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Minister of Mass Communication Imithiyaz Bakeer Markar urged both the state and private electronic and print media institutions to disseminate news and views of the UNF governments 100 day program sans any bias.

He said all media institutions irrespective of their party affiliations should report views not only of the government but also of the opposition parties with the intention of creating a vibrant media culture where its resultant benefits could be accrued to the people.

Minister Imithiyaz Bakeer Markar made these comments when he briefed a large gathering of journalists of state and private media and those press officers attached to certain government ministries, to launch a new media co-ordination program to review the 100 day development program of the United National Front government at a news conference held at the Media Ministry auditorium World Trade Centre yesterday.

Minister Bakeer Markar said that it was the intention of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to provide an equal opportunity to all political parties in the local political divide to express their views and that he had already advised journalists of the Lake House, Rupavahini, and ITN not to unduly flatter the government all the time.

" The practice of the past seven years was always to praise the party in power and thereby either ignore or neglect the good work done for the benefit of the masses by the opposition parties.

But with the assumption of power of our Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe his aim is to give an equal opportunity to all political parties to put across their opinions on behalf of the public so that the masses get to know the benefits underlined in the 100 day development programme of the new UNF administration " he said.

Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Communication Kumar Abeysinghe speaking on the occasion said the aim of the new Minister of Mass Communication is to shake up the administration of all government ministries which had gone to slumber during the last seven years.

He said the Ministry of Mass Communication solicited the co-orporation of all media groups particularly more so from the private media institutions to provide the service infrastructure to inform the public of what activities have got off the ground during the 100 day programme from the respective ministries.

Abeysinghe also pointed out that by the 25th day of each month all journalists attached to the state and private media along with the respective media officers of the ministries should convene for a regular briefing with the Minister of Mass Communication to review and analyze what progress had been achieved by the ministries during the 100 day program of the government.

Secretary to the Ministry Of Mass Communication Kumar Abeysinghe urged all journalists present to readily come forward with their difficulties experienced in their day to day professional work to the Ministry of Mass Communication and that he would endeavour to provide all assistance from the government to keep the masses truly informed of the activities of the state.

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