Group dynamics are usually problematic and cause dissension and animosity, especially in organizations made up of individuals with competing interests and ambitions. Hence, they often lead to the break-up of political alliances, the collapse of the UNP-led Yahapalana coalition...
By Vishvanath
We are living in interesting times. The unfolding political drama at the grassroots level is full of twists and turns. The battle for the hung local councils is far from over. Elections to the posts of chairpersons in...
The so-called latest version of the ‘Joint Opposition’ held a media briefing last week to herald their second coming, a rally at Nugegoda on November 21, styled the ‘Mahaa Jana Handa’ or the ‘Great Voice of the People’. The...
It was President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s uncle J.R. Jayewardene who
was known as the ‘Old Fox’ of Sri Lankan politics, a sobriquet earned by
his maturity in age when he became the country’s leader and also his
reputation as a scheming Machiavellian politician....
By Vishvanath
Government teachers were engaged in a protest near the Presidential Secretariat , and postal workers were on strike, at the time of writing (Aug. 19). The teachers had stayed there overnight, demanding a presidential intervention to restore a...
By Vishvanath
It is said that nothing is so certain as the unexpected in politics, which is full of surprises, as in the board game, Snakes and Ladders. No sooner had the NPP government boasted that the state coffers were...
By Vishvanath
The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) is going to elect its leader for the first time in its 74-year history, according to media reports. The contest for party leadership, to be held on Jan. 21, will be...
by Vishvanath
Much has been spoken about the phenomenon of youth-led uprisings in this part of the world. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal have already experienced them, in 2022, 2024 and 2025, respectively. They are generally thought to be spontaneous...
By kassapa
Forget the 78th anniversary of Independence. This week was all about the Rajapaksas. There was former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa being summoned to the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) to answer questions about the ‘Siriliya’ account she held....
By Vishvanath
The 2025 Local Government (LG) elections have thrown up quite a few surprises. Their outcome has made political parties and their leaders, given to moral grandstanding, lay bare their true faces—selfish, evasive and opportunistic. Before the LG elections,...
By Vishvanath
The government launched its anti-drug operation, ‘Nation United – National Drive’ in Colombo on Thursday. A large number of politicians, diplomats and religious leaders attended the event, where everybody, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the prime mover of the...
By Kassapa
Despite most of its practitioners not being the most erudite or intelligent, politics is a difficult sport to engage in. It requires a different kind of nuanced approach. Even the supposedly more intelligent players slip up every now...
