Rajpal Abeynayake

The Monarchy and the Executive Presidency

Now that the passing of Queen Elizabeth II the British monarch is a fact even for Republicans in England, it should be asked what the purpose of a modern Constitutional monarchy is. Is it something...

Watching a screen for inspiration

Cricket is the usual salve, and no doubt this time around too — in tumultuous 2022 — when spirits were down, the cricketers gave the country something to be happy about. This...
Economies and the lure of ‘exclusive clubs’

When J.R. Jayewardene wanted Sri Lanka to join ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) once upon a time during his presidency, he was curtly told by ASEAN potentates...
Where, if at all, did we go right?

The country’s economic collapse gave it a bad rap — let’s face it — but what has the situation done to dent the morale of the people, and more importantly, to destroy...
Animal Farm and Modern Working Class Tragedy

Imagine that George Orwell’s Animal Farm was written today. The novel was an allegory of the Russian revolution and its betrayal. The animals rebel against the human owner Mr...

Why make Kenya a reference point?

Recent events in Kenya where the political establishment consolidated itself, bear resemblance to entrenched political dynasties consolidating themselves in Sri Lanka. But in Kenya there are tribes,...
Slander in our day and age

Suing for libel was never fun for the plaintiffs and if there was a defendant that was accused unfairly that was far from fun for the latter either. But there was a way in which newspapers were kept...
Power doesn’t always flow from a gun barrel

How is power maintained over the masses? Be it in a democracy or some other form of government, a regime governs because the governing cohort enjoys a monopoly on violence. It is true when it comes...
Social powder-keg at fuel stations

Though hi-tech is the direction in which the petrol rationing has gone, the QR code system that prevails now belies a reality at petrol stations. QR or no QR the queues are long, and the ration is a...
To be young in this meltdown

What’s the true plight of the young in this day and age in Sri Lanka? We have to hear it from them, but it is not very often that we do. It’s not that they cannot write but most of them don’t want to...
Will Europe go the same way as us?

What is the fate of Europe these days or indeed the rest of the world? Some say that there would be a Sri Lanka style meltdown in European countries.Why so? The dependence on gas, the high cost of...
The contours of change

The president is scheduled to resign today. Was this Sri Lanka’s Arab Spring then, and if so, has it ended? How would Sri Lanka’s history be written recording the last few days which have been...
Thin line between Utopia and Dystopia

When the pandemic was in full spate in this country, there were cries to lockdown and more often than not the government heeded the calls. In hindsight a lot may be stated about these shutdowns which...
A world woefully unprepared

There may have been a League of Nations and then the UN and any number of regional groupings that command so much heft that they are global in outlook themselves. But the events of the past few...
Cricket, and moments of national angst

How much does cricket distract — if at all — from the civic conscious political mobilization that has been taking place in the country since the economic crisis took hold? Some say that cricket —akin...
Loudspeaker laws, and societal amity

The routine practices of some religious institutions that use loudspeakers etc. against all acceptable norms and most times against the laws in the statute books, have not abated. Such practices are...
Political pantomimes are not entertaining

A certain crassness in the political discourse on the current crisis has been observed among career politicians, and it would do well for the entire lot of them to be less insensitive to the lot of...
System of patronage dies hard

People who do two or three jobs — or gigs as they are called in the modern economy — are dehumanized due to the severe pressures on their time. But yet, they used to manage, even if such lifestyles...
How do people process economic trauma?

Last Sunday, May 22nd marked fifty years since Sri Lanka became a Republic. Nobody talks about Republic Day these days with Independence Day being a national holiday. However, it was May 22nd (1972)...
Protests, and the futility of denial

Seeing the current protest movement as a planned putsch for power is advantageous, some who want to push that line for one reason or the other have decided. They have therefore come up with a...