Mahinda wanted aid linked to human rights
Mahinda Rajapakse (then): "Not to Geneva but even
to hell to work against a govt. that is
suppressing human rights..."
Mahinda Rajapakse, addressing parliament said that he had gone before the Human Rights Committee in Geneva, asking them not to "stop aid" to Sri Lanka but to safeguard human rights in the country and ask donor countries to link aid to human rights.
"Why can't you lay down conditions on human rights in this country while giving aid?" Rajapakse had asked donors. Addressing parliament, he said "That is what we asked for. That has been done now."
The incumbent President has said in parliament that "if this government is going to suppress human rights, not only to Geneva, we will go
even to hell to work against this government. We are prepared to go to any place to save human rights from this government," he insisted adding that he would "not allow" the people's "rights to be suppressed."
Readers, this is not a practical joke, but extracts taken from parliament's Hansard - to be precise, beginning from column 361 from the Hansard of October 25, 1990.
It would appear that the Rajapakse government's accusations levelled at opposition parliamentarians, mediaand NGOs - of "conspiring against the country" to isolate Sri Lanka internationally by "carrying tales" of human rights violations abroad - all stem from his own actions while in opposition.
What is ironic is that while Rajapakse has openly told parliament that he wanted aid tied to human rights, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is flying up and down to and from Europe, at the cost of earning the ire of party supporters at home, in order to coax the EU into reissuing their GSP+ concession despite the government's "climate of impunity" for human rights violators.
It is also significant to note that at the time Mahinda Rajapakse as a human rights defender waslevellingcharges against the government, his own brother, Gotabaya Rajapakse was serving in the army. Now, would Gotabaya say that his brother Mahinda Rajapakse was a traitor to Sri Lanka for raisinghuman rights abuses and calling on donors to link aid to human rights? Sorry Gota, we caaaaaan't hear you...
And in making his case for human rights in Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse was to also tell parliament that the government's standard defence was that it was to help the Tigers.
Mahinda Rajapakse (then): "Not to Geneva but even
to hell to work against a govt. that is
suppressing human rights..."
Mahinda Rajapakse, addressing parliament said that he had gone before the Human Rights Committee in Geneva, asking them not to "stop aid" to Sri Lanka but to safeguard human rights in the country and ask donor countries to link aid to human rights.
"Why can't you lay down conditions on human rights in this country while giving aid?" Rajapakse had asked donors. Addressing parliament, he said "That is what we asked for. That has been done now."
The incumbent President has said in parliament that "if this government is going to suppress human rights, not only to Geneva, we will go
even to hell to work against this government. We are prepared to go to any place to save human rights from this government," he insisted adding that he would "not allow" the people's "rights to be suppressed."
Readers, this is not a practical joke, but extracts taken from parliament's Hansard - to be precise, beginning from column 361 from the Hansard of October 25, 1990.
It would appear that the Rajapakse government's accusations levelled at opposition parliamentarians, mediaand NGOs - of "conspiring against the country" to isolate Sri Lanka internationally by "carrying tales" of human rights violations abroad - all stem from his own actions while in opposition.
What is ironic is that while Rajapakse has openly told parliament that he wanted aid tied to human rights, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is flying up and down to and from Europe, at the cost of earning the ire of party supporters at home, in order to coax the EU into reissuing their GSP+ concession despite the government's "climate of impunity" for human rights violators.
It is also significant to note that at the time Mahinda Rajapakse as a human rights defender waslevellingcharges against the government, his own brother, Gotabaya Rajapakse was serving in the army. Now, would Gotabaya say that his brother Mahinda Rajapakse was a traitor to Sri Lanka for raisinghuman rights abuses and calling on donors to link aid to human rights? Sorry Gota, we caaaaaan't hear you...
And in making his case for human rights in Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse was to also tell parliament that the government's standard defence was that it was to help the Tigers.
"We were accused that we are helping the Tigers,"
Mahinda Rajapakse was to tell parliament.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20080608/spotlight.htm
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History repeats itself.
Mahinda Rajapakse was to tell parliament.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20080608/spotlight.htm
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History repeats itself.
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