Commonwealth has implicit faith in Sri Lanka

By K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

Certain countries in the West appear to have forgotten that there is a separate United Nations body (UNHRC) to look in to human rights. Forgetting the principal business of the Commonwealth, they attempt to use the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to discredit Sri Lanka.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 sovereign states. No member country of the Commonwealth, or any other similar world body for that matter, has any right whatsoever to pass judgment on others. The inability of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to attract a single Commonwealth member state to support his wild allegations against Sri Lanka bears ample testimony that the Commonwealth has implicit faith in the host nation Sri Lanka.

He has even gone a step further to cover up his failure by launching a direct assault on the authority of the Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, attacking him as a stooge for a Sri Lankan regime. Canada's special envoy to the Commonwealth Hugh Segal has conducted himself in an unbecoming manner accusing the Commonwealth Secretary General of acting as a shill for Sri Lanka’s leadership.

Democratic footing

It is a pity that Canada has failed to understand the pulse of the Commonwealth. Perhaps, they may have a greater political pressure back home from LTTE cohorts living there.

There is no justification in the stand taken by the Canadian Prime Minister to not participate in next month's CHOGM 2013 in Sri Lanka as the issues over which he said he had made his decision on have been completely put to rest by the election held in the North.

As Senior Minister Prof Tissa Vitharana said, even the issues that Harper has raised based on the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission, have also been implemented on a pragmatic democratic footing.

Considering the time span since the end of the battle against terrorism in May 2009, considerable progress has been made by the Government towards the restoration of the rights of the Tamils that Harper stands in the way of justice by boycotting the Commonwealth summit.

All member countries of the Commonwealth will attend the CHOGM 2013, a classic example on the faith reposed on Sri Lanka by the international community. That clearly shows the implicit faith the Commonwealth member countries have reposed on the Government as Canada has been isolated.

Most of the Commonwealth member countries, including India have praised Sri Lanka and the Government for the progress it has made in defence of the basic principles of freedom, democracy, and respect for human dignity, especially after the steps taken to conduct elections to the Northern Provincial Council.

Air of cordiality

The Tamils in Sri Lanka have expressed their views at the Northern Provincial Council election. They elected their public representatives at the election nearly three decades after the LTTE had silenced the power of the ballot through their bullet.

Had Harper seen the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister of the Northern Province when taking oaths before the President and the air of cordiality and the great atmosphere of democracy that existed on that day, he would have changed his mind.

Rather than becoming the only Head of State to keep away from the CHOGM without a high level representation, the Canadian Prime Minister should visit here to see the accuracy of his allegations. In case he visits here and gain firsthand experience, he would have changed his mind and appreciated Sri Lanka’s milestone achievements after the eradication of terrorism.

The Government has laid the all important democratic foundation for constructive engagement with new administrators-elect by the people in the North, the Chief Minister and former Supreme Court Judge C. V. Wigneswaran. There will be constructive dialogue with them to reach consensus to arrive at a political solution to our problems pertaining to how that powers should devolved through a parliament Select committee Process, which has already been appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The country has made significant progress in terms of all aspects of democracy which Canadian Prime Minister Harper has referenced as issues over which he had reportedly arrived at his decision to not participate in the CHOGM 2013.

LTTE terror

No country should force anything on Sri Lanka. Except for a few friendly countries, none of the countries which now try to meddle in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs had been there when Sri Lanka was at the receiving end due to LTTE terror. Now that we have defeated terrorism, enough and more self-appointed advisors have emerged to pontificate us on devolution of power and reconciliation.

Be it the 13th Amendment or not, it is a matter which entirely lies with the Government and no country should tell us what Sri Lanka ought to take. Foreigners need not vivit time to time to talk on various solutions as the leaders of Sri Lanka is capable finding an indigenous solution to domestic matters. Be it the 13th Amendment or not, it is up to the Parliament to decide.

As President Rajapaksa has quite rightly pointed out, the Parliament is the best forum to address the issue of implementing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) should engage in dialogue and come up with a solution that is in line with what the people want.

What the Canadian Prime Minister should bear in mind is that attending CHOGM 2013 is not a carte blanche approval of Sri Lanka or its record on human rights.

Jaws of death

It is not a tick for regime approval or consolidation as some have claimed. It is a window of opportunity for a family of nations to get together and see how they can help each other, instead of ostracising and isolating them.

All what the international community should do at this stage, if they are genuinely interested in the well-being of the people in the North and the East, is to help the Government in its bid to find a better tomorrow for the civilians rescued during the humanitarian operation.

Over a half a million people have been rescued from the jaws of death during the world’s largest human rescue mission carried out by Sri Lanka’s valiant Security Forces. They have been resettle in the shorted time period possible. The Government is making every endeavour to find a better tomorrow for the people in the North who had suffered immensely due to LTTE terrorism.

Why can’t certain politicians in the West see these positive developments, rather than harping on the human rights of LTTE terrorists killed in action? There is no point in digging old wounds. What is important at this stage is to put weight on the Government’s development drive in the North and the reconciliation process. No outside force should set up time frames as the democratically elected leaders of our country have a better pain for the people in the North than foreigners.

Those who point an accusing finger against Sri Lanka must first and foremost clean their own backyards. They must have a perfect tract record before trying to take Sri Lanka to task and level war crimes allegations for violating the human rights of LTTE terrorists. For us in the civilised world, human rights of civilians are billion times more important than that of terrorists who had fought against a legitimate army of a sovereign state.

Abusive police behaviour

The Human Rights Watch released 'Those Who Take Us Away' in February this year, on abusive policing and failures in protection of indigenous women and girls in Northern British Columbia, Canada.

The report stated the failure of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in British Columbia to protect indigenous women and girls from violence.

The report further documents abusive police behavior against indigenous women and girls, including excessive use of force, and physical and sexual assault.

The report also found that Canada has inadequate police complaint mechanisms and oversight procedures, including a lack of a mandate for independent civilian investigations into all reported incidents of serious police misconduct. These are one of the many such cases concerning the countries in the West.

Press TV reported that the Canada's intelligence services, including the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), have recently been given an annual budget of about Canadian dollars 400 million to use and share information extracted through the use of torture. However, the Canadian government says it does not condone such acts. Human rights activists condemned the move, arguing that Canada is propagating the use of torture.

Similarly, there had been enough and more human rights violations by the US-led NATO forces in other countries, including Afghanistan. But their actions are confined to mere apology. In contrast, the self same countries try to take countries such as Sri Lanka to task as if we have committed the biggest sin on earth.

Golden opportunity

Surprisingly, those who have mountains of garbage in their backyards try to pontificate us on cleaning the environment. The LTTE cohorts are still working round the clock to discredit Sri Lanka and give a negative picture to leaders of the Commonwealth nations before the CHOGM 2013. The Tiger sympathisers are acutely aware that they would be on a bad wicket if leaders of all Commonwealth nations come here and gain first-hand information. That would prevent LTTE rump from misleading the international community any further. The CHOGM 2013 will give Sri Lanka a golden opportunity showcase ifs milestone achievements under the political sagacity of President Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka has nothing to hide bust to show the world its landmark achievements in the most transparent manner.

If Sri Lanka was guilty conscious, it would have never allowed UNHRC chief Navi Pillay and her men to go to ever corner of the country to gather information.

Even Pillay herself had admitted that the Government had cooperated with her delegation and allowed them to visit all the places they wished freely. That alone shows that the Government does not have anything to hide.

Hence, all those who level charges against Sri Lanka must have another closer look to ascertain whether their wild allegations are just and accurate. We are confident that the world opinion on Sri Lanka would change drastically after the Commonwealth leaders visit here next month.

Their positive observations would definitely persuade Canada to change its mind and get a broader and positive picture on Sri Lanka.