CJ inaugurates National Law Conference 2013

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam

Chief Justice Mohan Pieris interacted for the first time in a Bar Association event since his appointment as Chief Justice, when he graced the National Law Conference (NLC) 2013 as Chief Guest. The conference was officially declared open yesterday at The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo.

The prestigious event was also to be attended by President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem, but they were unable to do so as the NLC was scheduled on the same day as the opening of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.

The regrets conveyed by the President and the Minister on being absent at the inaugural session was conveyed by the officials of the Bar Association to the audience, which was packed with professionals in the areas of law, business, education and Information Technology (IT).

Calling the NLC a signature event eagerly awaited by those engaged in the law practice, the CJ said that “the legal fraternity cannot exist in a vacuum,” alluding to the requirement of establishing commercial integration to the system.

“There is a dire need to amalgamate other industries into the legal system, whereas cross-sectoral engagement is mandatory to move the nation forward,” he added.

Pieris highly commended the initiative taken up the NLC committee for adding an essence of commerce into the sessions by inviting leading business personalities to engage in fruitful dialogues and debates that would bring about solutions to certain issues faced by the country in terms of productivity and development.

With the theme of the conference being ‘The Way Forward: Legal Challenges in a Developing Landscape,’ Pieris highlighted that to date, Sri Lanka has entered into 20 bilateral trade agreements with countries around the world, including the United States of America.

Stating that “investments are flooding into the country due to the Government’s pertinent establishments of bilateral trade agreements,” he questioned the capability of Sri Lanka being welcoming enough to house the much-wanted investors who would further drive the economic development.

“It is time we push for friendly legislation. However, to do this we must realise that our regulations and its processes need to be upgraded and modified,” he said.  Pieris stressed that Sri Lanka is yet to have its principles in place to effectively take up arbitration for investment purposes.

Meanwhile, delivering the keynote address at the NLC was Singapore Institute of Legal Education Dean Professor Walter Woon who shared insights on the evolutions of Singapore’s legal framework that has helped it to become a model economy for South Asia.

He expressed that it was only a single generation ago that Singapore was unexpectedly thrust into independence after a failed merger with Malaysia. With the country being able to join the rank of advanced economies within a considerable amount of time, “the law has been the bedrock on which the economy and society are anchored,” he said.

Stressing that he does not intend to preach the methods adopted the Singapore, Professor Woon spoke on areas of law such as the Women’s Charter, amendment of the Penal Code, establishment of the Land Acquisition Act, Prevention of Corruption Act, legal education, and the Maintenance of Parents Act, which according to him played a pivotal role in the development of the country. Once the NLC is brought to a close, the preparation of a white paper consisting of problems and solution that were highlighted during sessions would be constructed and released within the year. “The white paper would be presented at higher levels and we hope it will be a guiding hand when policies and procedures are formulated,” said the NLC Committee Chairman Kuvera De Zoysa.

Meanwhile, Bar Association of Sri Lanka President Wijeyadasa Rajapakse expressed that a major shortfall of the Sri Lankan system is the fact that the legal fraternity is not involved in decision-making process and lawyers are continuously being ‘isolated’.

In an attempt to overcome the present situation, the NLC functioning under a unique concept this year will bring about a paradigm shift in this regard, according to Rajapakse.

– Pix by Lasantha Kumara