By C. A. Chandraprema –
The president’s announcement that he will be appointing an ‘independent panel’ to look into the merits of the impeachment motion after the parliamentary process is over and it has been referred to him, has drawn mixed reactions. Some opponents of the impeachment exult that their claim that parliament is not ‘supreme’ has been vindicated by the president’s declaration that he will be appointing an independent panel to scrutinise the parliamentary process. Others say that this indicates that the president himself has accepted that the parliamentary select committee process is flawed. Yet others of a more cynical bent say that this is just a typical Rajapaksa ploy to head of protests during the constitutionally mandatory month-long ‘nonagathaya’ before parliament can act on the recommendations of the PSC. Be that as it may, the president does have much to think about. This will be the first time in post independence Sri Lanka that any high official in this country is being impeached and it is he who will in the final analysis take the step of signing the decree sacking the CJ.
The point is that the wrongdoing that the CJ has been found guilty of by the PSC is not as clear cut as say, a judge being found to have murdered somebody or caught trying to smuggle gold into the country. The CJ has been found guilty of three charges: 1) Taking over and hearing a case involving among other properties, Trillium Residencies in which she had on a power of attorney bought a flat for her sister and brother in law thus creating a conflict of interest. 2) That she had not declared a large amount of money in her bank accounts in the annual declaration of assets. 3) That she continued to be the CJ and the Chairperson of the Judicial Services Commission in a context where her husband was a suspect in a case before a magistrates court and as the CJ and the ex-officio Chairperson of the JSC, she had powers over the transfer, dismissal or career advancement of the magistrate who was trying her husband as well as the power to examine all the records of that magistrates court – another conflict of interest.
The question is that none of these are ‘crimes’ in the ordinary sense of the term. The non disclosure of assets is an offence that carries a one year prison sentence according to the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Act No:1 of 1975. Perhaps the non-disclosure can be defined a ‘crime’ of sorts, because the law has been broken and she could be prosecuted in the ordinary courts as well. But in this country the declaration of assets law is often adhered to only in the breach and is not enforced strictly. All the three allegations that the CJ has been found guilty of by the PSC are serious wrongdoings in terms of the various international codes of ethics for judges and even the Establishments Code of Sri Lanka which applies to all public servants. But then the Establishments Code is not the Penal Code. If no real crime has been committed, can the president justifiably sign a decree ending the career of no less a person than the chief justice of the country?
As has been pointed out earlier in this column, many features in our constitution including the impeachment procedure have been borrowed from the USA and it is to the US that we have to look for inspiration as to how this issue should be handled. Unlike us, the USA has had long experience with impeachment proceedings. They were impeaching judges using much the same procedure as today when in Sri Lanka, King Sri Wickrama Rajasinha was having people beheaded at the drop of a hat. According to Article 107(2) of our constitution, judges may hold office only ‘during good behaviour’ and cannot be removed before retirement age except through the impeachment procedure. In this respect, the SL constitutional provisions are identical with the provisions of the US constitution in which Article 3(1) also says that judges will hold their offices during good behaviour. In the US, judges can be removed before retirement or death, only through the impeachment procedure and a study of the thinking in the USA will help Sri Lanka to find its way in this unfamiliar territory.
Article 2(4) of the US constitution specifically states “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours.” Much of the debate in the USA over impeachable offences has revolved around the phrase ‘during good behaviour’ found in Article 3(1) and the phrase misdemeanours’ found in article 2(4). It should be noted that both in the USA and in Sri Lanka, the phrase ‘misbehaviour’ which forms the basis of impeachment for judges, has not been defined anywhere. Even in the US Constitution, the specification ‘treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours’ which has been laid down in regard to impeachment in the executive branch of government has not been specified with regard to the judicial branch. With regard to the judicial branch of the US government (as is the case in Sri Lanka too) only the much looser term ‘misbehaviour’ has been used.
A paper titled “Congressional Oversight of Judges and Justices” prepared by the US Congressional Research Service for members and committees of the US Congress in May 2005 had the following observation to make: “The debate on impeachable offenses during the Constitutional Convention in 1787 indicates that criminal conduct was at least part of what was included in the ‘treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors’ language. However, the precedents in this country reflect the fact that conduct which may not constitute a crime, but which may still be serious misbehaviour bringing disrepute upon the public office involved, may provide a sufficient ground for impeachment.”
In 1970, there was an interesting exchange in the US House of Representatives between Congressmen Gerald R.Ford of Michigan, (who later became President), Paul N.McCloskey of California and Frank Thompson of New Jersey about the grounds for impeachment of judges. This was in the context of a debate on a resolution to impeach William O. Douglas a judge of the Supreme Court. (It should be noted that these Congressmen quoted many sources in making their arguments, but for the sake of brevity and manageability we have not indicated when they were quoting someone else but taken what each Congressmen said as ‘points’ he was asserting.) Gerald Ford’s arguments can be paraphrased as follows:
Congressman Gerald R.Ford
* Members of the Federal judiciary hold their offices only ‘during good behaviour’….What constitutes ‘good behaviour’ or, conversely, ungood or disqualifying behaviour? The word ‘behaviour’ relates to action, not merely to thoughts or opinions; further, it refers not to a single act but to a pattern or continuing sequence of action. We cannot and should not remove a Federal judge for the legal views or ideology he holds nor should we remove him for a minor or isolated mistake. What we should scrutinize in sitting Judges is their continuing pattern of action, their behaviour. The Constitution does not demand that it be ‘exemplary’ or ‘perfect’. But it does have to be ‘good’.
*Naturally, there must be orderly procedure for determining whether or not a Federal judge’s behaviour is good. The courts, arbiters in most such questions of judgment, cannot judge themselves. So the Founding Fathers (of the constitution) vested this ultimate power in Congress, in the elected representatives of the people and of the States…
* I have endeavoured to correct two common misconceptions: first, that Federal judges are appointed for life and, second, that they can be removed only by being convicted, with all ordinary protections and presumptions of innocence to which an accused is entitled, of violating the law. This is not the case. An offense need not be indictable to be impeachable. In other words, something less than a criminal act or criminal dereliction of duty may nevertheless be sufficient grounds for impeachment and removal from public office. What, then, is an impeachable offense? The only honest answer is that an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers to be at a given moment in history… I think it is fair to come to one conclusion, however, from our history of impeachments: a higher standard is expected of Federal judges than of any other ‘civil officers’ of the United States.
* The terms of Members of the House (of Representatives) are fixed at 2 years; of the President and Vice President at 4; of U.S. Senators at 6. The President and Vice President, and all persons holding office at the pleasure of the President, can be thrown out of office by the voters at least every 4 years. To remove them in midterm—it has been tried only twice and never done—would indeed require crimes of the magnitude of treason and bribery. Other elective officials, such as Members of the Congress, are so vulnerable to public displeasure that their removal by the complicated impeachment route has not even been tried since 1798.
* At one impeachment hearing, relating to a federal judge, three Senators said in a joint statement: “We did not, seek to satisfy ourselves as to whether technically a crime or crimes had been committed…we sought only to ascertain from these facts whether his conduct had been such as to amount to misbehaviour, misconduct—as to whether he had conducted himself in a way that was calculated to undermine public confidence in the courts and to create a sense of scandal. There are a great many things which one must readily admit would be wholly unbecoming, wholly intolerable, in the conduct of a judge, and yet these things might not amount to a crime. Another senator declared: Tenure during good behaviour is in no sense a guaranty of a life job, and misbehaviour in the ordinary dictionary sense of the term will cause it to be cut short…To assume that good behaviour means anything but good behaviour would be to cast a reflection upon the ability of the fathers to express themselves in understandable language.
Congressman Paul N. McCloskey
Congressman Paul N.McCloskey of California opposed the ideas of Gerald R. Ford and advanced a different view on the grounds for Impeachment of judges as follows:
* I respectfully disagree with the basic premise ‘‘that an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.’’ To accept this view, in my judgment, would do grave damage to the constitutional principle of an independent judiciary free from fear of executive or legislative disfavour. If an independent judiciary is to be preserved, the House must exercise decent restraint and caution in its definition of what is less than good behaviour. As we honour the court’s self-imposed doctrine of judicial restraint, so we might likewise honour the principle of legislative restraint in considering serious charges against members of a coequal branch of Government which we have wished to keep free from political tensions and emotions…
* The term ‘good behaviour’ as the Founding Fathers considered it, must be taken together with the specific provisions limiting cause for impeachment of executive branch personnel to ‘treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours’. The higher standard of good behaviour required of Judges might well be considered as applicable solely to their judicial performance and capacity and not to their private and nonjudicial conduct unless the same is violative of the law….I can find no precedent, however, for impeachment of a Judge for nonjudicial conduct which falls short of violation of law.
* In looking to the nine cases of impeachment of Judges spanning 181 years of our national history, in every case involved, the impeachment was based on either improper judicial conduct or nonjudicial conduct which was considered as criminal in nature…The bulk of these challenges to the court were thus on judicial misconduct, with scattered instances of nonjudicial behaviour. In all cases, however, insofar as I have been able to thus far determine, the nonjudicial behaviour involved clear violation of criminal or civil law, and not just a ‘‘pattern of behaviour’’ that others might find less than ‘‘good.’’
* Conduct of a Judge, while it may be less than criminal in nature to constitute ‘less than good behaviour’, has never resulted in a successful impeachment unless the judge was acting in his judicial capacity or misusing his judicial power. In other words the precedents suggest that misconduct must either be ‘judicial misconduct’ or conduct which constitutes a crime. There is no basis for impeachment on charges of non-judicial misconduct which occurs off the bench and does not constitute a crime. . . .
Congressman Gerald R. Ford Again
Ford, responded to the criticism of his view on the grounds for impeachment of judges with a memorandum which stated among other things, the following:
* A review of the past impeachment proceedings has clearly established little constitutional basis to the argument that an impeachable offense must be indictable as well. If this were to be the case, the Constitution would then merely provide an additional or alternate method of punishment, in specific instances, to the traditional criminal law violator. If the framers had meant to remove from office only those officials who violated the criminal law, a much simpler method than impeachment could have been devised. Since impeachment is such a complex and cumbersome procedure, it must have been directed at conduct which would be outside the purview of the criminal law…By restricting the punishment for impeachment to removal and disqualification from office, impeachment seems to be a protective, rather than a punitive, device. It is meant to protect the public from conduct by high public officials that undermines public confidence. Therefore it seems clear that impeachment will lie for conduct not indictable nor even criminal in nature.
* The phrase misdemeanours is meant to include conduct, which, while not indictable by the criminal law, has at least the characteristics of a crime. However, this provision is not conclusively restrictive. Congress may look elsewhere in the Constitution to determine if an impeachable offense has occurred. In the case of judges, such additional grounds of impeachment may be found in Article III, Section 1 where the judicial tenure is fixed at ‘good behaviour’. While various definitions of impeachable misbehaviour have been advanced, the unifying factor in these definitions is the notion that there must be such misconduct as to cast doubt on the integrity and impartiality of the Federal judiciary. A judge ought not only be impartial, but he ought not to so demean himself, both in and out of court, that litigants will have reason to suspect his impartiality and that repeatedly failing in that respect constitutes a ‘high misdemeanour’ in regard to his office.
Congressman Frank Thompson
Congressman Frank Thompson of New Jersey joined the debate with the following views:
* With a few aberrations in the early 1800’s – a period of unprecedented political upheaval – Congress has refused to impeach a judge for lack of ‘good behaviour’ unless the behaviour is both job-related and criminal. How could it be otherwise? The purpose of an independent judiciary is to check the excesses of the legislative and executive branches of the government. The judges must be strong and secure if they are to do this job well. I requested Daniel H. Pollitt, a professor of constitutional law at the University of North Carolina to survey the 51 impeachment proceedings in this House during the intervening years…it shows that never since the earliest days of this Republic has the House impeached a judge for conduct which was not both job-related and criminal. This body has consistently refused to impeach a judge unless he was guilty of an indictable offense.
What the Judiciary Committee Said
The Special Subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, which had been created to investigate and report on charges of impeachment against Justice Douglas of the Supreme Court, submitted its final report to the full committee in September 1970 in which they had made the following observations with regard to impeachable offences:
* Exposure of infirmities in the judicial system is undertaken only with reluctance. It is an area in which the bar, the judiciary, and the executive and legislative branches alike have seen fit to move cautiously and painstakingly. There must be full recognition of the necessity to proceed in such a manner that will result in the least damage possible to judicial independence, but which, at the same time, will result in correction or elimination of any condition that brings discredit to the judicial system. The content of the word ‘misdemeanour’ must encompass some activities which fall below the standard of ‘good behaviour’. Conduct which fails to meet the standard of ‘good behaviour’ but which does not come within the definition of ‘misdemeanour’ is not subject to impeachment.
* The ‘Kelley Memorandum’ submitted by Mr. Ford enforces this position. The Kelley Memorandum asserts that misbehaviour by a Federal judge may constitute an impeachable offense though the conduct may not be an indictable crime or misdemeanour. On the other hand, a Counsel for Justice Douglas, has submitted a memorandum that contends that a Federal judge may not be impeached for anything short of criminal conduct. He stated: “The constitutional language, in plain terms, confines impeachment to ‘Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanours’. The history of those provisions reinforces their plain meaning. The unsuccessful attempt to remove Justice Chase firmly established the proposition that impeachment is for criminal offenses only, and is not a ‘general inquest’ into the behaviour of judges. There has developed the consistent practice, rigorously followed in every case in this century, of impeaching federal judges only when criminal offenses have been charged”.
* The precedents show that the House of Representatives, particularly in the arguments made by its Managers in the Senate trials, favours the conclusion that the phrase ‘high crimes and misdemeanours’ encompasses activity which is not necessarily criminal in nature. All authorities hold that for a judge to be impeached, the term ‘misdemeanours’ requires a showing of misconduct which is inherently serious in relation to social standards. No respectable argument can be made to support the concept that a judge could be impeached if his conduct did not amount at least to a serious dereliction of his duty as a member of society. To be a ‘misdemeanour’, and hence impeachable, conduct must amount to a serious dereliction of an obligation owed to society. When such misbehaviour occurs in connection with the federal office, actual criminal conduct should not be a requisite to impeachment of a judge or any other federal official.
The recommendation made by the Special Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives appointed to study the merits of the impeachment motion against Associate Justice William O. Douglas of the Supreme Court made their own observations on this vexed question of what constitutes an impeachable offence. Having summarised the various concepts of what constitutes an impeachable offence, Subcommittee came to the firm conclusion that “It is not necessary for the members of the Judiciary Committee to take a position on either of the concepts of impeachment that are discussed…” In fact Congressman Edward Hutchinson, of Michigan, who was a member of the special subcommittee, filed a separate opinion where he agreed with the other members of the Subcommittee that it is unnecessary to choose among the concepts of impeachment mentioned… asserting further that the Subcommittee should not even indirectly narrow the power of the House to impeach through a recitation of two or three theories and a very apparent choice of one over the others… He further stated that the inclusion of this chapter (which refers to the various impeachments concepts) in their report may be mischievous since it might unjustifiably restrict the scope of further investigation.
Perhaps Sri Lanka can provide the USA with an example to show why it is so important to leave open the question of what constitutes an impeachable offence. In 1984 Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon was impeached for certain comments he made during a speech at an awards ceremony at a private tutory. Everything he said was basically true. Yet, as the chief justice, he should not have made political comments in public critical (or even in praise) of the government as that brings into doubt his impartiality. No government could have ignored the comments made by Samarakoon and done nothing. Thus a Chief Justice can, and has been hauled up for impeachment for nothing more than simply speaking the truth – a right that every tipsy peasant in this country exercises without any consequences.
What is not wrong when an ordinary person does it can become wrong when a judge does the same thing. This is probably why the US House of Representatives in its wisdom opted to leave wide open the question of what exactly constitutes an impeachable offence with one Congressman protesting that even the publishing of the ideas discussed could indirectly restrict the scope of future impeachment debates. He would, we assume, have preferred that the whole debate on the grounds for impeachment be expunged from the Congressional Record and the topic left wide open for the future!
Courtesy Sunday Island
nortonP / December 17, 2012
Oh! What a big yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn?
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Pandukabaya de Silva / December 17, 2012
Right on bro! Yawn indeed.
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Don Stanely / December 17, 2012
IMPEACH MAHINDA RAJAPASSA! No point talking about Sri Wickramasinghe Rajasinhe!Mahinda Rajapakse and his clowns who ran the Kangaroo Court in the Diyawenna Parliament, particularly Chamal Rajapassa must be IMPEACHED.
The people and judiciary must turn the Tables – the judiciary must start an impeachment motion against the executive for abuse of power. corruption and lies. The big ticket abuse is with the Rajapakse Brothers.
It is Mahinda Rajapakse and his brothers who should be impeached for abuse of power, lies, running a Kangaroo Court in the Diyawenna Parliament and bringing great disrepute to the judiciary, legislature and the sovereign people of Sri Lanka and the institutions that protect democracy.
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Leela / December 17, 2012
PRA boy, nobody reads your tripe. Are you paid by the foot by King Percy? Merry Xmas then Mr. Crapman!
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PRA girl to idiot / December 17, 2012
Chandraprema didn’t write it for you idiots; he wrote it for intelligent readers of ‘the Island’ and ‘Divaina’. Got it.
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Anti-boru / December 17, 2012
Pra-girl:
As a regular reader of The Island and the Sunday Island, it’s bad enough to have to put up with Mr. C’s rubbish every Sunday. Why does he have to inflict it on CT readers as well? Oh well,when someone like you considers him as “writing for the intelligent,” I suppose it says it all!
Is there any chance that CT will stop publishing this sycophantic jackass’s rubbish because then we’ll be saved putting up with the crap that the “Pra-girls” of this world keep spouting as well. And that would be a REAL relief!
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Leela / December 17, 2012
Hello Chandare
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srilal / December 18, 2012
LEELA , see what happens , you can’t use your own chosen name , just keep changing it article to article , this time “ PRA girl to idiot “ , what is next ? Just IDIOT?
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changing name / December 18, 2012
srilal,
The ones who stole can stuff it; it’s better this way. I will not change the emblem because robbers cannot steal it.
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LK perera / December 17, 2012
Hurrah!
Let’s celebrate the latest twist of phrase, oops, pearls of wisdom from the ‘independent media’ of the island staffer with a truly glorious career – kola koti ( PRAA), kola paata samaajaya ( Ranil’s UNP) & now ? he and his circle – self appointed intellectuals – think people with common sense read their drivel. For them, ordinary people’s future and livelihood are like their own loyalties, believes and writings, simply no value….and they think we readers are fools to read them and comment on them, even to disagree not worth reading, period.
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Safa / December 17, 2012
Mr Pra at it again. What has Sri Lanka in common with the US?
They were impeaching judges using much the same procedure as today when in Sri Lanka, King Sri Wickrama Rajasinha was having people beheaded at the drop of a hat?
We seem to be heading backwards in time. Maybe the Pra era again?
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PB / December 17, 2012
Aney gong wahansa. Are you related to Weerawansa?
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Aney / December 17, 2012
This Mans Mother actually Barks !!!!!1
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Anti-boru / December 17, 2012
Aney:
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy
http://colombotelegraph.com/comments-policy/
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Roshan / December 17, 2012
Perhaps the author of this piece explain to us what the constitution in Timbuktu says about impeachment and whether they too follow the US precedents.
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jayadeva Silva / December 17, 2012
His Master’s Voice. Keep it on otherwise you won’t get the crumbs
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chamara / December 17, 2012
All lawyers against our government/prezident and impeechmant are diaspora funded peoples living with dollars. Shiranthi Bandaranayake should be investigated by parliment only. As parliment is biggest power. Coats don’t have that much power.
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LK Perera / December 17, 2012
Menna thadi Priyantha,
Looks like an apprentice with good potential, this Chamara. He has all the qualities make wildest connections, and you’ll teach how to make them look pompous…and as time goes to change the stance….only you and a few in writing has that mastery…
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K A Sumanaskera / December 18, 2012
Chamara are you a sudu kolla?
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G.Pandith / December 17, 2012
What Mr. Chandraprema did not say or does not know is that we have completely different political culture and democracy (if we can call what we have is democracy) to the U.S. So there is no point comparing the two. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. There are no party dictates on House members or senators in the U.S. Congress. Each member acts independently according to his conscience. Does that happen here? NO
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Saman Wijesiri / December 17, 2012
What is this rigmarole for? It is quite clear the PSC probe is unethical, illegal and unconstitutional. It is unethical, because the accuser cannot be the judge as well.Illegal because, it militates against all norms of natural justice. Unconstitutional because it violates the provisions of Article 4. There is no need to cite other details to demonstrate that it was a mockery!
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Retired Judicial Officer / December 17, 2012
Except sycophants all denounce the manner in which KEKILLE set about this drama at great cost to the country and its well admired judiciary till jokers like womaniser Sarath Silva and a self and family only centred Asoka Silva and Balapatabendi appeared.
If Justice Mark Fernando was made CJ by that foolish woman who also misled the gullible voters the history of the country would have been different.
The country would not have passed on to a one time library clerk who entered law college not after the usual process but by Mrs B asking the Principal to take a young fellow as amark of gratitude to his father who walked out with SWRD in 1952.Having grabbed power he put the security officer Chamal as Speaker.Prseidency and Parliament is one with a bunch of clowns who are rubber stamps.This Parliament costs the poor man over a million a day.In addition all rob the country with Basil leading,it is said that he was a petrol pumper in LA.NO ONE KNOWS WHAT HE DID FOR A LIVING HERE.
The Presidency must be abolished and the pressure must be maintained by all till a Parliamentary system with checks and balances and an independent judiciary gets clearly set.
Shirani Bandaranayake must be tried by an independent panel and justice must be done to her and also the country as no one is defending an individual.This seat as Chief Justice which smells of the excreta of ASOKA SILVa must be cleaned fully.He cleaned with his shit trouser what the other Silva left behind.
The first step is the scrapping of the PUS report and the other is amending the flawed constituition and restoring the 17th amendment till a new constituition is drafted acceptable to all.
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Tholkaya / December 18, 2012
Retired Nadukaraya,
I believe, we must liberate ourselves from all colonial hangovers. At one time, GA’s were called ‘ajantha hamuduruwo’. But, after 1956, we have somehow managed to get rid of that menial ‘hamuduruwo’ mentality from the GAs head. And today it is completely out of such administrators. We have also rid of Queen’s ability to interfere on our affairs after enacting the 1971 constitution.
But ‘nadukara hamuduruwo’, lingered on for JRJ reintroduced the false wigs and the black coats to a section of the society with his 1977 constitution. WOGs loved it but we ordinary folks laughed at their ‘boru show’ if not hated it.
Superior judges try to inflict fear psychosis on ordinary folks with their black coats and wigs with false white hair. Lesser judges in magistrate and other courts use ‘Tholkayas’ and court sergeants to shout abuse at litigants for even minor bearing such as the way we sit to force fear on us. Clearly, ‘nadukara hamuduruwo’ does not earn respect but demand respect by imposing regimental attitude on court attendees. They do not know that by and large people dislike judges and hate their accomplices ‘black coated’ sharks.
Like in the US, our judges must come down to earth and earn respect by shedding their colonial mentality. If a judge is addressed ‘judge’ in the US and many other countries, we too must address our judges ‘nadukaraya’. We can do that only when we defrock the black coats of our nadukaraya and rid of their false wigs.
Sri Lanka is no Pakistan. You will realize whether or not the ordinary people back the black coats and the CJ or the government when she is sacked. Only then the pay masters of NGOs realise the false facade of their geezers that stood in the front.
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chandra / December 17, 2012
Thank you CT for publishing a diverse and a “fusion” of opinions and comments-
Lets keep it real
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Siripala Jayasinghe / December 17, 2012
Chandraprema is the sycophant paid to praise Gota. He desrcribed the war as Gota’s doing. He is a bootlicker,lier, and a disgrace. Shame for any news sheet to have him. Let him wash up for MR the monster.
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ASIF / December 19, 2012
Impeach all the Rajapakse family and his gangsters in Parliament,then automatically justice will prevail.
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