The true spirit of the Commonwealth

It is deplorable that certain elements are exploiting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 as a platform to discredit Sri Lanka. While violating the Commonwealth's norms and principles, certain organisations with vested interests have made innumerable attempts to sully Sri Lanka's image in the eyes of the international community by taking advantage of the focus Sri Lanka has received as the host nation of CHOGM 2013.

However, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's bold statement that Australia shouldn't be giving lectures to other countries about human rights, is indeed an eye-opener to one and all.

The Australian leader, who is now in Sri Lanka for CHOGM 2013 in Colombo after attending the first week of Parliament in Canberra, said he respected the Commonwealth as an institution and certainly doesn't wish to trash one of the long-standing and important bodies that they are a senior member of.

Speaking prior to his departure for Colombo on Monday, Prime Minister Abbott acknowledged that Sri Lanka has made tremendous progress after terrorism was eradicated.

Abbott should be commended for his bold and forthright statement. Unlike certain Western politicians, their Australian counterparts care two hoots for the Tamil Diaspora votes in their countries. Hence, world leaders such as Abbott could fearlessly make such statements.

The leaders of the few countries which boycotted CHOGM 2013 citing Sri Lanka's internal matters, should learn a political lesson from the head of the Australian Government. They should realise that no member country in the Commonwealth could pass judgment on another and moreover, that they should not mix internal matters of a member country with the hosting of CHOGM.

Canada's boycott of CHOGM 2013 and its extraordinary concern about Sri Lanka's internal matters too is quite understandable as there is a significant vote base of the migrated Tamil community there.

But what is baffling is the eleventh hour decision of Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam to keep away from CHOGM 2013, citing Sri Lanka's human rights record. Rather than making wild allegations by swallowing the concocted stories of the Tiger cohorts, it would have been far better had Ramgoolam visited Sri Lanka and gained first-hand information on the true ground situation in Sri Lanka.

"My information that I have tried to get from different quarters is that the Sri Lankan Government is not doing enough," Ramgoolam was quoted as telling the Mauritian Parliament. This alone goes to prove that he has not got such information from independent sources. Rather than taking decisions based on ill-informed sources, Ramgoolam should have made use of the opportunity he received to visit Sri Lanka to see for himself the actual situation.

It is not surprising that certain disgruntled elements are making wild allegations. The LTTE rump has been largely instrumental as it had done so on many occasions prior to international fora of this nature. Since Sri Lanka is the host of CHOGM 2013, they have naturally intensified such campaigns to paint an adverse picture about Sri Lanka in the eyes of the international community.

At a time when some Western leaders are making a big hue and cry over the independent media, it would be pertinent to question whether the media in their own countries acts in an impartial manner.

The controversial Director of British television Channel-4, Callum Macrae has vowed to make more documentaries on Sri Lanka. There is no doubt whatsoever that such statements have been made with utter malice and a specific target. Macrae is notorious for producing television documentaries with doctored video footage to prove his wild allegations. The jackpot question is whether this is the type of independent media that the West is harping on.

The train carrying Macrae and his team was blocked for two hours by protesters in Anuradhapura on Wednesday and Macrae had said that they would seek an explanation from the Government.

Macrae should bear in mind that Sri Lanka is a democratic country and people have all the freedom to protest anything. In the event the Government stopped the protest, the international media would have literally gone to town and reported that there is no freedom for a peaceful protest in Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has opened its doors wide to anyone who comes here with an open mind. Those who visit the country with an open mind would realise that what they witness here and what they had heard are poles apart.

Sri Lanka has nothing to hide. It had only engaged in a battle against the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world, which brutally killed tens of thousands of hapless civilians. If Macrae harps on the killing fields in Sri Lanka, he should also spotlight the fact that these had been created by no other person than the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran himself. Can Macrae glorify a terrorist outfit which unleashed untold misery on over 21 million people in Sri Lanka?

President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the Commonwealth Business Forum, that CHOGM 2013 is a prime opportunity for Sri Lanka as it assists the Commonwealth to discuss the common interests and priorities of the world.

The President has vowed that he would take stern action against any human rights violations in the country, adding that he has nothing to hide. The President and the Government are determined to win the hearts of terrorists as well as the Tamil community. The Government is only too willing to listen to the genuine problems raised by the Tamil Diaspora, provided they are willing to listen to the Government.

The Western 'peace merchants' should perceive that the President would never allow the country to be divided under any circumstances. Sri Lanka will always protect the hard-earned peace it achieved through the supreme sacrifices by its valiant Security Forces.

No force on earth would be permitted to use CHOGM 2013 as a platform to tarnish Sri Lanka's image and rekindle fresh hopes for LTTE terrorism to raise its ugly head again. President Rajapaksa will always go that extra mile to protect the best interests of the people while safeguarding Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Those who turned a Nelsonian eye when the country was at the receiving end due to LTTE terrorism should not pontificate to us on what we ought to do. Sri Lankan leaders have the best vision for the country and its people. Do we need any self-appointed advisors from overseas to tell us how we should protect our people? Nobody could have more concern for those in Sri Lanka than its own leaders.

The Government is ever willing to listen to those who come up with sincere ideas, but would never tolerate those who pontificate to us with vested interests. President Rajapaksa will always put the country before self and never let any Western force push back the country to those dark days in the guise of protecting the human rights of Tiger terrorists killed in action.

As External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris had quite rightly said, there is no room for judgmental postures within the Commonwealth for some countries to sit in judgment over others. For some countries to sit in judgment over others runs counter to the spirit of the Commonwealth.

It is earnestly believed that in keeping with the Commonwealth's principles and in a spirit of fidelity, it has a very vibrant role to play in grappling with the problems of the contemporary world.