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(July 17, 2007/
Colombo, Sri Lanka) Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, former Interim
Chairperson of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, has
been appointed Secretary General of SCOPP, the Secretariat for
Coordinating the Peace Process in Sri Lanka. Prof. Wijesinha is
a former leader of the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka and a
Vice-President of Liberal International. He is a leading liberal
theoretician in South Asia, and has conducted workshops on
liberalism in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan and Indonesia.
The Peace Secretariat was established when a Ceasefire
Agreeement was signed in 2002 between the Government of Sri
Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The Tigers
withdrew from peace talks in 2003, and only returned in 2006,
shortly after the election of President Mahinda Rajapakse.
Though they have subsequently withdrawn again, and hostilities
have resumed, the CFA is still in operation according to both
parties.
 In
such a context Prof. Wijesinha believes that the peace
secretariat can play a vital role in strengthening the prospects
of a lasting peace in Sri Lanka, based on fundamental principles
of a liberal democracy such as pluralism, rule of law,
transparency and accountability. He believes that such
principles need to be adhered to in process and affirmed in
resolution. More specifically, the mission of the Secretariat,
according to Prof. Wijesinha, is to develop confidence in the
process while being recognized as an institution that is
equitable and acting in the national interest of all Sri Lankans.
Amongst the measures the Secretariat has recently introduced
are:
1. Community Development organizations in the affected Provinces
including community representatives and NGOs operating in the
area and local chambers of commerce; 2. A report on Post CFA
Human Rights violations with particular reference to children;
3. A steering group to look at “Confidence Building Measures
through Constitutional Reform”, to suggest areas in which
consensus might be relatively easily obtained; 4. Links with the
Muslim Peace Secretariat and attempts to renew links with the
LTTE Peace Secretariat is desirable; 5. Regular meetings with
the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission followed by joint press
releases; 6. Proposals to broad base membership of the public
services and the armed forces and in particular the police to
increase minority representation; 7. Monitoring of all media
reports to check on incidents likely to disrupt the peace
process. |
