- A decisive new stage in the political life of Sri Lanka has arisen as a result of the people making a political choice, which overwhelmingly affirms the commitment of Sri Lankans to democracy and thereby the rule of law and a free press.
The surprising victory of Maithripala Sirisena and the New Democratic Alliance for the presidency of Sri Lanka is a popular one and the biggest surprise was to Mahinda Rajapaksa himself and his regime, wherein family members were nicely ensconced and had presumed they had jobs for life.
The victory means there is now a mandate given by the people to carry out promised constitutional and other reforms, as per the new president’s manifesto, especially for the immediate abolition of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. This will automatically revive the 17th Amendment – which should proceed to the abolition of all the obnoxious clauses of the 1978 Constitution, obstacles to the enforcement of the rule of law and the establishment of democracy in the country.
The result tells that the Commissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya has done his job very well and he in particular should be congratulated for a courageous defense of the people’s right to a free and fair election. He and his team have earned the esteem of everyone and have shown an example that can be followed in future. The call now is to establish an Independent Elections Commission, under the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, as soon as practical.
Re-asserting the independence of the Sri Lankan police force is a priority and their role clearly differentiated from that of other security forces, such as the military, which is for external defence only. The police must be the premier law enforcement agency, one that without hindrance safeguards the rule of law and helps build a safe environment for people to engage in their various activities.
In the past there have been many instances of extrajudicial killings, with forced disappearances, routine practices of torture at police stations, and failure to investigate and prosecute offending officers, police, military or paramilitary. The cases were seldom in the orthodox media but came to be known through alternative channels and from outside-the-country reports.
The Sri Lankan Commission against Bribery and Corruption is one institution that needs a rebirth as, so far, it has failed to confront bribery and corruption with any kind of seriousness.
The democratic reputation of Sri Lanka took a big hit with the illegal removal of Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice. That needs to be remedied.
The minority communities, such as the Tamils, the Muslims, and other religious groups have stood together with the Sinhalese majority in this election and that is an important indicator of how things can be. All sections of the society need to engage in dialogue, with trust, so that all the problems can be resolved by positive engagement.
As spokesperson for Universal Humanism we hope both the new President and his Alliance and all political parties, including the parties of the minorities, will work within a new formula in political friendship where they can support each other, respecting the diversity.
- We congratulate the people of Sri Lanka on this occasion where they have demonstrated a fearless political will. We see future generations benefitting from this change of leadership and trust the entire human landscape will reform for the better.
Tony Henderson, spokesperson, Universal Humanism, Hong Kong
