Saturday, 14 September 2013 00:00
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BRITAIN has sided with Sri Lanka in attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) come November and given bragging points to the Government. For many months the arguments went back and forth, but the public confirming of attendance will no doubt cement Sri Lanka’s legitimacy in being elected as host and perhaps even provide a bulwark against a possible third resolution on it in March. But the Government still faces challenges in managing its international image as promoting human rights and reconciliation.
This will mostly be in evidence at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which has long been an arena where the Government has pitted itself against the international community. In this round the battle lines are drawn on the Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay’s visit to Sri Lanka and dealing with its emotionally charged aftermath.
At the end of the longest-ever tour conducted by Pillay, there were no surprises but the list of progressive steps needed to be taken by the Government remained the same. Many of the issues that she was most vocal about, such as investigating into thousands of disappearances, demilitarising the north, rolling back the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act, fast-tracking cases of ex-combatants, witness and victim protection legislation, stamping out religious hate crime and implementing a Freedom of Information Act, have been voiced time and again in the island.
Pillay pointed out that the new Presidential Commission on the Disappeared has to make good on its mandate and not fall into the same ineffectual heap that five other bodies did before it. This, together with the Government commitment to squashing hate crime, and legislative progress including those that are made to implement the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC), will be closely watched by her in the run-up to the United Nations Human Rights Council General Assembly in March.
On the brink of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), she will make a verbal report before the UNHRC and follow that up with a full report at the General Assembly in March. As the head of the Commonwealth, Sri Lanka cannot afford to have any more shadows cast upon its global image, yet it is unclear whether the Government will remove itself from playing the victim and make substantial progress on Pillay’s “to do” list.
Already during his meeting with Pillay, President Mahinda Rajapaksa had focused on the alleged bias of the UN towards Sri Lanka, which is a strong indication that Colombo is still reluctant to take full responsibility for its lapses on accountability. Pillay, on her part, praised the physical reconstruction that the Government was so keen to show off, but it was clear that she was far from impressed with accountability measures.
Much depends on the smooth conduct of the northern elections and the legislative reform that has been mooted by the Government. If accountability can be promoted through credible investigations such as the tragic Weliweriya incident, Sri Lanka’s Government can expect to be less harshly dealt with by the UNHRC come September. With its international reputation at tipping point, the Government needs to address issues openly and with responsibility for the sake of bringing peace to all communities. If it can achieve this or be seen to be doing so, then it can approach its two-year stint as CHOGM head with absolute confidence.
