The people of this country by and large, have lost their faith alarmingly in the administration of justice. Unless all stakeholders, namely judges, lawyers, executives and the law enforcement authorities, commit themselves to this worthy cause, one cannot expect to uphold the Rule of Law and ensure the proper administration of justice fairly and squarely said the newly elected President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) Mr. Wijedasa Rajapakshe PC at the 38th Annual Convocation at the Taj Samudra Hotel on Saturday.

The Convocation held under the patronage of Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem, Court of Appeal President Sriskandarajah, Attorney General Eva Wanasundara and Solicitor General Palitha Fernando.

He said it was evident that people of this country by and large, have lost their faith alarmingly in the administration of justice, owing to a multitude of reasons. It is a paramount truth that one cannot expect to uphold the Rule of Law and ensure the proper administration of justice fairly and squarely in any country, unless all stakeholders, namely judges, lawyers, the executive and the law enforcement authorities, commit themselves to this worthy cause, sinking all their differences.

For a fairly long time, people have lost their confidence and faith in the legislature. The most expressed public opinion is that they are corrupt, inefficient and sluggish and serve only to secure the interests of the high and the mighty, ignoring the aspirations of the people. Notwithstanding the dilapidated condition the Judiciary has maintained its integrity and independence as the guardian of the people, amidst all such storms and turbulences, right along.

He noted that the good relations between the Bar and the Bench also had been distanced, distressingly in many instances.

Therefore it is incumbent upon the members of both the Bar and the Judiciary to restore it to the required standards and consolidate our relations. The continuation of this undesirable state of affairs eventually would jeopardise the legitimate expectations of the People.

Mr. Rajapakshe said the majority of members of his profession and the general public are not all that happy about the upholding of the Rule of Law in our country. Now the time has dawned for us to make amends for our omissions and commissions and embark upon a new path. Secretary Mr.sanjaya Gamage read over the names of the Ex- Co members while Anoma Gunathilaka made the vote of thanks.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka