Mahinda has got a two thirds majority in Parliament and is using it to extend his term. This is not because he was necessarily so powerful, it was more because the opposition was so weak. Mahinda told Ranil that he was going for an Executive Prime Ministership, invited Ranil to Temple Trees, gave him a [...]
I am part of a dwindling and slightly pathetic race called the English Speaking Elite, or the Esé. Despite filling out ‘Sinhala Buddhist’ on every police report (they ask), I cannot really speak Sinhala. If I’m under arrest it somehow comes back to me, but for casual inquiries I can’t. The Esé were once the [...]
Today the SLMC will probably cross to the government side, giving Mahinda more than a two thirds majority. This is the final crumbling of Ranil’s coalition which began in 2001, hastened in 2004 when he didn’t fight President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and now almost completed since he has not fought President Mahinda Rajapaksa. With the [...]
Sarath Fonseka is facing jail time. Ranil got a new car. Who’s the real leader? DNA members were arrested at a protest in Galle. The UNP is meeting itself in Colombo. Who’s the real opposition? Ranil and Mahinda, BFFs While Sarath Fonseka and his family are losing everything, Ranil continues meeting with Mahinda and getting [...]
An actual Tamil circle, from Tamil Nadu, which is really quite cool TamilNet sort of lost it when the war ended. TamilNet, if you’re unaware, was the LTTE mouthpiece then an anti-KP mouthpiece and now a chewed off rump LTTE mouthpiece. Occasionally (coincidentally moreso) they do mete out some news, but lately I read them [...]
The eminent panel is obsequious to the gray haired gentleman that takes the stand. He sits with his back to the crowd, thick with reporters from the BBC, Reuters, and India. The man is Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the first star witness and the first with any real power. It is palpable. Mr. Rajapaksa has [...]
This country is ruled by Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brothers. Many ministers serve in his court. Two ministers – Wimal Weerawansa and Mervyn Silva are given special ambit. They are the symbolic gladiators of the media colosseum. When Mahinda cannot give us bread, he gives us circuses. Today the government is struggling with post-war issues [...]
The latest ads in Colombo seem to consist of young, fertile looking people acting like children. Products rarely appear in these ads so they could just as easily be ads for phone companies, ice cream, soda or herpes medication. I am not an advertising expert, but I see enough that I would like to humbly [...]
What is going on with the UNP? Ranil Wickremesinghe has lost every recent election for the party and wasn’t even confident enough to run in the last Presidential, making it the first election in history that the UNP hasn’t contested. Still, he clings to power and is even negotiating with the government on one side [...]
Sri Lanka is finally beginning to experience normal issues. The Daily Mirror is stuck on breaking news, but if you put it all together there are bigger issue at play. These little headlines all come from bigger issues – the beggars involve poverty, dengue involves health, and the strikes involve education. These are broader issues [...]
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