COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT – MUCH TO BLAME
The Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat Mr. Kamalesh Sharma has
seemingly sought to protect the Sri Lankan Government from the continuous criticism
it faces. Recent news reports state that he was involved in the suppression of
Commonwealth reports pertaining to the dismissal of the Sri Lankan Chief Justice in
early January this year.
Canada’s Special Envoy to the Commonwealth Hugh Segal called the Secretary
General’s decision not to disclose the findings of the two reports in his possession a
“scandal”. He said that “[A]ny Secretary General who denies member states critical
information on vital issues is “unduly disrespectful of the need for full transparency in
Commonwealth deliberations.” Both reports have since then been leaked to the media
and have proved critical of the Sri Lankan Government.
Recently, the Commonwealth Secretariat praised the handling of the elections in Sri
Lanka’s Northern Province in September while news reports on the ground reported
that there was much voter intimidati ?[??H? H?[?Y]\?? H?H[?\???\ ?\?? ?\?H] X??Y[?\??\?H?\? ?^\??Y??H H[X?[???[? HR??]Z[\?[?] ?[??Y?[Y[? ?] H??[[??X[ [\??Y?] ??? ?YHZ[[? ?[? ??\? ?? YX\?????H] ??[? ? H??[[??X[ ?[??[?YK? ?[YHZ[?\?\??\[?\?\?[???[??Y ]? ]?H ?\????[??] H ??[H?] ????[?[??[??
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