Human rights - past and present

Fifty three years ago, Western nations after engaging themselves in the worst human carnage ever known to mankind sat down together at San Francisco along with other nation states and established the United Nations to eliminate the scourge of war for ever. Three years later they signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which proclaimed: 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and that should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Before the United Nations came into existence, for four to five centuries before, Western nations conquered and decimated entire continents such as the Americas, Africa and Australia leaving only straggling bands of the indigenous people of these continents. During these colonial conquests the leaders of the conquered people spoke of human rights and the dignity of man and not their conquerors.

Even after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights were viewed in an eclectic manner by Western nations. They quite correctly pointed out to the violation of human rights in the Soviet bloc and China. But bloody dictators such as Chiang Kai Shek of Taiwan, Syghman Rhee and Park Chung Hee (South Korea) Dien Diem (Vietnam) Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines), the Shah of Iran and others of similar ilk were considered allies because of their pro-Western policies. They were supported an backed by Western powers, particularly by the United States. Human Rights in pro-West Arab countries, even today, are not of much concern to the west who see only particular countries as violators of human rights. Who speaks of human rights violation of Asian workers in Saudi Arabia or the oil rich sheikdoms ?

While all nations and every decent human being should be committed to safeguarding and observing human rights, the use of human rights as a foreign policy instrument by Western governments has to be taken cognisance of. In the post Cold War Era where the Western powers have decided on policies of trade and investments such as globalisation, free trade and free flow of investments. human rights is been used to coerce Third World countries into submission.

The sudden concern for human rights among former colonial powers came about after the American defeat in Vietnam, during President Jimmy Carter's tenure of office. human rights have been proclaimed the foremost consideration in countries where these are supposed to be violated today.

The great religions of the world, particularly Buddhism enunciated human rights and even the right to life of animals in 550 BC. It is these nations that are being hectored to such as this week which where ceremonies are held to mark the fiftieth year of the Declaration of Human Rights.

While many nations with ancient civilisations such as Sri Lanka have known human rights millennia before the stout defenders of these rights today, it has to be admitted that in our countries there are fratricidal wars going on where human rights are being violated and the end in most instances is not in sight. While the main cause for such conflicts stems from the manner in which former colonial powers carved up sovereign states, it has to be admitted that the peoples of these countries have not been able to adhere to the tenets of their religions such as the equality of mankind and the freedom of thought and belief.

However, even today's pious preachers of human rights are themselves violators. For example, the London based Amnesty International in its latest report accuses the champion of them all, the United States of America of 'double standards' and creating a 'climate in which human rights violations thrive'.

The report says: 'While successive US governments have used international human rights standards as a yardstick to judge other countries, they have not consistently applied the same standards at home..... Across the USA people have been kicked, punched, choked and shot by police officers even when they posed no threat'. The report also says that much of the abuse is linked to racism. The US has not succeeded in eradicating discriminatory treatment of blacks, nations and other minority groups' the report says.

While Western-sponsored NGOs in Third World countries and international wire services,so concerned about violation of human rights, have not been writing much of US violations, it is no excuse for us not to dedicate ourselves to protect human rights which generations before the Declaration of Human rights had committed themselves to.

At this point of time when our self proclaimed righteous monitors of human rights are wanting to rap us on our knuckles, its best that we re-dedicate ourselves to protection of human rights cherished by our ancestors and also commit ourselves to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which Sri Lanka is a signatory.