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| Image: Flickr User - Maithripala Sirisena |
By Taylor Dibbert
Sri Lanka’s recent democratic gains are real; so are the challenges that lie ahead.
Sri Lanka has seen significant political drama over the past 12 months. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the previous president who ruled for a decade was unexpectedly defeated during last January’s presidential election. Voters reiterated their desire for change during August parliamentary polls, though Rajapaksa still won a seat in parliament. Current President Maithripala Sirisena, a former member of Rajapaksa’s cabinet, promised bold reforms and has taken a few steps in the right direction.
However, across the diverse panoply of possible reforms, we’re seeing more than a modicum of incoherence and a lack of transparency. Amongst those stalled reforms, anti-corruption efforts stand out. We’re still not witnessing accountability for corruption, a fundamental reason why Rajapaksa was thrown out of power.
Largely due to sustained international pressure, Sirisena’s coalition government has now made serious commitments regarding reconciliation and transitional justice, although the government’s actions thus far are incompatible with those pledges. For example, if the Sirisena administration is really serious about transitional justice, Colombo must finally explain the substance of the most recent U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka to the general public. That resolution deals broadly with transitional justice, human rights and governance; incredibly, the Sri Lankan government even co-sponsored it. Additionally, instead of pretending that international involvement in Sri Lanka’s proposed transitional justice plan is superfluous, Colombo needs to explicate the importance of international involvement to ensure that the entire process is comprehensive, inclusive and credible.
Read the full story at The Diplomat