Britain is expecting Sri Lanka government to maintain in the proper manner the Commonwealth values, because Sri Lanka government is arranging the year 2013 Commonwealth government leaders’ conference in Sri Lanka.
British External Affairs Minister Alistair Burt made this statement.
Regarding his visit to Sri Lanka he met Sri Lanka High Commissioner Chris Nonis and had a discussion.
British External Affairs Minister Alistair Burt, who is on a visit to Sri Lanka next week, will personally come on a live discussion over twitter concerning Sri Lanka was mentioned by him.
British Embassy located in Colombo notifies that Alistair Burt who is visiting Sri Lanka on February 1st will attend and address at the convention held at the Lakshman Kathirgamar Central center.
Minister Burt last week attended the debate concerning Sri Lanka organized at the British people’s representatives’ council and delivered a small speech. In his speech he said, “Cannot notify in advance whether Britain will participate the Commonwealth conference which is scheduled to be held in November in Sri Lanka.”
Saturday , 26 January 2013
In Praise Of Shirani Bandaranayake
By R.M.B
Senanayake -January 26, 2013
RMB Senanayake
Shirani Bandaranayake has gone home, thrown
out of office sans pension, sans dignity which was stripped from her by those
who claim to be acting in the name of the majority.
“Majorities
do not decide what is right or wrong; your conscience does. So why should a
citizen surrender his or her conscience to a legislator? For we must NEVER EVER
kneel down before the tyranny of a majority!” – Samantha Booke. In the
Great Debaters.
Shirani
Bandaranayake has done just that. The Courts have quashed the
decision against her. She was not given the rights extended to every person
under our law- the right to natural justice. She is a victim of man’s inhumanity
to man. She refused to resign and we applaud her for that ; for it is a great
sacrifice on her part for the cause of the Rule of Law and the independence of
the Judiciary. Our selfish , hypocritical politicized society is characterized
by everyone working in his or her own greedy self-interests and huddling
together with those of their tribe, at war with all those outside who they
regard as enemies to be beaten into submission by hook or by crook. What breaks
a human mind out of that iron cage of selfishness is a sacrifice. The martyr who
gives up everything, who abandons all personal gain, who lays down his life for
the good of those outside his group is the hero for us Christians. . “You will
have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless
devotion to duty, for it is not life that matters, but the courage, fortitude
and determination you bring to it.” ― Muhammad
Ali Jinna. Shirani Bandaranaike ought to become a symbol for all those who
stand for the Rule of Law and Justice like Abraham Lincoln or Patrick
Henry.
She
has offered a sacrifice – a sacrifice of her career for what is a valuable
principle in a society- the Rule of Law and the Independence of the Judiciary.
She will long be remembered for her courage in the face of all the taunts, the
mudslinging and the mob terror unleashed on her by those responsible for the
impeachment and whoever was behind them. She acted according to the dictates of
her conscience in giving judgment on the Divineguma Bill. She could have obliged
the powers that be by giving an opinion which the authorities wanted. She
didn’t, preferring to act according to her conscience. She could have resigned
and preserved her future career rather than face the indignity of being found
guilty even though by a body declared as illegal by the highest Courts of the
land. She is an exceptional person indeed for most of our high officials prefer
to look after their personal interests rather than stand up for a principle. She
acted according o her conscience and paid a heavy price for
it. Conscience is the moral intuition and Christians consider
it the voice of God in the soul.” It is the knowledge that one must
always do right and never wrong, the knowledge of one’s absolute obligation to
goodness, all goodness: justice and charity and virtue and holiness; only in the
second place is it the knowledge of which things are right and which things are
wrong.
But
even her accusers refer to their conscience, like the devil quoting
Scripture. But as pointed out by Cardinal Newman(1801-1890) conscience can be
invoked even to justify evil actions – He wrote thus :Conscience is a stern
monitor, but in this century it has been superseded by a counterfeit, which the
eighteen centuries prior to it never heard of, and could not have mistaken for
it, if they had. It is the right of self-will.” —Conscience has rights
because it has duties; but in this age, with a large portion of the public, it
is the very right and freedom of conscience to dispense with conscience, to
ignore a Lawgiver and Judge, to be independent of unseen obligations.
“The
leader for the time being, whoever he may be, is but an instrument, to be used
until broken and then to be cast aside; and if he is worth his salt he will care
no more when he is broken than a soldier cares when he is sent where his life is
forfeit in order that the victory may be won.” ― Theodore
Roosevelt
