10th July 2015

By Nagananda Kodituwakku – In 1999, Chandrika promised vibrant democracy On the eve of the Presidential Election in 1999, the PA manifesto promised the people that its future political programme would be based on their inalienable sovereign rights; a vibrant democracy based on law; and a society where human values would be upheld. The promises further included the introduction of a ‘new Constitution’ ensuring social justice, abolishing the Executive Presidency, and the establishment of a Constitutional Council. The fulfilment of these promises would have removed the President’s powers to interfere with important public offices, which include appointment of judges to Apex Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the members of the Judicial Services Commission, the Attorney General, the Auditor General, the IGP, the Ombudsman and […]

by Sanath Nanayakkare Samantha Ranatunga In spite of our free education system, nearly 50% of children in the rural areas drop out on the threshold of G.C.E (O/L) while a total of 16% of the children of both rural and estate communities do not attend school at all, Samantha Ranatunga, chairman, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said in Colombo recently. “In such circumstances, we in the private sector who pressurise the government to spend more on education should also play an active role in monitoring and upgrading the quality of educational institutions in the country, the CCC chairman noted. Ranatunga who is also the Managing Director/CEO of CIC Company/Group said so addressing the 176th AGM of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently as he took over […]

President’s turnaround on UPFA nominations Civil Society dejected Sobhitha Thera turns down President’s request President to explain his position on July 13 Rasika Jayakody Key civil society members, who were instrumental in the election victory of President Maithripala Sirisena in January, have expressed disappointment over the nomination process of the UPFA during a meeting held with the President on Wednesday night. They informed the President that the civil society felt “betrayed” and “cheated” after the UPFA agreed to give nomination to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest the Parliamentary election from the UPFA. National Movement for Social Justice Convener Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera turned down the request to take part in the meeting on the grounds that there was no room for any discussion as […]

GIVE credit to Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president of Sri Lanka (pictured), for his fighting spirit. In early January voters unexpectedly and narrowly denied him a third successive term in office. An opposition alliance of Tamil, Muslim and disaffected Sinhalese had tired of his authoritarian rule and the presence of several of his brothers in government. Despite steady economic growth, voters disliked inflation, rising debt and blatant corruption. His overly powerful presidency also appeared to threaten democracy. Rather than accept the end of his political career, however, Mr Rajapaksa has since been plotting his return. After his defeat he gave up both the presidency and his leadership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the dominant party of the ruling coalition. His successor in both […]

Nominations, a betrayal The editorial of The Island of Saturday the 4th instant made some revelations about the educational qualifications of MPs. We were informed that of the 225 members (less the 20-25 nominated on the National List) 95 had failed the Ordinary Level examination and 145 or nearly half of the number of elected MPs had failed the Advance Level. It is assumed that the other half consists of graduates, professionals and those with post graduate qualifications. I don’t know to which category the former President belonged though by all accounts he was a lawyer who had a privileged entry to the Law School. There was a series of articles in the newspapers recently by Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha about the role of the MP. […]