Views - 163 Friday, 30 November 2018 00:00

The sittings in Parliament during the last two weeks have been symptomatic of a deep crisis in parliamentary democracy, and in the political system in general. These are undoubtedly leader-made, and not at all people-made crises. The culpable key lea

Views - 1782 Friday, 30 November 2018 00:00

Presently, the Sri Lankan State has lost its dignified existence and the prowess that a state ought to have. Evidently, it is moving towards a virtual collapse. This, in my opinion is a direct outcome of the rotten state of affairs associated with th

Views - 237 Friday, 30 November 2018 00:00

To begin, after the financial crisis, regulators and funds came up with a new bunch of new governance structures and rules that they wanted their companies to practice and adopt. This new governance regime brought about new challenges for the chairma

Views - 1295 Thursday, 29 November 2018 00:00

Whilst Sri Lanka has been grappling on the ’Governance’ criteria in the last one month, we see how the world is passing us by – not only Singapore, Malaysia or Bangladesh but now countries like Ukraine and Algeria as per the latest data release

Views - 579 Thursday, 29 November 2018 00:00

So Sri Lanka – we have just been declared by the Lonely Planet as the place of choice for visiting topping the list for 2019. Simply excellent and it is actually nice to read the Lonely Planet’s Best in travel 2019 book which has this line – Pe

Views - 196 Wednesday, 28 November 2018 00:00

‘Psychometrics’ may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, where a white coated scientist plugs electrodes in to a person’s brain to monitor their brain waves and thoughts. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to learn that many peo

Views - 947 Wednesday, 28 November 2018 00:00

Does Sri Lanka have its own Florida and Ohio? Puttalam, Gampaha and Polonnaruwa would be the closest to being the swing districts of Sri Lanka. This is a study of the past 15 times the people of Sri Lanka voted in a major election or referendum. I h

Views - 509 Wednesday, 28 November 2018 00:00

This article is written in the backdrop of a constitutional coup whose long-term impact on the democratic lives on everyday Sri Lankans could be longstanding. It is widely felt amongst civil society that given the media landscape the public might not

Views - 388 Tuesday, 27 November 2018 00:00

Three UNP strongmen, MPs Eran Wickramaratne, Dr. Harsha de Silva and Mangala Samaraweera in a recent public statement declared that the “economy is at edge of “abyss”!

Views - 373 Tuesday, 27 November 2018 00:00

One often sees the opinion expressed in print that all hopes are now reposed in the Supreme Court and that the very survival of liberal democracy or even democracy in general, rests upon its verdict. Almost all those who express this view mean that t

Views - 530 Tuesday, 27 November 2018 00:00

At his Sunday meeting with foreign correspondents, President Sirisena did not play any trump cards. It appears that he has either put all his cards on the table or has run out of trumps.

Views - 565 Monday, 26 November 2018 01:12

Allow me to make two points at the start. Firstly, this is going to be a longish piece so please make time to read through, those of who you are interested. Secondly, I’m fully aware that I’ve got my metaphors completely tangled up and that I nee

Views - 6726 Monday, 26 November 2018 01:11

Moody’s Investors Service, in a recent ratings change, downgraded Sri Lanka’s sovereign debt from B1 to B2, while improving the country’s economic Outlook from Negative to Stable (available at: https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-downgrades-

Views - 216 Monday, 26 November 2018 00:55

Every human action, barring insanity, has a reason behind it. Their reasons could be self-justified or driven by others. What we see in Parliament is only the manifestation.

Views - 393 Monday, 26 November 2018 00:36

It may be noted that it is mainly because of high inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that the ‘tiger’ economies of South East and East Asia have prospered. According to UNCTAD, as of 2016,...

Views - 597 Monday, 26 November 2018 00:00

It was indeed memorable to organise an inauguration of a brand-new MBA batch at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was encouraging to see the spirit of Sri Lankans in Bangladesh who actively supported our endeavou

Views - 150 Monday, 26 November 2018 00:00

On 11 November 1918, at exactly 1100 hours European time, the Armistice that ended the “war to end all wars” came into effect. The guns fell silent after four years leaving Europe devastated. Four great empires had fallen; almost 20 million had d

Views - 244 Saturday, 24 November 2018 00:10

The newly-elected Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Government in the Maldives is likely to follow a balanced foreign policy rather than one which is slanted towards one foreign power or the other. Given the defeat of the manifestly pro-China Abdulla Yameen in

Views - 705 Saturday, 24 November 2018 00:09

The main contradiction, and the main fight, in Sri Lanka today is between neoliberalism and the nation. Or more correctly between, on the one hand, the elite which is the agency of the project of neoliberal globalisation and its corollary, the ideolo

Views - 7612 Friday, 23 November 2018 00:20

The Sri Lankan Legislature has witnessed many controversial happenings over the years. The august assembly’s humdrum existence and insipid routine has often given way to bursts of excitement by the unusual, irreverent conduct of its members.

Views - 3232 Friday, 23 November 2018 00:15

Of the Executive Presidents who ruled the country prior to Maithripala Sirisena, J.R. Jayewardene and Mahinda Rajapaksa can be described as those who mostly and increasingly exhibited the majesty and the prowess of the post. Both had adequate powers

Views - 447 Friday, 23 November 2018 00:10

Much has been made of Sri Lanka being a sort of ‘anti-Cloud Cuckoo Land’… a nation in a state of absurdly overoptimistic fantasy or unrealistic idealism where everything is perfect. And once upon a time, this was never if ever true. But things

Views - 868 Friday, 23 November 2018 00:05

President Sirisena on 26 October dismissed Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister (PM) and his Cabinet1 and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM2. Thereafter the President dissolved Parliament on 9 November 20183 and fixed a date for a General Election

Views - 257 Friday, 23 November 2018 00:00

Former President and current Member of Parliament Mahinda Rajapaksa has undertaken his second great humanitarian rescue effort. This time, he has come forward at the invitation of President Maithripala Sirisena to retrieve and restore the national ec

Views - 133 Friday, 23 November 2018 00:00

The events that unfolded on 26 October have led the country towards an unprecedented chaos. Almost a month later, we are still awaiting a firm interpretation of the decisions and the credibility of actions while pondering if all the sudden changes ha

Views - 328 Thursday, 22 November 2018 00:00

As Sri Lanka moves toward a political show down between the UNP and SLFP/SLPP traditional political rivals, there is a third force with great potential strength emerging as a decider in any final outcome, provided that force remains united. By this

Views - 180 Thursday, 22 November 2018 00:00

Another iconic global business leader has been exposed. Greed, both personal and corporate, it seems is the root cause. This mirrors the conduct of many political leaders around the world. Is it time to have much greater checks on CEOs, may be power-

Views - 762 Wednesday, 21 November 2018 00:00

The rising Non-Performing Advances (NPA/NPAs) is a matter of concern to the entire financial industry. It is a nightmare. The weekend papers have published some articles based on interviews journalists conducted with respective bank CEOs and also bas

Views - 438 Wednesday, 21 November 2018 00:00

Colombo, once known to be “kolonthota,” has always been identified as a wetland complex at the heart of the Kelani river delta. Today this city is increasingly drying up, with around 20 sq km left as wetlands which continue to be threatened every

Views - 162 Wednesday, 21 November 2018 00:00

The importance of quality in the contemporary competitive business environment cannot be over-emphasised. Total Quality Management (TQM)is a company-wide, all pervasive management philosophy, which organisations globally, in many business sectors hav