PM’s reaction to GR’s FR petition: SC ruling can’t be subject to foreign judges’ opinion – Prof. Peiris
Posted on May 16th, 2015

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy Island

‘Invoking int’l org not a prerogative of Mahinda’s Camp’

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Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, MP, yesterday strongly disputed Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe’s move to consult the Commonwealth as regards a recent Supreme Court ruling in respect of the fundamental rights petition filed by former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

“This is truly an astonishing statement against the backdrop of what President Maithripala Sirisena said at Akurana also on the same day,” Prof. Peiris told The Island yesterday.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (13) directed that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa could not be arrested until the full and final determination of the case.

After having declared open newly built Akurana Pradeshiya Sabha building, President Maithripala Sirisena stressed that the Supreme Court rulings in respect of fundamental rights petitions filed by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake proved absence of political interference in judicial matters. He said the judiciary hadn’t been free during his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure.

Premier Wickremesinghe, however, reacted differently to the Supreme Court ruling the following day.

Addressing the National Consultative Summit on Media Reforms at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI), Premier Wickeremesinghe expressed serious concern over the Supreme Court fixing the next hearing of the former Defence Secretary’s petition for Oct. 6, thus denying his government the opportunity to respond to the allegations ahead of forthcoming parliamentary election. The Premier expressed shock and surprise that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa didn’t want to know the outcome of his FR petition sooner.

Premier Wickremesinghe asserted that Sri Lanka could consult Commonwealth Judges Association as well as Commonwealth Magistrates’ Association regarding the Supreme Court directive in this regard. He pointed out that President Maithripala being the current chair of the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister stressed that if given the opportunity, he could easily defend the government position.

Rajapaksa has moved the Supreme Court against investigations undertaken by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID). Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will report to FCID on May 20.

Prof. Peiris insisted that there could not be a role for foreign judges on a matter handled by Sri Lankan courts under any circumstances. Premier Wickremesinghe could not be unaware that Sri Lanka had abolished an earlier dispensation under which appeals were made to the Privy Council in London. “Now, we have a Prime Minister wanting to demean Sri Lanka by seeking to subject views of the highest court to opinion of foreign judges.”

Prof. Peiris alleged that Prime Minister of a minority government had absolutely no respect for domestic mechanisms. “The people will soon have an opportunity to decide whether they want the current sordid state of affairs to continue.”

The former law professor pointed out that as President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Wickremesinghe had made wholly contradictory statements on the Supreme Court matter, the new administration should explain its stand on Prime Minister’s suggestion.

Alleging that Prof. Peiris was speaking on behalf of those who had been campaigning for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s return to parliament, a senior government spokesman said that the grouping recently had called for the intervention by Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the World Bank in domestic matters. The spokesman alleged Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Camp was selective in opposing foreign intervention.

Those who had been opposed to Sri Lanka consulting Commonwealth had complained to World Bank in the wake of the Supreme Court dismissing fundamental rights petition filed against Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, the spokesman said. The same group declared its intention to take up on-going police investigations into the conduct of members of parliament with Geneva-based IPU, he said. A section of the Opposition seemed to be thinking that invoking international community was a prerogative of theirs, he said. The previous government had secured the Commonwealth chair promising to uphold Commonwealth values, such as Latimer House Principles, was now taking a different approach, the spokesman said.

7 Responses to “PM’s reaction to GR’s FR petition: SC ruling can’t be subject to foreign judges’ opinion – Prof. Peiris”

  1. Christie Says:

    Namaste: Coolie says one thing and Kankani wants to see what Indian Emperor’s clerk in the out house has to say. After all it was Guyana’s Colonial Parasite who came to make sure the Coolie won. Now the Kankani is looking for help from Kamalesh Sharma. Jai Hind

  2. SA Kumar Says:

    Christie , your two lines comment make more sense than actual article always !

  3. nilwala Says:

    THIS IS OUTRIGHT SILLY ON THE PART OF RW….IS HE INTENT ON TAKING US BACK TO PRIVY COUNCIL DAYS AND COLONIAL MASTERS MAKING THE DECISIONS??? THE DAILY NEWS PROBABLY HAD SOME SUSPICION OF WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN IT MASSIVELY HEADLINED
    IN THE FRONT PAGE “RANIL DISTURBED”

    THE SUPREME COURT IN THIS LAND IS THE HIGHEST COURT TO JUDGE ON LOCAL MATTERS AND WHY MENTION HAS BEEN MADE OF A REFERRAL TO THE COMMONWEALTH COURT IS OUT OF LINE AND SHOWS THE TRACK ON WHICH THE UNP LED BY RW IS TAKING THE COUNTRY – TO PRE-INDEPENDENCE SUBSERVIENCE!
    NO COUNTRY WOULD STAND FOR THIS DILUTION OF ITS SOVEREIGHTY! IS THE PM CHALLENGING PARLIAMENT INTO

  4. nilwala Says:

    THIS IS OUTRIGHT SILLY ON THE PART OF RW….IS HE INTENT ON TAKING US BACK TO PRIVY COUNCIL DAYS WITH COLONIAL MASTERS MAKING THE DECISIONS THAT AFFECT US???
    THE DAILY NEWS PROBABLY HAD SOME SUSPICION OF WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN IT MASSIVELY HEADLINED ITS FRONT PAGE WITH :
    “RANIL DISTURBED” !!!

    THE SUPREME COURT IN THIS LAND IS THE HIGHEST COURT TO JUDGE ON LOCAL MATTERS AND THE CONSTITUTION DECLARES IT AS SUCH. WHY MENTION HAS BEEN MADE OF A REFERRAL TO THE COMMONWEALTH COURT THAT IS QUITE OUT OF LINE, AND SHOWS THE TRACK ON WHICH THE UNP LED BY RW IS TAKING THE COUNTRY – TO PRE-INDEPENDENCE SUBSERVIENCE!
    NO COUNTRY WOULD STAND FOR THIS KIND OF DILUTION OF ITS SOVEREIGNTY!
    IS THE PM CHALLENGING PARLIAMENT INTO A NO CONFIDENCE MOTION AGAINST HIM???

  5. Metteyya_Brahmana Says:

    Ranil’s logic makes no sense, and I am convinced he is on drugs – probably cocaine (delusions of grandeur?).

    Everyone knows the World Bank has no authority to overturn a Supreme Court decision, and therefore Peiris’ decision to forward a copy of the FR petition regarding the Central Bank governor to the World Bank has more to do with whether the World Bank should have any ‘confidence’ in the current Central Bank Governor, knowing that he is capable of engaging in insider dealing at the expense of the country.

    Ranil, on the other hand, IS trying to subject the Sri Lanka Supreme Court to the authority of white people abroad and is consistent with his overall pivot to these white countries for protection, security and development.

    Ranil is little more than a Local Colonial Administrator – the local brown face that carries out the orders of his white colonial masters. Ranil simply has not understood that the world has shifted now, especially Asia, away from white domination to independence. And there are now better options to accelerate economic development by aligning with a rising China rather than a stagnant US and Europe. At least China will never tell you how to run your government, and would have ZERO interest in overturning a Sri Lankan Supreme Court decision. The white people in the West, however, would relish the opportunity to act as the supreme authority in Sri Lanka, and Ranil is stupidly putting Sri Lanka in a position to be dictated to by these white people.

  6. Fran Diaz Says:

    It appears that RW has greater faith and loyalty to C’wealth decision making bodies than to the Law of the Land in Lanka.
    It also appears that he truly belongs in London town rather than in Colombo in the East regions of the world. RW reminds us of the olde tyme Agent of the Empire, eh ?
    We got Independence in 1948 but it is hard to believe we did so. Some leaders are stuck in the pre-Independence era, it seems. Time to wake up, Ranil ! Time for TEAM WORK to lift Lanka out of the mess of socioeconomic problems we are in. Time to stop ‘running to Momma’ – time to grow up.

  7. jay-ran Says:

    Why didn’t this rascal Batalanda Mineemaruwa Ranil Wickramasingho seek Common Wealth Assistance probe,
    1) Lawyer Liyanaarachhie’s killing at Batalanda chambers by INSRTING A NAIL INTO HIS HEAD???
    2) Killing 31 innocent littleSchool Children in a Southern School to hide witness by one student?
    30 Killing TV News announcer RICHARD SOYZA WHO WAS ARRESTED IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS MOTHER AND KILLED AND DUMPED HIS DEAD BODY AT WELLAWATTA BECH THE FOLLOWING DAY??????

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