Author Archive for Raj Gonsalkorale

Enhancing strategic and sustainable Corporate Social responsibility endeavours in Sri Lanka

Friday, September 12th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Globally, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to business self-regulation with the aim of being socially accountable.” From a broader perspective this definition includes improving working conditions, reducing carbon footprints, participating in Fairtrade, and many more actions. On its most basic level, CSR is a manifestation of a business’ recognition of a duty to […]

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Ex President’s arrest in Sri Lanka: Some should not be more equal than others

Thursday, August 28th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Some are more equal than others” is a paradoxical phrase from George Orwell’s allegorical novel Animal Farm that highlights societal hypocrisy, where the concept of equality is proclaimed but a privileged few receive preferential treatment Theatrics in Sri Lankan politics has reached a crescendo with the arrest, remanding and bail out of Mr […]

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Has Israel become a pariah State of the world?

Monday, August 4th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale On 21 November 1938, Hitler met with the South African defence minister Oswald Pirow and told him that the Jews would be killed if war broke out. The same month, an official of Hitler’s chancellery told a British diplomat of German plans “to get rid of [German] Jews, either by emigration or if necessary, […]

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 A multi-dimensional approach to lift the status of the rural sector – Praja Shakthi program in context

Saturday, July 19th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Currently, one in every six individuals in Sri Lanka suffers from multidimensional poverty, with 95.3% of this population residing in rural and estate areas. The continued existence of this condition negatively impacts the country’s economic and productive potential. This initiative seeks to address the situation by strengthening social protection and strategically targeting […]

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The MOU with India; Is the country’s foreign and defense policy truly strategic and Sri Lanka First?

Tuesday, July 8th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Sri Lanka has to navigate its foreign policy within turbulent waters considering its pivotal location in the Indian ocean. Being the neighbor to India, a regional power which some consider an emerging superpower, and which shows a kind of political bi polarity, with shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels, often resulting […]

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Israel Palestine conflict: A federal political model as a solution?

Thursday, July 3rd, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale The geographic terms Israel” and Palestine” have a long history and specific connotations for Jews and Arabs with respect to their competing claims to the same land. The only way forward for Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs is to cease looking backwards. Dr Daniel Miller – https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/ australianoutlook/israel-and-palestine-where-should-history-begin-and-should-it-matter/ The article by Dr […]

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Drug shortages in State hospitals: A creation by interested parties?

Sunday, June 29th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale In a letter addressed to the Health Minister, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) pointed out that medical staff are increasingly being forced to request patients to obtain medicines, consumables, and laboratory investigations from external sources, an act that, in the absence of official guidance, has subjected them to […]

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World drug day, 26th June: Sharks amongst drug traffickers and their cohorts, not the sprats, must be eliminated

Thursday, June 19th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Drug use disorders, a pressing issue globally, have particularly strained Sri Lanka’s public health and security systems, affecting its youth and communities. Sri Lanka has witnessed a troubling rise in drug-related issues, with a 13% increase in arrests for drug offenses during the 2022 economic crisis, totalling 152,979 individuals. The infiltration of […]

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The enduring legacy of Venerable Walpola Rahula: Freedom to think critically

Thursday, June 5th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale “Free” critical thinking, in a philosophical sense, refers to the ability to think independently, without being unduly influenced by external pressures or internal biases. It involves questioning assumptions, analysing information objectively, and forming reasoned judgments based on evidence and logic. Essentially, it’s about thinking critically for oneself, rather than passively accepting information or opinions.  Keeping […]

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Who was Venerable Walpola Rahula?

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Venerable Walpola Rahula Thero’s 118th death anniversary fell on the 9th of May. On the 24th of May, a commemorative event is being organised by the Walpola Rahula Foundation Trust chaired by his only Monk pupil Venerable Galkande Dhammananda at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. It is timely and of significant relevance […]

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System change through transformation of strategic vision to strategic planning

Wednesday, May 14th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Good ideas fail automatically. In a competitive environment and with limited resources, political parties need robust strategies to maximise their chances to win. In every day’s working routines, there is often a high focus on action and reaction – and little to no direction due to an unclear or non-existent strategy – […]

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Missing the wood for the trees; Local government elections are about the trees and not the wood.

Friday, May 9th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale The trees The quotation “Missing the wood for the trees” means being unable to see the whole picture or larger context because one is fixated on minor details or individual components. It suggests a lack of perspective and an inability to understand the bigger picture due to being too focused on the small parts.  […]

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The strange case of US democracy

Thursday, April 17th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Going by some decisions taken by US Presidents that have had very negative consequences for the USA itself and other countries, a dilemma does arise about democracy and what it means and how it is exercised in the USA. The latest being the decision taken by one person, President Donald Trump, that […]

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Whither Clean Sri Lanka: The decline in road safety, and the proliferation of waste dumping

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Considering the instances where proliferation of waste dumping is increasing, and the ongoing deaths and injuries  due to maniacal driving by bus drivers, and others, one cannot but feel that the much-publicized Clean Sri Lanka concept has not yet got off ground as desired.  The government needs to lift their game or […]

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GDP and GDP growth; Are they measures that really matter?

Sunday, March 23rd, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale GDP Is the wrong tool for measuring what matters – It’s time to replace gross domestic product with real metrics of well-being and sustainability– Joseph E. Stiglitz A country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the standard measure of the total value of all goods and services produced within its borders during a specific […]

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The future of the tea, rubber and coconut industry in Sri Lanka

Monday, March 10th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale Much research has been done by numerous experts on the future of the plantation industry involving tea, rubber and coconut. While very valuable strategic options have been provided and focus shifted to existing and emerging technology as a futuristic vision, critical grass roots activities have not been adequately addressed. Who will pluck […]

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Sri Lanka: Buses do not kill. Bus drivers do. One dies every 3 hours in road accidents

Monday, February 10th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale High road crash fatality and injury rates on Sri Lanka’s roads are undermining the economic growth and progress made over the past decade on reducing poverty and boosting prosperity. Estimated annual road crash deaths per capita in Sri Lanka are twice the average rate in high-income countries and five times that of […]

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Clean Sri Lanka – Cleansing the soul of the country

Friday, January 10th, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale This endeavour goes beyond merely cleaning up the environment. It aspires to restore the deeply eroded and deteriorated social and environmental fabric of our motherland. We aim to create cleanliness and rejuvenation across all sectors of society – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake unveiling the Clean Sri Lanka initiative on the 1st of […]

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Drug shortages: The most serious symptom arising from several causes

Thursday, January 2nd, 2025

By Raj Gonsalkorale It takes nine months to complete the drug procurement process, thus there is no immediate solution to address various glitches in the system. In order to address the importance of tackling the root causes of the issue and introducing a comprehensive plan to address it, we have to study the problem, identify […]

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System change and ushering in a value-based society

Wednesday, December 25th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale “You have the complete right to convince any truth as a lie and any lie as a truth. That is your democratic right. You have the right to see the negative side when the government is doing something good. And also, you have the right to praise when a leader, government, institution […]

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Is Sri Lanka ready to face a possible dementia epidemic?

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale Sri Lanka has become one of the fastest aging countries in the world. Its share of the population over 60 years of age, which was 12% in 2014, has exceeded the average of all countries in the South-East Asian region. According to population projections, this proportion will reach 28.5% by 2050. With ageing […]

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Hope of all Sri Lankans; Governance with a difference, a strategic action plan replacing verbal promises 

Tuesday, November 26th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale  Whence comes the power of words? Citizens of purportedly civilized nations have come under the sway of the rhetoric of demagogues. Soldiers have killed and been killed following the orders of military superiors. Leaders of some religious sects have put people to death for utterances labelled blasphemous or heretical. Leaders of others […]

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Reality will dawn on the 15th of November. Election promises should become legally enforceable

Monday, November 11th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale Government has no wealth, and when a politician promises to give you something for nothing, he must first confiscate that wealth from you — either by direct taxes, or by the cruelly indirect tax of inflation. –John Wayne Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there […]

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Does it matter to the world who becomes the next President of the USA?

Sunday, November 3rd, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale Paradox of Power: Militarily it is a unipolar world of U.S. hegemony; economically it is a multipolar world with U.S. leadership; but on many transnational issues – such as international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the migration of people, epidemic disease, drugs, and environmental degradation – we live in […]

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Human rights of children with disabilities in Sri Lanka – A challenge for the new President and an incoming government

Monday, October 14th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale The current administrative arrangements do not seem to have brought the required equality and equity to children with disabilities and addressed the challenges faced by them although some headway has been made over time.  A high-level State agency is needed for policy formulation, to coordinate implementation of policies and for  monitoring progress […]

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Stabilization and growth of the economy must be the top priority of all Presidential candidates

Sunday, September 15th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale  It’s the economy, stupid – Bill Clinton” It’s the economy, stupid” is a phrase that was coined by Jim Carville in 1992. It is often quoted from a televised quip by Carville as “It’s the economy, stupid.” Carville was a strategist in Bill Clinton‘s successful 1992 U.S. presidential election against incumbent George H. W. Bush –Wikipedia https://www.tradingview.com/news/te_news:429243:0-sri-lanka-gdp-grows-4-7-in-q2-2024/#:~:text=Sri%20Lanka’s%20GDP%20rose%204.7,highest%20in%20nearly%203%20years. As […]

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An independent economic entity must provide costings of election promises and their impact on the country’s economy

Thursday, August 29th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale When a politician promises to give you something for nothing, he must first confiscate that wealth from you — either by direct taxes, by indirect tax, and by inflationary pricing arising from more debt – paraphrasing a quote by John Wayne Election time is a bonanza time for the hearing pleasure of […]

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Why is the IMF here? Sri Lanka needs a new governance model to avoid them in the future

Monday, August 5th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale The IMF may have their own agendas. But they are in the country because our politicians and officials failed to manage the economy leading it to bankruptcy. Some degree of economic and financial discipline is evident today, thanks to the presence of the IMF. Any proposed re negotiations should be on the […]

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Democracy should be about upholding ethics, morality and social values from the heart, not just effecting regime changes

Saturday, July 20th, 2024

Raj Gonsalkorale Democracy must fall because it will try to tailor to everyone: “The poor will want the wealth of the rich, and democracy will give it to them. “Young people will want to be respected as elderly, and democracy will give it to them. “Women will want to be like men, and democracy will […]

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The Debt-to-GDP ratio, and foreign reserves, the measures of a country’s economic health

Wednesday, June 26th, 2024

By Raj Gonsalkorale The Treasury is aware that the country is in a difficult place. But that difficulty is not visible on the surface. Fuel is available, electricity is available and public and private transportation is in place. It’s the mirage that seems to matter to most rather than reality At the Treasury we are […]

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