Saturday Apr 20, 2024
Saturday Apr 20, 2024
Thursday, 11 July 2019 01:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Former RCSSL President Fred Mendis and RCSSL Vice President Rajah Sinnathuray
The Annual General Meeting of the Royal Commonwealth Society Sri Lanka ’19/’20, held last Friday under the auspices of Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, and well-attended by its members, office bearers, and guests, marked a couple of milestones.
The Speaker of Parliament delivered the keynote address, and highlighted upon a poignant event that coincides with Sri Lanka and the Commonwealth this year, and stressed also on the importance of addressing multiculturalism.
“This year, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the London Declaration by Commonwealth Prime Ministers. They agreed that all member countries would be ‘freely and equally’ associated in the organisation, thus giving birth to the modern Commonwealth. Sri Lanka shares the honour as one of the eight founding members of this important group,” he pointed out.
Speaker Jayasuriya made special emphasis on how Sri Lankans view democracy, and referred to his own experience in Parliament recently on such.
“Given that Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in Asia, people of this country have an abiding faith in democracy and respect for human dignity at all times, and this became apparent during the constitutional crisis last November. Meanwhile, we remain committed to promote human rights of all our citizens in all regions of this country.
“In this context, I would like to appreciate Commonwealth sponsorship for the working session and the seminar held for the sectoral oversight Committees of the Parliament, and for all Parliamentarians, on the topic of ‘Parliamentarians and the Protection of Human Rights,’” he added.
Importance of multiculturalism
“Given the immense diversity of the people of the Commonwealth, we are well-placed to promote and sustain the importance of multiculturalism worldwide,” he said.
“This has become even more important at a time when religious and racial divisions have led to violence in several parts of the world. We must mobilise the capacity and the commitment of each country, community, and individual for promoting our values of equality, freedom and human dignity at all levels, and ensure that each person’s rights are protected and traditions of each community are respected, throughout our Commonwealth and beyond. We need to re-emphasise need for unity in diversity.
“In this regard, in this technological era, we must promote our Commonwealth connection to mobilise youth in the right direction, providing them opportunities for their upward mobility, as well as freedom to innovate and to thrive socially based on their rights and social obligations. For this purpose, providing a quality education to suit these 21st century requirements is an urgent task.
“For promoting the 21st century as a peaceful century, we need to promote reconciliation among communities in the countries affected by or face conflict. In this regard, Sri Lanka can take pride in its own programs initiated successfully since 2015, for promoting these objectives. We together with likeminded friends in the world must prevent all forms and manifestations of extremism wherever it occurs, globally. We must remain connected and indeed well-connected to achieve these and all the agreed Commonwealth objectives.”
Speaker Jayasuriya at the RCSSL event, in keeping with this year’s theme ‘A Connected Commonwealth’ at the RCSSL event further said: “I am honoured, as a friend of the Commonwealth, to join with all of you, this evening to commemorate the Commonwealth day 2019, on this landmark 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth.
“We celebrate today the success and the potential of the Commonwealth nations, for individually and collectively work towards a better world. And for this purpose we support connecting with each other to achieve the ideals and objectives of the Commonwealth. And in our globalising world, networking is a most important aspect for promoting well-being of our people in all its manifestations. Therefore, it’s most appropriate that theme of the celebration of a Commonwealth day 2019 is entitled ‘A Connected Commonwealth’.”
History
Tracing the history, he recalled: “As you would reckon, Commonwealth is one of the oldest political associations in the modern world. It began its journey with Canada obtaining self-government in 1840 from the British Empire and subsequent formation of the British Commonwealth. Thereafter nations of British Commonwealth, one by one became independent dominions and Sri Lankan achieved Independence in 1948.
“As an organisation, we have grown gradually both in number of members as well as in the breadth and depth of issues that we discuss and promote, based on values and objectives we have freely agreed on the basis of the Commonwealth Charter. Today 30% of the world citizens belong to the Commonwealth and 53 independent sovereign States are members of our organisation.
Commonwealth well placed to promote and sustain the importance of multiculturalism, worldwide At a time when religious and racial divisions have led to violence in several parts of the world, we must mobilise the capacity and the commitment of each country, community, and individual for promoting our values of equality, freedom and human dignity at all levels and ensure that each person’s rights are protected and traditions of each community are respected throughout our Commonwealth and beyond We need to re-emphasise need for unity in diversity This year, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the London Declaration by Commonwealth Prime Ministers. They agreed that all member countries would be ‘freely and equally’ associated in the organisation, thus giving birth to the modern Commonwealth Sri Lanka shares the honour as one of the eight founding members of this important group
“In fact the last two countries to join the Commonwealth, Rwanda and Mozambique, have no direct historical connection with the British empire. Their choice to join us, no doubt, may have been inspired by promise of the Commonwealth and its values, ideals, objectives and work program.
“The Commonwealth has been evolving with times. Recognising that most of the Commonwealth nations are still developing and all are differently-endowed nations, the Commonwealth launched in 1971, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) with a view to assisting each other in development.”
Substantial progress
“And since 1971, we have held our regular summit meeting outside our traditional home base, the United Kingdom. This indeed is yet another manifestation of the free and equal nature of our association for both running the organisation and taking equal responsibility for its progress and programs. And biennial summit meetings of Commonwealth Heads of Government are now a prominent international calendar event of the world.
“We have, over the years, taking into account long and short term needs of the Organisations, have institutionalised several measures to assist people and countries of the Commonwealth for implementing agreed programs of action and for making the organisation inclusive in all aspects. In this regard, the Commonwealth Business Forum, Commonwealth Peoples’ Forum, Commonwealth Youth Forum, Commonwealth Ministerial Action Groups have now become prominent grassroots’ mechanisms.”
Commonwealth Cyberdeclaration
“By adopting new development paradigms as required in the 21st century technological era, we have created new programs and come up with new ideas. For instance, the Commonwealth Cyberdeclaration is yet another manifestation that we are moving along with the times. And recognising an ever increasing global concern for human freedoms and dignity, our organisation has kept its focus on human rights, especially on individual rights. In fact the demand for such rights and freedoms have been leveraged by the technological revolution itself, with internet, social and electronic media providing every person easy access to information.”
Sri Lanka championing Blue Charter
“Like rest of the world, people of Commonwealth countries have become increasingly concerned about climate change and environment, as well as the health of the oceans and water bodies. As an Island nation, we are very concerned as well about the oceans. Arising out of our concern, am happy that Sri Lanka has become a Champion country under Commonwealth Blue Charter for restoration of mangroves.”
In conclusion, Speaker Jayasuriya wished the Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen of the UK, and all Heads of Government of Commonwealth, good health and success in their work, and the people of the Commonwealth prosperity, peace and happiness and a bright future.
Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, Prof. Mohan Munasinghe made honorary life members
The RCSSL invited the Speaker of the Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and Prof. Mohan Munasinghe, Special invitee at the event to take up honorary membership of the RCSSL and they both accepted the invitation.
Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe
