Blog Archives

Ranil ‘can’t win elections’ a myth: Replacing UNP leader will be a dangerous experiment

REPUBLISHED
Is there value in ousting Ranil?
When a political party faces a series of defeats over a considerable period, there is a tendency for
internal conflicts to occur. The UNP, the main opposition party which was expelled from power in 1994 is still struggling to come out of that chasm for nearly 17 years. There is a general perception that the […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on September 3, 2011 at 12:45 am

Riots in London, grease yakkas in Sri Lanka and a pattern of growing youth unrest

UNP Parliamentarian Kabir Hasheem at the Press Conference

The latest terror to strike the already harried people of Sri lanka are the “Grease devils.” Called that for their strange costume with face hood and greased bodies these monsters have started to spread fear in many areas across the
country. Their presence has already disrupted entire towns and the day to day activities of the citizenry and […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on August 20, 2011 at 12:27 am

Mr. President, Enough is Enough!

Our leaders often speak about media freedom and right to information. At the same time, they utter a lot about the safety
of journalists and safeguarding journalism too. They try to appear as the messiahs of journalism and journalists. In a context such as this, it is strange isn’t it that journalists get murdered and assaulted in broad daylight?
Then there […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on August 7, 2011 at 8:28 pm

Endless elections, a false sense of democracy and a vicious political system

In Sri Lanka there is no dearth of elections.There are elections through out the year and the whole country is wrapped in
election heat. The government is ready to go for elections, any day any time. No one knows about the cleanliness and transparency of these elections but everyone accepts the results without any kind of hesitation […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on July 31, 2011 at 4:20 am

Sangakkara stands tall as Rajapakse destroys Sri Lanka cricket

The prestigious Colin Cowdrey lecture delivered by the Sri Lankan star cricketer Kumar Sangakkara has ignited the sports
and political spheres in Sri Lanka. His speech was based on the history of Sri Lanka’s Cricket and its present situation. In this finely compiled courageous speech Kumar Sangakkara made some important revelations before an elite crowd gathered at Lords to […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on July 13, 2011 at 2:03 pm

The Rajapakse regime, Ranil Wickremasinghe and media freedom in Sri Lanka

The decision to present the Freedom of Information Bill to parliament was a wise and sensible move by the UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya.
Such legislative measures are essential to buttress democracy and freedom of expression in a country. Mr.Jayasuriya should be given credit for taking the initiative to introduce this particular bill which is one of the best bills […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on July 8, 2011 at 5:29 am

Sri Lanka needs a change

When we live in ‘exile’, we often meet various people from various countries. They always speak about their own countries and leaders. Sometimes they boast about their victories and histories. But, as Sri Lankans, what do we have to say about our country and its leaders? What do we have to boast about?
Yes. We have a long 5000 year […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on June 24, 2011 at 10:32 pm

Roshen killing - Who ordered the police to shoot?

The remains of the slain Free Trade Zone(FTZ) Worker Roshen Chanaka was buried last week. Now, on the surface, everything looks calm, quiet and tranquil. It appears the turmoil is over. But will this ‘peace’ last. That is the burning question.
This we know. The young factory worker Roshen Chanaka was shot dead by the Police. But […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on June 10, 2011 at 2:50 am

An elusive economic dividend and a pattern of deceit

The Central Bank recently said that Sri Lanka’s economic growth rate has now reached 8 percent. This seems an amazing feat by a country emerging from a debilitating 27-year-old war and given that countries like China and India that record the highest growth rate in the world is 9 percent. The difference is that in […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on May 30, 2011 at 5:51 am