Ceylon National Congress Archives

The unique thirties that shaped the nation-BY H.L. D. MAHINDAPALA Source:Sundayobserver In the thirties Ceylon, as it was known then, entered into a unique phase in the history of the nation. For the first time it was ushered into the age of mass politics. Never before were the masses ever given a direct say in running the affairs of the state. This gift to the people – some may not consider it a good thing – came through the Donoughmore Constitution which was introduced in 1931. As I said earlier, it was a daring experiment in which all issues that questioned the ability of the masses to make wise political decisions for their own good and that of the nation as a whole were thrown into the winds and empowered with universal franchise to elect representatives of their choice to make decisions on their behalf. We made history by being ...

The hidden racism and naming of roads in Sri Lanka by Saroj Jayasinghe Source:Dailymirror A single incident in the US which was captured on a mobile phone by a teenager has triggered waves of protests against racism, globally. This has included bringing down of monuments that represented racists or slave owners in the UK and USA. Well-known names of such racists who were being implicitly honoured include the statue of Cecil Rhodes in Oxford University and the Policy School named after Woodrow Wilson in Princeton USA, both of which are likely to be removed by the universities. It is inevitable that countries in the global financial periphery such as Sri Lanka, too are touched by these events and reflect about racism. In the next few paragraphs I wish to outline the history behind a few selected names we currently glorify in Sri Lanka. The fact that Sri Lanka honours ...