by Sahan Tennekoon in The Morning, Mar 31, 2023
The Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, President’s Counsel (PC) Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said yesterday (30) that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) proposed by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Reconciliation, Chaired by President and Minister of National Policies Ranil Wickremesinghe, would be a practical institution which can address issues related to the ethnic minorities.
Speaking at a media briefing held at the Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, Dr. Rajapakshe said that the Government is taking immediate action to establish the TRC as it has understood that no country in the world has achieved its development goals without having a proper mechanism to continue with a long term reconciliation process.
“The Sri Lankan delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC, which I was also a part of, visited South Africa last week to get their advice and insights related to the establishment of the TRC in South Africa in the 1990s. We met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola and former President Thabo Mbeki who was a key figure in establishing the South African TRC after the end of the Apartheid system. It was a very successful visit and we learned so many things from their experience in the reconciliation process,” he said.
He also noted that every Government which came to power after the ethnic conflict has neglected the reconciliation process which should be a compulsory ingredient in establishing post-war peace.
“We have witnessed numerous instances of bloodshed in our history. Starting from 1971, in two insurrections in the South and an unresolved ethnic war in the North, we have sacrificed thousands of lives because of not having a proper reconciliation process in the country. We lost billions of rupees and could not achieve our development goals. But, we are not too late to look back into the past and correct our mistakes. That is why the Government is looking into the establishment of the TRC with the support of experts in this process,” he noted.
He also said that the Ministry will draft the TRC law as soon as possible and table it in Parliament for its approval.
In 2018, the then Government proposed the establishment of a TRC with the intention of addressing issues related to the ethnic minorities. https://www.themorning.lk/articles/pilfQ9oGhcbdW8mta7D9
