Constitutional reform a sinister smokescreen
Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, addressing a gathering of Buddhist monks and political activists in Aranayake over the weekend described the constitutional reform initiative as a smoke screen intended to mask other measures which the government was planning to implement surreptitiously, hoodwinking the public.
The former Constitutional Affairs Minister referred to the agreement between the government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the European Union (EU) on the full implementation of the Geneva Resolution on Sri Lanka and GoSL’s commitment to put in place very quickly the judicial mechanism for conducting trials against Sri Lankan military personnel for war crimes.
Speaking on behalf of the Joint Opposition, Prof. Peiris said that British Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire, during his recent visit here, had insisted that the UN human rights chief Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad would not be satisfied with ‘cosmetic’ responses and would demand strong accountability measures to be implemented by GoSL.
“The targeting of our country has nothing to do with justice and fairplay but is clearly a political agenda by those responsible. They have already made up their minds, and are merely going through a motions of a trial,” Prof. Peiris said.
Prof. Peiris said a clear indication was the remark made by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a former Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, who said, without a shred of evidence, that the Sri Lankan military had killed in cold blood Balachandran, the son of Prabhakaran, while he was in SLA custody. Gandhi had made that charge which exposed Sri Lankan military personnel to the gravest consequences under international laws.
“The timing of the statement is significant and foretaste of things to come.”
Prof. Peiris added that he was saddened, rather than angered by so inappropriate intervention on the part of a personality of Gandhi’s stature. “What cannot be forgiven is the government itself had provided a high profile platform for Gandhi to make those comments, commanding the attention of the world, on so solemn an occasion as the first anniversary of President Maithripala Sirisena’s completion of office.”
“The stage is being set for mock trials reaching pre-determined conclusions by special tribunals applying discriminatory laws.”
“In the midst of all the drama surrounding the constitutional issue, which is not being taken up for a single day throughout the next sitting week of Parliament, the public must exercise all vigilance against other steps which the government is determined to take in the coming weeks.” (SF)
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