Features

The Opposition’s lack

Published

2 years ago

2023/08/13

By Uditha Devapriya

The problem with the government is that it parades itself as the only option the country has. The problem with the Opposition is that it hasn’t presented any viable alternative to the government. It’s a two-way street, and anyone who criticises this regime for its excesses without touching on the woeful lack of creativity and imagination in the Opposition is misreading the current moment. The SJB and the JVP-NPP has potential, as has various other anti-Ranil Wickremesinghe outfits. But what is their political programme, what are their policies, where are their manifestos, who are their intellectual ballasts?

I admit I have exaggerated for effect. The Opposition does have alternatives. The SJB, for instance, has Ranasinghe Premadasa’s paradigm, while the JVP-NPP has at least now begun to take industrialisation seriously. But these parties tend to undermine themselves with one internal contradiction after another. The SJB, for instance, has yet to fully incorporate the Ranasinghe Premadasa paradigm into its programme. Instead, it is young economists and thinkers, like Bram Nicholas, who are talking about Premadasa’s policies. The JVP-NPP is a little bit better, in that it constantly highlights the need to industrialise the economy. Yet it too sways both ways, pandering at times to the Colombo yuppie-techie crowd and another to its social democratic base. None of this is helping these parties.

The government, meanwhile, has successfully co opted sections of Colombo’s civil society and made people think that the policies it is enacting are the only policies, and reforms, worth enforcing. Welfare and pensions cuts are to Sri Lanka’s economy what Band-Aid is to a gunshot wound, but for Colombo’s neo-liberal crowd, there seems to be no alternative to them.

To be fair, that crowd has been railing against the government’s gross selectivity in enforcing such reforms, as well as the government’s tendency to shield itself, and its ranks, from the worst effects of those reforms. But there is at present a rift, an unbridgeable one, between the anger of the people and the response of the intellectual elite. This has helped the government enforce its rule through these reforms, and in doing so, as Dayan Jayatilleka pointed out weeks ago, fall into “that category of damnable social sin.”

The only way to respond to a hegemonic elite is by mobilising a counter hegemonic elite. But where are the counter hegemonic elites? Not in the mainstream Opposition: not the SJB, not the JVP-NPP. In one stroke the Communist Party rallied some of the youngest and brightest heterodox thinkers around one comprehensive document, Idiri Magen Idiriyata. Does the SJB has its version of Idiri Magen Idiriyata? Does the JVP-NPP? I have yet to see one from either party. The manifestos it has published thus far amount to a series of empty promises, hot air, and platitudes to orthodox neo-liberal thinking.

What is sad about this is that there is no dearth of heterodox thinkers. The Communist Party, more so than the rest of the Left, have been able to tap into them because they have always been able to mobilise progressive thinkers and technocrats. Dr S. A. Wickramasinghe’s critique of the Gal Oya project, dismissed so flippantly back then, for instance, seems eerily prescient and accurate now. The Left talked about, and considerably dwelt on, electrification and nuclear energy long before other political groups did. It is talking about transport, energy, the need for a more robust public sector today. If the SJB and the JVP-NPP is behind the Left today, it is not because it doesn’t have these thinkers to dip into.

Of course, I can understand the SJB’s dilemma. It is caught between a rock and a hard place. The parliamentary Opposition is composed of many Rajapaksist cohorts. The SJB does not want to be seen bedding with them, so it has chosen to go its own way, as its recent voting record over crucial issues like Central Bank independence and IMF reforms should tell us. It also owes much of its existence, paradoxically, to Ranil Wickremesinghe: several of its key MPs, after all, regularly churn out and affirm the President’s economic policies. This explains the SJB’s critique of the JVP-NPP, that the latter it mindlessly parrots anti-neoliberal diatribes without presenting an alternative. While largely true, the critique undermines the potential for legitimate criticism of the reforms we are undergoing at present.

I can also understand the JVP-NPP’s dilemma. In fact, there is not one but two dilemmas, or contradictions, in it. On the one hand, it is trying to present itself as more progressive on issues like minority rights, but it has been unable to do so because much of its top brass are cut from an older ideological cloth. Thus, while Harini Amarasuriya underscores the need for devolution vis-à-vis the 13th Amendment, the JVP-NPP’s old cohort contend that there is no need for such reforms, echoing the party’s hardline stance on them. On the other hand, it wants to be seen as opposing the neo-liberal setup which has been reinforced by the current regime, but it cannot do this because the new faces it has chosen to represent the party are incapable of mounting a proper attack against that setup.

To understand these contradictions is, of course, not to concede to them. If the Opposition here is serious about upping its game, it must do what countless successful Oppositions elsewhere have done: tap into the seething mass of anger, mobilise one counter hegemonic elite after another, and present a viable alternative which not only undermines the status quo but also can stand soundly and concretely on its own, anywhere. I have yet to see such a programme from any of Sri Lanka’s ubiquitous Oppositional outfits. This is largely because all of them, barring one or two from the Left, have been permeated by the kind of orthodox thinking that dictates the government’s policies. To oppose the government, the Opposition must hence first confront itself. But is it ready to?

The writer is an international relations analyst, researcher, and columnist who can be reached at udakdev1@gmail.com.

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Features

Acid test emerges for US-EU ties

Published

20 hours ago

2026/01/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday put forward the EU’s viewpoint on current questions in international politics with a clarity, coherence and eloquence that was noteworthy. Essentially, she aimed to leave no one in doubt that a ‘new form of European independence’ had emerged and that European solidarity was at a peak.

These comments emerge against the backdrop of speculation in some international quarters that the Post-World War Two global political and economic order is unraveling. For example, if there was a general tacit presumption that US- Western European ties in particular were more or less rock-solid, that proposition apparently could no longer be taken for granted.

For instance, while US President Donald Trump is on record that he would bring Greenland under US administrative control even by using force against any opposition, if necessary, the EU Commission President was forthright that the EU stood for Greenland’s continued sovereignty and independence.

In fact at the time of writing, small military contingents from France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands are reportedly already in Greenland’s capital of Nook for what are described as limited reconnaissance operations. Such moves acquire added importance in view of a further comment by von der Leyen to the effect that the EU would be acting ‘in full solidarity with Greenland and Denmark’; the latter being the current governing entity of Greenland.

It is also of note that the EU Commission President went on to say that the ‘EU has an unwavering commitment to UK’s independence.’ The immediate backdrop to this observation was a UK decision to hand over administrative control over the strategically important Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to Mauritius in the face of opposition by the Trump administration. That is, European unity in the face of present controversial moves by the US with regard to Greenland and other matters of contention is an unshakable ‘given’.

It is probably the fact that some prominent EU members, who also hold membership of NATO, are firmly behind the EU in its current stand-offs with the US that is prompting the view that the Post-World War Two order is beginning to unravel. This is, however, a matter for the future. It will be in the interests of the contending quarters concerned and probably the world to ensure that the present tensions do not degenerate into an armed confrontation which would have implications for world peace.

However, it is quite some time since the Post-World War Two order began to face challenges. Observers need to take their minds back to the Balkan crisis and the subsequent US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the immediate Post-Cold War years, for example, to trace the basic historic contours of how the challenges emerged. In the above developments the seeds of global ‘disorder’ were sown.

Such ‘disorder’ was further aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago. Now it may seem that the world is reaping the proverbial whirlwind. It is relevant to also note that the EU Commission President was on record as pledging to extend material and financial support to Ukraine in its travails.

Currently, the international law and order situation is such that sections of the world cannot be faulted for seeing the Post World War Two international order as relentlessly unraveling, as it were. It will be in the interests of all concerned for negotiated solutions to be found to these global tangles. In fact von der Leyen has committed the EU to finding diplomatic solutions to the issues at hand, including the US-inspired tariff-related squabbles.

Given the apparent helplessness of the UN system, a pre-World War Two situation seems to be unfolding, with those states wielding the most armed might trying to mould international power relations in their favour. In the lead-up to the Second World War, the Hitlerian regime in Germany invaded unopposed one Eastern European country after another as the League of Nations stood idly by. World War Two was the result of the Allied Powers finally jerking themselves out of their complacency and taking on Germany and its allies in a full-blown world war.

However, unlike in the late thirties of the last century, the seeming number one aggressor, which is the US this time around, is not going unchallenged. The EU which has within its fold the foremost of Western democracies has done well to indicate to the US that its power games in Europe are not going unmonitored and unchecked. If the US’ designs to take control of Greenland and Denmark, for instance, are not defeated the world could very well be having on its hands, sooner rather than later, a pre-World War Two type situation.

Ironically, it is the ‘World’s Mightiest Democracy’ which is today allowing itself to be seen as the prime aggressor in the present round of global tensions. In the current confrontations, democratic opinion the world over is obliged to back the EU, since it has emerged as the principal opponent of the US, which is allowing itself to be seen as a fascist power.

Hopefully sane counsel would prevail among the chief antagonists in the present standoff growing, once again, out of uncontainable territorial ambitions. The EU is obliged to lead from the front in resolving the current crisis by diplomatic means since a region-wide armed conflict, for instance, could lead to unbearable ill-consequences for the world.

It does not follow that the UN has no role to play currently. Given the existing power realities within the UN Security Council, the UN cannot be faulted for coming to be seen as helpless in the face of the present tensions. However, it will need to continue with and build on its worldwide development activities since the global South in particular needs them very badly.

The UN needs to strive in the latter directions more than ever before since multi-billionaires are now in the seats of power in the principle state of the global North, the US. As the charity Oxfam has pointed out, such financially all-powerful persons and allied institutions are multiplying virtually incalculably. It follows from these realities that the poor of the world would suffer continuous neglect. The UN would need to redouble its efforts to help these needy sections before widespread poverty leads to hemispheric discontent.

Features

Brighten up your skin …

Published

20 hours ago

2026/01/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

Hi! This week I’ve come up with tips to brighten up your skin.

* Turmeric and Yoghurt Face Pack:

You will need 01 teaspoon of turmeric powder and 02 tablespoons of fresh yoghurt.

Mix the turmeric and yoghurt into a smooth paste and apply evenly on clean skin. Leave it for 15–20 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water

Benefits:

Reduces pigmentation, brightens dull skin and fights acne-causing bacteria.

* Lemon and Honey Glow Pack:

Mix 01teaspoon lemon juice and 01 tablespoon honey and apply it gently to the face. Leave for 10–15 minutes and then wash off with cool water.

Benefits:

Lightens dark spots, improves skin tone and deeply moisturises. By the way, use only 01–02 times a week and avoid sun exposure after use.

* Aloe Vera Gel Treatment:

All you need is fresh aloe vera gel which you can extract from an aloe leaf. Apply a thin layer, before bedtime, leave it overnight, and then wash face in the morning.

Benefits:

Repairs damaged skin, lightens pigmentation and adds natural glow.

* Rice Flour and Milk Scrub:

You will need 01 tablespoon rice flour and 02 tablespoons fresh milk.

Mix the rice flour and milk into a thick paste and then massage gently in circular motions. Leave for 10 minutes and then rinse with water.

Benefits:

Removes dead skin cells, improves complexion, and smoothens skin.

* Tomato Pulp Mask:

Apply the tomato pulp directly, leave for 15 minutes, and then rinse with cool water

Benefits:

Controls excess oil, reduces tan, and brightens skin naturally.

Features

Shooting for the stars …

Published

20 hours ago

2026/01/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

That’s precisely what 25-year-old Hansana Balasuriya has in mind – shooting for the stars – when she was selected to represent Sri Lanka on the international stage at Miss Intercontinental 2025, in Sahl Hasheesh, Egypt.

The grand finale is next Thursday, 29th January, and Hansana is all geared up to make her presence felt in a big way.

Her journey is a testament to her fearless spirit and multifaceted talents … yes, her life is a whirlwind of passion, purpose, and pageantry.

Raised in a family of water babies (Director of The Deep End and Glory Swim Shop), Hansana’s love affair with swimming began in childhood and then she branched out to master the “art of 8 limbs” as a Muay Thai fighter, nailed Karate and Kickboxing (3-time black belt holder), and even threw herself into athletics (literally!), especially throwing events, and netball, as well.

A proud Bishop’s College alumna, Hansana’s leadership skills also shone bright as Senior Choir Leader.

She earned a BA (Hons) in Business Administration from Esoft Metropolitan University, and then the world became her playground.

Before long, modelling and pageantry also came into her scene.

She says she took to part-time modelling, as a hobby, and that led to pageants, grabbing 2nd Runner-up titles at Miss Nature Queen and Miss World Sri Lanka 2025.

When she’s not ruling the stage, or pool, Hansana’s belting tunes with Soul Sounds, Sri Lanka’s largest female ensemble.

What’s more, her artistry extends to drawing, and she loves hitting the open road for long drives, she says.

This water warrior is also on a mission – as Founder of Wave of Safety,

Hansana happens to be the youngest Executive Committee Member of the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) and, as founder of Wave of Safety, she’s spreading water safety awareness and saving lives.

Today is Hansana’s ninth day in Egypt and the itinerary for today, says National Director for Sri Lanka, Brian Kerkoven, is ‘Jeep Safari and Sunset at the Desert.’

And … the all-important day at Miss Intercontinental 2025 is next Thursday, 29th January.

Well, good luck to Hansana.