Good governance and Rule of Law not found anywhere in the world?
February 11, 2014
Is this statement correct?
A certain worthy, of professed legal eminence, is quoted in the media as having declared at an institute of higher learning that ‘good governance and the Rule of Law are very nice words, but I am not quite sure that they are found anywhere in the world!’It would be worthwhile to critique this comment further. We are living in a nation in which the Constitution declares that “The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the Sate to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14(1) (e).” [Chapter II Article 9.]
The Buddhist expression of the concepts of the Rule of Law and good governance are manifested in the Dasa Raja Dharma, the 10 Royal Virtues, the Buddhist ideal of good governance. The 10 virtues of governance are:
Dana: It is the duty of the rulers to look after the welfare of needy subjects and to give them food, clothing and other necessities of life.
