Lobby

Govt.’s call for responsible media culture falls on deaf ears

An Opposition bereft of initiative has nothing to add but repeat the obvious at House debates
By Chandani Kirinde, Our Lobby Correspondent

Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella spoke some home truths in Parliament last week during the committee stage debate of his Ministry. He said the Opposition should support Government moves to build a responsible media culture in the country from what exists at present, because the day the Opposition comes to power, it would also serve them well.

While there were no takers for the Minister’s suggestion to support the Government on forging a “responsible media culture”, part of the paternalistic attitude of the Government towards the people on several issues, many of the Opposition speakers who spoke out as great advocates of media freedom too sounded rather duplicitous, given the fact that, during their time in power, many of these same politicians turned a ‘Nelsonian’ eye to the plight of the media.

For many Government speakers, their gauge for media freedom in the country was the recent proliferation by radio and television stations, along with a large number of new publications. This fact was emphasised by several UPFA legislators including a former Media Minister and now Minister of Environment Anura Priyadharsha Yapa and journalist-turned politician, Galle district MP Manusha Nanayakkara.

At the same time, many of the ruling party parliamentarians who spoke, also supported Government moves to register all websites with the Media Minister, saying it was needed to shield the people, especially the younger generations from the obscenities that appear on them. While no one can speak in support of all the material that appear on websites, trying to regulate them by way of registration is a futile exercise, given the fact that it is near impossible to block any website completely. Instead, Government would be better served if it was more transparent in its dealing in matters of public concern, the absence of which has led to much of the speculative reports that get highlighted on these websites.

When the votes of the Ministry of External Affairs was taken up for debate, much emphasis was laid on how the Government has failed to deal effectively with the concerns of the international community, particularly with regard to human rights violations and accountability issues during the last stages of the war. While these are pertinent matters to be addressed, the Opposition did not bring up more serious matters about the manner in which the External Affairs Ministry is being run.

Issues like the flooding of Sri Lankan missions abroad with political appointees, no longer confined to the top post, but at all other levels is one such issue which has resulted in many blunders being made, particularly in western nations, in dealing with matters that have proved to be detrimental to the interest of the country. Opposition legislators, however, did not speak on such matters, instead, overly emphasizing the international concerns that have been expressed regarding human rights issues in the country, but equal emphasis is needed on the shortcomings within the External Ministry.

TNA MP R. Sampanthan, in his lengthy speech, said that the country’s foreign policy was a failure. “We have antagonised and, unfortunately, alienated several liberal democracies who were once close friends, and who once had much respect for us,” he said.

Going by some of the remarks made by External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris , it was not clear if the Government is serious about maintaining cordial relations with all the countries which were once the county’s close allies. Minister Peiris said, he “ rejects with disgust’, the submission by the TNA Parliamentary group MP Sampanthan, on the need for an investigation involving the United Nations, on accountability issues in Sri Lanka, scoffing at the suggestion saying, “Sri Lankan does not need an international policemen to solve her internal problem.”

While that may be true, Sri Lanka also cannot forego her international obligations, being a member of the UN and numerous other international bodies including the Commonwealth, the next meeting of the Heads of Government of which it will host in 2013. The very same Government which emphasises the need for the media to act with “responsibility”, needs to take a cue from what it preaches to the media. While the media needs to be responsible, so does the Government when dealing with issues which are of concern to both Sri Lankans as well as members of the International Community.

And with the tabling of the report of the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) in Parliament on Friday, several of the issues that the Government was fighting shy of addressing, will now need to be addressed.

Leader of the House- Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, who presented the report, said that Government would investigate specific cases of human rights violations that have been highlighted in it. The Government is firmly of the opinion that these situations require thorough investigation in the first instance, and punitive action in terms of the law, if wrongdoing is established,” he said. Minister De Silva said that the findings arrived at in this process will form the basis of a decision whether criminal proceedings can be instituted.


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