By Tisaranee Gunasekara Only those who support terrorism can request to reduce allocations for defence”. Basil Rajapaksa (SLBC – 30.11.2011) As President Mahinda Rajapaksa was declaring open the Southern highway amidst fanfare, the people of Galle and Matara were struggling with the aftermath of a deadly gale. Despite the regime’s boast of turning Sri Lanka [...]
By Tisaranee Gunasekara Don’t the people have the right to speak of anything taking place illegally?” Gen. Sarath Fonseka (Post-verdict statement in the White Flag case) President Mahinda Rajapaksa takes umbrage at the strangest things. He once vented outrage at a Sinhala song, titled, ‘The people of that country are running crazy’. Such songs, the [...]
Lakshman Indranath Keerthisinghe – Attorney-at-Law Our challenge is strongly to encourage the Sri Lankan government to embrace reconciliation, accountability, and respect for human rights, while trying not to push the country towards Burma-like isolation from the west,” Patricia A. Butenis, US Ambassador in Sri Lanka wrote; as revealed in WikiLeaks cables – Colombo Telegraph on [...]
Will the Additional Magistrate’s courageous decision create an oasis of justice in a desert of iniquity? By Tisaranee Gunasekara This is what happens when men decide to stand the world on its head”. Hannah Arendt (Responsibility and Judgement) Justice is an oddity, in unjust times. In a lawful land, the arrest-order for parliamentarian Duminda Silva [...]
Rajapaksa Family already planning more land grabbing Kleptocrat: A ruler who uses power to steal the country’s resources. Oxford Dictionary By Tisaranee Gunasekara Mindless-extravagance; land-grabbing; media-muzzling: the three Rajapaksa preoccupations are intimately interconnected. The Ruling Siblings need money to strengthen their power and to sustain their voracious appetite for exhibitionism, and the fastest way to [...]
The President is not above the law Self-reverence, self knowledge, self control, These three alone lead life to sovereign power -Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Self-respect) By Lakshman Indranath Keerthisinghe Attorney-at-Law The question has often been asked by ordinary citizens: ‘If all persons are equal before the law, why should the Executive President enjoy immunity from legal [...]
By Tisaranee Gunasekara The prince who neglects or violates his trust is more a brigand than the robber-chief” Byron (The Two Foscari) The long-awaited LLRC report is, finally, ready. But can it promote accountability or assure justice in a country where contempt for law is a hallmark of governance? Until last month, those who felt [...]
Badrani Jayawardena misleads Local Gov’t Commissioner Muzammil: “Moragoda is a Squatter.” ‘Muza The Mayor’ celebrates with Rs. 2 Million bash By Faraz Shauketaly No sooner had the Colombo Municipal Council’s (CMC) newly elected Mayor, A. J. M. Muzammil assumed office that a serious backdoor attempt to circumvent established norms was set in motion. Pointedly, not [...]
By Tirantha Walaliyadde President’s Counsel Lasantha Wickrematunge, Editor of an internationally recognized newspaper which continuously raised controversial issues on corruption and other matters was murdered in broad daylight in the presence of a multitude of witnesses two years ago. The police have still not arrested the killers. It appears from the alleged death letters published [...]
The voice of the people – however it manifests itself – will eventually be heard By Faraz Shauketaly Harold MacMillan was perhaps the first world leader to give prominence to the global political change way back in 1960 when he signalled the British governments’ determination to grant independence to its colonies and permit free men [...]
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