On freedom of expression a la Sunanda Deshapriya
Sunanda
Deshapriya is reported to have been snubbed in Geneva when offering his
two cents’ worth subsequent to the screening of ‘Lies Agreed Upon’, a
rebuttal to the inglorious Channel 4 production, ‘Sri Lanka Killing
Fields’. I doubt he expected the earful he received from the President
of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed.
Ill-informed ‘journalists’
Deshapriya, whose track record warrants the insertion of an extra ‘a’
in his name with a hyphen separating the a’s, in case people have
forgotten, was hoofed out of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)
for doing things that ‘lacked clarity’ (the sanitized term preferred by
the CPA, which, by the way continues to remain silent about allegations
of financial hanky-panky and keeps things under wraps despite moralistic
posturing about transparency). In Geneva, however, it was not about
bucks, but patriotism (of all things!).
Deshapriya is reported to have asked Nasheed what right he had to
speak about Sri Lanka. The Maldivian President had informed Deshapriya
that not only does he visit Sri Lanka for medical treatment, but is
fluent in Sinhala and very well informed about things and processes in
the country. He added that it is generally expected of citizens to
defend their countries and not hobnob with the enemy.
Well, Sunanda does much more than hobnob in the current incarnation,
but that’s not really news. What caught my attention was his question to
Nasheed.
The implication of the question is that non Sri Lankans don’t have
any right to talk about Sri Lankans. Now this man, who calls himself a
‘journalist’ (and a senior one at that!) and is described as such by
ill-informed ‘journalists’ such as Sara Nic, seems to have forgotten
that what applies to Nasheed applies to others as well. So let’s play
with the idea.
I am imagining Sunanda telling off people like Susan Rice, Navi
Pillai, Louis Arbour, David Miliband, Bernard Kouchner, Robert O Blake,
Barack Obama, Ban ki-Moon, the jokers he appointed to conjure a
‘reality’ about this country and other former Sri Lankans now happily
domiciled and ‘citizened’ in other countries. In fact I am imagining
Sunanda standing before a mirror and engaging in finger-pointing.
No substance
Sunanda to Sunanda-MI (Mirror Image): you have by your admission (to
Sarah Nic) admitted that your stories (good word-choice, by the way) are
not ‘flesh and blood’, meaning they have no substance. You continue to
balk when asked to submit relevant documents pertaining to financial
matters in the Free Media Movement during your stewardship as ‘Convenor’.
What right do you have to talk about Sri Lanka?
Sunanda-MI to Sunanda: you are one to talk, brother: have you
forgotten how you always pandered to the LTTE’s agenda, whitewashing in
any way possible its crimes against humanity?
Sunanda looks at the mirror. The mirror-image looks back. They hang
their heads down in shame, as though on cue or on account of a sudden
bout of self-realization.
Sunanda will be Sunanda and that’s fine with me. What worries me is
that those who took over the Free Media Movement continue to enjoy
sweeping things under the carpet. They know that Sunanda is guilty. They
know that he suppressed documents relevant to an investigation. They’ve
said a proper investigation would be too costly, i.e. ‘at least 1
million’. I offered to find that amount (If they can’t get a pro-decency
funding agency to help them). Not a word from the FMM.
Release evidence
Maybe the FMM is speechless, which is pretty sad considering that
‘media’ is its middle name. Maybe it’s just that touching Sunanda would
force the current leadership to submit itself to similar touching. Maybe
they are as ticklish as Sunanda is. It is all sad. As I’ve pointed out
(see ‘Does the FMM love old wine,’ in the Daily Mirror of September 15,
2011: http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/49866.html) my only concern
is that advocacy organizations that engage in odd operations only make
true advocacy difficult. Sunil Jayasekera seems to have lost his voice.
I hope he finds it. If not, he might end up in Geneva or some other part
of Europe or North America having conversations with his mirror image.
On the other hand, considering what a great career Sunanda has made out
of mis-journalizing, that might be a mouth-watering prospect.
As for Sunanda Deshapriya, he could release evidence of tossing to
other foreigners (friends included) the question he put to the President
of Maldives. Will he? Naah!
www.malindawords.blogspot.com
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