IMPEACHMENT HIGHLIGHTS KEY ROLE OF JUDICIARY --JehanPerera
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- Tuesday, 15 January 2013
President MahindaRajapaksa has acted swiftly after the impeachment of Chief Justice ShiraniBandaranayake by Parliament to issue a Presidential decree that removes her from office. This letter has been delivered to the Chief Justice. However, there is considerable support from the legal fraternity that she remains Chief Justice regardless of the Presidential letter. This is on account of a Supreme Court ruling that the impeachment process was not in conformity with the law. A group of leading lawyers has said, “The Lawyers Collective categorically reiterates that Hon. Dr. ShiraniBandaranayake remains the Chief Justice, notwithstanding being unconstitutionally removed.” What will eventually transpire in the days ahead is unclear.
4-days residential Training of Trainer (ToT) programme on the topic of “National Reconciliation through LLRC Implementation"
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- Wednesday, 09 January 2013
The National Peace Council (NPC) will be conducting a 4-days residential Training of Trainer (ToT) programme on the topic of “National Reconciliation through LLRC Implementation: Civil Society Initiative for a Home-grown Solution to Reconciliation” starting on Thursday, 17th January, 2013. The ToT is to be held at the Hector Kobbakaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI), Colombo 6. The participants of the ToT (representing 12 districts) will receive a comprehensive training on LLRC recommendations and their implications on transitional justice, ethnic harmony, governance, gender, and national healing by a group of 7 nationally recognized experts.
THE DANGER BEHIND THE BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON PARLIAMENT’S SUPREMACY -- Dr.JehanPerera
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- Tuesday, 08 January 2013
The Rule of Law means that everyone in a society is compelled to abide by the prevailing laws. These laws are interpreted by the courts of law in the light of the supreme law as stated in the Constitution. If anyone refuses to accept the decision of the judiciary, they are punished. If the government refuses to abide by the decisions of the judiciary the Rule of Law will break down. This is the uncertainty that Sri Lanka faces, now that the highest court of all, the Supreme Court, has decided that the power of the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to decide on the validity of the charges against the Chief Justice is a nullity in law.
IMPROVED GOVERNANCE NECESSARY TO ADDRESS ANTI MINORITY SENTIMENT by Dr.Jehan Perera
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- Monday, 31 December 2012
The great hopes of a leap forward to a new era that came with the end of the war have now been dispelled. The anticipated prosperity and inter-ethnic reconciliation that was expected to be Sri Lanka’s after the war has still not materialized. The continuing bailouts of loss making government enterprises and the impeachment of the Chief Justice are but two examples of the failure of governance. The mobilization of the country to win the war has not been accompanied by a restructuring of the state to deal with the challenges of winning the peace. Life continues to be hard for the vast majority of people and competition is intense due to limited economic opportunity within the country.
