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Sounding poor

by Dinesh
The Prince of Kandy Also available at https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/sounding-poor/ We live in a nation where actual political choice, which lies between the SJB and SLPP, have at least from a media image perspective pivoted themselves to the lower ranks along our socio-economic spectrum. The two major parties in rhetoric pander to the poor. This takes the ... Read More

Colombo’s property woes

by Dinesh
The Prince of Kandy Also available at https://www.ft.lk/opinion/Colombo-s-property-woes/14-718614 Though the media and financial players in Sri Lanka will not openly admit it, we are in the middle of a property crisis. The benchmark of Commercial Property in Sri Lanka the World Trade Centre (Overseas Realty PLC) has dropped to about 80% occupancy levels from levels ... Read More

Alas a little too much a little too late

by Dinesh
The Prince of Kandy The following article was also published on the Daily FT on Wednesday 21 April 2021 and at http://www.ft.lk/opinion/Alas-a-little-too-much-a-little-too-late/14-71654 The recent media focus and political activity on the Port City though incredible in terms of magnitude are far too late and sensational to have any impact on policy. What will come into ... Read More

Is Port City not important?

by Dinesh
The Prince of Kandy The following was also published on the Daily FT on Monday 12 April and at http://www.ft.lk/columns/Is-Port-City-not-important/4-716223 To reform the proposed legislation instead of expressing an opinion on the proposed Port City framework it would be more effective to comment on the lack of media coverage on the issue. Even media content ... Read More

Why can’t we be like this forever CSE?

by Dinesh
The Prince of Kandy Thanks to COVID-19 a lot of things that should have happened in Sri Lanka a long time ago have happened. The Amended Electronic Transactions Act was recognised[i], and a lot of things went into the digital space. The stock exchange has also revamped their website and through guidance has made it ... Read More

Deficits and Implied Taxation

by Dinesh
The Prince of Kandy I am not saying it is a life and death matter when you print money. During my period it isn’t that we didn’t have excess printing but every time the treasury secretary asked me if we could accommodate the government with an excess of treasury bills I always got a date ... Read More

Getting Out of Taxable and Central Bank Backed Assets

by Dinesh
Given your political hue, you may argue that through the debt to equity swap Sri Lanka effectively got China to build a port in Hambantota giving Sri Lanka over 50 percent of the equity in return for land or that Sri Lanka just gave up the potential to reap the entire profit of the bunkering ... Read More

Moving Out of Money

by Dinesh
We aren’t getting an inflation targeting mechanism in the near future. To paraphrase the words of the outgoing Central Bank Governor, it is unlikely that given the political situation such a ground-breaking piece of legislation will be passed in parliament. An inflation targeting regime was to be combined with an independent central bank. The Central ... Read More

The 20th Amendment

by Dinesh
Pass the 20th amendment to the constitution and go for a parliamentary election. This would be the best thing for Sri Lanka at the moment. Going for a parliamentary election in a few months’ time wherein even if the UNP wins they will have to deal with an SLPP president is not an ideal situation. ... Read More

Power Grab

by Dinesh
This is based given the timing and implicit manifesto of the Presidential bid orchestrated by Mangala Samaraweera. As perceived by many in internal party member dialogues this has been characterized as a bid for the Prime Minister’s Post by Mangala. His supporters frame it as the last chance to beat Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s bid. This is ... Read More