The Minister got it all wrong. It should not be about burqas; or niqabs; or your grandmother’s flowery hat. It should not be about Muslims, or Sinhalese, or Veddas, or Eskimos. It’s not even about national security. It’s about law and order. More specifically, it’s about the need for the Police, witnesses, and victims to …
Do not target one community: Ban ALL face coverings Read More »
Battered by the Covid crisis for over a year, Sri Lanka’s economy is tottering. Foreign investment is dismal; traditional exports – tea, apparel, rubber – are barely performing. Tourism has a very long way to go on the slow road to recovery. Our labour force employed overseas is suffering considerably and their capacity to earn …
How entrepreneurship can rescue Sri Lanka’s economy Read More »
How our cricket can wipe out corruption and streamline managementIt is no secret that Sri Lanka Cricket has, over the years, earned a reputation as an organisation rife with corruption and mismanagement. A direct result of this has been the abysmal performance of the national team in recent times.Over the last 25 years, successive ministers …
Restructuring Sri Lanka Cricket: The Indian model Read More »
For almost all Sri Lankans, the very thought of going to a court is so daunting that we don’t do it, even when we have what we believe to be an open and shut case.Courts, judges, lawyers, policemen, court registrars, bailiffs… all of these are terrifying indeed to the average Sri Lankan. Laws are too …
There’s something fundamentally wrong with Sri Lankan society. Despite thousands of years of women in leadership positions, our culture continues to prevent women from achieving even a semblance of equality. It’s time for a radical change in this culture, through the establishment of a National Gender Equality Authority. Queen Kuveni was Sri Lanka’s first monarch, …
Sri Lanka is a nation that is woefully lacking in discipline, public order, rule of law, leadership, innovation, team work, civic consciousness, and above all, common decency. A proposal to enforce a four-month military training on youth at the age of 18 years to instil good qualities is likely to be presented to Parliament soon.The …
Forget military service, promote community service Read More »
In recent times, a proposal to cultivate and export cannabis appears to be gaining traction among certain government and business circles. This has led to increasing pressure from farmers in cannabis cultivation areas to legalise the crop. The President recently responded by stating that a firm policy decision was yet to be taken.It’s a multi-faceted …
Here we go again.Our national cricket team has failed. Fans are inconsolable. The media is baying for blood. Politicians are arguing about it. A few officials are resigning. Social media is aflame. Former cricketers are imparting wisdom. Everyone sees a different problem with various solutions. The blame game is in full swing.High-level meetings have been …
When Covid shut down Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, and almost our entire economy, last March, Sri Lanka Tourism quite admirably focused on not just opening the industry back up again, but in using this shutdown as an opportunity to reposition Sri Lanka’s tourism industry to attract higher-spending tourists.There’s no use blaming this Government, the last …
The most advanced nations, economically and socially, are those that have optimised the energies of all segments of their populations.Countries that have progressively implemented steps to include all of their diverse population segments into their economies and societies, have also experienced increased growth rates and spurred all development as nations.Those that do not are among …