By Captain CoCo
Mr. President, CoCo has one simple request: please look carefully at the proposed extension of the retirement age of judges. This is not about attacking the Government. It is not about supporting or opposing any individual judge. It is about asking a very simple question that ordinary people may also be asking: Why is this necessary, and who will benefit from it?
We all understand that Sri Lanka has a serious problem with delays in courts. There are too many cases, not enough judges and many people have been waiting for justice for years. Experienced judges are valuable, and nobody can deny that. If keeping experienced judges for a little longer genuinely helps solve this problem, the Government should explain that clearly to the people. But when a major change is proposed, especially one involving the Constitution and the country’s highest judicial positions, people have every right to ask questions.
Mr. President, please do not mistake questions for opposition. Questions are part of democracy. People want to understand why the change is needed, what alternatives were considered and what evidence shows that extending the retirement age is the best solution. If there are not enough judges, why can more judges not be appointed? If cases are taking too long, what are the other reasons? If there are vacancies, why are they not filled quickly? If extending service is the answer, how many additional cases can actually be handled because of it? These are simple questions, but they deserve clear answers.
There is another issue that CoCo believes deserves your immediate attention. Every chair occupied at the top is also a chair that someone below is waiting for. When a senior person stays for another two or three years, it may seem like only a small extension. But for a young officer waiting for promotion, those years can be very important. That young person may have worked for decades, prepared for the next position and believed that one day it would be his or her turn. When that opportunity keeps moving further away, frustration naturally grows.
And Mr. President, this concern will not remain only within the judiciary. If judges can receive longer service because their experience is important, other senior public officials may reasonably ask, “Why not us?” Heads of departments, senior administrators and other professionals may also say that their experience is valuable and that they too should remain longer. Then we could slowly create a public service where the people at the top stay longer and the young people below keep waiting.
Experience is important. But experience should be transferred, not used to block the future. A government position does not belong permanently to the person sitting in it. It belongs to the institution. And that institution belongs to the people.
CoCo is also worried about the young generation. Young officers today are thinking differently. They want fair systems. They want transparent promotions. They want clear rules. They want opportunities based on ability and performance. They are not necessarily asking older people to leave simply because they are older. They are asking for a fair chance to move forward. Young blood is not a problem. Young blood is the future of the country.
There is also something important about fear. When people remain silent, it does not always mean they agree. Sometimes they are afraid to speak. They may fear losing a promotion, being transferred or being labelled difficult. But fear cannot create genuine loyalty. Fear only pushes problems underground. One day those problems can come out much more strongly.
Therefore, Mr. President, if there is no hidden agenda, make that clear through transparency. Show the people the numbers. Show the vacancies. Show the problems. Show the alternatives. Show why this particular solution is necessary. Listen to judges, lawyers, young officers, constitutional experts and ordinary citizens. Let people see that the decision is being made for the country—not for a few people.
CoCo is not saying that every extension of service is wrong. CoCo is saying something much simpler: before changing an important rule, ask who gains, who waits and what happens to the institution.
Real power is not keeping people in powerful chairs for as long as possible. Real power is having the courage to build a system that works even after you leave.
Mr. President, Sri Lanka needs experienced people. But Sri Lanka also needs new people. It needs continuity, but it also needs renewal. It needs senior wisdom, but it must not close the door on young talent.
So, Mr. President, CoCo’s message is simple: please look beyond the chair. Look at the person waiting behind it. Look at the young generation. Look at the institution. Look at the people who elected you.
Do not simply ask, “Can we do this?”
Ask the more important question:
“Is this the right thing to do for Sri Lanka?”
If the answer is yes, explain it openly.
If there are doubts, listen.
And if another solution is better, have the courage to choose it.
Because positions are temporary. Power is temporary. Governments are temporary. But the institutions we build today must serve Sri Lanka long after all of us are gone.
Mr. President, your immediate attention, please.