Easter Sunday terror prosecutions: Give AG extension of service

According to news reports, the Catholic Community has rightly sensed a serious threat to judicial proceedings against the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday carnage, with the incumbent Attorney General relinquishing his duties in the near future. I have no doubt that all right-thinking Sri Lankans share that concern. They know that Dappula de Livera has been doing an exemplary job during his term. In my view, under his leadership, the AG’s Department has risen to a position of high esteem in the eyes of the general public. He has converted the Department from a passive and reactive institution, often subject to criticism, both justified and unjustified, to a pro-active and vibrant institution. Most Sri Lankans will be sad to see him depart, leaving among other tasks, the all-important Easter Sunday prosecutions in other hands.

If, in the present context, the Government intends to ensure that the Easter Sunday prosecutions are properly carried out, it could request de Livera to stay on, and for that purpose grant and extension of service. We would earnestly request the relevant authorities to kindly make such an offer without delay. This should not present any serious problem. There are many precedents where such action has been taken by the government on the exigencies of service. Such a step will be greatly appreciated by all Sri Lankans who wish to see that terrorism is roundly discouraged, and justice is meted out to all those who suffered in the Easter Sunday carnage.

We also appeal to de Livera to agree if such an offer is made in the national interest and the goodwill of the Sri Lankan nation he has already earned for himself, even if such a decision involves some temporary personal inconvenience or loss.

S A.K