The State Of Lankan Democracy: A Look Through The Australian Prism
By Shyamon Jayasinghe -September 7, 2013 |
Shyamon Jayasinghe
I read with interest some opinions expressed in the Island newspaper over the issue as to whether Sri Lanka can now call itself a democracy or dictatorship.
For us Sri Lankans domesticated in Australia it is opportune to join this debate at a time like the very present when General Elections are to be held on Saturday, the 7th of September. Election behavior is a good sample expression of the wider political culture that prevails in any country. Look at the situation prevailing here and one can make a comparison and arrive at a judgment about the parallel situation in Sri Lanka..
Well here, it is election day today. However, over the last six weeks campaigns have been going on led by the two principal rivals-the governing Australian Labour Party and the Coalition comprised of the Liberal Party-National Party combine. It is Prime Minister Kevin Rudd vs. Tony Abbot.
The campaigns are defined by decency and by the conduct and strict maintenance of the Rule of Law. The law and not anyone of the ruling elite are supreme. The judiciary is independent and is available to intervene fairly and impartially over any disputes that may be brought before it. People trust the judiciary because of its long-established independence from political control. Leaders of the past have been supportive of this judicial independence and the people are oriented to frown at any attempt to tread on the judges. The overall outcome of the strict maintenance of the rule of law is peace and public confidence.Read More
UN Rights Chief’s Visit To Sri Lanka Reinforces The Need For An International Investigation – TGTE
September 7, 2013
The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) welcomes the visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Sri Lanka last week.
“Ms. Pillay’s visit reinforces the call of all those interested in human rights and international law for an independent international investigation of crimes against a large section of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka at the end of the war,” said TGTE Prime Minister Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran.
PM - TGTE - Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
“Continued human rights abuses against the Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated government and its military necessitate some form of international protection mechanism to prevent the impoverishment, marginalization and decimation of our population on the island.”
Ms. Pillay’s observation pertaining to the failure of rule of law in Sri Lanka, her shaken confidence in the independence of the judiciary there, and her reference to the “side-stepping” of the much needed full, transparent, impartial investigation into the war crimes and other violations committed during the final stage of war in the LLRC Report, reinforce the need for an international investigation.
Even after the publication of the domestic LLRC report, the UNSG’s Expert Panel’s Report, and the UN Internal Review Report, along with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other reputed NGOs all explicitly stating that there is neither a political environment nor a judicial environment to dispense justice through domestic mechanisms, Ms. Pillai’s observation reinforces her position that only an international investigation can bring justice” noted Mr. Rudrakumaran. Read More
