“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who […]

“If you can make one heap of all your winnings, And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings, And never breathe a word about your loss;…..’ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,…………If you can fill the unforgiving minute, […]

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Government-sponsored intimidation of leading members of the bureaucracy, judiciary and the
media is not a new phenomenon. Its history could be traced to as far back as the fifties, yet for our conversation, let us begin with […]

Fissures within the Opposition
The inaugural public rally organized by the Eksath Bhikkshu Peramuna (United Bhikku Front)
on October 18 revealed the fissures within the ranks of the opposition. The event was publicised as being the public coming together of a coalition of forces to abolish the institution of the Executive Presidency. The organizers of the […]

The crisis that is brewing between the executive and judiciary is a sign that the system of checks and balances continues to be functional. In the past eight years since President Mahinda Rajapaksa became the Chief Executive the accumulation of power in the executive branch of government has grown apace and appears to be an […]

Reporting from Irudeniyaya, Kurunegala
Questions have been raised as to why the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) is following a double standard against the Kahalla- Pallakelle sanctuary encroachers.
Kahalla- Pallakelle was declared as a sanctuary through gazette notification no: 566/ 5 on July 1, 1989 and is 21, 690 hectares in extent spanning through Kurunegala and Anuradhapura […]

Reporting from Bathalagoda and Nikaweratiya
Paddy farmers in Kurunegala district who have lost their paddy cultivation due to the drought
blamed irrigation officers for mismanaging the reservoirs and tanks.
Farmers in Bathalagoda and Nikaweratiya – two of the areas worst affected by the dry weather  accused Irrigation engineers and their staff of wasting tank water  to please political […]

“For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour” – Mary Kay Ash
It’s hardly possible that President Rajapaksa is happy with what is going on in the country in
general and within his Government in particular. Even though the recent Provincial Council […]

New missions in African countries aimed at courting the continent
The government has done a considerable amount of background work in preparation for the forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. In dealing with the Universal Periodic Review, which is a four year report on a country’s human rights performance, the
government is […]

“…when the plague begins, it’s easy for people to see the first blackbird as a harbinger. But when it lands on the climbing fence it’s just one bird” – Salman Rushdie
(Joseph Anton: A Memoir)
The constitutional path to tyranny is a well-worn one; its many previous travellers include a former corporal named Adolf Hitler.
Sri Lanka’s path to […]