Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Genre: Law, Human Rights, Political Science, Sri Lankan Studies, Reference

Book Review:
''A Legacy to Remember'' is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to understand the complex landscape of justice and accountability in modern Sri Lanka. Published by the respected Law & Society Trust and edited by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena, this reference guide systematically documents and analyzes the Commissions of Inquiry appointed between 1963 and 2002.

What sets this work apart is its dual nature: it functions as both a comprehensive reference tool—with tabulated lists of commission reports and recommendations—and a critical analysis of these bodies' effectiveness in achieving justice. The preface poses uncomfortable but necessary questions: Have these commissions, established by successive political regimes, truly prioritized ''justice, truth and reconciliation for victims as core objectives of their work''?

The book's critique is sobering. It documents how commissions have been ''overwhelmingly ad hoc in nature,'' appointed with ''little forethought about substance and process,'' and hampered by ''insufficient funding, facilities and independence.'' The result has been a loss of public faith in commission proceedings and victims' reluctance to seek relief through these mechanisms.

Yet the book doesn't merely criticize; it looks forward. By examining successful truth commissions and inquiry mechanisms in other countries, it offers alternative models for reconciliation in Sri Lanka, while honestly acknowledging the difficulties of implementation in a context where ''the basic securing of Rule of Law norms in constitutional and legal processes is singularly absent.''

For legal scholars, human rights advocates, policymakers, and anyone committed to understanding Sri Lanka's journey toward accountability and reconciliation, this book is essential reading. It transforms raw historical data into a compelling argument for more meaningful approaches to justice. The Law & Society Trust has produced a work that not only documents the past but challenges us to imagine—and work toward—a more just future.