Basic working formula for Sri Lanka’s TRC drafted – Justice Minister
Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe PC yesterday said that Sri Lanka is determined to strengthen the reconciliation process.
Speaking at the launch of the Sri Lanka Barometer (SLB) Survey Reports 2021 and 2022 at the Taj Samudra Hotel yesterday, Rajapakshe said that a basic working formula for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Sri Lanka has been drafted as part of this process. He said he along with Foreign Minister Ali Sabry PC visited South Africa to study the Truth and Reconciliation model adopted by South Africa for strengthening Reconciliation.
“South African President Cyril Ramaposha also agreed to take part in the Truth and Reconciliation initiative in Sri Lanka,” the Minister said.
The Minister detailed the measures taken by the Government that came into power in 2015, to steer the country on the path of democracy and social justice by bringing in new legislations such as the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. “The country was deprived of GSP+ concession and a ban was imposed on fish export to Europe at that time,” he said.
“The 2015 Government succeeded in promoting democracy and social justice by establishing an independent commission too,” he said
He said the then Government made initiatives for the establishment of Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Transitional Justice. “This process was hampered by the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, COVID-19 pandemic and the political turbulence in the country. We are determined to see the hope end of the tunnel,” Minister Dr. Rajapakshe said. The SLB is steered and implemented by a consortium of partners including the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa, the Centre for Poverty Analysis and the Strengthening Social Cohesion and Peace in Sri Lanka (SCOPE) with financial assistance from the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by the GIZ in partnership with the Sri Lankan Government.
The SLB comprised three components a nationally representative public perception survey conducted every two years complementary qualitative research to further explore the findings of the survey and an outreach component to stimulate an informed evidence based public discourse Mario Ronconi, Head of Unit South and South and SouthEast Asia of the European Union, South African High Commissioner in Colombo Sandile Edwin Schalk and Deputy Ambassador of the German Embassy in Sri Lanka Olaf Malchow also spoke.
The SLB Public Perception Survey uses a quantitative methodology and was implemented with a nationally representative randomized sample of over 3,850 respondents in 2020 and 2021 and data was collected using a structured questionnaire designed along eight domains of reconciliation.
Prof. Rajen Govender of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation South Africa gave an adequate introduction on Barometers globally and Sri Lanka.