Features

Reading demands for change

Published

1 year ago

2024/11/19

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Dissanayake

by Jehan Perera

The political avalanche that swept the electoral landscape due to the demand for change was unprecedented. In some electorates the majority achieved by the NPP exceeded 70 percent. The overall majority in the country was 61 percent. The avalanche swept aside many who had earned names for themselves on account of their long years of commitment to influence policies in the national interest. In their place will be a host of much younger persons who will come in with their ideals and hopes for positive change but with little experience of governance and even administration. The government is aware of this issue and has arranged for a three-day workshop on parliamentary procedures, session activities and the functioning of committees.

With 159 seats the NPP has won more than a 2/3 majority. This is not the first time that a government has enjoyed such a huge majority. The last time was as recent as 2019 when the SLPP under the leadership of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa obtained close to a 2/3 majority which it speedily converted into a 2/3 majority by persuading several opposition members to cross over and be rewarded accordingly. A 2/3 majority is not a panacea as was experienced shortly after 2019 by disastrous decisions including constitutional amendments from which the country is yet to recover. The huge majority meant that the government leaders felt they could do anything and get away with it. This led to crooked deals, to murder and to impunity.

Prior to that in 1970 and 1977 there were 2/3 majorities in parliament won by the SLFP and UNP respectively, though under the first-past-the-post system which made it possible to win a huge number of seats even with less than 40 percent of the electorate voting in favour of the ruling party. Here, too, there were crooked deals, murder and impunity. This time it has got to be different. The government needs to seize this moment of unprecedented goodwill to address the country’s long-standing problems. The people have voted with great expectations and if the results are not seen soon then cynicism and vested interests will make their comeback.

SIMILAR OUTCOMES

Significantly, the widespread support for the NPP, cutting across geographical, ethnic, and religious divides, represents a remarkable step toward national unity. Even regions historically disillusioned with central governance have placed their trust in the president’s leadership. This inclusivity, evidenced by the support of ethnic and religious minorities, is an encouraging sign that the NPP has succeeded in fostering a national perspective that transcends traditional divisions. However, this trust brings with it a significant responsibility.

The electoral outcome in the north and east of the country in which the ethnic and religious minorities predominate is a first-time occurrence. In these parts of the country, the electorate had voted for parties that represent particular ethnic and religious interests for many decades, during which the ethnic conflict and their sense of neglect grew exponentially. Likewise, in the rest of the country, the ethnic and religious majority voted for political parties that represented their own particular ethnic and religious interests.

As a result, the electoral map in the aftermath of elections invariably took on a two-tone complexion, with the north and east being in one colour and the rest of the country being in another. Even 15 years after the end of the three-decade long war for separation, the electoral map resembled the maps produced by the LTTE which spearheaded the military campaign. For the first time the map is now of a uniform colour with the exception of a single district, the other 24 being of one colour.

What has been noteworthy at these elections has been the similarity of outcomes in the north and east and the rest of the country even though some of the most pressing problems of the people in the north and east was not a part of the election campaign of the major political parties. All parts of the country share the problems of economic recovery and have a common interest in ensuring that corruption is minimised and the poor are protected rather than being subjected to economic extraction. But the north and east has a special interest in issues of devolution of power, demilitarisation and return of land and resolving the problems of missing persons and long-term prisoners from the days of the armed conflict. And though less discussed, they also want the development of the two provinces which are below the average standard in the country.

REJECTING PAST

The massive vote for the NPP is as much an expression of trust and positive expectations from the government as it is a rejection of the other political parties that have governed the country in the past and brought it to the bottom in 2022. The stabilisation of the free fall by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe from May 2022 until his defeat at the presidential election of November 2024 did not receive the appreciation his supporters anticipated. This was because a section of the population was continuing to prosper through relationships with those in positions of power while the main burden of the economic collapse was thrust on the majority of people. It was also due to the former president’s failure to seek the causes of the economic collapse and deal with the associated corruption, even though that was not the only cause.

The fact that the main political parties that had dominated national politics continued to give nominations to those widely believed to be corrupt was one of the main reasons for the flight of voters away from those political parties. Indeed, some of these tarnished politicians managed to win seats in parliament probably due to the patronage they had extended to the electorates they nursed. However, the party leadership needs to keep in mind that the consequence of such nominations was to alienate a much larger segment of the electorate and thereby serve to erode their voter banks.

In the north and east, the failure of the political leadership of the political parties that represented minority interests to show any significant results over the past decades was a factor that alienated the electorate away from them. It is largely these negative factors that have caused the minority voters to move away from continuing to support them. The government needs to seize the opportunity that its landslide victory provides to engage in the necessary discussions, negotiations and accommodations to bring about a political, and long lasting constitutional, solution to the ethnic conflict. Such a solution would require the 2/3 majority that the NPP has obtained to amend the constitution and to entrench the political solution in law.

QUICK CHANGE

However, unlike the people in the rest of the country who may be willing to give the new government more time to reform the system, those in the north and east who have been let down time and again by the promises of successive governments, may not be willing to wait. There is much that can and should be done without needing constitutional amendment but by simply implementing existing laws, to resolve problems regarding land, memorialization use of the Tamil language, appointment of Tamil officers as heads of units and department, and so on. The government has an incentive to act speedily in this regard to hold on to the support that they have received from the ethnic and religious minorities. It will be easier to show speedy results in dealing with ethnic and religious grievances than in reviving the economy, given the constraints the national economy is under.

Due to the prevalent economic conditions, which are at “knife’s edge” if the IMF is to be believed, the new government will be hard pressed to show quick fixes, just as the previous government under President Wickremesinghe also could not show quick fixes. The fiscal realities give the government little room to manoeuver on the economy. However, in the case of resolving the ethnic conflict there is no reason for the government to delay. Unlike in the case of economic recovery for which there are no short-term panaceas, the solution to the ethnic conflict is one that can be resolved soon as it has been discussed, negotiated and publicised on several occasions, but not implemented due to the failure of leadership.

A solution to the ethnic problem will be welcomed not only by the ethnic and religious minorities within the country but also by those living outside in the diaspora and by the international community, most notably India which has always been promoting it as good for Sri Lanka and good for India. A successful resolution of this problem will gain international recognition in a world that is looking for success stories and can induce foreign investors to come in due to the assurance of peace. The NPP government has the opportunity to set a precedent by engaging with all stakeholders, including civil society and opposition parties, to craft a sustainable political solution that ensures lasting peace and reconciliation. It cannot be overemphasised that achieving a sustainable political solution that will last the test of time will require the participation and consent of all communities and collaboration with opposition parties.

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Features

Political violence stalking Trump administration

Published

18 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

A scene that unfolded during the shooting incident at the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. (BBC)

It would not be particularly revelatory to say that the US is plagued by ‘gun violence’. It is a deeply entrenched and widespread malaise that has come in tandem with the relative ease with which firearms could be acquired and owned by sections of the US public, besides other causes.

However, a third apparent attempt on the life of US President Donald Trump in around two and a half years is both thought-provoking and unsettling for the defenders of democracy. After all, whatever its short comings the US remains the world’s most vibrant democracy and in fact the ‘mightiest’ one. And the US must remain a foremost democracy for the purpose of balancing and offsetting the growing power of authoritarian states in the global power system, who are no friends of genuine representational governance.

Therefore, the recent breaching of the security cordon surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington at which President Trump and his inner Cabinet were present, by an apparently ‘Lone Wolf’ gunman, besides raising issues relating to the reliability of the security measures deployed for the President, indicates a notable spike in anti-VVIP political violence in particular in the US. It is a pointer to a strong and widespread emergence of anti-democratic forces which seem to be gaining in virulence and destructiveness.

The issues raised by the attack are in the main for the US’ political Right and its supporters. They have smugly and complacently stood by while the extremists in their midst have taken centre stage and begun to dictate the course of Right wing politics. It is the political culture bred by them that leads to ‘Lone Wolf’ gunmen, for instance, who see themselves as being repressed or victimized, taking the law into their own hands, so to speak, and perpetrating ‘revenge attacks’ on the state and society.

A disproportionate degree of attention has been paid particularly internationally to Donald Trump’s personality and his eccentricities but such political persons cannot be divorced from the political culture in which they originate and have their being. That is, “structural” questions matter. Put simply, Donald Trump is a ‘true son’ of the Far Right, his principal support base. The issues raised are therefore for the President as well as his supporters of the Right.

We are obliged to respect the choices of the voting public but in the case of Trump’s election to the highest public position in the US, this columnist is inclined to see in those sections that voted for Trump blind followers of the latter who cared not for their candidate’s suitability, in every relevant respect, and therefore acted irrationally. It would seem that the Right in the US wanted their candidate to win by ‘hook or by crook’ and exercise power on their behalf.

By making the above observations this columnist does not intend to imply that voting publics everywhere in the world of democracy cast their vote sensibly. In the case of Sri Lanka, for example, the question could be raised whether the voters of the country used their vote sensibly when voting into office the majority of Executive Presidents and other persons holding high public office. The obvious answer is ‘no’ and this should lead to a wider public discussion on the dire need for thoroughgoing voter education. The issue is a ‘huge’ one that needs to be addressed in the appropriate forums and is beyond the scope of this column.

Looking back it could be said that the actions of Trump and his die-hard support base led to the Rule of Law in the US being undermined as perhaps never before in modern times. A shaming moment in this connection was the protest march, virtually motivated by Trump, of his supporters to the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, with the aim of scuttling the presidential poll result of that year. Much violence and unruly behaviour, as known, was let loose. This amounted to denigrating the democratic process and encouraging the violent take over of the state.

In a public address, prior to the unruly conduct of his supporters, Trump is on record as blaring forth the following: ‘We won this election and we won by a landslide’, ‘We will stop the steal’, ‘We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen’, ‘If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.’

It is plain to see that such inflammatory utterances could lead impressionable minds in particular to revolt violently. Besides, they should have led the more rationally inclined to wonder whether their candidate was the most suitable person to hold the office of President.

Unfortunately, the latter process was not to be and the question could be raised whether the US is in the ‘safest pair of hands’. Needless to say, as events have revealed, Donald Trump is proving to be one of the most erratic heads of state the US has ever had.

However, the latest attempt on the life of President Trump suggests that considerable damage has been done to the democratic integrity of the US and none other than the President himself has to take on himself a considerable proportion of the blame for such degeneration, besides the US’ Far Right. They could be said to be ‘reaping the whirlwind.’

It is a time for soul-searching by the US Right. The political Right has the right to exist, so the speak, in a functional democracy but it needs to take cognizance of how its political culture is affecting the democratic integrity or health of the US. Ironically, the repressive and chauvinistic politics advocated by it is having the effect of activating counter-violence of the most murderous kind, as was witnessed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Continued repressive politics could only produce more such incidents that could be self-defeating for the US.

Some past US Presidents were assassinated but the present political violence in the country brings into focus as perhaps never before the role that an anti-democratic political culture could play in unraveling the gains that the US has made over the decades. A duty is cast on pro-democracy forces to work collectively towards protecting the democratic integrity and strength of the US.

Features

22nd Anniversary Gala …action-packed event

Published

18 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Skyliners: Shanaka Viswakula (bass), Mario Ranasuriya (lead guitar), Daryl D'Souza (keyboards) and Kushmin Balasuriya (drums)

The Editor-in-Chief of The Sri Lankan Anchorman, a Toronto-based monthly, celebrating Sri Lankan community life in Canada, is none other than veteran Sri Lankan journalist Dirk Tissera, who moved to Canada in 1997. His wife, Michelle, whom he calls his “tower of strength”, is the Design Editor.

According to reports coming my way, the paper has turned out to be extremely popular in Toronto.

In fact, The Sri Lankan Anchorman won a press award in Toronto for excellence in editorial content and visual presentation.

However, the buzz in the air in Canada, right now, is The Sri Lankan Anchorman’s 22nd Anniversary Gala, to be held on Friday, 12 June, 2026, at the J&J Swagat Banquet Convention Centre, in Toronto.

An action-packed programme has been put together for the night, featuring some of the very best artistes in the Toronto scene.

The Skylines, who are classified as ‘the local musical band in Toronto’, will headline the event.

Dirk Tissera and wife Michelle: Supporting Sri Lanka-Canada community events, in Toronto, since launching The Anchorman
in 2002

They have performed and backed many legendary Sri Lanka singers.

According to Dirk, The Skylines can belt out a rhythm with gusto … be it Western, Sinhala or Tamil hits.

Also adding sparkle to the evening will be the legendary Fahmy Nazick, who, with his smooth and velvety vocals, will have the crowd on the floor.

Fahmy who was a household name, back in Sri Lanka, will be flying down from Virginia, USA.

He has captivated audiences in Sri Lanka, the Middle East and North America, and this will be his fourth visit to Toronto – back by popular demand,

Cherry DeLuna, who is described by Dirk as a powerhouse, also makes her appearance on stage and is all set to stir up the tempo with her cool and easy delivery.

“She’s got a great voice and vocal range that has captivated audiences out here”, says Dirk.

Chamil Welikala, said to be one of the hottest DJs in town, will be spinning his magic … in English, Sinhala, Tamil and Latin.

Both Jive and Baila competitions are on the cards among many other surprises on the night of 12 June.

This is The Anchorman’s fifth annual dance in a row – starting from 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 – and both Dirk and Michelle, and The Anchorman, have always produced elegant social events in Toronto.

“We intend to knock this one out of the park,” the duo says, adding that Western music and Sinhala and Tamil songs is something they’ve always delivered and the crowd loves it.

“We have always supported Sri Lanka-Canada community events, in Toronto, since launching The Anchorman, in 2002, and we intend to keep it that way.”

No doubt, there will be a large crowd of Sri Lankans, from all communities, turning up, on 12 June, to support Dirk, Michelle and The Anchorman.

Features

Face Pack for Radiant Skin

Published

18 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

* Apple and Orange:

Blend a few apple and orange pieces together. Add to it a pinch of turmeric and one tablespoon of honey. Apply it to the face and neck and rinse off after 30 minutes. This face pack is suitable for all skin types.

According to experts, apple is one of the best fruits for your skin health with Vitamin A, B complex and Vitamin C and minerals, while, with the orange peel, excessive oil secretion can be easily balanced.

* Mango and Curd:

Ripe mango pulp, mixed with curd, can be rubbed directly onto the skin to remove dirt and cleanse clogged pores. Rinse off after a few minutes.

Yes, of course, mango is a tasty and delicious fruit and this is the mango season in our part of the world, and it has extra-ordinary benefits to skin health. Vitamins C and E in mangoes protect the skin from the UV rays of the sun and promotes cell regeneration. It also promotes skin elasticity and fights skin dullness and acne, while curd, in combination, further adds to it.

* Grapes and Kiwi:

Take a handful of grapes and make a pulp of it. Simultaneously, take one kiwi fruit and mash it after peeling its skin. Now mix them and add some yoghurt to it. Apply it on your face for few minutes and wash it off.

Here again experts say that kiwi is the best nutrient-rich fruit with high vitamin C, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, while grapes contain flavonoids, which is an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damage. This homemade face pack acts as a natural cleanser and slows down the ageing process.