Media freedom

On Saturday we witnessed an ugly attack on the Jatika Rupavahini and ITN media crews that went to cover the UNP Convention held to approve the party’s support to an outsider at the forthcoming presidential poll.

This is not the first time that media crews from these institutions were attacked by persons linked to the UNP. In fact, the UNP has a notorious history of intimidating the media. One could recall the longstanding boycott of the Lake House newspapers whenever the party was in the Opposition. In fact, a party spokesman referring to the above incident claimed that the TV crews who were assaulted in front of their convention venue were not invited. Little did he know that the media do not need invitations to cover public events.

By saying that they were not invited the UNP spokesmen tried to absolve themselves of the blame for the assault and perhaps hint that they deserved the punishment for arriving without invitation.

Media, irrespective its ownership should be free to operate. The incident like any other such incident should be condemned without reservation. Denying the media access to public events means, in fact, depriving the public of their right to information.

It is interesting to note that neither the UNP Leader nor the prospective Opposition candidate has condemned the incident. It is apparent that they were privy to the incident and have condoned it.

This incident should not be taken in isolation. It should be considered in the context of a developing scenario when the State media is being singled out for persecution by the forces that are aligned against the incumbent President.

It was only last week the JVP leader said that the State media are not welcome at their public meetings. Like the UNP the JVP also has a history of intimidating and harassing the media. One could recall the number of media personnel and even news agents that were killed by the armed groups of the JVP during the reign of terror.

Now it is clear that one policy common to the UNP and the JVP in the present situation is their aversion and hatred towards State media and their desire to manhandle the media that won’t dance to their tune. These incidents show only the tip of the iceberg. What is in store yet is more threatening and dreadful.

It is time for those champions of democracy and media freedom to come out and articulate their opinions in public. Silence would be understood quite naturally as collusion.

What is at stake is not only media freedom. It is more than that. The whole democratic set up and people’s fundamental rights are being threatened by a Gestapo in the making.

Dramatising environmental concerns

The United Nations Climate Change Conference begins today in Copenhagen. There has been a lot of preparations by governments the world over. Even the United States which failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the outcome of the previous global summit on climate change is attending the Copenhagen. China has agreed to cut carbon dioxide emissions substantially. India is also expected to make a substantial contribution.

What interests us here is how small nations, both landlocked and islands have sought to dramatise their plight in order to make their voice heard at Copenhagen. Maldives held a Cabinet meeting in the sea bed to emphasise the threat they face of being submerged in the Indian Ocean.

Not to be outdone Nepal, the country that sits on top of the world literally had a Cabinet meeting at the top of Mount Everest to highlight the threat posed by global warming which has begun to melt the Himalayan glaciers. The melting glaciers have created lakes with walls that could burst and flood villages below. One believes these were not publicity stunts but results of a genuine feeling that something had to be done to bring to the knowledge of the world their plight.

What course of action could our own Cabinet of Ministers have taken to highlight the dangers faced by Sri Lanka as a result of unforeseen climate change - global warming etc.?

Perhaps they could have held an open air Cabinet meeting in the hot sun in a parched out dusty patch of land in the dry zone partaking a frugal lunch or they could have waited for an auspicious time during heavy floods and held a Cabinet meeting in several canoes under moonlight partaking a cold dinner? If they were to highlight any other environmental hazard other than climate change they could have quite comfortably held a meeting inside the Wolfendhal garbage dump that sits there permanently.