Centre for Policy Alternatives

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 19 February, 2016

International Mother Language Day: A Look at Language Rights in Sri Lanka

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When asked about what the official language in Sri Lanka is, a majority of Sri Lankans said that it is Sinhala only while only 15% gave the correct answer of Sinhala and Tamil.

CPA has a long history of work in the field of language rights, one that speaks of great success for minority communities living in Sri Lanka. Through sustained advocacy on the part of Outreach teams and the Citizen Council initiative, the government has ensured the printing of the National Identity Card in all 3 languages, the provision of trilingual bus signs and pharmaceutical packaging as well as appropriate signage for newly-named roads in the estate sector.

This presentation has been made with Sway and is accessible here as well as embedded below.

https://sway.com/EmQSgCfzEsDQBUXO

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 17 February, 2016

The Centre for Policy Alternatives Vs. Kabir Hashim and others SC (FR) Application No.54/2016

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and its Executive Director filed a Fundamental Rights application challenging the appointment of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mr. M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana, as a Member of Parliament elected in terms of Article 99A of the Constitution (the National List).

CPA’s position is that in terms of Article 99A of the Constitution, only a person whose name was included in the district nomination papers or national list submitted by the relevant political party, is entitled to be nominated to fill such a vacancy.

In its Petition, CPA stated that the appointment of a person as a Member of Parliament contrary to the provisions of the Constitution violates several rights guaranteed under the Constitution and in particular the franchise which is part of the sovereignty of the people. Furthermore, CPA argues that any attempt to interpret legislation in a manner contrary to the provisions of the Constitution would imperil the supremacy of the Constitution, which is the cornerstone of constitutional democracy.

Over the past two decades, CPA has filed several Public Interest Litigation cases relating to franchise and in particular the right to vote. The judgments emanating from these cases have recognized and protected the right to vote as a fundamental right. CPA has also on two previous occasions challenged attempts to appoint to Parliament and Provincial Councils, individuals whose names were not on the nomination papers submitted during the nomination period.

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 16 February, 2016

Convergence: On Religious Diversity and Freedom in Sri Lanka

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The last three decades of Sri Lanka’s history is largely defined by violent conflict, especially in the North and East of the country. Since that war came to an end in May of 2009, we have also seen the rise of extremist religious and other racist groups, including from within the Buddhist clergy.

CPA travelled to two of Sri Lanka’s most significant religious and cultural landmarks only to find that bitterness generated via viral slogans and fundamentalist movements is met with greater vigour by the spirit of harmony that pervades among the people who visit these sites.

Through narratives and images of pilgrims making the journey to Adam’s Peak and Kataragama – both landmarks that hold significance for many of Sri Lanka’s main faiths – and past research done by CPA on the policy and legal framework surrounding religious freedom in Sri Lanka, this piece hopes to highlight that people of all religions in Sri Lanka can respect the diversity in each other’s faiths, and indeed have been doing so for centuries.

The story can be accessed on Sway here and is embedded below.

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 15 February, 2016

The Road to Temple Trees – Sir Ivor Jennings and the Constitutional Development of Ceylon: Selected Writings

Editor: Dr H. Kumarasingham, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) was pleased to publish the above volume on 18th December 2015. Sir W. Ivor Jennings (1903-65) was a critical player in the negotiations for Ceylon’s independence and the key architect of the constitution that was in operation between 1947 and 1972. Jennings contributed to the public life of the young Dominion not only as the first vice-chancellor of the University of Ceylon, but as an international authority on British and Commonwealth constitutions and politics, he quickly became the principal constitutional adviser and influential confidante of D.S. Senanayake since his arrival on the Island in 1941. In that capacity he provided invaluable advocacy and expertise that decisively influenced Ceylon’s case for self-government. First written in the late 1940s and published for the first time on his 50th death anniversary on 19th December 2015, this volume contains Jennings’ writings on his personal role in obtaining Ceylonese freedom and the high politics that characterised that era. Introduced and expertly edited by Dr H. Kumarasingham, this volume is a privileged and insightful first-hand account that uncovers the unique story of the road to independence.

Copies of the book are available free of charge at CPA. Those wishing to obtain copies are kindly requested to contact Asanka (Publications Department) on 0112081384-6 extension 119 or email on [email protected] or you could collect your copy from our Head Office located at No: 6/5, Layards Road, Colombo 05.

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 28 January, 2016

Statement issued regarding President’s comments rejecting foreign personnel in justice mechanisms

27th January 2016

We, the undersigned activists and organisations from Sri Lanka, are seriously concerned by President Maithripala Sirisena’s recent statements where he rejected the possibility of participation of foreign personnel in proposed justice mechanisms to deal with human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. He also went on to express his full confidence in the existing judicial system and in Sri Lanka’s investigative authorities. These statements are contrary to Sri Lanka’s commitment in the consensus resolution at the 30th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in October 2015, which Sri Lanka co-sponsored. That resolution affirmed the importance of the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, prosecutors, lawyers and investigators in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism. Statements by the President and others in government in recent weeks raises questions whether there is a genuine political will to carry through with its own commitments.

In the context of wide-scale impunity and the alleged collusion of state functionaries in systematic criminal conduct, robust participation of foreign personnel in trials is a necessary starting point to redeeming the trust of victims in the state, and ensuring the confidence and participation of all stakeholders in Sri Lankan transitional justice processes. President Sirisena’s comments are deeply damaging to government’s avowed commitments to victims and the international community in this regard. Furthermore, state investigations in the past have had foreign personnel as advisers and observers including the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) and the Advisory Council to the Presidential Commission on Missing Persons. Failures of such initiatives contributed to the collapse of the rule of law and exacerbated the culture of impunity, areas requiring urgent attention if the government is sincere in its commitments to its citizens. We also recognise the expertise and skills required to investigate and prosecute serious abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law, and note the vacuum in this regard within Sri Lanka. Thus, it is crucial the government introduces immediate reforms including the robust participation of foreign personnel in domestic mechanisms.

The comments by the President also come at a time when the government has, in partnership with the United Nations, embarked on a process of consultations on the design of transitional justice mechanisms outlined in the UNHRC resolution. These comments severely compromise that process and cast in doubt the intentions of the entire endeavour. We urge the government to take immediate steps to implement in full its commitments, thereby demonstrating its sincerity in the pursuit of truth, justice and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

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Download this statement, with full list of signatories, in English, Sinhala and Tamil (as PDFs).

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 28 January, 2016

FULL REPORT: Consumption and Perceptions of Mainstream and Social Media in the Western Province

28 January 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) launched yesterday the top-line report of a survey on the consumption and perceptions of mainstream and social media in the Western Province.

The full report, the Executive Summary in Tamil and Sinhala, detailed presentations made by renowned media critic Nalaka Gunawardene and award winning journalist Dilrukshi Handunetti who spoke at the launch and compelling infographics based on the findings in the report, are all now online.

Access the content here.

Please contact Iromi Perera at CPA’s Social Indicator for more information and access to the complete dataset ([email protected]).

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From the use of Facebook to smartphones, from news on TV to news via SMS, from how information read digitally is spread to others who are offline, the report offers insights into how content is produced, disseminated and discussed in Sri Lanka’s most densely populated province and home to the country’s administrative and business hubs.

The report offers government, media, civil society and social entrepreneurs insights into the platforms, vectors, languages and mediums through which news & information can best seed the public imagination.

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