Q/ How would you describe the situation in Sri Lanka? What has changed and what has not?
A/ President Ranil Wickremesinghe has managed to restore law and order, and has addressed certain basic issues, like 16-hour-long power cuts and long queues at fuel stations. There was a problem with supply chain. It has been resolved and the economy is stabilising. But I am not saying that the government has done everything to put the economy back on track. Yet, there has been a massive change in the past 12 months, considering where we were last year.
Q/ You say there was a conspiracy to dethrone the Rajapaksa family. Who was behind it?
A/ There were many forces behind it. This is not the first time that Sri Lanka has gone through something like this. I am sure countries like India, as it heads towards becoming an economic superpower, will always find people who do not want to see certain countries in Asia becoming bigger because we were colonies once. I will not blame anyone, because as a government, we must be prepared to face this. But we have to make sure that something like this will not happen again.
Q/ Has Sri Lanka lost confidence in the Rajapaksas, particularly in Mahinda?
A/ Mahinda Rajapaksa is still very popular among the masses. He is very active and has his own policies and vision. And the SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Party) is his party. The SLPP has a bigger role to play now.
Denne historien er fra July 02, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra July 02, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
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Garden by the sea
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RECRUITERS SPEAK
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MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
