Interview with Justice C.G. Weeramantry
Justice C.G. Weeramantry was bestowed Sri Lankabhimanya, the highest National Honour of Sri Lanka in 2007. Justice Weeramantry also won the UNESCO Peace Education Prize in 2006 and the Right Livelihood Award in 2007, considered alternative Nobel Prize.
In this interview conducted a few months ago, Justice Weeramantry talks about the importance of peace education in post-war Sri Lanka as a pillar of reconciliation. He also looks back at his career in law and experience as a Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1991 to 2000.
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Justice Weeramantry obviously does not wish to express views about the state of justice, rule of law and the judiciary itself, in sri lanka. He being a jurist of international stature and a citizen of this country should have, I thought expressed his views on the present situation, which would have been welcomed by the legal fraternity. I expected more from him which may have been useful to all who are concerned about what is happening here and now.He speaks mainly of training young minds who aspire to study law, in the global context of international law. Only once he mentioned”justice” & that too only with regard to “peace”.
For me, a very diappointing interview.
It was refreshing to listen to the Justice’s views especially his point about introducing “peace” as a subject of education in all schools universally. It is only by cultivating such ethos from a young age can we expect to divert attention from pre-occupation with wars to peace. As he also emphasised peace has to go with justice and rule of law, both at national and international levels. Will Sri Lanka take the lead in introducing this as a subject in school curricula ands set the lead with the new accent on reconciiation? Of course this will involve looking into curricula and availabilty of teaching materials on the subject, possibly under his guidance.
I wonder if his idea of universal application of teaching “peace” been broached with UNESCO as the concerned UN body.
There was one vital point which was missed out in the interview by both Interviewer and the Justice. Should not the subject matter most importantly be also discussed and taught to politicians who decide on matters of peace and war in the final analysis! Perhaps it should start at the very top.
What about governance and its role in peace building because of their interlocking nature.?
Oh justita, be disappointed in everything in life. others are not!
not everyone confirms to the perception you ty to create with your negative comments which has no real value.
There is no war in Sri Lanka and so the question of “peace” does not arise. What has to be taught is “respecting the other persons rights and dignity ” while observing our “duties” and doing it faithfully. If these qualities are cultivated in the young minds and they are taught to practice same, then there would be harmony and tranquility in the country and the rest of the world. That is the concept in all religions not excluding Buddhism, said to be the religion of the majority in Sri Lanka.
A wise man. He sees that what is the problem in Sri Lanka is their dominant attitudes with regard to social and legal justice. That kind of a cultural problem can only be tackled with education. Only then will ideas of peace take strong root in the country and get the country off the wagon of violence.
Writing from Canada, I am somewhat removed from the problems in Sri Lanka, but I got the impression Justice Weeramantry was very guarded in his comments and probably did not say what he truly felt about the erosion of justice in Sri Lanka due to political interference. It would be a pity if winning the war against a terror group does not project into strengthening of the impartiality of the judicial system. Unfortunately, it is not lack of integrity in the judges but the fear of political interference.