The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which was held in Colombo last week predictably proved to be a pointless exercise. The Commonwealth is a group of countries previously ruled by the British. There is hardly anything common about the Commonwealth. The main cementing factor is commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Sri Lanka, the host country, faced flak from many member countries for its violation of human rights and war crimes. But the relevance of the Commonwealth is in doubt as it does not take a stand against member nations. Only 27 heads of government out of 53 attended the Colombo meeting. The Queen of England was conspicuous by her absence. Other absentees were Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Chandra Rangoolan.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that the summit was a reaffirmation of the spirit and willingness to stay together as a unique collection of nations. But facts do not confirm it. British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Jaffna and said that if progress was not seen before March, he would urge the UN Human Rights Commission for a full, credible and independent international inquiry. It was a condemnation of the Rajapaksa government’s human rights record. Australia and Canada refused to back a ‘Capital Green Fund’ to help smaller states tackle climate change. It was a major setback. The statement released at the end of the meeting emphasized agreement on addressing problems like poverty reduction, trade and youth affairs. But the group has hardly what it takes to fulfill the objectives.
