C R L International

Photo by : Jack Thielepape

Senator Barack Obama - the elected President of the United States of America

C R L salutes you and sends you congradulatory wishes on this historic turning point in the life of the earth, its people, the animal and the plant world.

Echoes of hope for a humane Sri Lankan society and a humane world were rung in the hearts of young professionals at the doorstep of their careers commiting themselves to Human Rights. A vibrant thought wave expressed years ago by Martin Luther King Jr has traversed our home the Mother Earth re-echoed today by Barack Obama and the people of the United States of America turnng a dream into reality. The world today is on the throes of a revolutionary social change!

It is with great delight that we share with you the extract of the speech made by Dr Charika Marasinghe as the Chief Guest on the occasion of the Diploma in Human Rights Law Award Ceremony held on 15th February 2008 at the Main Auditorium of Sausiripaya, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.

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“If we discharge our individual responsibilities selflessly with utmost dedication and commitment the results of our efforts will bear fruit not only in our life time but will continue to benefit the future generations. In 1968 Martin Luther King Jr said ” I have a dream.”

In conclusion let me quote a few inspirational lines from his dream.

“I have a dream.

It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the State of Mississippi, a State sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today! one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers……”

The dream of Martin Luther King forty odd years ago is no longer a dream. Martin Luther did not live long enough to see his dream being realised. He did not know that he had proved wrong the definition of a dream given in the Oxford Dictionary as a region outside the laws of nature as experienced in sleep or in the imagination. What would Martin Luther have said about his dream if he was fortunate enough to see Mr Obama’s presence in the US Presidential election campaign today. As responsible adults of this country let us have a dream for Sri Lanka.

As Sri Lankans of today, let us have a dream for our beloved country.

A country which we will leave behind a legacy of people-centred democratic governance as against party-centred power politics.

A country with sustainable economic policies that satisfy people’s basic needs and create a self-reliant mind-set as opposed to a dependency mentality.

We will have a dream of a set of cultural values that uphold human dignity as opposed to lost-cultural identities.

Let us dream of a Sri Lanka where there are spiritual values that foster freedom, harmony and peace among people belonging to different religous and ethnic traditions as opposed to religious and ethnic intolerance.

More than anything let us dream of a Sri Lanka where the powerful will throw away their weapons and where men and women walk hand in hand with others who have forgotten that there existed a Sri Lanka divided by war, conflict and violence.

Let us sincerely hope that we will be blessed to realise this dream for our country - Sri Lanka during our life time. Thank you”

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(Speech made by Dr Charika Marasinghe as the Chief Guest on the occasion of the Diploma in Human Rights Law Award Ceremony held on 15th February 2008 at the Main Auditorium of Sausiripaya, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka)