Sri Lanka: We will support aspirations of all Commonwealth members
Prime Minister Stephen Harper inspects the Honour Guard upon his arrival in the Republic of Korea today. (Picture by Jason Ransom/PMO)
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen says he is concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka in a message celebrating Commonwealth Day today. He also warned the Commonwealth may loose relevancy and credibility as a values-based organization in the 21st century under Sri Lanka’s chairmanship.
“As the current chair of the Commonwealth, the Sri Lankan government has failed to uphold the Commonwealth’s core values and we continue to urge them to respect human rights and the rule of law,” Harper said.
Sri Lanka’s envoy in Canada, Chitranganee Wagiswara said her country would support the aspirations of all members of the Commonwealth, considered to be the oldest political organization of sovereign states made-up of 53 member countries representing two billion people.
“As a founding member, and as the present chair of the Commonwealth Sri Lanka will continue to be an active member of the organization. Sri Lanka will support and promote the goals and aspirations of all the members of the commonwealth for the common good of the organization and its people,” Wagiswara said today.
Harper skipped the Commonwealth summit in Colombo last November citing rights concerns in Sri Lanka. The South Asian island claimed Harper was guided by electoral considerations of the large Sri Lankan Tamil population in Canada.
Chitranganee Wagiswara High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Canada. (File Picture Mahesh Abeyewardene)
Yet, a senior Canadian cabinet minister said Canada has had balanced approach to the Sri Lankan conflict. Minister Jason Kenney, said his government banned the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) shortly after coming to power in 2006. He added that his government’s actions against the Tigers helped to hasten the end of the conflict.
Senior Canadian ministers say their concerns over rights were ignored by Colombo. Prime Minister Harper was among the first world leaders to condemn the ‘highly politicized’ impeachment of Sri Lanka’s chief justice last year. The impeachment was a tipping point in his decision to stay away from Colombo’s Commonwealth summit. In making that decision in October, he said there was considerable rolling back of the rights situation. Distancing his government from the Commonwealth was a ‘difficult decision’ for Harper who had sought closer ties with British monarchy.
SRI LANKA COMMONWEALTH VALUES
Excerpts from Prime Minister Harper’s Commonwealth Day message,
“Today, we strongly urge all members of the Commonwealth to reaffirm the values and principles captured in the Charter of the Commonwealth, including respect for human rights, the protection and promotion of religious freedom, and the need to oppose discrimination on any grounds. This is critical in order for the Commonwealth to remain relevant and credible as a values-based organization in the 21st century.
In particular, I would also like to reiterate my concerns about the situation in Sri Lanka. As the current chair of the Commonwealth, the Sri Lankan government has failed to uphold the Commonwealth’s core values and we continue to urge them to respect human rights and the rule of law.
The Commonwealth has traditionally been a beacon of democratic values for people around the world. Canada will continue to promote and support initiatives to ensure that this legacy is upheld as the organization moves forward into the future.”
