NPOC urges media organisations:

Self-imposed code of ethics

The National Polls Observation Centre (NPOC) has urged all media institutions to create a self-imposed code of ethics with mutual agreement in order to ensure the process for a free and fair election and uphold the basic elements of the franchise.

Issuing a media release national organiser NPOC Attorney-at-law Rasanga Harischandra states:

National Polls Observation Center (NPOC) being a civil society organization committed to ensure the citizens' right to franchise always espouses that all authorities should take necessary steps to ensure free and fair elections. Accordingly, we see that all media irrespective of their ownership should be impartial and should give equal opportunity to all candidates and their respective political forces during an election period.

While appreciating the intention of the Election Commissioner to hold a free and fair Presidential election, NPOC is of the view that some of the guidelines given by him are not realistic and practically difficult to implement. For example, the guide line No. 11 says that if a media is publishing or broadcasting a program where President or Prime Minister is appearing, that program should be considered as a program related to the President's/Prime Ministers political party. In the said guide line the Commissioner has not considered the fact the President has two roles during the election time, one as the incumbent President and another as a candidate in the election. The people have a right to information through media on the official activities of the incumbent President and that can not be curtailed. Some of the guide lines are wage so it can be interpreted in different ways. For example guide lines No. 5,17 and 19.

Subsequently the Commissioner appointed a retired officer from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service as the Competent Authority to observe and correct any violation of the aforesaid guidelines. However according to the 17 Amendment to the Constitution this Competent Authority is empowered only to oversee the news related to the Presidential election broadcast by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation And Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and not on any other media organization. Therefore we see this whole process of appointing a competent authority as a futile exercise.