Sri Lanka Unites is a group of young people changing the country, and they are keeping at it. After bringing students from all over the island to two youth leadership conferences, they are now on a bus tour of the island. I have been following their videos and stories online and it is really amazing [...]
Here’s a riddle. What does everybody talk about, but nobody say? In Sri Lanka that would be truth about our politicians. Rumors swirl – “Duminda Silva is a violent drug dealer and rapist” – but nobody says anything in public. Journalists don’t look into it and judges don’t say. At some point, however, reality intrudes [...]
There are two Colombos. In one, people live in shanties, drive trishaws and vote. In the other, people live in the suburbs, drive cars, and do not vote. The recent developments by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa have cheered the latter and scared the former. Milinda Moragoda, running on a similar development platform thus faced an uphill battle. [...]
The Colombo election is over. I think it was a good race and I support our new municipal council, whoever wins, as a citizen of Colombo. Let us make our city a better place, and a model for the rest of the nation. During this election, as with every election, I have supported a candidate [...]
I once opposed the war and nearly everything the Rajapaksas did. Now I am supporting their chosen candidate for Mayor of Colombo. What happened? For one thing, they won the war. My main opposition was that the fighting would never end. The idea was that negotiations would. But the fighting did end, quite conclusively. This [...]
At some point in recent history, Sri Lankan political parties were devoured by personality. It all, of course, began with the UNP. That was a family party which split when S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike could not find room for his legacy inside. He began the family fief of the SLFP, which was since taken over by the [...]
When did politics become a bad word? Like the F and S words, the P-word is something we do every day (if possible) and yet will not say in public. Politics means “of, for, or relating to citizens”. It is how people make collective decisions. Too often, however, that decision is ‘kill them’ or ‘take [...]
I am working for Milinda Moragoda in his campaign for Mayor of Colombo. Just so you know. Why? Well, he is smart, because he has good ideas for Colombo and because he can get it done. More importantly, because he listens to ideas from me, you or anybody, and I think that is cool. Here [...]
Sri Lanka’s flagship investments – the new port, airport, the Commonwealth Games bid – have all been in Hambantota. If you visit Hambantota district you will find that the town itself is quite sleepy and the main highlight is the wildlife. Tangalle, Matara and Galle are nearby and growing fast. Yet, instead of creating something [...]
Facebook funder Peter Thiel is now funding start-up countries on offshore oil-rigs. “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible,” he has said. That’s a bit too offshore for me. It is somewhat true, however, that modern democracy and freedom are not entirely compatible. Sometimes the very systems built up to preserve freedom [...]
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