Monday, 2 September 2013 00:00
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FOR all the hype that United Nations Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay’s visit generated, its findings predicated the spheres that local activists have been pointing out for years. 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, demilitarsing 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.
A range of Ministers and officials met with Pillay during her intensely-packed visit and in their various capacities lobbied for and against the Government. Yet, what seems to have moved Pillay the most are the families of the disappeared, not just in the north and east, but everywhere, and it was on their behalf that she made the most heartfelt appeal of all.
Pillay pointed out that the new Presidential Commission on the Disappeared has to make good their mandate and not fall into the same ineffectual heap that five other bodies did before them. 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, where the possibility that Sri Lanka could face a third consecutive resolution has not yet been completely ruled out.
There is no doubt that Pillay focusing on these deeply contentious issues brought forth the long road that Sri Lanka has to travel before it can regain international brilliance as not only a country that ended a war but also managed to make the lives of all its people better. On the brink of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), she will make a verbal report before the UNHRC in September 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.
The Government promise that she would be able to move around freely and meet with whomever she liked was marred when Police had visited the homes of human rights activists before and after her visits, showing in a very real sense the threats faced by those with diverse sentiments from the Government. Several Ministers also did themselves no favours by continuing to vilify Pillay despite the fact that she was here on an invitation extended by the Government.
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.
