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Media should express views boldly and freely - Minister

by A. H. M. Farook

Journalists should express views boldly and free from any bondage or emotional outbursts. They should also be conscious of the multi ethnic, multi religious and multi lingual realities of the island, said Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs Minister, Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku.

The minister was speaking as chief guest at the certificate awarding ceremony in connection with the completion of the seminar and workshop on 'The role of media in conflict resolution' at Hotel Ranmuthu, Colombo.

"There had been conflicts and breach of confidence between ethnic groups in the past too. Even after independence this trend continued. This is a tragic scenario," the minister said.

Kodituwakku said when this trend continued to create disharmony with every government leading to ethnic conflict people began to question if we had no other choice.

It was at this stage that the people gave a mandate to form a government under the leadership of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Other political parties including the SLMC and the CWC too supported the Prime Minister to form the UNF government, he said.

"The government has now embarked on a peace initiative which has created the ground work for permanent peace. Yet we face obstacles in this process. Meanwhile a new hope has also emerged. The government has also started a systematic programme without rushing through the issues haphazardly," the minister said.

"This is where the media should intervene and play a responsible role. Media men should present material in an unbiased manner. This way they can create a healthy atmosphere which would facilitate politicians to take suitable decisions," Kodituwakku said.

The minister called upon future journalists to view issues positively and negatively so that results could be achieved. 

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