Indicating the Government’s sincere commitment to ensure media freedom , Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assured the House, though the Government sometimes criticizes the conduct of the media, there will be no room under good governance to abduct or assault even a single journalist. Participating in the committee stage debate on the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media, the Premier told the House, he would not hesitate to verbally attack the media when and where necessary, but no journalist would be harmed.
The Premier made the point that when media organizations vehemently attack the Government , the Government too has the right to respond to it and ultimately the people will come to know who is right. The Premier’s remarks were a clear testimony to the Government’s policy of creating a free media culture. Citing an example, the Premier told the House, both, the President and he, would criticise the media publicly, but they will not send any media personnel home. Tracing what happened to some journalists and private media institutions during the previous regime, the Prime Minister said, the good governance regime will not make any arson attacks or deploy the Army to abduct or kill journalists, and requested the media not to entertain doubts or fear, as the incumbent Government would not follow the former Government.
Premier Wickremesinghe in his speech, was critical of the conduct of an editor of a private English daily and said, his criticism of the editor is still valid and he would not withdraw his comments. He alleged, the particular editor tried to appease the former ruler and instigated racism. That editor asked the people to go along with Mahinda Rajapaksa, but the people rejected it. He said, a private electronic media organization is also highly critical of him, and added that he would not pelt stones at it or abduct any of their journalists. The Prime Minister told the House, he talked about media freedom and fought for it more than anybody else, so that he has the right to speak on media freedom.
However, the Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanyake who joined the debate attempted to portray that media suppression has assumed a new form under the present Government, even though the white van culture is no more. MP Dissanayake said, there was no point in castigating page one news stories in newspapers as they were on real incidents that took place in the country. He told the House that front pages of newspapers mirror social reality. Citing an example, he said, the proposal to rent vehicles for Parliamentarians at a cost of Rs. 700,000 each, has now been halted due to public opinion created against the move by the media, and added, if not, the Government would have gone ahead with the proposal.
Dissanayake said, those responsible for the assassinations of journalists, attacks on journalists and media organisations during the past, dark era should be brought to justice. He said, media suppression had reached an all-time high during the previous regime.
The Joint Opposition (JO) once again attempted to enact a drama in the well of the House demanding to hold the much delayed Local Government polls. Amid protests by JO members rising up from their seats and disturbing the sessions, JO Leader Dinesh Gunawardena demanded the Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faizer Mustapha, to hold the elections soon.
Minister Mustapaha told the vociferous JO members that there is a delay on the part of the delimitation committee, if not for which, he didn’t wish to postpone the elections. MP Gunawardena, unsatisfied with the Minister’s response queried, why he was afraid to hold the elections. Countering the MP’s remarks, Minister Mustapha told him he had nothing to be afraid of and as he said earlier the delay is with the delimitation committee.
Participating in the Committee Stage debate under the expenditure heads of Women and Child Affairs Ministry, Power and Renewable Energy Deputy Minister Ajith Perera, drew the attention of the House to the need to take legal action against MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage for filing 14 false complaints before the Bribery Commission in 2004. The Deputy Minister charged, those who have been indicted by the courts of law on charges of corruption and fraud are now carrying files to the Bribery Commission. The Deputy Minister alleged, MP Aluthgamage claiming to be on a mission to expose the ‘Top 10’ has made baseless allegations against Ministers who perform their duties with responsibility. Deputy Minister Perera pointed out how MP Aluthgamage made a similar attempt, complaining against 14 Ministers in February, 2004, and after investigations, the Bribery Commission closed all 14 files due to lack of evidence to substantiate the allegations. The Deputy Minister said, the Bribery Commission has legal provision to take action against MP Aluthgamage for deliberately making false complaints to insult others.
Regarding the decision to pay Rs.100,000 monthly allowance to MPs, Premier Wickremesinghe told the House that the Government had decided to pay Rs. 100,000 as monthly allowance for MPs to enable them to help people in their constituencies. He said, this is not a take home allowance. The Premier justifying the decision said, MPs have to attend weddings, funerals and other functions where they are expected to give gifts and cash donations. The salary drawn by an MP is not enough to meet all such expenses so that they obtain money from others. He queried which is better; enabling these MPs to help their constituents or to let them obtain money from others? The Premier strongly maintained the opinion that the salaries of MPs too should be increased. He said some journalists and editors of newspapers draw higher salaries than MPs. The Premier drew the attention of the House to an instance where an English daily had published the story about the Rs 100,000 payment to the MPs. He said, its editor and others requested for a pay hike last year and pointed out there is no issue when their salaries are increased, but when salaries of MPs are increased it is wrong, according to them. These newspapers encouraged extremism and attacked him as he is not an extremist.
The controversy over IGP Pujith Jayasundara’s recent remarks on taking persons into custody by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division during a Police commemorative event at Ratnapura came to light on the floor of the House, and President Maithripala Sirisena told Parliament on Thursday that he would call for explanation from the IGP. Soon after the President completed his speech during the committee stage debate on the National Dialogue, National Integration and Reconciliation and Disaster Management Ministries, Joint Opposition MP Wimalaweera Dissanayake demanded to know how the IGP assured that there would be no arrests of a particular person by the FCID even before the investigations.
MP Dissanayke told the House that they saw on Television the previous night how the IGP was ‘bending the law’ again.
This time he tells a Minister over the phone that the FCID would not arrest a particular Nilame. But other opposition MPs shouted that it was Neelam, not Nilame.
The MP said, he would like to know whether the IGP was referring to the Basnayake Nilame of the Devinuwara Devale. The President responding to the MP said, he too watched that visual on television and what the IGP did was completely wrong and he would summon him and call for explanations.The Opposition MPs thanked the President profusely for the quick response and thumped on their desks in approval.
The following day, the Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake who participated in the committee stage debate demanded that Parliament should be informed of the person the IGP had been talking about over the phone, during a Police commemorative event at Ratnapura.