Rule of Law: First step to invigorate democratic institutions and advance nation building
By Kopalasingam Sritharan and Rajan Hoole, UTHR (Jaffna)-November 15, 2015
The government’s strategy of marketing the UNHRC resolution to the Sinhalese as a ‘victory’ by placing a spin on its contents is bound to backfire in the long run. While the UNHRC resolution’s recommendation of international participation in the judicial process divides Sinhalese opinion, there is little popular resistance to the idea that human rights abuses need addressing. Given this context, instead of trying to stage-manage the Sinhalese extremists, the government must convince its constituencies of the need for accountability and truth telling. Conflicting statements about the nature of the accountability process will undermine its credibility and victims’ confidence in it.
