President Maithripala Sirisena in a dramatic move on October 26 installed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister, in place of his coalition partner Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the United National Party (UNP). Evidently, political expediency prompted the president to ignore the inconvenient fact that it was the support of Wickremesinghe and the […]

Continuing his swift disastrous strike last Friday, President Maithripala Sirisena has taken a familiar problem of public fury with an inept and malfunctioning Government to a perilously extra-constitutional trajectory, prompting deep revulsion on the part of even those strongly critical of many follies of the United National Party (UNP). Repercussions of the President’s actions This […]

Never has the truth of that  hackneyed cliche’, “ in politics there are no permanent friends  or permanent enemies, but only permanent interests”, been so aptly demonstrated than in the drama that is being currently played out in our theatre of the absurd. In an act of unbelievable political expediency President Sirisena betrayed all the […]

The National Association of University Academics met the Prime Minister at the Secretariat and forwarded a memorandum with 5 points to be implemented expeditiously. The Secretary of the Association .Prof Channa Jayasumana presented the recommendations and other academics expressed their views followed by him. The Prime Minister stated that he would study these recommendations in […]

Statement on the Constitutional Crisis Recent actions of President Maithripala Sirisena purporting to remove Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe from office as the Prime Minister and the purported appointment of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place have caused a constitutional and political crisis. As professionals who value and defend constitutional democracy, we consider it our duty to […]

Sri Lanka’s journalists have become caught in the centre of the bitter power struggle between the country’s rival prime ministers, an international media watchdog said Wednesday, urging authorities to ensure their safety. Reporters without Borders (RSF) said supporters of former president Mahinda Rajapakse stormed state-owned media institutions shortly after he was controversially named prime minister […]

Whatever turn developments may now take, Sri Lanka’s fragile process of democratic recovery is in peril. Last Friday, Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa, his political rival until the day before, as the new Prime Minister — a surprising move that Mr. Sirisena made in order to […]

The Elders express grave concern at the situation in Sri Lanka following President Maithripala Sirisena’s unconstitutional decision to dismiss Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and suspend Parliament. “President Sirisena must stand by his past commitments to deliver peace, justice and reconciliation to his people – all of which can only be achieved by strict adherence to […]