Archive for October, 2009
October 31, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Constitutional Reform, Foreign Relations, Human Rights, IDPs and Refugees, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Groundviews
[Editors note: Beyond Borders, as part of a discussion series aimed at connecting youth activists with key opinion and decision makers, organised a discussion with Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka on 8 October 2009. Around 25 young people interested in politics participated in the discussion. Well-known bloggers Aachcharya, Negligible Minoritist and SP who were present share some reflections on Dayan.]
Judging Public Intellectuals by Aachcharya
It is impossible not to be swayed by Dayan’s display of intellect. The way he answered questions was exemplary, being able to quote from very ‘high theory’ and then engage with us the very next minute in some very good ‘common sense’ but vivid and sharp analysis, replete with anecdotes, a quality I must say, …
October 31, 2009 at 2:21 am · Categories: Colombo, Disabilities, Human Rights, Media and Communications, War Crimes | by Marisa de Silva
A young boy was drowned in broad daylight this week. Though not a single newspaper carried it, I’m told B. Sivakumaran was his name. He was “believed” to be mentally retarded and known for throwing stones at passing vehicles and trains. Approximately 100 people watched him die. One even managed to capture on film the final five minutes of his life.
That five minutes of footage could have been of a possible rescue by one of the 100 or so spectators. Or, that five minutes of footage could have been shot at the same time a call for assistance was made to the nearest Police Station, by someone present in the crowd. This was the heart of Bambalapitiya after …
October 31, 2009 at 1:43 am · Categories: Politics and Governance | by Sumanasiri Liyanage
This is one of the subjects that has in recent years put me in constant confusion. To situate my confused status in its context, let me begin with a personal note. In the 1960s when I began my political praxis, I had very clear and precise a position on the subject of democracy. I observed the presence of certain democratic values, forms and institutions in Sri Lanka and while recognizing their importance especially for left politics, I branded this democracy as a bourgeois democracy giving primacy to the adjective rather than to the noun. My firm perception was that in order to make democracy complete and perfect, the capitalistic mode of production that imposed many constraints on democracy had to …
October 30, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Post-War, Religion and faith | by Surendra Ajit Rupasinghe
I feel that there is a pressing need to rise to the defense of Buddhism. This is because Buddhism is being degraded and exploited as a reactionary political ideology by a grade of low class politicians. Their impact is severe and decisive. Their politicized version of Buddhism is being incessantly drilled into the social consciousness of a particular chauvinist political base, with full state patronage, and more fundamentally, as the core program and agenda of the state and the regime. The impact has been to imbibe a jubilant sense of a dominant, triumphant ego for having vanquished an oppressed nation, a narrowed, distorted and introverted sense of self, based on nurturing arrogance and intolerance against others. The mantle of the …
October 29, 2009 at 2:10 pm · Categories: Colombo, Constitutional Reform, Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, War Crimes | by Sanjana Hattotuwa
I spoke with Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka recently on his take on post-war politics, his interpretation of the Southern Provincial Council elections, the issue of war crimes and the extension of GSP+, the challenges of peacebuilding (with peace seen as more than the absence of war) and the purported entry of the former Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka to mainstream party politics.
October 29, 2009 at 11:49 am · Categories: IDPs and Refugees, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Satire | by Groundviews
Picture courtesy of The Australian, 29th October 2009
The above picture was published in the satirical Nicholson cartoon gallery which features in The Australian. The issue of refugees has been covered extensively in both local and foreign media. At present, Australia has found it cumbersome in dealing with the increase in refugees that are attempting to seek asylum within the country.
Groundviews would like to get the perspectives from its readers on what they gather from the cartoon.
October 28, 2009 at 3:33 pm · Categories: Human Rights, Media and Communications, Politics and Governance | by Niranjan Dias Bandaranayake
It seems to be the case that over the past few years the State and the public have become much less tolerant of liberal values. In 2006, a bill set out a total ban on alcohol and tobacco advertisements in the media or on billboards as well as free distribution of tobacco or alcohol related products by the manufacturer or the distributor as means of promotion. In September this year, a Magistrate ordered the Police Children and Women’s Bureau to publish the photographs of several local porn stars, which appear in pornographic CDs and are presently being circulated in the market, in order to identify them and take further action.
Do the above instances not show a lack of …
October 28, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Peace and Conflict | by Surendra Ajit Rupasinghe
Politics of Supremacy:
This article is addressed to the broad revolutionary-democratic platform that shared a minimum, common, transitional principle and policy towards the Tamil national liberation struggle, in an effort to orient this platform towards the future challenges and tasks. We would all agree that the decisive military victory gained by the State over the LTTE has changed the political playing field in a most dramatic way. This victory marks a turning point. The military victory heralds also the triumph of the dominant ruling political ideology of the Sri Lankan State, and its ruling class. –Sinhala-Buddhist Supremacy: This ideology was molded, nourished and reinforced by every successive government. This ruling ideology is now being centralized, concentrated and applied systematically in all …
October 27, 2009 at 3:30 pm · Categories: Colombo, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Malinda Seneviratne
The buzz in political circles these days is the possibility of there being a ‘common candidate’ (CC) to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s bid for a second term in the event that a Presidential Election is called before he completes his term, most likely in January 2010. Among the names thrown around for the CC post are those of former Chief Justice Sarath Silva and General Sarath Fonseka.
Of the two, the former’s name was spoken of in CC terms some time ago, but he has since been sidelined more or less by the latter, with wide publicity being given to probably exaggerated claims of a spat with the President.
All we know about Sarath Fonseka’s presidential ambitions is what the JVP has …
October 27, 2009 at 10:25 am · Categories: Colombo, Constitutional Reform, Politics and Governance | by Kalana Senaratne
Media reports suggest that President Mahinda Rajapaksa might decide to hold an early Presidential Election in 2010. It is therefore interesting to look into some of the issues relating to the matter. Some of them are the following: i) the rationale behind the introduction of the 3rd Amendment, ii) interpretation of Article 31(3A)(d)(i) of the Constitution, and iii) the Supreme Court’s interpretation of that provision (see the unanimous judgment of the SC of 26 August 2005, in S.C. (FR) 278/2005).
The 3rd Amendment: why?
President Rajapaksa, upon completing 4 years in office in November 2009, can ‘declare his intention of appealing to the People for a mandate to hold office, by election, for a further term’ (Article 31(3A)(a)(i) of the Constitution). …
October 27, 2009 at 6:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict | by Kannan
Historians say that the Kaffirs of Sri Lanka started arriving from the eastern shores of Africa in the 1500s with the Portuguese, and later in more waves with the different colonizers of Sri Lanka. ‘Kaffir culture’ is a video portrait of one such community of Kaffirs and their struggle to keep their culture alive in the face of falling numbers.
Written and produced by Kannan Arunasalam.
Music by the Ceylon Kaffirs. Special thanks to Sweta Velpillay, Nethra Samarawickrema, Leah Worthington and Greg Kelly.
Click here to watch this movie in stunning widescreen high definition (720p) on our Facebook fan page, where you …
October 23, 2009 at 5:45 pm · Categories: Disaster Management, Environment, Human Rights | by Nalaka Gunawardene
The President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives in an exclusive interview with Nalaka Gunawardene
[caption id="attachment_1821" align="alignnone" width="425" caption="Nalaka Gunawardene (left) and President Mohamed Nasheed in Male, Aug 2009"]
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The Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives is the smallest country in Asia – it packs 325,000 people into a land area just under 300 square kilometres. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (5 feet) above sea level, it is also the lowest country on the planet, and now on the frontline of climate change impact. As the polar ice …
October 23, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Economy, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Darini Rajasingham Senanayake
[Editors note: Read Part 1 of this article here.]
Economic and Governance Challenges in Post-conflict Areas
The Rajapakse government is increasingly dovetailing its policies to make Lanka a destination of Indian and Chinese investment. As a first step in attracting investments in the former north-east conflict zones, the government recently announced a 15-year tax holiday for companies setting up operations in these regions. Among those queuing up are NTPC, Cairn, L&T, Purvankara and various information-technology (IT) companies. India’s National Thermal Power Corporation is expected to sign an agreement soon to set up a 1,000 MW coal based power plant in Trincomalee with an investment of US$500 million, while Cairn India has received approvals for oil exploration projects at a cost of …
October 22, 2009 at 6:06 pm · Categories: Colombo, Economy, Human Rights, Politics and Governance | by Dr. P. Saravanamuttu
The Final Report of the investigation initiated by the European Union under the terms of the GSP Plus concession entitled “The Implementation of certain Human Rights Conventions in Sri Lanka” has been handed over to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). The GOSL has time till the 6th of November to respond to the report. Two months from that date- 6th January 2010- the Council will take the final decision on the extension of GSP Plus to Sri Lanka, which will be effective six months from that date.
According to the statement released by Lutz Gullner, the spokesperson of the European Commission:
The Commission has completed a thorough investigation into the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and in particular whether Sri …
October 22, 2009 at 2:44 pm · Categories: Media and Communications | by Dhammika Dharmawardhane
A milestone in British democracy and the right to freedom of speech happens on BBC’s Question Time program tonight. Nick Griffin the head of the BNP (British National Party), which allows only white members, will headline tonight. BBC defends it’s decision on responsibility of due impartiality.
The BBC trust says it is a question of editorial judgement whether it is appropriate for the BNP to appear.
As a recent Asian migrant to this country I am alarmed. Is violent fascism preached by the BNP now part of the mainstream? Like me, how will the other Asian, African, and West Indian descent citizens of the United Kingdom feel? Or the East Europeans and South Africans?
October 22, 2009 at 8:03 am · Categories: Colombo, Economy, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Darini Rajasingham Senanayake
In the heydays of the Non-Aligned Movement Sri Lanka’s politicians and diplomats wielded an influence disproportionate to the county’s size on the international stage. However, the last 30 years of armed conflict and the form of its ending has tarnished the island’s international reputation. Yet at home, the Rajapakse government by comprehensively defeating the LTTE has secured the lasting gratitude of the majority of the people and is widely expected to sweep the general and presidential elections to be held in 2010. The Sri Lanka government also has a golden opportunity to move quickly to heal the wounds of 27 years of conflict through timely reconstruction and reconciliation. The international community would need to support the transition by ensuring aid …
October 21, 2009 at 10:58 am · Categories: Colombo, Disabilities | by Groundviews
Groundviews was recently able to cover the rehearsals for two up-coming plays, An Inspired Swan Lake and Human Touch, which will premiere together on the 28th of October and then on the 29th of October. The directors Jehan Aloysius and Nalinda Premaratne have worked extensively over the last couple of months with extremely talented disabled individuals from the Sunera Foundation and the Ranaviru Sevana, who were impressively skilful in their acting and physical performances that most of us would find cumbersome. What was immediately striking was that these productions were anchored to a vital issue – disability. Affirmative action towards influencing the public policy to accommodate and look after the rights of disabled individuals was not apparent until the …
October 20, 2009 at 8:47 am · Categories: Colombo, Foreign Relations, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Shakya Lahiru Pathmalal
In the post-Prabhakaran scenario in Sri Lanka there is an immediate need for the GoSL to engage both the Sri Lankan public and the international community in a meaningful manner, or at least to appear to do so. To date this has not happened. The government’s decision-making from all accounts and actions is too centralized. Opposition MP have not yet been able to visit the IDP camps, a fact that not only breeds discontent among elected members of parliament but also could be seen as gross abuse of government power. It is true that after the end of the government had a great deal of domestic political capital, however, this honeymoon period is now over. GoSL MUST stop playing hardball …
October 19, 2009 at 1:03 pm · Categories: Advocacy, Disabilities | by Groundviews
As reported in State media, on 14th October 2009, the Supreme Court ordered that public buildings to be constructed in the future should be easily accessible to disabled persons. The Court further ordered that such buildings should be facilitated with adequate sanitary facilities for such persons.
Groundviews spoke with Sunethra Bandaranaike, Chairperson of the Sunera Foundation, for her views of the judgement as an activist who has, through theatre and art, championed the rights of the disabled in Sri Lanka over a number of years.
October 18, 2009 at 2:06 pm · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, Politics and Governance | by Basil Fernando
The creation of counterfeits in any field of human activity is a result of borrowings and imitations which do not originate from a genuine understanding of the problems and issues that the activity is supposed to address. In Leo Tolstoy’s book entitled ‘What is Art?’ he speaks of counterfeit art, which, according to him, is what art became in his time in Europe. In counterfeit art, ‘the artist’, believing himself to be creating a work of art, is in fact only engaging in creating impressions of art. These ‘impressions of art’ are derived from an understanding of what are considered some of the external qualities of art, which the ‘artist’ now tries to recreate. Looked at from outside, …
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