NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL COMMONWEALTH DOCTRINE – Minister Peiris

Responding to Canadian Senator Hugh Segal who spoke on the subject “Commonwealth as a source for greater good’ at the Lakshman Kadirgarmar Institute recently, External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris said that the Commonwealth should respect diversity and not play the role of a policeman.

Senator Segal in his address said that the Commonwealth core values should be used a source for greater good and that the CMAG (Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group) should take a reinvigorated role with regard to oversight on domestic governance issues of member countries, adding that the Commonwealth should reorient itself and take on a different kind of a role ‘in keeping with its core-values.’

Minister Peiris responded saying: There should be adaptation and things do not stand still. Diversity is essential. The Commonwealth is a collection of equal states, and it is a celebration of the diversity of member states.

There are different ways of looking at things and different cultural backgrounds, among Commonwealth member countries.

There are sixty four countries in the Commonwealth and flexibility and resilience is essential. There is no one size fits all.

Minister Peiris added: Take for instance the proposal for the appointment of a Commonwealth Human Rights Commissioner made in Perth in 2011. No more than a dozen countries supported this idea.

There is vast resentment to that kind of intrusive mechanism that makes the Commonwealth or the U.N General Assembly a foreign policeman.

As for the expended role of CMAG, it should not be applied selectively.

There are situations that are far worse than Sri Lanka’s, that are not being addressed by CMAG and that kind of discrimination is unacceptable.

For instance, he said, Canada is at odds with it own First Nations people.

When asked by an audience member about whether countries would send their full representation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in November in Colombo, Minister Peiris said, “We have expended a tremendous amount of energy for November.

There will be in addition to the Heads of Government Forum, a Commonwealth Business Forum and a Youth Forum. We will ensure that there will be a useful and productive interaction between the delegates, and the rest is up to the invitees. We are however expecting excellent representation at the highest levels.”

Senator Segal was also asked by a journalist: When the Canadian indigenous people went on hunger strike, the Canadian courts gave a ruling adverse to the Canadian government? “Yes, we did not however impeach the Chief Justice due to that adverse ruling,’ Senator Segal said. Had I not been the host I would have retorted to that inappropriate remark in a much sharper manner, Minister Peiris retorted.