“Sri Lanka’s Bumpy Road to a Political Reset” by Alan Keenan (International Crisis Group)

Alan Keenan’s new report on Sri Lanka for the International Crisis Group is available.

Victory for National People’s Power at the ballot box in 2024 opened a rare window of opportunity to forge a more inclusive, transparent political system in Sri Lanka. But the report argues the window has already begun to narrow.

Almost eighteen months into its term in office, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) government has kept Sri Lanka’s economic recovery on track and made notable efforts to fight corruption. But it faces growing questions about its ability and commitment to achieve its bold promises of “system change”.

Dissanayake’s election in September 2024 and the NPP’s subsequent parliamentary majority created a rare opening to address the country’s most important and intractable governance problems. Failure to achieve a substantial portion of their ambitious agenda threatens to open the way to a return to ethnic tensions and political authoritarianism.

To regain momentum for reform, Dissanayake’s government will need, as a priority, to reinforce its anti-impunity campaign with investigations of wartime atrocities (beginning with mass graves); adopt a more inclusive, less defensive style of governance; strengthen independent oversight of the state, including by allowing its own officials to be prosecuted when faced with credible allegations of wrong-doing; end abuses of counter-terrorism policing; and do more to protect the most economically vulnerable.

We offer ideas for how they can try to accomplish this in the report.

“Sri Lanka : une île au bord de l’implosion ?” Interview accordé par Delon Madavan à Société de Géographie

Nous partageons l’entretien vidéo de Delon Madavan réalisé pour la Société de Géographie sur la crise sri lankaise de l’Aragalaya. C’est l’occasion de revenir sur de nombreux sujets (causes de la crise, les conséquences de la crise pour la population, les revendication des manifestants, le fameux “passage à l’agriculture biologique”, les intérêts de l’Inde et la Chine ou encore des sociétés civiles à Sri lanka et en diaspora ). C’est rarement possible dans les médias classiques faute de temps .

 

“Sri Lanka : une île dans la tourmente” par Anthony Goreau-Ponceaud et Delon Madavan pour Echogéo

L’article d’Anthony Goreau-Ponceaud et Delon Madavan “Sri Lanka : une île dans la tourmente” pour Echogéo est disponible sur ce lien

Résumé :

Sri Lanka connaît sa pire crise économique depuis son indépendance (1948). Les pénuries et l’inflation des produits de première nécessité (denrées alimentaires, carburant, médicaments) ont provoqué, depuis mars 2022, un soulèvement populaire sans précédent des Sri-Lankais, au-delà des clivages ethniques et religieux, qui a entrainé la fuite du président Gotabaya Rajapaksa le 9 juillet 2022 puis sa démission deux jours plus tard ; mettant fin à quasi deux décennies de règne des frères Rajapaksa. Cet article revient sur les causes de cette crise politique, économique, sociale et désormais humanitaire pour entrevoir le caractère inédit de cette protestation et se questionner sur la mobilisation des sociétés civiles dans une île longtemps marquée par la bipolarisation de la vie politique, pour finalement envisager les effets géopolitiques de cette crise multiforme.

pour citer cet article: Anthony Goreau-Ponceaud et Delon Madavan« Sri Lanka : une île dans la tourmente »EchoGéo [En ligne], Sur le Vif, mis en ligne le 16 novembre 2022, consulté le 26 février 2026URL : http://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/23844 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/echogeo.23844

“Sri Lanka presidential frontrunner loses bid to get corruption case dismissed” reuters

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s top court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa to dismiss corruption charges against him, in a possible blow to the frontrunnner’s candidacy.

via:https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-politics-rajapaksa/sri-lanka-presidential-frontrunner-loses-bid-to-get-corruption-case-dismissed-idUSKCN1VW1UF?fbclid=IwAR3kdKy8gJZmUMsbFBLKhdI99vSNfeUdnA3IdLiUOLq_m5rQ8biv5ApotsY

“Comeback Hopes Dim for Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s Ex-President” by David Barstow

“It is very difficult to keep Rajapaksa out, I would think,” said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, who runs an election monitoring group and a policy research organization in Sri Lanka. On the other hand, he noted, every recent poll shows Mr. Rajapaksa trailing, and there is “no demonstrable evidence of any kind of swing or shift to him.”

see: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/world/asia/comeback-hopes-dim-for-mahinda-rajapaksa-sri-lankas-ex-president.html

” Sri Lanka to probe hidden foreign assets after Rajapaksa defeat” by Shihar Aneez

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s new government is to investigate “black money” transferred overseas by powerful figures in the administration of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, a cabinet spokesman said on Thursday.

via: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/22/us-sri-lanka-politics-corruption-idUSKBN0KV20J20150122

“Sri Lanka’s Tragedy: Time For Stock Taking” by Latheef Farook

Election time has always been a period of amusement in Sri Lanka where democracy continues to erode ever since independence in February 1948.

One such item which sums up the tragedy fell on the island since independence was a baila song in the YouTube by Sunil Perera under the title The Gypsies “Kiyanne Gothala”. This 4 minute 48 second song summarises how once stable and prosperous Sri Lanka was ruined by corrupt racist politicians.

Sunil even goes to the extent to state that this country would have been better off had the British remained here. He provides sufficient food for thought for those who believe in a Sri Lanka where all communities could live in peace and harmony.

via: https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/sri-lankas-tragedy-time-for-stock-taking/

“When State Enterprises Are Run At A Loss Who Benefits?” by R.M.B Senanayake

Mr. Mohan Samaranayake and some University Professors who participated in the election campaign debates on Sirasa TV echoed the President’s claim that he had not privatized a single State Enterprise but instead had taken back to the State the enterprises like the Sugar Corporations which were privatized by previous regimes. All this is said as if the interests of the people were furthered thereby. Since most of these speakers had a Marxist orientation they have to be reminded that the Marxists see the State Enterprises as instruments to accumulate capital which is prior necessity for development. They say such capital accumulation unlike similar capital accumulation by the Capitalists will be invested thereafter in the interests of the people instead of the interests of the Capitalists. But destruction of Capital instead of its accumulation was never contemplated by the Marxists and vitiates the rationale for the State running business enterprises.

via: https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/when-state-enterprises-are-run-at-a-loss-who-benefits/

“Before The Elections – I” by Izeth Hussain

“There is now a very wide consensus in Sri Lanka that the victor at the Presidential elections, either Rajapaksa or Sirisena, will barely scrape through, and that the decisive factor would be the minority vote. In other words the economic factor may not weigh all that much. I can think of two possible reasons for this.”

via: https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/before-the-elections-i/

“Mahinda Rajapaksa Who Stole 83 Million Rupees Of Tsunami Funds Is A Callous Thief: Mangala” by Colombo Telegraph

“I am very sad to say, that this politician is a callous thief. He stole 83 million rupees of Tsunami relief funds and used them for his personal gain.
The former Chief Justice has publicly apologized saying that the Helping Hambantota judgement, which he presided over and which protected that thief from conviction and ultimately jail, was the biggest mistake in his entire life. What right does this man have to speak of the people’s development and the country’s development? His achievements and energy over the last nine years have been spent only on own his family’s development and enrichment.”

via: https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/mahinda-rajapaksa-who-stole-83-million-rupees-of-tsunami-funds-is-a-callous-thief-mangala/