පොලී අනුපාතිකය හා විශ්රාමිකයා
After the Central Bank cut its repurchase and reverse repurchase rates for the second time in the year, to 7.5 and 9.5 per cent, deposit rates have fallen sharply. The editorial accepts that lower rates may help the economy but argues that the government should give retirees living on savings a higher special rate, and should also narrow the gap between the roughly 5 per cent paid on savings and the more than 10 per cent charged on loans.
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ දේශපාලනය පිළිබඳ අර්බුදය
A theoretical analysis, framed through the views of ‘social democrats’, of Sri Lanka’s failure since 1948 to build a political structure acceptable to all groups. It identifies three conflicts, Sinhala versus Tamil nationality, minority rights and a struggle among power-holders, rejects the realpolitik maxim ‘si vis pacem, para bellum’, and argues for conflict transformation, a protracted peace-building process and a devolved, consociational state built on rebuilt social capital.
How will the struggle for power end?
In this article, Victor Ivan analyzes the escalating power struggle between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Facing the end of her term and unable to contest the next presidential election, the President seeks to overhaul the executive presidency to secure her continued political dominance, potentially by aligning with the JVP or utilizing Parliament as a constituent assembly. Conversely, the Prime Minister is determined to preserve the current system to claim the executive presidency for himself, plotting to render the President politically irrelevant. Ivan warns that this clash of ambitions, coupled with a lack of faith in the impartiality of the judiciary under Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva, risks plunging the nation into an extra-constitutional crisis and potential civil conflict.
චෞර රාජ්යය 2
Continuing his survey, Ivan shows how constitutions and laws are made to suit rulers, from J.R. Jayewardene’s 1977 amendment and Kumaratunga’s 2000 bid to change the electoral system by buying MPs to the UNP’s tax amnesty law challenged by Nihal Sri Ameresekere. He faults Attorneys General for serving governments, and the Bribery Commission for clearing Mangala Samaraweera and ignoring evidence of state resources used in the 2001 election. Short items follow on party discipline, the President’s tales, V. Anandasangaree’s defiance of the LTTE, the JVP and Anura Bandaranaike.
හිතක් පපුවක් නැති රටක්
The state pays Rs 10 a day to keep each of the 9,500 children in 91 homes under the Probation and Child Care Department, and Rs 2.50 a day for children in the Salvation Army’s care at Borella. The editorial contrasts this with the Rs 1.6 million daily cost of Parliament, Rs 6 million a year for a retired president and Rs 5 million spent on a cricket song.
චෞර රාජ්යය ප්රතිසංවිධානය කිරීම
Ivan argues that the state needs reorganising not only to resolve the ethnic conflict but because the whole political system has collapsed. He examines Parliament, the world’s costliest, whose members enjoy tax-free pay, pensions after five years, duty-free cars they resell illegally and subsidised meals, while its high posts and public accounts committees fail; and the executive presidency, with its immunity, private security force of 1,500 and unaudited President’s Fund, whose occupants all grew rich.
ජපන් ආධාර සමුළුව
Despite the LTTE’s absence, the Tokyo conference pledged $4.5 billion against the $3 billion sought, huge relative to government revenue, though much of it is loans and past aid use has been poor. The editorial finds the Prime Minister’s vision attractive but says good governance must begin with an independent judiciary and a disciplined party, and that the LTTE, having rejected his interim proposal, is unlikely to accept reconstruction outside its control.
රවිට මල් මිටක්
The editorial congratulates Commerce Minister Ravi Karunanayake on winning his long fight against the gas monopoly for the consumer’s benefit, and urges laws, as in many countries, to prevent monopolies in any sector.
විපතෙන් උගත හැකි පාඩම්
Calling the floods the worst natural disaster in half a century, the editorial says the disaster management system proved inefficient, relief was handed out without assessing need and marred by political and commercial rivalry and looting, and people were left living in known landslide zones. It calls for national policies on floods, erosion and forests, a transparent compensation scheme and an inquiry into why disaster agencies failed.
රැලේ සාමාජිකයින්ට පිස්සු නටන්නට ඉඩ හැර බලා සිටීම
The editorial credits Ranil Wickremesinghe with opening roads, keeping calm in the face of the President’s outbursts and internationalising the peace effort, but faults him for failing to discipline his team. It lists reports of ministers and MPs assaulting police, freeing detained supporters and demolishing a Matara sports club building, with endless inquiries and no action, and warns that repeating the lawlessness tolerated under Chandrika Kumaratunga would be ruinous.