We are in the midst of an existentially threatening economic crisis. With an ever-increasingdebt burden and low economic prospects, we continue to grapple with uncertain economicfutures and related social and political distresses. As university teachers, we are concernedabout the multiplicity of recent proposals seeking reforms in education that threaten to bringabout a sea change in …
Sri Lanka is in the middle of a dire economic crisis. We are witness to the new depths of misery
that the people have been plunged into. Working people are the hardest hit, who have had to
grapple with precarious wages, job insecurity and the devastation of an economic depression.
At the May Day rally of the UNP, Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara presented a 11-point agenda reforming the existing regime of labour laws which propose to tilt the balance of power further in favour of employers. Nanayakara’s proposals, the most elaborate so far, are at best sketchy and, at worst, spell …
Press Release: Reforms are on the way! And they are not worker friendly! Read More »
2022 has seen the most dramatic uprising of people against the government’s tyrannical rule since independence. Amidst a devastating economic crisis, the people raised their voices against corruption, misrule and economic mismanagement, demanding greater democracy. Instead of heeding the people’s call for change in the political culture and economic accountability, the government has responded with repression.
We are witness today to events that are unprecedented in our postcolonial history. Hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets spontaneously in protest; in an extraordinary demonstration of democratic fervour. The calls for change are loud and spectacular. They are driven by anger at a small elite group —the Rajapaksas, who have …
The democratic moment today: A call for action and reflection Read More »
Decades of majoritarian politics, and the more recent descent towards authoritarianism and militarisation, have eroded the foundations of our democracy. They have numbed us to the violence in our daily lives and desensitised us to how sections of our citizenry are targeted. Over a year has passed since Hejaaz Hizbullah and Ahnaf Jazeem were arrested, …
