Editorial : Lawyers, here’s your vision and mission

Judge C.G. Weeramantry, former senior vice president of the international Court of Justice (ICJ) made the prophetic call when addressing a ceremony on Tuesday evening to mark the launching of Volume 2 of his memoirs in the book titled, “Towards one world”. This volume covers his work in Australia and significantly the ceremony was held at the Australian High Commission in Colombo with the High Commissioner presiding.
 

Judge Weeramantry, preaching what he practises as he normally does, urged lawyers to remember that theirs was not just a profession but a vocation where they are called to work for the people not only in the courts but in the country, society and all over the world. For this purpose he believes that the law studies’ curriculum should be taken to a broader realm by including subjects such as philosophy, sociology, history, international relations and other topics to give lawyers a new vision and goals in their vocation. He expressed regret that law studies in countries such as Sri Lanka were largely limited to law books and the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law which helps and encourages people without casting heavy burdens and financial costs on them. Such a vision has been promoted not only by eminent international jurists from ancient times but also by the leaders of major religions. 
 

Judge Weeramantry’s book is an inspiring story of how a single lawyer has been able to achieve phenomenal results in a variety of global problems threatening the future of the human race. It shows how he has contributed significantly to the fight against apartheid, protecting the environment, safeguarding the rights of future generations establishing the total illegality of nuclear weapons, avoiding a clash of civilizations, integrating global religious values into international law, remedying breaches of international trusteeship and preventing the erosion of human rights by the growing power of technology. Indeed as Shakespeare and Kipling would say, ‘This is a man.’ Lawyers and judges in Sri Lanka need to learn from this man and his books. If they had done so, we would not be in a crisis of the politicization of the judiciary and the Supreme Court would have been a bastion of democracy, as it is in several countries including India.
 

Judge Weeramantry’s memoirs also show how his vision, perspectives and goals have been hailed by the United Nations Secretary General and incorporated in the encyclopedia of social inventions in London as being among the five hundred best ideas from around the world for tackling social problems and improving the quality of life. His inter-religious work has been deeply appreciated by the Dalai Lama among others, his writing against apartheid though banned by the apartheid regime was secretly reprinted by the resistance movement of South Africa and his work on the crisis in legal systems led to the institution of a Law Week in Victoria. This has been held for thirty years and has spread throughout Australia. 
 

Tragically the 87-year-old Judge Weeramantry’s vision and example have seldom been practised in Sri Lanka. So much so that many people believe the law is not only an ass but a rich man’s ass. But perhaps it is not too late and now is the time for all good lawyers to take this brief from Judge Weeramantry and turn their profession from a book-case to a case-study for peace, social justice and good governance.