Features

Reboot of govt., its policies and institutions must start now

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/20

by Jehan Perera

Faced with the challenge of showing a stable government, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a new Cabinet, together with a large ministerial contingent. The government is presently building a superstructure that the base of popular sentiment does not want or support. Leaders of government in other democratic countries would have resigned for less. Sri Lanka has effectively declared itself to be bankrupt, under this government, by reneging on the repayment of international debt. This has happened at a time when mass protests against the government are gathering strength. The continuation of mass protests at Galle Face, during the traditional New Year, which is always reserved for family reunions, is a sign that the protests will not gradually go away. Instead of travelling back to their homes, in the villages, entire families, young and old alike, left their homes to come to Galle Face. It seems they come on pilgrimage to the site of democracy and many do not go back but pitch tent.

With tents dotting the large expanse of grounds at Galle Face, overlooking the Presidential Secretariat, the main protests in Colombo appear to be reaching their second stage. The numbers at the protest site reached their zenith over the hoiidays only to drop as the work week commenced. But the political parties are formally entering into the campaign which began as spontaneous protests led by farmer groups in the agricultural districts. The farmers started their protests when they realised that their plea for fertilisers for their crops were falling on deaf ears and the government was indeed serious in banning all chemical fertiliser overnight. They could see their crops yellowing in the field due to nutrient shortage and they could foresee the calamity that would strike them when their crops would fail. So they came out on to the roads to protest. The farmer protests set the stage for others to follow.

The middle classes in the cities who came out for candle lit silent protests, the carpenters of Moratuwa, the fishers of Negombo, the bus drivers and conductors and finally the population at large have come out spontaneously, led by their peers. If at all the political parties were there in the form of individual representatives due to their organisational ability. Those from political parties who tried to join to gain some publicity were not welcomed and had to beat a hasty retreat. In fact, the political parties warned against their members joining protest movements that had no clearly defined leaders as they could become anarchic. But so far the protest movement, and the self-led groups within it, have been disciplined and careful in their approach.

POLITICAL PARTIES

The formal entry of the JVP, one of the best organised of the political parties, is taking place independently of the mass movement that is currently situated at “Gota-go-gama” at Galle Face. They have begun their protest march from Beruwela to reach Colombo on the main road with a formidable number already gathered. In the next few days the campaign is bound to widen as other political parties see the scope for their expansion, too. Unlike the non-political mass movement that has eschewed party politics, and which calls for all 225 parliamentarians to go, the movement of political activists is unlikely to be non-confrontational. They will wish to expand and be ready to fight any opposition to them.

In the meantime, the causes for the original mobilisation of people to protest against the government continue to exist. Any belief by the government that things will settle with time is bound to be misplaced. Vehicles continue to form long lines outside gas stations, waiting to fill their tanks. Those who are trapped in those long lines get furious. The power cuts also continue despite the short respite during the New Year period. This too makes people furious as they cannot do their work and earn their livelihoods. Shortages of food items continue and prices continue to escalate. This feeds into the people’s perception that the country’s foreign exchange earnings are being continuously siphoned out of the country by corrupt government leaders.

By its actions the government is further aggravating the people’s grievances. The Bourbon dynasty in France who fell with the French Revolution but staged a brief comeback when the revolutionaries could not govern successfully. The Bourbon kings were known for their stubbornness; the political thinker, politician and diplomat Talleyrand said of them, “They have learned nothing, and they have forgotten nothing.” But that was two centuries ago. It is difficult to believe that in the midst of economic crisis, when the country is reneging on its international debt, and has no foreign exchange to pay for fuel, medicines and food, that it plans to lease out as many as 21 aircraft when it has been consistently making massive financial losses and is USD 1.7 billion in debt. At the same time, it still appears that a high cost highway project is going through in which a Chinese company had submitted a bid of Rs. 210 billion but the contract was awarded to a Sri Lankan company that had submitted a bid of Rs. 375 billion.

ORDERLY TRANSITION

The protestors are giving a very clear message, evident in their slogans, that corrupt government leaders must go. Incredibly, the activities that have incurred public consternation and anger seem to be continuing even at this very time. It is tragic that by their actions, even at this time, that government leaders are providing justification for their demands. If they were to truly listen to, and heed, the slogans that are being shouted, by the old as well as the young at the mass protests, they would realise that they cannot stay on. The present stalemate in which the masses of people want the government leaders to go, but they refuse to go, must be brought to a quick resolution. This transition can take place through an orderly process as provided for by the constitution.

The orderly transition can begin by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announcing that he would take the lead in this process by repealing the 20th Amendment that was specially brought in to confer super powers on him. Such a reduction in his powers would give substance to his admission of serious mistakes during the short course of his presidency. The mistakes of one man must not doom an entire country ever again. The repeal of the 20th Amendment needs to be coupled with a new 21st Amendment which transfers most of the presidency to Parliament, and guarantees the independence of the judiciary, the public service, and special commissions such as the bribery and corruption commission, the human rights commission and the police commission, among others. In tandem with this the President needs to appoint a new prime minister and interim Cabinet consisting of the more competent and less tainted members of Parliament. This needs to be done with the consent of the Opposition to the extent possible.

In a seemingly desperate measure to show a new face to the government, the President has appointed a large contingent of ministers who are not well known either for their learning or experience. Whether the appointment of the new ministers will meet the expectations of the international community, let alone the protestors, is unlikely. The goal needs to be the reboot of the government, its policies and institutions, starting now. The other course of action is that of confrontation which would be most harmful to the country. In the absence of statesmanlike behaviour on the part of the President, the opposition political parties will feel compelled to continue with the no-confidence motion and impeachment motions against the government and the President, respectively. Concurrently, as the mass movement grows, it will seek to expand beyond Galle Face and the common spaces. The entry of trade unions into the confrontation will lead to strikes and general strikes and to the stepping back of the international community and potential investors even as the country goes into the vicious cycle of conflict. The President and his advisers need to rethink their options.

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Features

Political violence stalking Trump administration

Published

23 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

23 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

23 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.