| by Mangala Samaraweera
( May 22, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In Latin there is a saying, 'Metus est Plenus Tyrannis' which means, I am sure as the Foreign Minister who is well versed in many 'tongues' knows, that fear is plentiful for tyrants and that a tyrants fate is to sit daily under the sword. Or as Shakeapear said 'heavy is the head that wears the crown.' In the Sri Lankan context however, the head in question, perhaps, is more thick than heavy.
Likewise, the Democles's sword hanging above the uncrowned but heavy heads of the Rajapakse tyranny has come in the form of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting - CHOGM- scheduled to be held in Colombo this November.
For many years, the Rajapakse regime continued to fool a gullible public and a blue eyed international community with lies and duplicity.
As Tisaranee Gunaskere, a courageous columnist wrote in her blog this week "Lies and dissembling, false promises and mendacious declarations, illusions and delusions form the bedrock of Rajapaksa governance. The Siblings are master-illusionists; they excel at using words to create a totally unreal counter-reality.' They did that when they called the Fourth Eelam War a ‘humanitarian operation with zero-civilian casualties’ and open prison camps ‘welfare centres’; they did it when they called the 18th Amendment a democratic measure, the Impeachment travesty a legal recourse and the arrest of Gen. Fonseka a patriotic act.'
However, the Sri Lankan public who were walking around in a somnambulist stupor for while after the defeat of the tigers four years ago are now waking up rapidly to the reality of this evil regime. Like a delinquent child put on probation to gauge whether he deserves a gift for Christmas , the Rajapakse regime is also now under probation in view of the pending meeting in
November and the Human Rights review in March next year.
The fact that the Sri Lankan government has been subject to intense international scrutiny is confirmed by the statement made by the deputy PM, Nick Clegg in the British House of Commons on 15th May:
"...............I assure that the government condemn those violations,the way in which political trials, regular assaults on legal professionals and suppression
of press freedom continue and that too many recommendations of the lessons learnt and reconciliation commission have not been implemented. If such violations continue to ignore their international commitments in the lead up to CHOGM, of course there will be consequences. "
Bob Carr, speaking on behalf of the Australian government says at the CMAG Press conference held at Malborough House in London on 26th April 2013 says that the Sri Lankan governments progress will be monitored. "I think it is a view that many of us hold that in the lead up to CHOGM, this Commonwealth with its adherence to democratic values is in a good position to engage with the government of Sri Lanka and monitor progress."
The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Kamelsh Sharma, in his enthusiasm to hold CHOGM in Sri Lanka at any cost , seems to be very blue eyed about the prospects of making the Rajapakse regime to adhere to the Commonwealth Values and principles , " that are so dear to us". At the CMAG press conference on 26th April, asked by a journalist when he would feel appropriate to stop using his good offices to engage Sri Lanka, Sharma replies and says:
" ...............I do not anticipate that point is likely to be reached because of all the cooperation which I am getting..."
SG also says that he is sure that it will yield good results in all the areas of human rights, of the rule of law, of media freedom, of governance and institution building and strengthening. He will be picking up items from their own report: the LLRC Report.
Mr. Speaker,
I wish I could share blue eyed Secretary Generals optimism of yielding good
results as we have first hand experience of the duplicitous nature of this
regime but I sincerely hope that we are proven wrong and that the Secretary
General is able to stop this drift towards dictatorship in Asia oldest
democracy.
The UNP has consistently supported the holding of CHOGM in Colombo
provided that the outstanding issues relating to the Commonwealth Charter,
UNHRC resolution regarding Sri Lanka and the Presidents own LLRC report
are resolved before CHOGM 2013 commences. This was emphasised by
Hon. Ranil Wickramesinghe when he met the Secretary General in
September 2012 and February 2013.
In fact, with less than six months away, the UNP wish to bring to the notice of
the Secretary General and the Commonwealth, that no broad engagement
has taken place at ground level and the deteriorating ground situation belies
the statements by the SG and Dr. Moni at the press briefing after the CMAG
meeting.
Mr. Speaker,
The Commonwealth Charter was adopted and launched by all
Commonwealth member States during Commonwealth week in March 2013.
The full text of the charter was discussed and agreed by all Commonwealth
heads of Government (including President Mahinda Rajapakse) at the last
CHOGM meeting. This is a milestone for the Commonwealth and for the first
time in its 64 year history, the Commonwealth has a single document setting
out the core values of the organisation and the aspiration of its members.
However, the crisis the SG has to overcome is the discrepancy between the
core values of the Commonwealth and the aspirations of the incoming
Chairperson of the Commonwealth. In the pursuit of absolute political power,
the Rajapakse regime has bee systematically dismantling and weakening
democratic institutions for the last few years and despite the secretary
Generals optimism, there is nothing , absolutely nothing to show that the
regime is willing to change its autocratic agenda. In fact the regime continues
to violate all 16 core values set out in the charter at varying degrees with
impunity.
Due to the constraints of time, I will not list all the continuing violations of the
16 core values of the charter but I will highlight some urgent areas of concern.
1. Independent and accountable institutions are the cornerstones of any
democracy but the government has not taken any action to repeal the
18th Amendment which was a power grab by the executive undermining
the independent police, judicial, elections commissions. This bill was
rushed through Parliament as an urgent bill in 24 hours. If the Government
is sincere about the assurances given to Sharma, they could now display
the same sense of urgency they showed in doing away with the
commissions on September 18th 2010 . In fact the restoration of the
independent commissions prior to the Northern PC elections should be a
sine qua non for CHOGM to be held in Colombo as well as the restoration
of civilian rule in the North and the East. I repeat: the repeal of the 18th
amendment prior to the Northern Elections must be a sine qua non for
CHOGM. The government must not be allowed to water down the 13th
amendment.
2. Under human rights, the charter says, 'we are implacably opposed to all
forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political
belief or other grounds. While the human rights of all those who oppose the
regime is outed with impunity - even the human rights of match referees are
violated by members of the Rajapakse brood; last week referee of a rugger
match was brutally assaulted by a Rajapakse brat when his team lost at a
Rugger match between the Navy and Police.
The Tamil people continue to be humiliated by triumphalist policies of the
government and Hon. Sampantban, the mover of this debate has made a
detailed statement about the trials and tribulations the Tamils are facing
today.
The Muslim and Christian communities have been at the receiving end of
brutal attacks by various extremist so called Buddhist groups working with the
blessings of the defence Secretary. In fact , one of the Muslim leaders, Azzath
Sally who wrote to the UN SG regarding the intimidation of Muslims was
recently arrested and harassed for nearly a week.
Letter tabled.
In fact, the escalation of religious intolerance and attacks against places of
worship was first brought to the attention of the President by the UN Special
Rapporteur of Religion or belief on 7th May 2012.
Letter tabled.
However, no action has been taken so far, and reports of religious violence is
on the rise. Instead of Tolerance, Respect and Understanding , the 4th core
value of the Commonwealth Charter, intolerance has become the order of the
day in Sri Lanka today.
The fifth core value of the charter reiterates its commitment to peaceful and
open dialogue and the free ow of information. The free media continues to
be intimidated and battered, with our best journalists been either dead or
living in exile. As a means of survival most media subject themselves to self
censorship while others who show some degree of independence continue to
be attacked or intimidated.
The New York based Committee to protect journalist in its impunity index
listed Sri Lanka as the fourth most dangerous place for journalists to live in
and attacks against the media continues with impunity.
Just last week, the office of 'Janarala', a left leaning tabloid was raided by the
police and the staff questioned about a story relating to LTTE Gold
laundering, the lead story on 12th May 2013. Some web sites which
published this story have also been banned.
Four attacks have been made on Uthyan newspapers in Jaffna, this year
alone. The last being on13th April 2013 when armed men entered the
premises situated in a high security area, burnt the printing press and the
newspapers about to be dispatched for sale.
The US State Departments acting deputy spokesperson, Patrick Ventrell,
referring to the Uthyan on 30 April said, "Uthyan has seen its personnel
beaten, it's newspaper shipments burnt, it's equipment destroyed and its
offices set ablaze in this last month alone."
Mr. Ventrell also says that the assault on the free press extends beyond
Uthyan. The BBC Tamil language programme about Sri Lanka and the
Human Rights Council censored. Reporters have been physically assaulted
and murdered in the years past and a prominent political cartoonist has been
missing for three years.
Core value 16 of the Commonwealth charter talks about the role of civil
society and says that 'we recognise the important role civil society plays in
our communities'. In Sri Lanka today, prominent members of civil society are
continuously harassed and intimidated and the state media continue to
portray these people as terrorist sympathisers and traitors. In fact, as I speak
now, Sagarica Delgoda of the Fredrica Neuman Stiftung has been taken to
the notorious 4th oor of the CID for questioning.
As my time allocation is already over, I would like to say in conclusion that
this is a moment of reckoning not only for the Rajapakse regime but also for
the Commonwealth.
The Rajapakse regime , even at this late stage, must be made to put the
interests of the country first over and above its own narrow and selfish
agenda.
As for the Commonwealth, the Secretary General Sharma must ensure that
the Rajapakse regime meets the values and principles of the Commonwealth
charter not only in word but in deed as well. If not, he will merely be giving the
Commonwealth seal of approval for the propaganda interests of an emerging
dictatorship. Then the Commonwealth Charter will not be worth the paper it's
written on.
 In Latin there is a saying, 'Metus est Plenus Tyrannis...){kind=link}