Oct to December 2019

Human Rights Review Issue No: 163 October – December 2019 When drought walks side by side with deluge Severe drought in Anuradhapura The value of water and paddy farmer continues to be eclipsed from the radar of policy makers as drought-parched fields in the dry zone waited for a drop of water while torrents of rain lashed the wet zone non-stop for nearly two weeks. Human Rights Review : October – December 2019 Institute Of Human Rights INSIDE THIS ISSUE: EDITORIAL 03 HUMAN RIGHTS Can’t recognize UNHRC resolution on SL: Gota 06 AL urges candidates to prioritize HR issue 07 An edited version of Thulasi Muttulingam’s article on developments of Jaffna 08 SLMA urges presidential aspirants to give top priority to ending brutal ragging 09 MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka correctly quotes statutory rape statistics 10 Junourno Nimalarajan Remembered on 19th Death Anniversary 10 Abduction and Murder of 11 Youths AG Requests CJ for 3 Judge HC Bench 11 Switzerland Tells SL: Urgently probe alleged abduction of Embassy employee 11 Swiss quiz: Govt should act quickly 12 ENVIRONMENT When drought walks side by side with deluge... 14 Air Pollution: a silent killer 14 POLITICIANS AND POLITICS-THE VOICE OF PEOPLE I Will Vote For….? 15 Steel and Velvet 16 Stunning Victory! Expression of Gratitude or Protest Vote? 17 People Spoke Loud and Clear 17 Questions awaiting answers ... 17 President’s Call for efficient Public Service: Can it be done? 18 Quarter of the population condone bribes 19 EDITED BY LEELA ISAAC Layout designed by Lithmi Gunawardana EDITORIAL The new government and the challenges it faces. mounted cavalry. It was a simple event compared to all previous occasions when so much money The new government that took over power after was wasted. the presidential election in November 2019, is a minority government and it is an interim The other positive is the president’s decision to government which will end in April-May this year limit the number of cabinet ministers to 15. The after the general election. It would have been public have always been very critical of a bloated better if this parliament had been dissolved in cabinet enjoying a life of luxury and doing almost November and a new parliament elected soon nothing to improve the lives of the people. These after. The present parliament is considered the bloated cabinets came into existence after the most corrupt and incompetent one that the proportional representation system was country has ever had and continuing with the introduced and coalition governments were same parliament for four months is of no use to formed. In a coalition government all the coalition the people. parties demand seats in the cabinet, not to serve the people but to enjoy the perks that go with the The president came to power mainly promising post. At the moment the choice is very limited national security. The people wanted a strong and the president can only choose the best out of leader who could protect the country from the worst among his supporters in this terrorist attacks like the April 21st bomb blast- parliament. Therefore most of his ministers which the previous government could have happen to be those who have been tested over prevented with all the warnings it received, but the years and proved to be failures. failed to do so and sacrificed the lives of 250 people. Another promise was to eradicate In the new parliament to be elected in April-May, corruption and wastage of public money and if the president wants to replace these ‘proven reform the public service that would really serve failures’ with young, educated, efficient, ‘clean’ the people. In short a new era with a stable men of honesty and integrity, who would observe government that would promote economic parliamentary ethics unlike the present lot, he will growth, peace, prosperity and national harmony have to take control of the nomination list. Sri where all citizens would be treated as equals was lankan society still has any number of honest and promised. efficient professionals, who would be willing to serve the country with dedication but they may Two months is a very short-period to achieve all not be party members. Therefore the president this and yet certain positive measures have been will have to look outside the political parties too, taken by the president. His simplicity in attire and some of those who contested the presidential behaviour is something that could be emulated by election, whose manifestoes were really his ministers and followers. Even the ceremonial impressive, could be considered. inauguration of the parliament on Jan 3rd was carried out without the customary practices like the 21 gun salute and the ceremonial horse 3 Although the president tries very hard to bring who voted for me and those who did not”. Those down the cost of living and ease the burden on who did not vote for him are minorities, mainly the people, it has not happened so far. The tax the tamils. But they did not vote on an ethnic concessions given have only helped employers basis, because the vast majority of them voted for and businessmen- it has not been passed on to Sajith Premadasa- another Sinhalese. To promote the employees and customers. The prices of national unity, the grievances of the Tamils in the consumer goods are on the rise, even today the war affected areas have to be considered. Is price of a kilo of red onions is RS. 500 or more. economic development alone enough for There is no reduction in our utility bills either. reconciliation? What about the persons who were Household expenses are soaring and the farmers ‘disappeared’ after the war? Everyone of those are still waiting for the manure that was women protestors continues to carry the picture promised. But the protests are few and the of a loved one who went missing after she or he people are waiting patiently. The government was handed over to a security officer when the should protect them from falling preys to greedy war ended. Are they all making up these stories? hoarders and racketeers. The president in a recent interview is reported to have said that no one disappeared after the war. While the people wait for redress, the media Some LTTE cadres and some of our soldiers went keeps them entertained with the new missing in the battlefield. And that is to be ‘teledrama’- ‘Ranjan gate or one shot leaks’, expected in a war. All those who surrendered Ranjan Ramanayake a UNP minister in the were rehabilitated. No one was disappeared. previous government, has for some reason recorded the telephone conversations he had Mahinda Rajapaksha government claimed that with several important figures in public life ‘zero’ civilians died in the war. President including police officers, judges, members of Gotabaya Rajapaksha also sounds very firm parliament, ministers and popular actresses. On regarding war crimes and reconciliation. He January 4th police raided the minister’s house doesn’t recognise the UNHRC resolution on Sri and seized his hoard of CDs which contain about Lanka because it is illegal. While his party rejected 125,000 voice recordings. If they were seized and it in public, the previous government went ahead sealed to be produced in courts, how did they and signed it. Although he would work with the leak out? Did the police pass them onto their UN and HR organisations in solving issues, he favourite politicians? Although Ranjan says he cannot recognise the Un resolution as anything recorded these conversations as a part of his legal. After the war many commissions were campaign against corruption- as evidence, no appointed to look into the grievances of the war corrupt politician will be taken to task. People affected people and recommend measures that know that almost all 225 members of Parliament could be taken to bring about reconciliation and act as one family to protect one another. Finally, prevent another such civil war. These maybe only Ranjan will be punished. But the commissions like the Paranagama commission tapes provide a useful distraction. and the LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) in their reports made many How does the new president plan to bring about recommendations. Should we now bury those in reconciliation and national unity? He has the past and go forward with the president's new declared, “I am president of all Lankans- those economic plans. It is only the war affected people 4 in the North and East who can decide whether National anthem that have made the Sri Lankan they should give up the demand for justice and Tamil refugees at the Mandabam camp in Tamil settle for material benefits or continue to struggle Nadu, apprehensive of returning to their homes in for justice. the North and East. The president has also declared (as reported in A strong government with a strong leader, the papers) “Devolution will not happen. The 13th without a strong opposition in parliament could Amendment was forced on us. Devolution of turn out to be authoritarian as it happened power as proposed by the TNA cannot be granted during the Mahinda Rajapaksha regime of ten as the majority of the people who are Sinhalese years Mr. Wickramasinghe who was as usual, the are opposed to it. But devolution is not leader of the opposition, remained supportive of separation which not only the Sinhalese but even government most of the time, so much so that he the Tamil people reject. The pity is that when did not even raise his hand against the notorious President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunga 18th Amendment intended to make Mahinda tried to grant devolution of power to the people Rajapaksha president for life.

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