Lanka's CHOGM hopes hangs in the balance

By Maneckshaw-Wednesday, 30 Jan 2013   The late Prime Minister of India, Moraji Desai, once hinted that 'wealth' of the nations represented in the Commonwealth should be equally distributed among the member states of the movement. Desai, the first non-Congress Party member to become India's Prime Minister, was also in the limelight four decades ago for saying that (he did not hint at this one) one's urine had healing powers, and he had been in the habit of drinking his own. The hint made by Desai, who was the first Indian politician to defeat Indira Gandhi of the Nehru dynasty in the early '70s, was mainly pointed at the enormous wealth acquired by the Empire by reigning countries across the world, for centuries. The Indian Sub-Continent as a single entity, and several countries including the tiniest Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean were ruled by the British Empire until they gained their independence; the last to be liberated from the grip of the British was Hong Kong in the late 90s. The introduction of English in the countries where Britain reigned had made the Commonwealth movement vibrant in many ways with hundreds of thousands of people from these countries having sought refuge in the United Kingdom itself, following political unrest and economic crises in their respective countries. The influx of people, irrespective of their colour, language and cultural identities, into the United Kingdom from various Commonwealth member countries, due to the political and the economic changes that were taking place since the beginning of the 80s, globally, had even made it a reality to a certain extent what Desai had said – that what the Commonwealth meant, in this mind, was sharing its wealth equally among all members. Therefore, the British Empire, which had earned most of its wealth by bringing several countries under its rule for centuries, is currently accommodating citizens from the very countries it ruled by sharing its socio, economic and cultural wealth. Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, of Indian origin, and the expatriates from Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan are foremost among those who from the Commonwealth states have sought shelter in the UK. With several member countries thriving economically and India emerging as a powerful regional economy, several Commonwealth countries in Asia, as well as in Africa, still face political dilemmas; some of them are on the borderline of becoming failed sates. Sri Lanka being one of the pioneer members in the Commonwealth, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) having successfully staged NAM and SAARC summits, for the first time is on the verge of hosting a Commonwealth conference in November this year. As the years passed by, especially in the past three decades, Sri Lanka's presence in the prime global bodies it represented has been well received, and the need for a durable solution to the country's ethnic turmoil was emphasized on, on whatever forum it appeared. However, with the end of the civil war in the island nearly four years ago, the emphasis is not only on finding a political solution to the ethnic conflict but also on stabilizing democratic institutions by strengthening human rights, has been reiterated by several world bodies such as the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the Commonwealth. Therefore, the month of March has been predicted as challenging for Sri Lanka in facing the UNHRC sessions in Geneva, as the country's intention of staging the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November is in the balance, with voices starting to echo within the Commonwealth to refrain from meeting in Colombo this year. Thus, it is clear that the outcome of the UNHRC sessions in Geneva this March could be the prelude to any decision on Sri Lanka staging the Commonwealth summit later this year; the Commonwealth had paid much attention with its Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma even appealing to the Lankan leadership to refrain from removing Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake as the Chief Justice during the recent crisis between the Legislature and the Judiciary. In the meantime, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, was expected to visit Colombo this month to look into the implementation of the recommendations that were made at the UNHRC sessions last year. As there were no clear signs of Pillay's visit to Colombo until now, the predictions on Sri Lanka getting stumped even at this year's Geneva session remain serious, not only for delaying on implementing the recommendations made at the sessions last year but also on the issues with regard to the recent crisis between the Judiciary and the Legislature. Therefore, holding the much anticipated Commonwealth summit in Colombo would depend on the outcome of the UNHRC sessions as the head of the body, Pillay, is also a key figure of an important member of the Commonwealth, South Africa. However, the Lankan leadership is confident of hosting the Commonwealth meeting by bringing down another powerful figure associated with the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, who had visited the island twice previously. The key question therefore is how successful the Lankan leadership will ensuring Britain's national anthem – 'God Save the Queen' being sung in Colombo, come November.