Ranil speaks for independence of Judiciary at Asia-Pacific Attorney Generals conference

Tuesday, 20 January 2015 00:37 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday struck a chord for the restoration of the rule of law and the dignity and independence of the Judiciary under the newly elected Government, in a keynote address to a conference of Attorney Generals from Asia. Wickremesinghe told the Conference of Attorney Generals of Asia, held in Colombo to mark the 130th anniversary of the office of the Attorney General of Sri Lanka that the new Government was in the process of drafting the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The Premier said systems and the rule of law that had been tampered with over the past five years would be put right. “I know the pressures the Attorney General’s Department has undergone. The rule of law may have been upheld somewhat and not completely eroded. But let the people of Sri Lanka get the system back,” the Prime Minister told the conference.

President Mathripala Sirisena graced the event as the Chief Guest while Attorney General Y.J.W. Vijayatilake presided over the inaugural session with Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Senior Judge of the Supreme Court K. Sripavan and the Solicitor General Bimba Tileleratne also present. Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, whose immediate resignation is being demanded by the Bar Association, was not present. The conference, entitled ‘Role of the Attorney General in a changing Asia’ has drawn participants from 16 countries. To mark the 130th anniversary of the office of Attorney General a special postal stamp was issued as well. “We have already drafted the 19th Amendment to see the restoration of the Independent Commissions and the power of the Judiciary. We are in the process of bringing to the Parliament the Witness Protection Bill, the Right to Information Bill and the National Audit Bill. The Minister of Justice is entrusted with this task. It is just the beginning under good governance and the Parliamentary Committees, the establishment of a Public Finance Committee and the enforcement of parliamentary control over the Executive,” Wickremesinghe announced. He reiterated recent remarks made to an Indian television channel, saying that Sri Lanka was not party to the Rome Statute and all matters could be determined through domestic jurisdiction. “Nevertheless we engage with the UN Council in a positive manner on legal settlement on the outstanding issues of human rights,” the Prime Minister explained. He said the rule of law had been set aside during the war against the LTTE. “Even after the war, this erosion has continued. This has damaged the foundations of the system in the past five years,” the Premier said adding that the law cannot be silenced even after the war was ended. “The Commander of the Army who defeated the LTTE was then brought before court overnight. He was taken as a traitor. Then the Chief Justice was removed from the post of Chief Justice. There are many other instances where the rule of law was eroded and this victimised people,” Wickremesinghe told the forum. “The 8th of January had made it clear that the people wanted democracy restored,” the Prime Minister explained. The conference saw a presentation on the history of the Attorney General’s Department of Sri Lanka and included guest lectures by Prof. Adil Najam from the Fredrick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University and Shibly Aziz, former Attorney General of Sri Lanka. Pix by Lasantha Kumara