Is Radhika Coomaraswamy Eligible To Hold Positions Of Public Accountability?
Amrit Muttukumaru
Radhika Coomaraswamy is no ordinary person. The public perception is that she is a person of high integrity and competence in her field of expertise. This leads to the further perception that she is suitable to hold any high office locally or globally in her field of expertise. She has at various times been (i) Executive Director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies from 1984 to 2006 (ii) Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka from 2003 to 2006 (iii) Member of the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2018 (iv) UN Under Secretary General and Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict from 2006 to 2012 (v) UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women from 1994 to 2003 (vi) Presently a member of the investigation team appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to probe the alleged abuse of Rohingya Muslims by Myanmar security forces. It is seen she is much sought after globally and in Sri Lanka to hold high positions of public accountability.
The Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka was purportedly set up to depoliticize key public service appointments such as inter alia the appointment of Supreme Court and Appeal Court judges. Could not one question whether it was appropriate for Radhika Coomaraswamy to be a civil society nominee in a 10 member Constitutional Council made farcical due to 7 members being Members of Parliament?
She has now moved into unchartered territory for her by being appointed as an ‘Independent Non-Executive Director’ of John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH) with effect from 1 October 2018. JKH is arguably the country’s most diversified conglomerate with top tier market capitalization.
This writer in not suggesting or implying any wrongdoing by Radhika Coomaraswamy.
This article is written in good faith in the global and Sri Lanka public interest to seek Radhika Coomaraswamy’s clarification on the damning allegations given below:
“Simply Signed Anything”
Subsequent to the media report of the dismissal of Dr. Rama Mani from the position of Executive Director of International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) for alleged “financial problems”, a “Police entry” for the alleged “removal of documents” was also reported. The need for a “thorough examination of ICES finances over the last five years” was also mentioned.
The appointment of Dr. Rama Mani was due to Radhika Coomaraswamy who was Executive Director of ICES of from 1984 to 2006 having to resign prior to her UN appointment. It was reported that it was Coomaraswamy who “was responsible for introducing Dr. Mani to ICES”.
