Features

AKD pledges to clean the stables

Published

2 years ago

2024/10/3

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Dissanayake

By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya

Results of Sri Lanka’s September 21 presidential election show that the promise of a new political culture – a dominant theme in Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s campaign – resonated deeply with Sri Lankans. The extraordinary poll in which the leader of a party with just three members in a 225-member parliament became Head of State, was described by the Elections Commission as the ‘most peaceful ever.’

President Dissanayake and the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance he leads, lost no time.forming a cabinet of three and appointing several ministry secretaries to run the administration till a new parliament is elected. A fourth MP newly appointed to the seat vacated by Dissanayake is also expected be assigned ministries. On Sunday (22) on her way out of the Elections Commission office, NPP’s Dr Harini Amarasuriya, who took oaths as Prime Minister the next day, told reporters: “What we can do with a cabinet of four is limited. Within that, importantly, we stood for a new political culture, you would have seen that from the moment Anura sahodaraya (comrade) took his oaths. We will act accordingly.”

The government that preceded Dissanayake’s had a peculiar formation, with a majority of lawmakers from the previous government of the Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP), while the President, United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, was the sole MP of an opposition party. He was not elected president by popular mandate, but (constitutionally) by a majority of MPs in parliament. This was in 2022 when the economy was in meltdown, and then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa had stepped down amid a storm of public protests – the Aragalaya. In the two years that followed public frustration smouldered. The interim government postponed elections for provincial councils and local government bodies, and passed controversial laws, with little transparency. It appeared as if the two parties in government supported each other for their mutual political survival. That unholy pact proved short-lived, as the country heads for parliamentary elections on 14 November.

Former President Wickremesinghe who came in a distant third in the presidential race, contested not from his once-formidable centre-right UNP, but as an independent candidate. His confident rhetoric of having ‘saved the country’ by successfully negotiating an IMF bail-out, led SLPP MPs to defect from their party in numbers to back his candidacy. These MPs appear not to have had their ear to the ground. As the result shows, Wickremesinghe’s campaign failed to impress voters, including that of the middle class, hard hit by high taxes and spiraling cost of living in the wake of that agreement. If the election was a ‘referendum on Wickremesinghe’ as some foreign media dubbed it, then the verdict has been a unequivocal thumbs down.

NPP and the IMF

Outside the Presidential Secretariat where Dissanayake took oaths on Monday (23), NPP’s Dr Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters that “the IMF has expressed willingness to talk to a new government with the people’s mandate. If there are conditions that have been agreed to that are unfavourable to the people and the economy, they need to be amended. We got a people’s mandate that included that, we are ready to hold those discussions.”

Meanwhile, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva in a congratulatory message has assured the new president that the IMF stands ‘ready to assist Sri Lanka to achieve its development and reform goals, including under the ongoing IMF-supported programme.’ A sign of confidence came from business circles when the Colombo stock market on Tuesday (24) recorded its largest daily gain for the year.

Both Dissanayake and the Opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB)’s candidate, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa made campaign pledges to renegotiate the IMF deal if elected. In what turned out to be a two-horse race, Dissanayake won in 15 out of the 22 electoral districts with 5.7 million votes (43%, after the preferential vote count), while Premadasa won the remaining seven with 4.5 million (34%, after the preferential vote count). Wickremesinghe garnered 2.2 million votes (17.2%). The poll saw a high voter turnout of 79%.

Crossover saga

It appears that much of the frantic crossing-over of MPs from one party to another as the presidential poll drew near, stemmed from worries over securing nominations to contest the upcoming parliamentary election, rather than from disagreements on policy or principle. Nomination lists for the 22 electoral districts are drawn up by the party leadership. Many now find themselves without a party that will list them. The SLPP leadership earlier warned of disciplinary action against its MPs who decamped. Its General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam has now announced that ‘those who betrayed the party’ will not be given party posts or nominations. MPs and ministers who crossed over to Wickremesinghe – typically with much fan-fare and publicity – simply bet on the wrong horse. The NPP alliance as a matter of policy did not accept MPs looking to change sides. SLPP presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa, son of former president Mahinda, came fourth in the poll, reflecting the party’s ebbing fortunes and the waning of parochial politics embedded in family rule.

In his televised address to the nation on Wednesday (25) President Dissanayake said his government sought to build “a unified Sri Lankan nation that respects diversity, fully ending the era of division based on race, religion, class, and caste.” A better standard of living for all, children’s access to good quality schools and education, an honest and efficient public service, a social safety net for those with disabilities, improving women’s representation across institutions, and the need to improve the country’s image ‘so that the world respects our passport,’ were among the other highlights of his speech.

Foreign relations

The NPP election manifesto in its Sinhala version lists three points under the heading ‘Current foreign policy stances:’

– No state or organisation would be allowed to use Sri Lanka’s land, sea or airspace in manner that threatens security of the region including India.

– Supporting the UN’s two state solution for a free and sovereign state of Palestine.

– Opposing militarisation of the Indian Ocean through foreign military bases or military agreements as a matter of policy

Dr Harini Amarasuriya responding to a journalist’s query on foreign policy, said they wanted ‘friendly relations with all,’ and appealed to foreign partners to support Sri Lanka by bringing in investments ‘in a more transparent, non-corruptible way.’ In remarks on her way out of the Elections Commission office the day after the poll, she said:

“Both India and China have been good friends to us in the past and we expect to continue with those friendly relations, India is our closest neighbour. We know that India is concerned on how our position and location can affect India’s security as well, we are aware, and sensitive to those issues. We want friendly relations with all, but most importantly, what we expect from our foreign partners is that they support us at this moment, but also help us to bring in investments in a more transparent, non-corruptible way, that does not lead to further kind of debt crisis like what we’ve experienced in the past.

Image makeover

On the campaign trail it was evident the NPP was making a conscious effort to remake its image, linked to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a constituent party also led by Dissanayake. The violence of the JVP’s armed insurrections of the 1970s and 1980s, and of the government’s crackdown, is still etched in the memory of an older generation. Possibly with the party’s history in mind, the president in his address to the nation on Wednesday’ acknowledged that there may be some who had ‘doubts about them,’ and expressed determination to earn their trust ‘by his actions.’ Having dedicated his victory to ‘all citizens of our nation,’ he added, “We honour and remember the courageous men and women of previous generations who made sacrifices, some with their lives, for this victory. I see this victory and the prosperous nation we aim to build as a tribute to their legacy.” (President’s Media Division translation).

More than in rhetoric, hope that the new government will radically change Sri Lanka’s corrupt political culture would seem to lie in its stated intention of having no truck with the traditional parties that have taken turns in power – only to perpetuate the same style of oppressive, patronage politics. Secretary of the NPP Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe on Thursday (26) said, “The NPP did not come to any agreement with other parties during the presidential election campaign and the people expect the party to continue the same practice,” The Island reported. Hopefully, this would translate into new faces in a new parliament with a more youthful profile – not one packed with proxies and relatives of those kicked out.

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Features

New US sanctions on ICC, a fillip to worldwide political repression

Published

24 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

The International Criminal Court in session. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s warning to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was stark: ‘Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.’ It followed US central administration accusations that the court was unfairly targeting Americans on the basis of trumped-up war crimes charges.

However, a new plethora of sanctions has been clamped on the ICC by the US, which in turn has spurred accusations by sections of the world that the latter has unleashed an ‘assault’ on the international legal order.

What some of the sanctions would mean for the ICC was outlined by Rubio: ‘We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us.’

The ICC has shown consistency of purpose over the years. Despite some operational constraints it has indicted a large number of political strongmen from around the world, accused of war crimes and other governance excesses that come under its purview. Two such recent figures are: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rather than enjoy a mere nominal presence in the world community, the ICC has proved its effectiveness by detaining and bringing to justice scores of VIP politicians and others of their ilk who have been found guilty of human rights abuses and kindred excesses that come within the terms of reference of the ICC.

Accordingly, the international justice system would be stymied considerably as a result of the ICC being dis-empowered, particularly financially. Needless to say, potential and real perpetrators of the species of crime coming under the jurisdiction of the ICC would stand to gain most from such anarchic tendencies. That is, political repression globally would be enabled to enjoy a new lease of life.

A detailing of the types of crime coming under the purview of the ICC provides an idea of what it would cost the international community if the ICC’s operations are gravely hampered. They are mainly: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

That is, the part of the world to be worst affected would be the global South, since the latter is awash with the mentioned crimes. Needless to say, a chronically-disaffected South will sooner rather than later undermine the well being of the world dangerously. The world is already being put through these paces.

At the time of writing, ‘illegal migrants’ from the South, for example, are aggravating many a Western economy’s woes, besides creating for them acute law and order issues. The fact that these migrants’ presence goes on to become a virtual test of the migrant receiving states’ ability to forge domestic social inclusion in the face of jingoistic protests by mainly white supremacist groups is evidence of the latter. As is known, the US, to take just one example, has been up against this crisis for quite a while.

Accordingly, it will be in the best interests of the West if ‘illegal’ migrant arrivals on their shores are stemmed. If the socio-political and economic problems assailing the South are effectively managed through North-South collaborative, ‘trouble-shooting’ efforts the causes leading to ‘illegal’ migration and connected issues could be resolved at source as it were. For, it is the aggravation of the South’s material questions that lays the basis for the emergence of repressive and anti-democratic regimes in the hemisphere.

Until such time that the aforementioned issues in North-South relations are visited afresh and addressed urgently, a vibrantly functioning ICC would be needed. For, the latter would prove a deterrent to Southern political and military strongmen, highly prone to power abuse and like excesses, from coming into being in the wake of the South’s chronic material woes and the wars and conflicts that result from them.

It stands to reason then that the US would be acting in its own interests by enabling the ICC to perpetuate its mandate without hindrance. For a crop of issues that impinges negatively on internal law and order would be defused.

Meanwhile, there needs to be a meeting of minds among the rest of the West to put back in place a North-South dialogue process aimed at reducing some of the economic pressures that are weighing on the South.

Since economics usually drives politics it will be in the interests of the world community to scrutinizingly re-visit North-South issues of the past and put in place economic relief packages for Southern publics that would enable them to tide over their material hardships rather than permit the latter to aggravate into social disaffection and eventually armed militancy. It is the latter juncture that paves the way for the emergence of authoritarian rulers in the South who then go on to be a blight on their publics.

Accordingly, the Southern-based global development thinking of the past that envisaged a more equitable world economic order needs to be seen as an urgent need. That is, NAM’s international development paradigms need to be resuscitated to the extent possible.

It is unlikely that rightist governments of the West, such as the current Republican administration in the US, would find these projects feasible, but democratic states of Europe, led by perhaps the UK, are likely to think otherwise. For it would not be beneficial for the democratic world to be having on their hands repressive governments in the South who would be gravitating towards the major military and economic actors of the South, such as Iran and North Korea, who tend to be in constant power struggles with the West.

However, until such time that the mentioned, pro-people initiatives are given serious thought the ICC would need to be enabled by the international community to be in place comfortably and carry on with its mandate of bringing repressive rulers to book. Besides the ICC should pave the way for the peoples of the developing world to enjoy some substantial respite from the political repression and even terror which tend to be their lot.

Meanwhile, the wars of West Asia are relentlessly aggravating the economic hardships of people everywhere, driving the point home to enlightened sections that there is no alternative to peacemaking. A challenge is to convert the US under President Trump to this line of thinking.

Features

Clear, soft and shine-free skin

Published

24 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

This week, I give you five simple, time-tested homemade remedies that help reduce the appearance of blemishes, control excess shine and leave your skin feeling softer and smoother.

The Honey and Lemon Brightening Dab:

For stubborn blemish marks, this is a classic. Mix one teaspoon of pure bee honey with three to four drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply gently, only on the affected spots, and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. While honey soothes and softens, lemon helps to brighten naturally. Use twice a week in the evening.

Besan and Rose Water Oil-Control Pack:

An ideal remedy to combat shine, especially on the T-zone. Take two teaspoons of besan (gram flour) and mix with sufficient rose water to form a smooth paste. Add a pinch of turmeric for its antiseptic goodness. Apply evenly, keep for 15 minutes and wash off. It absorbs excess oil without over-drying, leaving a beautiful matte finish.

Aloe Vera and Cucumber Ice Soother:

Blend fresh aloe vera gel with the juice of a grated cucumber and freeze the mixture in an ice tray. Each morning, wrap one cube in a soft muslin cloth and gently rub over a cleansed face for 30 seconds. It calms, tightens pores and imparts a baby-soft smoothness.

Oatmeal and Curd Gentle Polish:

Roughness and old blemish marks need gentle exfoliation. Combine one tablespoon of finely powdered oatmeal with one tablespoon of fresh curd (yoghurt). Massage very gently, in circular motions, for one minute, leave for five minutes and rinse. It removes dead cells and unveils softer, clearer skin.

Multani Mitti and Green Tea Magic Mask:

Brew some green tea and allow it to cool completely. Mix one and a half teaspoons of Multani Mitti (Fuller’s Earth) with the tea water to make a fine paste. Apply for 10 to 12 minutes – do not let it dry and crack completely – and wash off. It draws out impurities, fades blemishes and bestows a fresh, shine-free glow.

A Gentle Reminder:

As with any natural remedy, always do a patch test on your inner arm first. For those with oily or combination skin, avoid heavy coconut oil application and harsh scrubbing, as they tend to aggravate shine and blemishes.

Features

Compete, shine and be discovered at WCOPA 2027

Published

24 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

Dream of performing on a world stage? Well, here is your unique, golden opportunity!

The World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) — the one and only official “Talent Olympics” — is the world’s premier global platform for aspiring singers, dancers, actors, models, instrumentalists, etc., to compete, shine and be discovered!

And, yes, this world stage is open to YOU, Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka and overseas!

Held annually in glittering Las Vegas, WCOPA brings together over 70 countries, all competing for Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, just like the traditional Olympics.

Lakisha Bernard: Will represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027

Outstanding performers vie for the coveted titles of Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World, with winners and standout participants awarded over $500,000 in scholarships, cash awards and prizes to catapult their education and careers!

Sri Lanka is already making waves! At WCOPA 2026, Natharie Wickramasinghe, representing Team Sri Lanka, made the nation proud by winning a Bronze Medal in the Ethnic/Folklore Dance category!

Lakisha: Accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate

Recruitment for this prestigious competition is handled through a system of scouts and licensed National Directors — and this is where our very own Chris Rajendra, now based in Las Vegas, and National Director for Team Sri Lanka, comes into the scene.

If you are a singer, dancer, actor, model, instrumentalist — if you have talent burning inside you — contact Chris Rajendra today for registration and, who knows, you may find yourself in Las Vegas, and proudly draped in the Sri Lankan flag, at WCOPA 2027!

The contact address is: Chris Rajendra, wcopa.nationaldirector.sl@gmail.com

or chris.rajendra@gmail.com

Meanwhile, a star is born for 2027, in the form of Lakisha Bernard who is all set to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027.

Originally hailing from the sun-drenched coastal city of Colombo and now carving out her creative career in Canada, 22-year-old Lakisha is stepping into the international spotlight.

This accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate has officially been appointed as the Team Sri Lanka Promoter for Canada as she prepares to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA in Las Vegas.

Lakisha brings a unique blend of high-fashion sensibility, captivating camera presence and expert garment design to the Team.

Having built her career, from local college shoots to high-glamour concepts, Lakisha’s inspiring journey embodies the true spirit of cultural bridge-building and creative resilience, bringing immense pride and recognition to Sri Lanka on the global stage.

WCOPA 2027 will be held at the legendary Westgate Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, from 12th to 20th July – the very same iconic arena where the late, great Elvis Presley himself performed!

Your moment is now. Your stage is Las Vegas, so hurry and contact Chris Rajendra.