Editorial-November 8, 2013, 7:56 pm
Close on the heels of the issuance of visas to Channel Four to cover Nov. 15-17 CHOGM in Colombo has come disturbing news that a high-level delegation of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has been denied entry. The group has accused the Sri Lankan government of having revoked visas in spite of a public assurance by Sri Lankan High Commissioner in London that IBAHRI members would be able to visit Colombo.
The delegates were planning to attend a conference co-hosted by the IBAHRI and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka under the theme, ‘Making Commonwealth Values a Reality; the Rule of Law and the Independence of the Legal Profession’. The government’s fear that such events are aimed at painting a black picture of it ahead of CHOGM at a time the international media attention is on Sri Lanka is not unfounded. Various attempts are being made to take the gloss off the summit. But, that is no reason why international organisations, especially professional outfits, should be debarred from entering the country to attend conferences.
On the one hand, through such action the government lends credence to the much-propagated claim that Sri Lanka is, to borrow a phrase from UNHRC Chief Navi Pillay, heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction and has something to hide. On the other hand, its critics know more than one way to shoe a horse; they do not have to come all the way here to achieve their objectives.
IBAHRI Co-Chair, Sternford Moyo, has attributed the denial of visas to his association’s delegates to the Sri Lankan government’s ‘determination to block freedom of speech and independent discussion in the country, leaving the Commonwealth Heads cocooned and isolated’. This is a widely held view of Sri Lanka which the government ought to be mindful of. But, by no stretch of the imagination could it be assumed that the Commonwealth Heads could be ‘cocooned and isolated’ simply by preventing international organisations from visiting Colombo to attend conferences ahead of CHOGM.
We are living in a world where heads of state do not need the assistance of outfits like IBAHRI to be informed of what goes on in other countries. President Barack Obama is a case in point. He is well informed of the affairs of even his female counterparts in Europe thanks to the US National Security Agency operatives who are snooping on foreign governments and their leaders. Moyo has also told the media, "If the Commonwealth is to have any relevance in today’s world, it must act swiftly and decisively to ensure that Sri Lanka engages meaningfully with human rights." One is intrigued. He seems to think that the Commonwealth has had some relevance all these years! It is only a white man’s golf club where caddies have been allowed to obtain membership while doing the same old job. Or, in other words, it is an association of victims of plunder with the plunderer at the helm.
Sri Lanka’s human rights record, no doubt, has to improve. But, it is only wishful thinking that if Sri Lanka is coerced into engaging ‘meaningfully with human rights’—whatever that means—hey presto, the Commonwealth will regain its relevance. Why is it that the Commonwealth and other international organisations which try to be relevant in current global context by promoting human rights have not taken up the issue of blatant human rights violations by outsiders in Pakistan, a Commonwealth member state? Amnesty International itself has called US drone attacks on Pakistani soil war crimes. But, neither the Commonwealth leaders championing human rights nor those who are pushing them to get tough with Sri Lanka have ever so much as issued a media statement condemning attacks on Pakistani civilians. They are only turning on soft targets to justify their existence.
The government ought to square up to post-war challenges. Most issues such as the denial of visas to IBAHRI delegates stem from its binary view of the world which makes it see foreign governments and associations as either friends or foes. There are many who do not fall into these two categories and they need to be won over through constructive engagement and diplomacy. The government has a choice between painting itself into a corner on the diplomatic front and making the best use of the opportunities CHOGM has provided for repackaging and marketing itself.
