SAARC leaders can reduce expensive telecom tariffs in South Asia
July 18, 2008 (LBO) – We have been talking regional cooperation for a long time; SAARC itself is over 20 years old. There must be some real results; …
Opinion
Sri Lanka among top 20 in failed states ranking
July 3, 2008 (LBO) – In mid 2006, I wrote a column entitled “The Sri Lankan state: Failed, failing or maligned?” It was about a comparative ranking …
Myanmar’s disaster: SMS or cell broadcasting for early warning?
May 19, 2008 (LBO) – The loss of tens of thousands of lives in Burma (Myanmar) in our region’s largest human disaster since the 2004 tsunami reminds us …
Sri Lanka’s paper degrees and learning culture
May 08, 2008 (LBO) – As an educator, I have found the economic transaction at the heart of education to be deeply problematic. If I was selling bread, …
What is best for Sri Lanka’s environment: Tax or incentives?
Mar 31, 2008 (LBO) – A Bill will be brought to Parliament within days to give broad-ranging discretion to the Minister in charge of the subject of …
Sri Lanka Galle Literary festival and the exit option
Feb 25, 2008 (LBO) – Reactions to the 2nd Galle Literary Festival that very successfully concluded last month testify to the entrenched strength of …
Sri Lanka’s electricity pricing: slab or low-user?
Feb 18, 2008 (LBO) – The rather unusual step taken by the CEB to actually follow the law and make available for comment its proposed tariff has stirred …
Agriculture or services for Sri Lanka’s future?
Jan 28, 2008 (LBO) – At a conference organized by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing, an interesting question came from the audience: what would be …
Sri Lankan or Mihin Lanka?
Dec 24, 2007 (LBO) – The big news is that the CEO of the airline with the highest number of flights out of Colombo and a major investor has been stripped …
Sri Lanka eco tax could be a first step on a deadly road
Nov 09, 2008 (LBO) – “I, therefore propose to introduce an Environment Conservation Levy Act ensuring environment conservation. Individuals, businesses …
Cars or buses? Sri Lanka’s supreme attempt to curb pollution in a transport hub
Oct 29, 2007 (LBO) – The Supreme Court is going to do to traffic in Colombo what it did to Year One admissions to popular schools. It has ordered …
Posts or telecom: Sri Lanka’s dysfunctional communications family
Oct 08, 2007 (LBO) – It’s a strange question. It has always been Posts AND Telecom, even back in the bad old days when it was an inconsequential …
Taxes in Sri Lanka: limiting damage or doing good?
Sept 10, 2007 (LBO) – Once Parliament figures out what really happened when the taxation provisions were supposedly debated and passed on the 6th of …
Taxing Sri Lanka’s mobile customers: Goose or eggs?
Sept 03, 2007 (LBO) – Taxes are necessary. The consistent theme of the “Choices” columns has been that choices have to be made; that one cannot …
Staying dry: Vertical or horizontal strategy for Sri Lanka?
August 02, 2007 (LBO) – Large parts of Colombo, particularly the roads, go under water whenever there is heavy rain. One explanation is that polythene …
Saving Sri Lanka’s tourist industry: Peace or posters?
July 18, 2007 (LBO) – Recently the JVP trade union in the hotel industry put up posters asking for prompt government action to address the crisis in the …
Is Sri Lanka running in place or falling behind?
June 22, 2007(LBO) – A little over a year ago, I wrote a column called “The Sri Lankan state: Failed, failing or maligned?” It was about a …
Onymous or anonymous? Perils of economic discourse in Sri Lanka
June 12, 2007 (LBO) – The theme of this column has been public policy about infrastructure. This time, it will not be about infrastructure as such, …
Telecenters or mobiles: Connecting families at the bottom of the pyramid
May 17, 2007 (LBO) – The theme of the 2007 World Telecom and Information Society Day (May 17th) is connecting the young. It is difficult to connect …
Choices: Fixed or mobile?
March 28, 2007 (LBO) – It seems like a no-brainer: A mobile phone is better than a fixed phone, especially in Sri Lanka. The costs of getting a …