Category: Opinion
Opinion: The Glyphosate Story, CKDu, food security and national economy
Time-tested weed control techniques/tools such as glyphosate,have been removed without scientific proof, affecting our food security and national economy The ban has opened up avenues for business crooks to import the product illegally Glyphosate ban should be lifted and we should continue research on effective and economically viable alternatives By Professor Buddhi Marambe […]
Opinion: In defence of international values; Salisbury was a lawless attack
By Tom Burn (Acting High Commissioner, British High Commission Colombo) On a quiet Sunday in one of Britain’s most beautiful cathedral cities, a father and daughter were struck down by the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War. Sergei and Yulia Skripal are still lying stricken in hospital. […]
Opinion: Northern poverty and poor health reduced by lessons from wartime foraging
By Jekhan Aruliah The British author Charles Dickens created a character, Mr.Micawber, who was permanently in debt. Translated into a Sri Lankan context, Micawber famously made the point: “Daily income Rs1,000, daily expenditure Rs990, result Happiness. Daily income Rs1,000, daily expenditure Rs1,010, result Misery”. Simply put, Micawber said if your income is more than your […]
Opinion: Reviving Sri Lanka’s commitments to disarmament
Navigating a Nuclearised Asia for Smaller States: Reviving Sri Lanka’s Commitments to Disarmament By Malinda Meegoda Throughout its diplomatic history, Sri Lanka has maintained a strong anti-nuclear stance. Given the perceived need to avoid antagonising nuclear powers in the region, Sri Lanka has communicated this stance as a general normative and ethical position, rather than […]
Opinion: Geopolitical tug of war between India & China for Indian Ocean
“Geopolitical tug of war between India and China for the Indian Ocean, in case of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative is implemented” By Ruwani Weerasinghe Since 15th Century, Indian Ocean has been a source of disseminating cultural, political, economic & social transformation across the regions. Also it remained as a significant ‘trade agent’ due […]
Opinion: March to freedom or return to fear
By Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera The National Unity Government ushered in through a historic and revolutionary election in January 2015 has recently marked three years in office. As the Government attains this milestone, our achievements are many, but the road ahead of us remains as long and challenging as ever, and Sri Lanka stands again […]
Singapore FTA: What it means for Trade and Investment Flows
By Janaka Wijayasiri and Kithmina Hewage The freshly-signed Sri Lankan-Singapore FTA (SLSFTA) marks a new milestone in the relations between the two island economies. The agreement, signed on 23 January 2018, after almost 18 months of negotiations, is a modern, comprehensive, and high quality agreement. It covers a wide range of areas including goods and […]
Opinion : A stakeholder strategy for non-traditional organisations
By ThilanSenaratne Who is a stakeholder? A stakeholder is defined as ‘any group or individual who is affected by or can affect the achievement of an organization’s objectives’(Freeman, 1984). In other words, a stakeholder is someone who has a ‘stake’ in an organisation. There are dozens of stakeholder classifications. One of the most widely accepted […]
FTA with Malaysia: Will it Lead to an Expansion in Flow of Trade and Investment with Sri Lanka?
By Janaka Wijayasiri Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, who was on an official visit to Sri Lanka in December 2017 to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, has agreed with his counterparts, to expand cooperation in fields such as trade and investment. He said a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) […]
Opinion: Need for new terminology to describe persons with disability
By Nirmi Vitarana A friend recently shared an article published in an online edition of an English medium national newspaper. The article was well-intentioned, and spoke about the weakness of non-compliance to universal accessibility regulations in Sri Lanka’s infrastructure and public spaces, and which results in marginalizing a significant minority in our society – who […]
Opinion: Despite Trump-Modi bonhomie, Indo-US economic relations in doldrums
By P.K.Balachandran Despite words signifying undying friendship and bear hugs, which marked President Donald Trump’s interaction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on Monday, economic relations between the United States and India seem destined to remain in the doldrums indefinitely. While there was a strong understanding on cooperation to tackle terrorism and on […]
Opinion: Indian Presidential poll no longer a one horse race
By P.K.Balachandran Till Thursday evening, the Indian Presidential election, slated for July 17, seemed to be a one-horse race. A united ruling alliance headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had put up Ram Nath Kovind, a strong candidate, while the fractured Opposition was groping in the dark in search of a credible consensus candidate. […]