{"id":46465,"date":"2016-05-02T14:43:45","date_gmt":"2016-05-02T18:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=46465"},"modified":"2016-05-02T14:43:45","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T18:43:45","slug":"was-media-ministry-secy-nimal-bopage-told-by-a-higher-authority-to-issue-controversial-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=46465","title":{"rendered":"Was Media Ministry Secy Nimal Bopage Told by a “Higher Authority” to Issue Controversial Statement?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

C.A.Chandraprema<\/strong><\/p>\n

Relations between the government and a section of the media are obviously strained. For some time now the prime minister has been criticizing the media both in and outside parliament often naming names. The president joined the prime minister soon afterwards speaking critically in an interview with the BBC about the web based media saying that these websites were \u2018kele paththara\u2019 and that he does not look at websites anymore; this despite the fact that websites had done most of the spadework to bring this government into power.<\/p>\n

When the president met the heads of media institutions last Thursday, the websites were not invited. This was followed by a furious article on the Sri Lanka Mirror website reminding Sirisena that the web media played a major role in toppling the Rajapaksa regime, and that this was the second time the web media had been sidelined by the president. (The first being a meeting last September.) <\/p>\n

The Sri Lanka Mirror said that during the Rajapaksa administration, the mainstream media gave step-motherly treatment to the opposition, which only had websites and the social media to carry its message to the people. It complained that web journalists were not invited to attend even cabinet and other government press briefings. SLM said that the last Thursday\u2019s meeting with the heads of media institutions, had been organized by Shiral Laktilleke who had moved closely with the web media earlier but who now ignores them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Speaking of the president\u2019s meeting with the media heads last Wednesday, the audience listened to what the president had to say. They were then invited to ask questions. Breakfast followed and the president was available for further interaction before his departure. His opening speech dwelt mostly with the past and referred to the \u2018dooshithayin\u2019 and \u2018thakkadin\u2019 who were running the country earlier and he expressed regret that some media organizations were trying to restore the same \u2018dooshitha thakkadiyas\u2019 to power. He also impressed upon the media heads the fact that an election has to be held for a new government to be formed and that there was absolutely no chance of a change of government through a \u2018parliamentary coup\u2019.<\/p>\n

It was in such a background that the new secretary of the Media Ministry Nimal Bopage issued a media release the very next day saying among other things that using the term \u2018Joint Opposition\u2019 was legally incorrect and that the media was promoting (pravardhanaya karanawa) the use of this term and that by doing so journalists may fall foul of the law. It needs hardly be said that this media release raised a hornet\u2019s nest in Colombo. But Media Minister Gayantha Karunatillake moved fast to diffuse the situation by saying that the ideas expressed in that media release were the private opinions of the ministry secretary and did not reflect the views of the government. Deputy Minister Ajith P.Perera also went on record saying that ministry secretaries are appointed by the president and that it is the appointing authority that should look into disciplinary matters and that telling the media what names to use or not use was a \u2018modakama\u2019.<\/p>\n

This writer has known Nimal Bopage long enough to know that he is not a bounder. Bopage would not have put out a media statement like that unless he was told to do so by some higher authority. The ministry secretary is appointed not by the prime minister but the president. The media minister was unaware that his secretary was going to issue such a statement. If this statement had been thought of by Bopage personally, he would no doubt have consulted his minister before issuing it. The reason why he issued it without even consulting his minister was obviously because a higher authority had sanctioned it. The present writer\u2019s guess is that it was a collective decision of the cabal around President Sirisena and probably drafted by them with Bopage only placing his signature on it. President Sirisena\u2019s address to the media heads on Wednesday and the Media Secretary\u2019s press release on Thursday are a close match.<\/p>\n

A crack down on the media is in progress. Some time ago, the government issued warnings that those posting abusive statements on the president\u2019s facebook page would be hunted down and prosecuted. In fact the Chairman of the Southern Provincial Council Sampath Atukorale was arrested and remanded for a post about Sirisena that he had posted on his own facebook account. Last week a youth who had posted what was said to be death threats against the president on his facebook account had been arrested at the airport on arrival from Malaysia and later remanded. This became the talk in social media circles. The comments by readers posted below the Lankadeepa report about the arrest of this youth made interesting reading. The first post wanted to know what would happen if all those who criticized Mahinda in the past were also arrested. The next post asked even if a death threat had been posted, did this young man come to Sri Lanka to kill the president? Another post asked if the LTTE operative who came to kill the president was released, what was the point in arresting this youth? One commentator said that given the present situation it was safer not to make any comment at all!<\/p>\n

While all this was going on, Colombo Telegraph ran a lead story stating “Crackdown On Free Speech Now Official: Social Media Critic Suspended”. Following on the heels of the arrest of the youth who returned from Malaysia, an employee of the Mattala Airport, one K.L.K Priyankara had been suspended without pay pending an inquiry into him having made posts in the social media insulting the president and various ministers and criticizing the government. Of course we won\u2019t know for certain whether these things are happening due to instructions from the top echelons of the government or whether some eager primate like individuals with swords and low IQs are doing what they think they should do to protect the interests of their boss.<\/p>\n

Looking at the unfolding events, one cannot help but think that we should oppose with one voice the Right to Information Bill that is now before parliament. This Bill has been specifically designed to circumvent the need to divulge information that the government wants to keep under wraps. Since the economy is the Achilles heel of this government and they know it, the RTI Bill now before parliament has sought to exempt some of the most important economic agencies including the Central Bank from having to divulge information. This RTI Bill is not the only horror that the government has lined up for us.<\/p>\n

At a press conference held in Matara recently, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera mooted the idea of regulating the electronic media. He said that while there has to be a free media in a country, it is the duty of the government to see to it that this media freedom is used \u2018responsibly\u2019. He said that in advanced countries like the USA and UK, while there is complete media freedom, there are also independent bodies that have been set up to ensure that media ethics are not violated and that the media acts fairly. America has the Federal Communications Commission and the UK has the Broadcasting Authority. Samaraweera said that a similar institution should be set up to make media freedom \u2018more meaningful\u2019 and a body which can accept complaints about the media and make decisions about them should be set up in accordance with international laws after discussions with the Sri Lankan media and drawing upon international experience. The minister added that this was only an idea at this moment. However it must be said in fairness to the government that there has been a sea change in the State media and publications of the government controlled press are readable. This is also true of the state electronic media under the new dispensation.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Island<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By C.A.Chandraprema Relations between the government and a section of the media are obviously strained. For some time now the prime minister has been criticizing the media both in and outside parliament often naming names. The president joined the prime minister soon afterwards speaking critically in an interview with the BBC about the web based …<\/p>\n

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