Ceylon Today Editorial

Geneva

27 February 2017

Geneva has been a household name in Sri Lanka for the past several years, as the island nation faces a tug-o-war with regard to resolving its post-war humanitarian issues.

The previous Mahinda Rajapaksa regime had a tough time with Geneva following three consecutive resolutions, backed by the US, brought against the regime by the United Nations Human Rights Commission over the post- war issues including alleged war crimes.

Despite the change of regime Geneva, the beautiful Swiss City, still remains a nightmare to Sri Lanka.

The present National Unity Government dealt with the UNHRC in Geneva in a very diplomatic manner for the satisfaction of all seeking justice and relief over the post-war humanitarian issues in the island.

The UNHRC resolution, which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka in 2015, gave hope of justice being done by the people who had been devastated by the war.

The Tamil National Alliance, being the main Opposition Party, with its significant representation from the North and East, placed its hopes on a constructive outcome over the Geneva resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka.

Since the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government came to power, several developments have occurred in a positive manner towards addressing the humanitarian issues in the North and East, such as the releasing of lands in the possession of the Security Forces.

However the ongoing Keppapilavu protest has highlighted that Northern Province still remains largely a 'garrison land' with a heavy military presence.

The Tamil National Alliance which is agitating for the reduction of military presence in the North and East and also urging for the release of lands in the possession of the Security Forces, is ever mindful that the lands cannot be released overnight from the Security Forces as far as the security issues are concerned.

One of the TNA politicians, addressing a public event, said that despite the TNA's firm stance on regaining the civilian lands from Security Forces, shifting an Army camp from one place to another was not like transferring a teacher from one school to another school.

Jaffna Peninsula's Valikamam North has now been very much cleared of the military presence and a large number of Internally Displaced Persons from the region now have access to their original places.

The National Unity Government, with the slogan of 'good governance' is largely the creation of people in the North and East. So with the long way to go for peace and reconciliation with the people of the war- torn North and East, the government is compelled to fulfil its commitments to the Geneva resolution of 2015 without giving room for further postponements and delays.

Leader of the Opposition and the TNA

R. Sampanthan commenting on the alleged war crimes issue has clearly stated that the TNA was not accusing all Security Service personnel and only emphasizing to take action against the service personnel who have been identified as being allegedly involved in war crimes.

Since several key Government figures, along with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, have denounced any move to conduct international investigations into alleged war crimes, the Tamil National Alliance, citing the unsatisfactory outcome of the hearings of various commissions created to look into the grievances of the people in the North and East, is very firm that an international investigation into the alleged war crimes should be established to seek justice for the people affected by the civil war.

With the beginning of the 34th session of the UNHRC today, the TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran has visited Geneva already and pointed out to the UNHRC officials that no more extensions should be given to the Lankan Government to fulfill its commitments to the 2015 resolution. The TNA Parliamentarian has also urged in Geneva that not to allow for any alteration to be carried out in the resolution.

However, with Sri Lanka looking forward to urging for an extension of 18 to 24 months, to fulfil its commitments to the UNHRC resolution, the country co-sponsored in 2015, the UNHRC hierarchy is faced with the task of dealing with the Lankan tug-o-war in Geneva.

Daily News Editorial

FCID earns its spurs

27 February 2017

The Police Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) has come in for heavy flak by the Joint Opposition from the very day it was established exactly two years ago, and not surprisingly. The special police unit had not just caused huge embarrassment to many among the JO but also nightmares to the top echelons of the former regime faced with allegations of financial crimes. But the FCID had soldiered along, undaunted, going by the highly complicated cases it has cracked, revealing the sordid details of financial skulduggery. It could justly be proud of itself, not just for the good work done, but also the contribution it is making to the state coffers.

According to our weekend publication, the Sunday Observer, the FCID which completed two years yesterday (26) had raised nearly Rs.1 billion through the detection of misappropriated state and unduly earned assets by politicians through its investigations. It goes on to give out a list of VIP politicians and those near and dear to them under probe. Prominent in this list is Basil Rajapaksa, the super minister in the former regime. Among the major assets in illegal possession of BR, recovered, are the house and land in Orutota, valued at over Rs. 50 million, and the land and house seized at Brown Hill Matara, also worth over Rs. 50 million. There is also the house in Malwana, which is much in the news these days, jointly owned by BR and Thirukumar Nadesan, a wheeler dealer businessman and close Rajapaksa relative, said to be worth over Rs. 200 million. The property is slated to be auctioned in the coming days and the proceeds remitted to the Treasury.

The senior Rajapaksa apart, the FCID has also tightened the noose around the other members of the Rajapaksa family. It has taken over the building and equipment of the CSN TV channel and another Rs. 163 million recovered following investigations into CSN operations. According to the Observer report, the FCID, during the two year period had investigated 74 out of the 322 cases referred to it and says that a stream of arrests are imminent as it had completed investigations into many cases and awaiting the response of the Attorney General.

The FCID should be commended for rising to the challenge and going to great lengths to unravel the corrupt acts under the former regime. Its officers were doing their job at risk to themselves with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself issuing direct threats at this special police unit at public rallies, investigating the doings of his siblings and progeny. The FCID is also being called names by JO politicians and certain media with some cantankerous elements threatening to shut down the Unit when it came to power and taking to task the officers involved in the investigations. One newspaper, partial to the Rajapaksas, continues to call it the Gestapo of the government, overlooking the fact that it is just another unit of the police, employing men of special skills, to carry out complicated investigations where the trail of the ill got wealth had been cleverly concealed.

Be that as it may, the public are yet skeptical if the big fish will be nabbed. This is because those who committed day light robbery are still walking freely and, what is more, are even going places. This naturally has brought about a sense of frustration among the public who believed those who plundered the national wealth would be brought to justice no sooner the Yahapalanaya government took office. They will not appreciate the fact that the justice system is a long drawn out process and, what is more, successful prosecution is not a certainty, given the law as it stands. The talk everywhere is ko elluwa? Instead what they see everyday on television is those, against whom serious allegations were made, beaming from ear to ear and making public statements with a panache.

The government, therefore, should take steps to speed up the process of justice in this connection and even appoint a special tribunal as suggested by Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama on the lines of the Criminal Justice Commission of yore. Wrong doers are getting emboldened with each passing day, with nothing happening. On the contrary, they have now trained their guns on the government and are seen trooping to the Bribery Commission with a so called Top Ten list of Ministers. Certainly, wrong doers in the present government too should be probed. Even the President is on record saying there are rogues in government, both, then and now. But this should not detract from the main mission of the government to go after the big names of the former regime who are said to have stashed their loot in overseas accounts.

The Yahapalanaya mandate was to nab these rogues, plunderers and fraudsters and return the billions to the country. The FCID has managed to recover only Rs. 1 billion worth of stolen assets so far. This, as many would agree, is just a drop in the bucket. More so, considering the nature of the allegations made during the hustings.

The Island Editorial

Of that hankie ban

27 February 2017

 

Schoolchildren are no longer allowed to carry their handkerchiefs, of all things, when they visit Parliament, we are told. This ban has come following an incident where a student’s handkerchief which accidentally fell from the public gallery of Parliament landed on a lamp below, causing a minor fire early last week. Such is the concern MPs have for their own safety!

What is this world coming to when politicians enjoy the freedom of the wild ass to storm schools and even make teachers kneel down, but students are not allowed to take even their handkerchiefs to Parliament? It may be recalled that some MPs burnt copies of a draft bill by way of protest in the House way back in 2000. Several UNP MPs did so when President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga presented her constitutional reforms package seeking to set up regional councils to Parliament in 2000. The culprits got away with that offence, which reminded us of Guy Fawkes’s role in the Gun Powder Plot to destroy the English Parliament in the early 17th Century. He, together with others, was hanged, drawn and quartered for the botched attempt. Many an irate Sri Lankan must be thinking of doing a Guy Fawkes on seeing the despicable misconduct of the so-called people’s representatives and the criminal waste of public funds to maintain them.

Intriguingly, children’s handkerchiefs have been banned to protect a Parliament which has some elements who once bombed it. The southern terrorists who carried out a grenade attack in Parliament, almost succeeded in assassinating a President, a Prime Minister (J. R. Jayewardene and R. Premadasa respectively) have become lawmakers, championing democracy. That blast left a minister dead and several other seriously injured. Their leaders and fellow terrorists suffered the same fate as Guy Fawkes subsequently at the hands of the death squads of the UNP governments in the late 1980s. These lawbreakers turned lawmakers are now in the exalted company of the former defenders of the northern terrorists who posed a serious threat to Parliament, bombed two Presidents, killing one (R. Premadasa) in 1993 and injuring the other (Chandrika Kumaratunga) six years later besides committing heinous crimes against civilians.

It is not the handkerchiefs that should be banned from Parliament but students themselves lest they should seek to emulate MPs during school debates and later in life. There have been some instances where children, in the public gallery, scared out of their wits on seeing lawmakers trading blows and abuse, let out screams. The question is how terrified children can wipe their tears in Parliament without their handkerchiefs.

The real danger of students visiting Parliament is that, impressed by the luxuries their representatives enjoy, they may think they can also sponge off the public, if they, too, drop out of school and take to politics early in life. Of course, there are professors and doctors among the lawmakers, but the children may think it does not make any sense to pursue higher studies, obtain doctorates or professional qualifications and finally be at the same level as those who have not even passed the GCE O/L examination!

We have seen rickety boneshakers that pass for busses disgorge poor, malnourished students with hopeless eyes and emaciated bodies near Parliament as part of their educational tours. What kind of education students receive there is anybody’s guess. We suggest that, if they are to benefit from such visits, they be at least treated to some victuals in the Parliamentary canteens, where food sufficient for as many as 2,000 persons reportedly goes to waste every month.

Teachers and parents need to be asked why schoolchildren should be taken all the way to Sri Jayewardenepura to see the people’s representatives misbehave when there are many decent places for them to visit such as the Dehiwala Zoo and the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Children, parents and teachers have a lot to learn from animals such as elephants known for their peaceful coexistence and readiness even to risk their dear lives to protect their babies.