Archives

A nation's independence and freedom of its media

by Miran Perera

After 150 years of British rule during which time the country witnessed many an insurrection the Ceylonese were given something to rave about when independence was handed over by his Royal Majesty King George of England. Yet there were people in our country who did like the presence of the Englishmen.

The first Independence Day of our country was celebrated on February 4, in 1948 amidst a media extravaganza unparallel in the history of our country.

Then there was no television but the popular press and vocal media supplicated to the needs of those involved in the festivities. During this time the local media was agog for news especially in Colombo because Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester brother of the reigning King of England George vi was expected with the Duchess for a formal ceremony in Colombo. Everybody who are aware of the style in which the local media in Sri Lanka has functioned during the last fifty five years in which our country's post independent history would undoubtedly accept of her paced gargantuan strides under the leaderships of our able Presidents and Prime Ministers.

Almost all of them were desirous of a quest of establishing a free media culture.

The Independence Day celebrations were held at the Independence Hall at the Independence Square which had been specially built for the occasion. This was an instance where for the very first time that the expertise of our traditional artisans, artists and craftsmen were put on public display for all to see.

The scene that morning was glittering to go by newspaper pictures. Television was not even a media dream at the time.

The huge audience hall sat in the proper way to suite the momentous occasion.

They were in bated breath awaiting the moment of arrival of the Duke, and Duchess of Gloucester. Newspaper pictures showed the Duke and Duchess on the dais, the Duchess resplendent in satin and diamonds. Also on the dais were the newly sworn in Governor General of Ceylon, Sir Henry Monck Mason Moore the last of the British Governors.

Also present in grandeur was the newly Independent Ceylon's first Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake. During that momentous occasion D. S. Senanayake the first Prime Minister of Independent Ceylon said that our country's newly won political freedom was perhaps only second in importance to the message of spiritual freedom which the Buddha gave 2500 years ago.

The establishment of a free media culture and the abolishing of media prosecution were the principal media planks of the election manifesto of the present United National Front government. It was most welcome and was a breath of fresh air comparatively in the aftermath of a horrendous era when there was a threat to the very existence of a vibrant media in Sri Lanka.

The demise of Richard de Zoysa, Premakeerthi de Alwis and Mylvaganam Nimalarajan in suspect circumstances cast doubt and credibility on the free media in this country.

Way back over fifty five years ago on the day of independence then leader of the house the father of President Kumaratunga the late S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike described the nation's freedom in the presence of the father of our nation D. S. Senanayake.

He said: 'We must not, we cannot, allow our newly regained freedom to run the risk of remaining merely a theoretical concept, a thing dead and without real meaning for the vast mass of the people. We must see that it quickens in to a life of greater happiness and prosperity for us all.

Political freedom comes alive only when it is utilised to achieve other freedoms - freedom from poverty, freedom from disease, freedom from ignorance and fear and also other freedoms also include the freedom of media.

Bandaranaike further said: We have to farm the flickering flame of democracy so that each individual is assured of those freedoms for which democracy has always stood and which safeguards man's self respect and secure decent, honest and fair dealing between man and man. Since then when talking about media freedom the number of newspapers, radio and television stations which have evolved whether they are state sponsored or private sector sponsored ilk the numbers seems to grow, strewing akin to mushrooms and faced with the grim realities of a market economy such as open competition.

Since the very first Independence Day we have seen in our country's political and other changes. Every year Independence Day has been celebrated with much nostalgia pomp and pageantry. Yet on some occasions it was thought better to 'cut' back on elaborate and extensive ritual.

These instances happened to be in view of the country's mindset fixed on events taken place in early 70s and 80s. But during the 50s and 60s Independence Day was generally celebrated grandly, with the media then vocal and printed doing a tremendous job of carrying the Message of Independence far and wide in to the rural folk of our country. In 1957 under the stewardship of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Independence Day celebrations were held at Colombo on Galle Face Green.

Between 1957-1961, Dr. W. Dahanayake presided on Independence Day celebrations. In 1961-1963 Independence was celebrated in Kandy. Galle was the venue for celebrations in 1964 and in 1968 former Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake took lead in the celebrations in Trincomalee.

The 34th Independence Day celebrations were held at Anuradhapura in 1982. From 1977 when the United National Party took over the reigns of governance Independence Day celebrations were mostly held in Colombo.

The path is long for the media in Sri Lanka which is evolving and it has to go a long way from its present status.

Since Independence the media here in our country has jumped and passed the hurdles imposed by repressive regimes hostile to its revealing and publishing undistorted news and events to the country in general.

The media in Sri Lanka has progressed and advanced in a tremendous manner during the last fifty five years. Vocal, visual, and print media has been equipped with the latest in its production by using advanced technology the world can offer and today's newspapers are printed on high quality paper.

There is healthy competition among all mediums and the speed in which they convey news and views are vastly improved and remarkable. Some of our newspapers including those published by Lake House has increased the number of pages over the years because of rising public interest.

What is surprising is that these newspapers which has a large extent of reading material are priced nearly 1/10 of the cost of an average book sold in bookshops with lesser pages and a less amount of printed reading material. During successive governments much has been done to the promotion of welfare facilities of journalists attached to the media, but yet still there is more to be done for the benefit of officials in its administration.

The pension scheme for journalists, providing houses for them, and computers, cameras, are all creditable. Since Independence victories were achieved for the media when certain sections in the Parliamentary Privileges Act were repealed whereby which editors and journalists until then were summoned to parliament and fined for certain defamatory news stories.

Also the Criminal Defamation act too was repealed, making the Sri Lankan media to be one of the best in the South Asian region, since advancing from the day of our Independence.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager