Sri Lanka can resolve its own issues - Minister Keheliya Rambukwella

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Government is not prepared to accept the proposed UNHRC probe against Sri Lanka. The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said we are ready to face the consequences and ready to take up the challenge because we have a strong basis on which we are working. Therefore, we feel that our course of action is right. We have explained over and over again that we are a sovereign nation and the reason for intervention cannot be accepted. We have agreed to set out a credible internal group for any investigation, if it is so desired.

The Minister said we are more concerned about our people, the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims who are all Sri Lankans. If we look at it from the Sri Lankan perspective, we are quite capable of resolving our own issues. In fact, the whole country and its communities were affected by terrorism and we made a concerted effort to eradicate terrorism. Many Tamils, Muslims and the majority Sinhalese helped us defeat terrorism. President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Commander in Chief gave the right leadership to the three Armed Forces so that we eradicated terrorism at ground and military level. Why should some other party investigate? Basically, the people will feel that it is in support of terrorism as there is reason to do so.

Q: The motion moved by nine UPFA Parliamentarians that the proposed UN probe against Sri Lanka should not be held was passed in Parliament with a majority of 134 votes. However, the UNP and DNA abstained from voting as the Government didn’t agree to incorporate their amendments to the Motion. How do you look at this scenario?

A: I don’t think that they are very honest about these amendments. I suppose they made that issue for them to abstain from voting. Because some of those amendments are already there. The conditions that we put in our substantial motion was never challenged by the Opposition. They wanted certain additions to that. In our view, those additions are not relevant to that issue. For instance the Rathupaswala issue or the shooting incident that took place at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone have no relevance to this. What they are trying to take up is human rights. If you look at human rights all over the world including Geneva itself, when the Geneva sessions started, over 2000 to 3000 people with Prabhakaran’s photographs and Eelam flag staged a demonstration in front of the UNHRC. Twenty eight countries have proscribed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. They say the freedom must be shown and the freedom of expression should be given. But they turn them as terrorists.

My question for them was if 30 people carry Bin Laden’s photographs and walk on the streets of New York what would that be their plight? So I cannot understand this double standard. Hence with it, I suppose we are more concerned about our people, the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims who are all Sri Lankans. If we are looking from the Sri Lankan perspective, we are quite capable of resolving our own issues. In fact, the whole country and its communities were affected by terrorism and we made a concerted effort to eradicate that. Many Tamils, Muslims and majority Sinhalese helped us defeat terrorism. President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Commander in Chief gave the right leadership to the three Armed Forces so that we eradicated terrorism at ground and military level. Why should we call some other party to investigate. Basically the people will feel that it is in support of terrorism as there is reason to do so. Of 10 TNA members who voted against that Motion and calling for the international community to come to Sri Lanka, some of them are the people who supported Prabhakaran even within Parliament. There were some TNA members who acted like the proxies of the LTTE. Naturally what they are trying to do is to bring back that kind of terror into the country due to their various political gains.

Q: What will be the implications to the country if the Parliament does not cooperate with the UNHRC investigation panel?

A: We had explained over and over again that we are a sovereign nation and intervention cannot be accepted. We have agreed to set out a credible internal group for any investigation if it desires so. Having said that and giving all these guarantees, we are not prepared to accept this UNHRC probe. Whatever the consequences, we are prepared to take up that challenge because we have a strong basis which we are working on. We feel that our course of action is right.

Q: Some people believe that Sri Lanka cannot expect justice even if it cooperates with the UN investigation panel so long as the UNHRC depends on UN and EU for its survival. Is there any truth in this?

A: Yes of course. We have been talking about it. That is what I said it is biased and unilateral. In fact, the UN has become an organisation that serves themselves. What happened to Iraq and Libya? What is happening in Syria and Afghanistan? Where is justice? Have they at least walked into any of those places?

Q: Very often a minor altercation between two individuals will explode into communal violence within hours like what happened in Aluthgama and Beruwala recently. If the Police act promptly it could extinguish the fire. Your comments?

A: There are two sides of the story. One could put the total blame on the Police. But if the Police can be that efficient, then since Independence, we would not have had any incidents. Look at the incident where 13 soldiers were killed and what happened to the country after that. After every election during the previous regimes where was this question of efficiency. It stops at a certain level at any one time. If the efficiency was in place in the United States, the September 11 incident would not have taken place. If they had such sophistication as they claim, things would not have happened. In the UK also, none of those incidents would have happened if the efficiency level that they are talking of was there. The efficiency level varies from place to place and from time to time. No force ever in the world has completely apprehend or control situations.

Even in Thursday’s Cabinet press briefing, a journalist questioned as to why we banned some of the meetings which were scheduled to be held at Mawanella and some other areas. Those are precautionary measures. We are taking precautionary measures. It can come in a different forms in another five years and we can have isolated incidents of a similar nature. In a country where you have multi-racial and multi-religious groups, this kind of situation could spark off at any time. Because we can have people who are emotional, sensible, insensible and sensitive. A situation erupting cannot be ruled out but efficiency cannot be measured by a single incident like this. There can be another. How many incidents have been prevented due to our intelligence services. But nobody knows that. When something sparks off, the media gets hold of it. This efficiency is at what level and where it stands is another question.

Q: Speculation is rife that certain communal elements led by disgruntled politicians are active to destabilise the country to realise their defeatist policies. Is there any truth in this?

A: Of course. That is also a part of this whole game. I even may go up to the naming of Azath Salley’s request to the whole Muslim world to gather at mosques and react to this. Some of these disgruntled politicians are trying to pave their way through creating communal disharmony.

Q: In explosive situations, the mass media should act with utmost care and restrained without damaging national and religious harmony in the country. How far is this true in the present context?

A: I would say many media institutions cooperated with our effort to bring the situation under control. But a very few didn’t cooperate. This has been the case right throughout.

Q: Criticism of Government policies by certain constituent parties amounts to violation of collective responsibility apart from a bad reflection on the Government itself. What steps could be taken to check this trend?

A: The UPFA is an umbrella organisation which has many political parties in it with different views. As you rightly say there must be a common responsibility. I cannot agree to certain things that is occurring within that system. But in another form you can say that it is a unique system. Because you are in the same Cabinet but you contested from a different political party in different zone or a different province and again sit in the same Cabinet. This is something that one might explain as wider democracy is there although we have a coalition. As far as the Cabinet decisions are concerned, I think this collective responsibility must be adhered to.

Q: Sri Lanka has insisted in many international fora that terrorism should be wiped out from the civilised world so that developing countries can realise their economic targets. What is the response so far?

A: President Mahinda Rajapaksa is travelling to countries where no leaders have travelled so far, such as some Latin American countries, West Asian, East Asian and and many Gulf countries. The response is quite encouraging that they all realised that terrorism is a plague to civilised society. I think our President is making headway not only as the Leader of Sri Lanka but also taking that leadership across the globe to many countries.

Q:Although human rights lobbies in the West condemn the so- called religious unrest in this country, it was reported that over 4000 religious asylum seekers have arrived in the island. Is this not another instance of disinformation and distortion of facts?

A: I really don't know about these figures. I need to do a study on that whether there are religious migrants coming into this country. I cannot comment on that.

Q: In the wake of violence in Aluthgama, the Australian Government has issued a new travel advisory to Australians planning on travelling to Sri Lanka to exercise caution. Is there adequate justification for this as this is only an isolated incident?

A: Australia being an independent country I think they do this. But I think when they issue this type of advisory more tourists come to Sri Lanka, this is my experience.

Because today the world has shrunk. They could go on internet and see what is happening in the rest of the world. They could always make their own assessment. In fact you need very little advise from Governments. Travellers can have their own background and vision about that.