constitutional amendments.
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday announced that it had decided to extend conditional support to common presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the forthcoming presidential election. According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by JHU leader Omalpe Sobitha Thera and Maithripala Sirisena on Monday, the party would support common candidate Sirisena to …
By Dasun Edirisinghe Opposition Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena will contest the Jan. 08 election from the New Democratic Front (NDF) under the Swan symbol. The deposit for contesting election was handed over to the Elections Secretariat at Rajagiriya yesterday by UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe on behalf of Sirisena. There was earlier speculation that Sirisena would …
(Text of Press Communique released by European Union – Press and Information Section) Colombo, 2 December 2014 – The Council of the European Union has decided to appeal the Judgment of the General Court in Joined Cases T-208/11 and T-508/11 (LTTE v. Council) of 16 October 2014. The Judgement of the General Court of the …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” ~Harriet Tubman Maithripala Sirisena’s landmark crossover to the Opposition just weeks before the nomination day of the Presidential Elections captured the imagination of the country. However, Maithree’s crossover does not stand alone in …
By Lakna Paranamanna JVP Leader and parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake predicts the upcoming polls will be the most violent Presidential elections ever to be held in the history of Sri Lanka. Despite admitting it would be a tight battle for power, the JVP has refused to pledge their support to any of the factions that …
By Meera Srinivasan If the Indian Ocean has to contribute to the prosperity of different nations, it is necessary that it remains a zone of peace, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Monday. He was delivering the keynote address at the ‘Galle Dialogue’, held in Sri Lanka’s southern coastal town of Galle. Evoking …
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN NEW DELHI, December 1: Tamil Nadu opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) President Muthuvel Karunanidhi and MDMK General Secretary Vaiko have slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for wishing Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa success in the January 8 presidential election.
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Catholic Church yesterday strongly denied Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga’s claim that Pope Francis’s visit to Sri Lanka wouldn’t take place in January as scheduled. Spokesman for the Church Information and Media Secretariat, Rev. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando told The Island that Gampaha District MP Amaratunga had declared at a public …
By Ranil Dharmasena General Secretary of the UPFA Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha made a deposit at the Election Secretariat yesterday on behalf of the government’s presidential candidate incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the forthcoming Presidential Election scheduled to be held in January 8 next year. Five parties have deposited money so far for the …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to Teheran M.M. Zuhair, PC has pledged his support to Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena. After having signed the ‘Common People’s Agenda for Just, Democratic and People-friendly Governance’ at Vihara Maha Devi park yesterday, Zuhair told The Island that he recently formed a new political outfit-National United Front …
By Dharisha Bastians Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena yesterday formally pledged to abolish the executive presidential system by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with major opposition parties across the ideological spectrum to lock in their support for his election bid. pic via: facebook.com/chandrika.bk.12 ‘The Common People’s Agenda for Just, Democratic and People-friendly Governance’ was signed by …
A Common People’s Agenda for Just, Democratic and People-friendly Governance As Sri Lankans we face several grave challenges. The country, which was once seen as a model of democracy, has degenerated in recent years into a place where its citizens cannot live with dignity and in safety. Among the manifestations of this situation are: • …
Maithripala Sirisena, the man who is set to challenge incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the January poll, once spent more than 18 months in jail over suspected links with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)– a link that was later proved, he did not have. He joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) while he was …
By Nadia Fazlulhaq “Api Mahindata” (We are for Mahinda), “Ape Janapati” (Our President), “Api Hambantota” (We are Hambantota) – the thousands of banners and life-sized cutouts of President Mahinda Rajapaksa across villages, cities and expressways will soon be joined by thousands more, just by public demand, the Government says. There are almost 1800 election cutouts …
The Master of Ceremonies for the papal visit to Sri Lanka will arrive in the country on Wednesday as the Catholic Church yesterday expressed confidence that the visit would take place despite an intensive campaign for the Presidential election. The Master of Ceremonies will meet Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, bishops and other members of the organising …
By Francis Lam In the atlas of “Little” neighborhoods — the Little Italys, Little Tokyos, Little Indias of the world — New York’s Little Sri Lanka may be the littlest. Chicken Kottu Roti Credit Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Pamela Duncan Silver. It’s just one and a …
Continue reading ‘Taste of Sri Lanka in Staten Island, NY via Kottu Rotti Making Couple’ »
With under two months for the Presidential election, violence is widespread islandwide. The most brutal of these cases is reported from Maggona, where a United National Party (UNP) supporter was shot and critically injured. The victim was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital and remains in a critical condition. …
By Shamindra Ferdinando A UN investigation team has obtained a comprehensive analysis of Sri Lanka’s accountability with regard to war crimes from the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). Among the high profile investigations undertaken by ECCHR is one on the conduct of the British army in Iraq as well as the accountability …
By Rohana R. Wasala The Maithripala Sirisena affair reminded me of a silly character in a Sinhalese teledrama I watched some years ago. It was a good-natured simpleton who was being looked after by his brother. In one episode this man is shown husking coconuts in a well-to-do neighbour’s compound, and he is heard saying …
The actor-politician says the party worked for a unified India without resorting to “colour” or “caste.” Setting herself firmly against ‘saffronisation,’ actor-politician Kushboo said she definitely joined the Congress for her “sensibilities” and for a secular country. In her “homecoming” speech at the TNCC headquarters here on Saturday, the actor said only the Congress worked …
By Sumanasiri Liyanage Power and tradition destroy good people. In Sri Lankan standard, Maithripala Sirisena (MS) is a good politician. Resigning from the post of the General Secretary of the SLFP and announcing that he would stand against President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) at the forthcoming presidential election would appear as a very courageous decision. Nonetheless, …
by Sandun A Jayaekera Presenting an interesting political theory, Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday said voters must not topple this government as chances are minimum for corruption among UPFA members as they may have amassed ill lucre enough by now and if the UNP came to power, they would start afresh to make a …
By Danushka Godakumbura “In my Cabinet there are no Ministers who can be bought with dollars or pounds. The West is keen to see that the country is run by a spineless leader who is ready to dance to their tune. Certain countries want to create a puppet regime here. But, I must say that …
By Dharisha Bastians The political week looked poised to get off to a dramatic start with Minister and Nuwara Eliya District MP Navin Dissanayake quitting his portfolio and announcing his support for common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena. Navin Dissanayake, who is the son of late UNP Leader Gamini Dissanayake, will rejoin the United National Party …
By SHALIKA WIMALASENA Former Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs M. K. D. S. Gunawardena says that Twenty-three government MPs were to cross over with us. But they had to reconsider their decision after they saw the threats we faced. Q: Do you feel happy now that you quit the government? A: Frankly, …
By Skandha Gunasekara and Lankesh Gooneratne Satellite communication is a method of communicating around the globe via a satellite. A satellite sent to space for the purpose of telecommunication, receives and retransmits the signals sent from a satellite phone, back to Earth. The ground area that receives the retransmission is called a satellite footprint. In …
By Don Manu Last Wednesday, November 19, India sent a signal to the world’s drug mafia that they could patently use Indians, posing as Tamil Nadu fishermen, to smuggle drugs into Lanka confidently without fearing any reprisals. If their couriers were caught, convicted and jailed, even sentenced to death, India would stand as guarantor to …
By Rasika Jayakody A week into the presidential campaign, the common opposition, led by candidate Maithripala Sirisena, has shown progress on some fronts while experiencing certain setbacks internally. The major progress on the part of the common opposition during the first week of the campaign is taking an early lead in the propaganda war – …
By C.A.Chandraprema Last Thursday, at the UNP executive-committee meeting held at Sirikotha in Kotte to welcome the common candidate of the opposition, Tissa Attanayake made a brief speech that probably catapulted him from being merely the party general secretary to being a national leader of the UNP in his own right. The most thunderous applause …
Even without a name and symbol being chosen, the main Opposition candidate Sirisena will launch his polls campaign today(Nov 30) with a public rally in Polonnaruwa, his constituency. He is expecting to swing the significant farmer vote against the Rajapaksa regime. This is while the UPFA launches the second phase of its campaign with public …
Adding to the squabbles last Thursday were reported remarks by Mangala Samaraweera at a news conference that the abolition of the executive presidency after Sirisena’s victory would not see Ranil Wickremesinghe as an “executive Prime Minister.” The remarks were to cause concern at the highest levels of the UNP leadership. Raising issue with Samaraweera was …
Opposition political groupings backing Maithripala Sirisena as the presidential candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa are still in search of an identity.Names of different political fronts and even going it alone as an independent candidate are not being ruled out as the squabble continues. The hot favourite appears to be the Apey Jathika Peramuna (AJP) or Our …
By Arthur Wamanan The highly anticipated stance of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on the upcoming Presidential polls and the Common Candidate of the Opposition will only be revealed after the main candidates publish their respective manifestos. The TNA has been quiet ever since the announcement of the common candidate and had not expressed its …
by Nishthar Idroos The deference an iconic brand elicits from its loyal customers is simply mind boggling. The near stampede witnessed to acquire the brand while queuing at eerie hours expending precious energy and paying big bucks may sound crazy for some, but not for hardcore loyalists. Living in Toronto the writer knows firsthand how …
Nearly one week after the presidential election was announced, Asian Mirror can now reveal that two more Cabinet Ministers have already pledged support to the common opposition and will cross over at any time. With them, two highly popular female Provincial Councilors of the ruling party will also extend their support to the common candidate, …
By Dharisha Bastians Opposition presidential challenger Maithripala Sirisena will stand against an international investigation into allegations of war crimes committed during the final phase of the war. Sirisena, who was addressing a press briefing yesterday, said he would launch a domestic probe if he was successful in the January presidential election. “I will not allow …
United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) national list parliamentarian A.H.M. Azwer has resigned from Parliament today. His resignation was confirmed by Parliament Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake. The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has decided to appoint All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) Eastern Provincial Councillor Amir Ali to parliament through the national list to fill the vacancy …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Having ruled out talks with the SLFP to settle a dispute over far-reaching constitutional reforms to reduce presidential powers, JHU parliamentary group leader Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera on Thursday morning met senior Opposition representatives at Sirikotha. Chairman of the UNP Leadership Council and MP Karu Jayasuriya were among those present. Ven. Rathana …
By Shalika Wimalasena Deputy Secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Udaya Gammanpila, in an interview with Ceylon Today, says the JHU will give the government another chance. Excerpts: Q: Can you outline the JHU’s present stand? A: We always take the side of the people. We gave up positions in the government to ensure …
by Stewart Bell TORONTO — Canada’s public safety minister said Thursday he was “shocked and appalled” after a New Democratic Party MP rose in the House of Commons to commemorate Tamil Heroes Day, which honours fallen Tamil Tigers rebels. Steven Blaney urged Rathika Sitsabaiesan, a Sri Lankan-born rookie MP, to apologize “to veterans and all …
By Taylor Dibbert Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has just announced that the country will hold a presidential election two years early. The move had been expected for some time. The election will be held on January 8, 2015. In light of this development, there are other issues that merit attention. As mentioned in the …
Please release the following clarification to the media as the reporting of the press conference held by me on 27/11/14 was unclear and somewhat misleading in some newspapers. In a Parliamentary democracy executive powers are vested in Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers. The Prime Minister is, as the term implies the ‘first among equals’.
Thousands of plantation workers from several tea estates in Sri Lanka’s central highlands Nuwareliya district have held strikes and demonstrations over the landslide at Koslanda that killed about 200 workers and family members on October 29. Demanding housing in secure locations, workers have rallied in a number of towns, including Bogawanthalawa, Maskeliya and Hatton. They …
“AN INVINCIBLE personality, a blessed man, he will win a big victory.” In the opinion of Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena, issued from his swish astrological headquarters in the southern port of Galle, the prospects for Sri Lanka’s president are unambiguously bright. Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa has called an election two years early, to seek an unprecedented third term. …
By Tamara Kunanayakam The surprise announcement that Maithripala Sirisena will be the common Presidential candidate who will face the current incumbent at the forthcoming elections and his promise to abolish the Executive Presidency within one hundred days has raised hopes that an alternative is finally in the air. Although there are a lot of ‘ifs’ …
Many an eyebrow has been raised over former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva staying at ‘Navy House’ at Kankesanthurai high security zone. The Defence Ministry last night said that the former Chief Justice had been accompanied by head of anti-doping agency Prof. Arjuna de Silva.
By Dharisha Bastians It all began with the stars. It was apt therefore that less than 24 hours after President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared he would be seeking a third term in office two years ahead of schedule, certain celestial bodies began to wreak all manner of mischief inside his ruling party. Believers in astrology put …
by Shamindra Ferdinando The UNP yesterday declared that the joint Opposition would retain the executive presidency sans what it called dictatorial powers currently exercised by incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Maithripala Sirisena would remain the President, it said. The announcement was made by top UNP spokesman Mangala Samaraweera, MP, at a media briefing held at UNP …
By Liyanage Amarakeerthi Rumour had it for many years that our president contained the dissent of his colleagues by manipulating a set of ‘files.’ President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently heard saying something like this, “Reverend Sir, I have files of those who left me. But I don’t want to use them.” It is important to note …
By Dharisha Bastians President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s first campaign manager in 2005 was breathing fire against nine years of his rule yesterday, promising major constitutional reform and insisting that the January 2015 election will really be a contest between democracy and dictatorship. UNP Communications Director and Parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera issued a strong critique of the ruling …
By Dharisha Bastians The Jathika Hela Urumaya, a key constituent of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance has vowed to defeat President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the January presidential election, but remains undecided on whether it will support the common opposition candidate. The party maintained it would reach a decision after discussing its proposals for constitutional …
By Suhasini Haidar Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday said he would credit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “foreign policy” for Mr. Rajapaksa’s decision to release five convicted Tamil Nadu fishermen. Speaking to The Hindu in an exclusive interaction after he met PM Modi in Kathmandu, President Rajapaksa said, “Since he has come to power …
by N Sathiya Moorthy. By orchestrating a Delhi visit by the five Tamil Nadu fishermen pardoned from death sentence in neighbouring Sri Lanka before they returned home, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre might have bitten more than it could chew in ‘Dravidian’ Tamil Nadu. Having claimed all the credit for the release …
(Statement by Ms. Rathika Sitsabaiesan MP for Scarborough—Rouge River, NDP in the Canadian Parliament on Nov 25th 2014) Mr. Speaker, as Canadians of Tamil heritage, in November, we commemorate two important events: Remembrance Day and Tamil Heroes Day.
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Two cheers then for Maithripala Sirisena whose act of resistance and rebellion is truly heroic. Why cheer at all? And why two cheers instead of three? Hearty cheers are entirely warranted because Maithripala Sirisena has produced a Black Swan event; a real game changer. Having argued in the print and electronic …
(Text of Statement Issued by the United National Party on November 27th 2014) It was long foretold, not in the stars but in the minds of all righteous and just citizens of this country that the 2015 presidential election would be a historic and decisive contest. Presidential contests have traditionally been battles between the two …
By Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. Undoubtedly the most bizarre of the characters who influenced the President in the period after the election of 2010 was Sajin Vas Gunawardena. He was not a relation, and he did not have the professional or academic credentials of the other characters discussed here. Indeed he had hardly any qualifications but, …
by Upul Joseph Fernando Maithri changed after he went to Harvard, says Mahinda, to everyone these days. So Mahinda is trying to indicate that the United States is behind Maithri’s pole vault. In June 2013, the Harvard School of Public Health recognized Maithtri as ‘2013 Harvard Health Leader’ and gave him an award. But now …
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA Like the majority of my fellow citizens I am an undecided voter. My father Mervyn de Silva used to characterize me slightly critically, as “a Romantic”, and the romantic in me would like to vote for change. But right now, I cannot make that decision because the Realist in me raises …
By Sruthisagar Yamunan Actor Kushboo Sundar, who made a surprise entry into the Congress on Wednesday, said her priority would be to clear the misunderstanding about the party’s role in the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue. Speaking to The Hindu on the phone from New Delhi after she joined the grand old party in the presence …
MDMK chief Vaiko, an ally of the ruling NDA at the Centre, and pro-Tamil outfits on Wednesday celebrated the 60th birth anniversary of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran.While Vaiko celebrated the birth anniversary of Prabakaran at a village in Tirupur District, Nam Tamilar Katchi chief and film director Seeman cut a cake in the city. …
by Dasun Edirisinghe Opposition Common Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena received a rousing welcome when he arrived at the UNP headquarters, Sirikotha, yesterday. Sirisena, flanked by UNP national leader Ranil Wickremeisnghe, Chairman of the Leadership Council Karu Jayasuriya, General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, Assistant Leader Ravi Karunanayake and several other MPs, addressed a …
By Ifham Nizam At yesterday’s ceremony in UNP headquarters, Sirikotha to welcome Opposition Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena took an unexpected turn with UNP General Tissa Attanayake striking a discordant note. He said if one thought the party could make any headway without its colour or symbol or candidate at an election, one was sadly mistaken. …
All Ceylon Peoples Congress Parliamentarian from the Wanni District Hunais Farook who was elected on the UPFA symbol Betel in the 2010 hustings has crossed over from the Government and joined the United National Party. Hunais Farook regarded as the right hand man of ACPC leader and cabinet minister Rishard Badhiyutheen participated in a UNP …
by Shamindra Ferdinando The Sri Lankan military had fought a relatively a clean war against the LTTE, when compared with others engaged in such operations, UPFA National List MP Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha told a special live Al-Jazeera programme ‘inside story: clinging to power in Sri Lanka’ anchored by Jane Dutton late last week. Liberal Party …
President Mahinda Rajapaksa says defeating LTTE militarily five years ago has paved way for a new security environment in the SAARC region. Addressing the 18th SAARC summit in Kathmandu yesterday (November 26), the President said terrorism still remained a fundamental security challenge both regionally and internationally and Sri Lanka could not remain complacent in maintaining …
by Anupama Mohan I have known Professor Chelva Kanaganaykam since August 2004 when I joined the PhD programme in English at the University of Toronto and he became my Departmental mentor. In the five years that followed, Chelva, as he urged all his students to call him, was exemplary as a mentor, teacher, and guide, …
Continue reading ‘Prof. Chelva Kanaganayagam: Demise of an Exemplary Mentor, Teacher and Guide.’ »
By Dharisha Bastians Presidential challenger Maithripala Sirisena hit back against the Government yesterday, saying his removal as General Secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was unlawful. “I am still the legal General Secretary of the SLFP,” Sirisena said, as he addressed media personnel following a visit to the Bandaranaike Memorial in Horagolla. …
UNP National List lawmaker Eran Wickremaratne slammed the Government’s 2015 Budget, saying it was not worth the paper it was written on, after the UPFA moved drastic amendments to the numbers within 10 days of its presentation. Addressing Parliament during the Third Reading of the UPFA’s 2015 Budget which passed with a 95-member majority on …
Continue reading ‘Rajapaksa Family Accounts for 56% of Govt Expenditure- Eran Wickremaratne’ »
BY DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA “The correctness or incorrectness of the political line decides everything”– Mao (1971) As a former student of Mao Ze Dong thought, the genial Maithripala Sirisena may recall Mao’s point that “the correctness or incorrectness of the political line decides everything”. He must also hope that Mao was wrong, because the Sirisena …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “Fantastic tyrant of the amorous heart. How hard thy yoke, how cruel thy dart. Those escape your anger who refuse your sway, and those are punished most, who most obey.” ~Matthew Prior There is no escape. Not for anyone who continues to be part and parcel of this administration. The story begins …
By Nadira Gunatilleke When all international challenges, the LTTE threat and the threat of separatism ends, President Mahinda Rajapaksa will himself declare that he is the last Executive President of Sri Lanka, SLFP Treasurer and Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma told the Daily News yesterday. Minister Alahapperuma said the day President Rajapaksa …
by Shamindra Ferdinando UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, MP, has said that he still dreamt of a president from the UNP. Reminiscing of his father, Ranasinghe Premadasa’s commitment to securing a commanding five-sixth majority in Parliament for the then JRJ’s government, MP Premadasa said that the party always dreamt of electing a UNPer as the …
by Dr Upul Wijayawardhana Maithripala Sirisena, the ex-minister of Health, announcing that he is the ‘long-awaited’ common opposition Presidential candidate is the “Et tu, Brute” moment of our time, some may argue, perhaps with good justification. Others may say he tried to portray himself as righteous (Dharmishta), justifying his actions by quoting from The Dhammapada. …
by Rohana R. Wasala “It is a royal thing to be ill spoken of for good deeds.” – Greek philosopher Antisthenes (445-365 BCE) commenting on the kingly prerogative, quoted with approval by Roman Emperor, Stoic philosopher and soldier Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) in his philosophical work ‘Meditations’ Until Maithripala Sirisena and his followers from the …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Two organisations of Buddhist monks, affiliated to the UNP, yesterday pledged their support for Maithripala Sirisena as the common presidential candidate, though both seemed confused about his post-presidential election role. The Eksath Bhikku Peramuna and the Eksath Jathika Bhikku Peramuna vowed to bring an end to what they called the authoritarian Rajapaksa …
By Somapala Gunadheera Today’s burning issue is the struggle to find a common candidate to contest at the oncoming presidential election. That choice will affect only the next election. But the highest national priority is undoubtedly to save the country from the shackles of autocracy imposed on it by Constitutional amendments made by successive self-seeking …
By Shihara Maduwage Last week, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) stalwart and its General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to cross over to the opposition and his nomination as the common opposition candidate shocked the country. In an interview with Daily Mirror Jaathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) General Secretary and the leading figure of the Pivithuru …
By Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. One of the reasons I still continued to have hopes about Mahinda Rajapaksa was that his instincts have always been sound. This was exemplified when I called him to complain about what the Bodhu Bala Sena had been up to in Aluthgama. Instead of attempting to defend them, as I had …
By Dharisha Bastians President Mahinda Rajapaksa changed after the war ended and peace was achieved, his main opposition challenger, Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday. “The executive presidency ruins people and misdirects them. It is a problem with the system, irrespective of individuals,” Sirisena told journalists in Kandy yesterday. He said the SLFP had been agitating against …
Continue reading ‘Maithripala Sirisena Obtains Blessings of the Asgiriya and Malwatte Mahanayakes’ »
By Ashwin Hemmathagama President and Finance Minister Mahinda Raja-paksa’s 2015 Budget was comfortably passed in Parliament yesterday, with no crossover dramas to mar the process to allocate monies to meet recurrent, capital and other State expenses next year. At 5:30 p.m. yesterday, the vote on the Third Reading of the Budget was taken by name …
by Reeza Hameed At last, the Supreme Court’s opinion on the President’s reference has seen the light of day, albeit unofficially, and it makes for miserable reading. The feature that stands out in the opinion is not only the unctuous tone which the Court has adopted in responding to the President’s request for an opinion, …
By Saman Indrajith If the Opposition could steal a copy of the full report of the Supreme Court opinion on the incumbent President contesting a third term that indicates its resourcefulness and talent, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said in Parliament yesterday. Speaker Rajapaksa said so after Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga claimed to have in his …
UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has urged UNPers to ensure Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena’s victory at the forthcoming presidential election so as to form a UNP government before Sinhala New Year next year. Wickremesinghe called for the abolition of the executive presidency to save the country from what he called the dictatorial Rajapaksa regime. …
By Lakna Paranamanna Former Fisheries Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has always cut a rebellious figure in the local political arena and this image was further boosted when he left the government on Friday to join the common opposition movement that has fielded SLFP stalwart Maithripala Sirisena as the much anticipated common candidate to contest against …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Following Polonnaruwa District MP and SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming presidential election, the latter yesterday addressed all elected UPFA representatives in the Polonnaruwa District. President Rajapaksa received an assurance from UPFA representatives they would stand by the SLFP leader. UPFA parliamentarians and Pradeshiya …
By Ranga Jayasuriya It was indeed a pleasant surprise! Last week’s political developments tell us that democracy in Sri Lanka is regenerating its own, even after much of its attributes were dismantled by the current regime. That unique ability is a special property of democracy, but it is a pleasant surprise to find it in …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Catholic Church has again strongly opposed attempts by the SLFP-led ruling coalition and the Opposition alliance to use the forthcoming papal visit to the advantage of their respective presidential election campaigns. The Church has intervened in the wake of several Catholic politicians launching poster and billboard campaigns. Director, Media Information Centre …
By Upul Joseph Fernando The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) went to Rajarata from Horagolla before it went to Medamulana. After the death of Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister W. Dahanayaka contested the 1960 March election from a separate party. The SLFP was led by C.P. de Silva, an MP from Rajarata. Sirima Bandaranaike …
By Dharisha Bastians President Mahinda Rajapaksa issued a thinly-veiled threat against his former ministers who quit his Government on Friday that he had ‘files’ on them all. via: twitter.com/rangaba Seven ruling party members quit his coalition Government last week, four of them holding ministerial portfolios. “I have enough files on their activities, but I won’t …
By Dharisha Bastians Forty-eight hours after he announced his intention to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a January poll, Maithripala Sirisena said the Government is facing a major crisis. “There has been a great shakeup. So there will be challenges for us going ahead,” the former Health Minister said, after discussions with Kotte Naga Vihare …
By Dharisha Bastians The political week is poised to start with a bang, with a buoyant Opposition promising more defections from the ruling UPFA coalition, while the Government vowed yesterday that it had put measures in place to stop the bleed. Crossover and counter-crossover speculation is rife, with several Government MPs expected to cross the …
By Don Manu Struggling to hold back the insistent tear, Mr. Maithripala Sirisena on Friday came out of the UPFA closet to declare himself as the UNP led joint opposition parties’ choice to challenge President Rajapaksa for the presidency of Lanka. “My wife Jayanthi, my children Charuni, Dahranie and Dhaham, they all came to me …
By Chandani Kirinde When President Mahinda Rajapaksa presented the United Peoples Freedom Alliance’s (UPFA) 10th consecutive Budget to Parliament on October 24, a month ahead of the usual Budget period, it was obvious it was intended to win favour with voters at an early Presidential poll. What was not so obvious were the rumblings within …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya When a workers’ uprising in 1953 in East Germany was crushed using tanks, the German poet Bertolt Brecht in a famous poem asked, if people disagree with the rulers: “Would it not be easier In that case for the government To dissolve the people And elect another?” The bitter irony of his …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Four short years ago, it would have seemed quite unbelievable that esoteric concepts such as ‘an independent judiciary,’ ‘the Rule of Law, ‘the 17th Amendment’ and ‘abolition of the Executive Presidency’ would be tripping off the tongues of Sri Lanka’s citizenry, from a humble tea kiosk owner in an obscure corner …
By Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. (Full Text of Speech Prepared by Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P. for the debate on the Votes on the Ministries of Justice and of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms during the Committee Stage of the Budget Debate, November 21st 2014 that was Not delivered because of the common candidate press conference) I rise to …
By Kalana Senaratne It had to happen that way, and the break was only possible with a serious split within the regime. The moment had come for members of the SLFP to take the plunge. And when finally Vasantha Senanayake, MP, crossed over (the first member of the brave ‘suicide squad’) and mentioned that he …
Following the cross over of former SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena and several other ruling party parliamentarians to the opposition, a lot of horse-trading is being done at the provincial council level to seize the power of at least three provincial councils before the next presidential election. Highly placed political sources told The Nation that …
About a dozen SLFP MPs have been identified as potential defectors and action would be taken against them, the AFP news agency reported yesterday quoting an official close to the president who asked not to be named. AFP also quoted former Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne saying that the ruling party was split and many more …
by Maheen Senanayake Anura Priyadarshana Yapa has been appointed General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva announced at a hastily organized press conference at party headquarters yesterday. Six party stalwarts including, John Seneviratne, Nimal Siripala de Silva, AHM Fowzie, Dallas Allahaperuma, Susil Premjayanth and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa took the …
Government seniors were this week considering the possible early dissolution of Parliament, the Sunday Times learns. Consultations at the highest levels were held on the pros and cons of dissolving Parliament. This comes against the backdrop of the revolt by a section of ruling UPFA Ministers and MPs who have opted to back the opposition’s …