Dr. Jehan Perera | Published on February 20, 2012
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s speech to the nation on Independence Day provided an indication of his two major concerns for the future. One concern was the persistent international pressure on
Blake
his government on human rights issues during and after the end of the war. The other concern was the efforts to destabilize the government through mass agitation that is taking the form of anti government public demonstrations and street protests. The political instincts of the President which have given him an edge over his rivals appear to have been confirmed in the events that have unfolded in the fortnight since his speech.
Increased pressure
The increased pressure on the government from the international community was more or less to be expected. The government had ample forewarning that the March session of the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva would not be an easy one. It was on account of this that government leaders made use of every opportunity to take wing to foreign nations to lobby their governments on behalf of the nation. The government’s trump card in appealing to the governments of fellow developing nations is that all of them have their own apprehensions about Sri Lanka being made a precedent that they might have to follow. Full Story>>>
