Muttiah ‘Murali’ Muralitharan is the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket history and Sri Lanka’s greatest player of all time. He is also a dedicated humanitarian and philanthropist, serving as a trustee of the Foundation of Goodness, which seeks to help Sri Lanka’s rural poor.
In this exclusive interview for the Commonwealth Conversation, he talks about the power of sport to unite people irrespective of race and religionand what the Commonwealth could do to help Sri Lanka build a better future.
Sir Paul Reeves, the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Fiji, says that the suspension of Fiji from the Commonwealth does not mean the expulsion of her people. In an interview just prior to his visit to Fiji on 8-9 September 2009, Sir Paul, who is the former Governor-General of New Zealand, said that he hopes the Commonwealth can continue to offer assistance in restoring democratic governance in Fiji.
Zimbabwe is emerging from a serious political conflict and an economic meltdown. In those circumstances, Zimbabwe has received wide-ranging humanitarian support in the past and we thank the international community for that. But we need to move to a stage where transitional support is targeted ensuring the transition moves on and is consolidated. My appeal is for transitional support in the key areas that will strengthen the capacity of the new state in the new political dispensation these include education, health, water and agriculture for food self-sufficiency. These are, I admit, insatiable needs, but we have to limit ourselves to the committed resources.
How can the Commonwealth help Zimbabwe? Should we be doing more? And is progress possible with Mugabe as President? Discuss below.
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