I look at the issue of accountability primarily as a political scientist and from a comparative politics point of view. And I am struck by the fact that what I consider to be an exemplary progressive democracy, Brazil, headed by Dilma Rousseff, who was herself an guerrilla and a political prisoner, tortured by the military […]

The visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to Sri Lanka this week comes at an important
time. Several noteworthy events are billed to take place during his visit. In June 2010, the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised that India would donate 50,000 houses to meet the needs of the war affected […]

‘A ruler with a depleted treasury eats into the very vitality of the citizens and the country. A ruler, who impoverishes his own people or angers them by unjust exactions will also lose their loyalty Impoverishment, greed and dissatisfaction are engendered among the subjects, when the ruler among other things
(i) fails to give what ought […]

Good evening I like to thank the Platform for Freedom and all those who are here, for not only keeping Lasantha’s memory alive, but for also fighting for justice, on his behalf.
It has been 36 months now since Lasantha was killed. The investigation, despite the evidence in the hands of the police, has been nothing […]

“We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongue, at our peril, risk and hazard”Voltaire
In the days of television, internet and cellular phones, a period spanning three years seems like an eon as far as the number of events that occur during a twenty-four hour period is concerned. Life […]

LLRC REPORT AND PRESSURES FROM TAMIL CIVIL SOCIETY

The TNA has yet to issue its follow up response to its initial rejection of the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. In a strongly worded statement the TNA noted that “The report of the LLRC is a serious assault on the dignity of the victims […]

8 JANUARY 2012:Today  marks the third death anniversary of Lasantha Wickrematunge a human rights journalist from Sri Lanka who fought
fearlessly for the freedom of the press and relentlessly pursued what he believed was right. On January 8, 2009 he was brutally murdered by the Sri Lankan authorities for his journalism.
Three years after Lasantha’s brutal murder […]

“A man has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.”– Walter Lippman
During the last fifty years, our public service has been blessed with extraordinarily talented men and women, be in the field of law, medicine, politics, engineering or
general administration. Some have shown almost […]

Lessons from China or Tunisia?
Just few months ago, in response to a public outcry for more accountability and transparency in the use of public funds, the State Council, which is the Cabinet in the Chinese government, directed 98 public institutions including
ministries to make public their budgets and expenditure on official receptions, official overseas visits and […]

The LTTE rump
The main political representatives of the Tamil people, the MPs of the Tamil National Alliance, have been under pressure from the government which frequently refers to them as the “LTTE rump.” During the latter period of the three decade long war, the LTTE was able to persuade the TNA politicians to fall in […]