In Defence Of Ranil In A Lamborghini To Latimer House
By Sarath De Alwis –May 17, 2015
Sarath De Alwis
“If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
The decision to seek advice from Commonwealth jurists is a wise decision. In 2013 then Leader of Opposition went on record that “adherence to Commonwealth principles and core values was an imperative to avoid the disaster of being labelled a pariah state by the international community.
He said “It is time for President Rajapaksa and his government to think of the country and its people: not only of themselves and their power ride. We have no wish to ride with him in this Lamborghini to disaster,” He was commenting on the deep flaws in the impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.
This writer was not surprised to hear him voice his ‘weltanschsauung’ addressing the the National Consultative Summit on Media reforms. He then quite correctly reminded the Media that that “President Maithripala Sirisena was not only the President of Sri Lanka, but also the current chair of the Commonwealth,”
The Prime Minister should be commended and supported by all citizens who wish to see democracy and the rule of law restored in the country. The advice of commonwealth jurists in resolving an obvious impasse in the administration of justice is a recognition of an inconvenient truth. If Mahinda Rajapaksa can seek advice in Texas for his ailments, seeking the advice of Commonwealth jurists on what ails our body politic seems eminently sensible. This good sense has dawned three months too late. Reform of the Judiciary should have been a priority in the reform agenda.
Good governance is perceived as a prescriptive principle of administrative law. It compels the State to perform its functions in a manner that promotes the values of efficiency, non-corruptibility, and most importantly in the responsiveness to civil society. It is to be hoped that the Prime Minister will resolve the Bond Business to the satisfaction of civil society that forms an essential and vital component of his natural constituency.Read More
