BASL chief asks people not to pin hopes on saviours

President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Saliya Pieris PC, on Saturday, called on people to stop waiting for a saviour and work hard to strengthen the institutions that could ensure the protection of their rights.

Addressing a seminar, organised by the Trade Unions and Civil Society Organisations Collective in Colombo, to mark Human Rights Day, Pieris PC said: “We as citizens must understand that we enjoy the right to life because we have human rights. We must establish the right to live with dignity in this country. We have a duty to stand against those who make statements letting down the human rights protectors. We must fight bravely for our rights. That would be followed by suppression. We have seen the Executive resorting to suppression when people

stand up for their rights in recent times. As we know the Prevention of Terrorism Act has been abused in this country. Emergency laws have been abused. We know that this country has a history of missing persons. We must act for them. We as voters wait for a saviour whenever there is an election around the corner. People mistakenly identify one candidate as the saviour and vote for him. After two three years when the winner of the election fails, we wait for another saviour. In the next election we vote for the new saviour and soon he too is proven not upto the task. This is what we have been doing for a long time now. I think that we as a nation must put an end to the waiting for saviours. We must strengthen our institutions and enable them to work independently. We must strengthen our judiciary, human rights commission, elections commission and other public institutions such as police and public service. That is the only way out for us as a nation.”

Prof Arjuna Parakrama andS Sivagurunathan of the Movement for the Protection of Democratic Rights also addressed the seminar.