By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today The first commitment in the President’s 100-Day Manifesto with regard to February, within a month of his election, was that on Monday, 2 February An Ethical Code of Conduct will be introduced legally for all representatives of the people.” Nothing however was heard about this and I thought […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today I was astonished by a news item that appeared a couple of weeks back, to the effect that the Presidential Secretariat was to appeal against the order of the Right to Information Commission that it reveals the Assets Declaration of the Prime Minister. Given what seems to be […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today It is not surprising that security scarcely figures in Maithripala Sirisena’s manifesto. He talks about food security and energy security, which are of course both most desirable, but their promotion by government must come after the provision of physical security, which is its first and foremost obligation. But […]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today Given what Dayan had told me about what the Americans were up to, given too that Bob Blake, who had been more positive about us previously than the British, had changed and explained that this was because he now served a different administration, I was wary about the new […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today I realized when what is termed civil society threw its weight behind Maithripala Sirisena at the end of 2014, that it was divided between those who hated the Rajapaksas and those who wanted good governance. Sadly, the last four years have shown that the former are dominant, and even […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today When Gandhi was asked what he thought of Western civilization, he responded that he thought it would be a good idea. One is tempted to say the same with regard to Sri Lankan foreign policy, but that would be to ignore what was an extraordinarily impressive profile in the […]

By Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today There was another area in which we did much vital work in the period before the war ended, but that too in the end fell prey to rival ministerial ambitions. This was the question of Rehabilitation of former combatants, for which we formulated a policy with the assistance of […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy The Island Since there is now some confusion about the 100-day manifesto, with lots of contradictory claims, I thought I should republish the first clear account of what happened, which was written soon after the events themselves. Though it may be claimed that my memory too may be at fault (not […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today Though I am no longer a member of the National Human Resources Development Council (NHRDC), I am still working with the Organization of Professional Associations trying to promote reforms that will give us a more efficient public sector. I could not attend the last discussion they had, to fine […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today When I served on the National Human Resources Development Council, I chaired a committee to recommend new ways of working in the public sector. We looked at several issues, but amongst them one that resonated with the Organization of Professional Associations, whom I was asked to meet to take […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today Two months after the Local Government Elections, which made it clear that the country lacks confidence in the current Government, there has been no change in the course, or perhaps one should say the absence of any course, the government is embarked upon. Its only significant achievements thus far […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today Now that it looks like we have Ranil to stay for a few months more, it may be instructive to examine how he often cannot help cutting off his nose to spite his face. What happened way back when he was Prime Minister came back to me when he […]

By Kelum Bandara Courtesy  The Daily Mirror Former MP Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, who served in the COPE during the previous Parliament, in an interview with the Daily mirror  spoke about the bond scam in the Central Bank and of other happenings in the political front. Following are excerpts of the interview done with Prof. Wijesinha.  Q As a member of the […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today I looked last week at Nalaka Godahewa’s account of why Mahinda Rajapaksa lost, which he attributed to the excessive influence of eight people who “were not listening to the voices of the grassroots anymore.” Though an intelligent analysis of some aspects of the last years of the Rajapaksa Administration, […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today ‘Surrounded by cronies and not listening to those who mattered’ is the explanation Nalaka Godahewa gave in an article in Ceylon Today on why Mahinda Rajapaksa lost. I found it most interesting, with added value from the fact that Godahewa was close to the former President, and indeed came […]

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today While there is much uncertainty now about what will happen to the country, certain certainties are assured. Chief amongst them is the headlong destruction of his reputation that Ranil has precipitated in the last three years. I do not refer only to his unashamed capers with regard to the […]

By Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today The saddest casualty of the Yahapalanaya Government determination to abandon all pretence of promoting democracy, let alone good governance, has been Karu Jayasuriya. I once thought of him as a decent man, weak but never doing dastardly deeds on his own. When he first started abusing the Office of Speaker, […]

By Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today A little learning is a dangerous thing. It is also sad when limited intellect leads to high appointments on the grounds that there will be unthinking support of the appointing authority. This seems to be the case with the current Attorney General (AG), who seems in a couple of weeks, […]

By PROF. RAJIVA WIJESINHA Courtesy The Island October 22, 2017, 9:41 pm The details of the Sri Lankan triumph in the 2009 Geneva special session as described in Sanja de Silva Jayatilleka’s Mission Impossible Geneva, should be essential reading for all those concerned about Sri Lanka’s foreign relations. It is of particular importance that members of […]

By rajiva Wijesinha Ceylon Today Features Amongst the more endearing explanations offered by Ranil’s friends for his involvement in the Bond Scam is that he was taken for a ride. The response then to the question why he defended Mahendran so vociferously is that Mahendran also was taken for a ride. Then the answer to the […]

Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today Developments in the two weeks I was away suggest that the government is, a year before I expected it, hurtling towards its end. Or rather I should say towards its end as we know it, since the manner in which the Elections Bill was changed at whim suggests that we are back […]

Presentation at the OPA / Association of Scientific and Techinical Officers Seminar  by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha July 29, 2017, 6:42 pm Let me begin with some very simple concepts, since these will help us to understand what exactly we should aim for in trying to improve the quality of our legislators. First, we should examine […]

Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today Dayan Jayatilleka’s current forceful advocacy of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the best possible future leader of this country has raised many hackles, but I believe he has answered the criticisms raised effectively. What he has not explored is the irony of there being two contradictory approaches adopted, one accusing him of inconsistency in […]

Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy The Ceylon Today Another mark of increasing age, though I suppose I should be pleased at this one, was a request to deliver a memorial lecture. The topic given to me was “The March of Folly”, which led me to look up the origin of the phrase. I knew it was the title of […]

Rajiva Wijesinha The election was held on 17 August and four days later I learnt that I had not been put into Parliament. I had been on the UPFA National List, which I gathered had been with the approval of both factions of the SLFP. But it had become clear almost immediately that the polarization that […]

By Rajiva Wijesinha Courtesy Ceylon Today Concerted attacks, however, lay far in the future. In 2009 we were dealing rather with generalizations, and the threat then was not allegations of war crimes, but rather efforts to galvanize international opinion against us and stop the slow but steady progress of the forces in the North. I had […]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesingha I have refrained thus far from getting involved in the debate over the Geneva Resolution for a number of reasons. One is a commitment to finalize a few books, and in particular an account of what Sri Lanka did right, in winning the war, and then did wrong in losing the peace. […]

By Prof Rajiva Wijesingha – Seeing all the posters asserting that ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen was murdered, I was struck by the similarity to the allegations made when Chandrika Kumaratunga was President regarding Batalanda. The Sunday Leader in December 2001, soon after the UNP won the election she had called, wrote: ‘The legacy of evil that […]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Ranil’s dishonesty gets worse by the day. But even more startling perhaps is his brazen hypocrisy. And what seems to be open mockery of the President. There have been multiple allegations of corruption with regard to the last government, but most were generalizations. There was in fact only one clear instance cited […]

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha Second instalment of roadscam, you might like also to question the Secretary who was suddenly dismissed, Mr Udaya Seneviratne, and perhaps the Chinese Embassy too about the earlier and curent projects, since the Prime Minister claims that the EXIM Bank of China will be funding this project too Dealings of the current […]