Ceylon Today Editorial

Criticism not the answer to crises

Thursday 19th November 2015

 
There's lot of infighting and criticism within the Yahapalanaya Government. Cabinet Ministers battle each other in public over controversial issues that are being investigated. The Avant Garde arms deal controversy takes the lead in that direction. Despite being warned and advised by President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Rajitha Senaratne continue to criticize each other through the media. The emerging scenario is detrimental to the concept of yahapalanaya. A Government of Unity was established by the President and Prime Minister to operate a clean government with unity and understanding. What is to be seen is not unity but disunity.

The government as promised established the Constitutional Council and other independent commissions. These commissions should begin to operate without delay to avoid criticism by legislators and the public. The judicial system and the Attorney General's Department have come under fire by government ministers who claim these two entities were the impediments in the anti-corruption drive of the Yahapalanaya Government. Since the machinery of independent commissions has been set in motion, there is no need for further criticism of these two vital institutions. The process needs to be activated if certain individuals in these two bodies placed obstacle towards the anti-corruption drive.

Deputy Minister of Power and Renewable Energy Ajith Perera was reported to have been critical of the Attorney General's Department alleging that the department caused an inordinate delay in dealing with high profile investigations into alleged corruption, waste and irregularities of the previous regime. The Deputy Minister was also critical of the role played by the Attorney General in that direction. He further noted that the Police could not proceed further as the Attorney General delayed to give the green light to prosecute offenders.

The government ministers continue to cast remarks at the Attorney General and the AG's Department like a daily prayer. Such conduct does not look good at every turn as the incumbent is embarrassed. If the government does not have faith in the Attorney General, there are provisions in the Constitution to take remedial action rather than casting adverse remarks on that individual like a daily prayer. The government is responsible to see an early end to the cases of corruption now before the Attorney General's Department. Casting aspersions on the AG's Department without contemplating on measures to expedite the cases is a futile exercise as the people would lose confidence in the government. Even at present the people who voted this government into office view it as a weak entity due to the inordinate delay and the lethargic attitude towards combating corruption and meting out punishment to offenders.

With the establishment of the Constitutional Council and the independent commissions, the government has the right to reconstitute the judiciary. If the government feels that the Attorney General or his Department is an impediment to the ongoing process of investigations into the past regime, it should treat the issue at priority status and act immediately to appoint persons who would perform their duties in an impartial manner. Battling with the judiciary and casting remarks at the Attorney General or his department will only weaken the government.

The President and the Prime Minister must also instill discipline among ministers. Ministers openly criticize their own government of National Unity. That is not democracy as ministers are bound by the collective responsibility of the Cabinet. Recently Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva claimed there was no yahapalanaya in the Yahapalanaya government. In making such an adverse statement, the minister had violated collective responsibility of the Cabinet in the open. If such conduct is allowed, others too would follow suit causing embarrassment to the government.

Therefore, the President as Head of Cabinet should take disciplinary action against Minister De Silva. Violation of the collective responsibility of the Cabinet is a matter serious enough for expulsion from the Cabinet. Or as former President J.R. Jayewardene did in the case of his Industries Minister Cyril Mathew who violated the collective responsibility of the Cabinet, the incumbent President has the power to order Minister De Silva to tender his resignation. If the Presidential order is defied, the President could remove him from the Cabinet. According to ethics and norms of the Cabinet, no minister is permitted to criticize the government, while being a member of the Cabinet. Will the President follow JRJ is a question that remains for answer.

Daily Mirror Editorial

The middle path of dialogue and justice. So be it

Thursday 19th November 2015

President Maithripala Sirisena, acting fast to fulfil a solemn pledge he made before the sacred body of the revered Sobitha Hamuduruwo on November 12, yesterday presented to the Cabinet comprehensive proposals to abolish the executive presidential system and to restructure the electoral process.

These two goals, had been the highlights of Sobitha Hamuduruwo’s vision and mission. Reports said that during the past few months and especially in the last weeks of his grave illness, the prelate had expressed deep concern if not heartbreak over the failure to reach these two goals. Responding to growing public pressure, President Sirisena in his farewell oration at Sobitha Hamuduruwo’s funeral, pledged he would act urgently to move towards the goals for which the prelate had lived and died. Often in history great personalities had to die for a noble vision to be achieved. This was another such golden instance in history.

The President’s move came a day after the second meeting of all political party leaders to reach a middle path consensus on how Sri Lanka should respond to the Geneva resolution and also find a peaceful, just and lasting solution to the decades-old ethnic conflict and the consequent religious conflicts also. 

The President’s decisive action, apparently inspired by the noble values and virtues of Sobitha Hamuduruwo, came amid one of the gravest international conflicts which some analysts are warning could boom in to a third world war. Last Friday night, Friday the 13th for the superstitious, ISIS terrorists acted like brutish beasts and savages who had lost their reason. They launched the bloodiest peacetime attack on Paris, the city of light leaving about 130 innocent people slaughtered, more than 350 injured and virtually the whole world in darkness.

In a swift reaction, France’s President Francois Hollande declared war on the terrorists and during the past few days French fighter jets have  launched an unprecedented  bombardment on what could be ISIS-controlled areas in Syria. Adding to the catastrophe Russia’s President Vladimir Putin also on Wednesday declared a full scale war on ISIS after it was confirmed that a one kilo bomb placed by an ISIS spy had destroyed in midair the Russian Metro passenger jet carrying more than 220 passengers from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt to St Petersburg in Russia on October 31.

This Armageddon scenario and related conflicts provide a clear message to the international community including Sri Lanka. For more than 70 years Sri Lanka has been plagued by ethnic and religious extremism and conflicts which sent the country plunging into a 25-year war, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead or injured with material damage beyond calculation.

President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have repeatedly pledged that the vision of the National Unity Government is to carry Sri Lanka towards the hallowed middle path of multi-ethnic and multi-religious unity in diversity. Essentially while we practice our own religions teachings and cultural values, we need to respect the faith, beliefs and the culture of others. In this way we could protect, promote and respect plurality or diversity -- and even go to the dimensions of celebrating it.

The government leaders have warned that extremism, in the North or the South will not be allowed and there is also likely to be a ban on hate speech, starting from Parliament. President Sirisena said at the all-party leaders meeting on Tuesday that the new government was open to perceptions and views supportive of its policy and even dissenting views. History has shown that to reach the path of accommodation and consensus, all parties need to make a paradigm shift or change of perception. History has also shown that anyone who thinks that his or her perception of any issue is the absolute picture and not relative, he or she is suffering from dangerous mental delusions which drove Adolf Hitler to do what he did and is now driving terrorists like the ISIS to do what they are doing.

Gauthama the Buddha and other spiritual leaders have told us repeatedly that violence ceases not by violence but by dialogue and justice.