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Saturday, 19 January 2013

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HIGHWAYS AND SIGHS

Yesterday's lead story about two highways racing to a finish is the kind of newspaper lead we'd like to see, in place of what used to be the anguished headlines about a terror attack - or even some kind of constitutional issue, forced no doubt by circumstances. But there is a habit in the journalistic world which says that if there are no tear-jerker stories - you create them.

The latest trend is to pretend that there is a Prabhakaran lurking somewhere. Either they say 'Prabhakarans are in the making' or they say 'This government's rule is akin to Prabhakaran's rule.' It is the surest sign that the whinge-fringe is missing the bombs and the guns sorely, because there is nothing substantial these days to attack the regime with.

But the whinge-fringe is quickly losing steam. It can be seen in the way they regularly exaggerate - for example one website fringe artiste who says that the lives of certain prominent people may be under threat, is unable to name anybody whose lives were in fact under threat recently. Being unable to name names, these people rely exclusively on the power of the slogan. Those who gain public sympathy by being perceived as anti-regime are particularly under threat by the Defence establishment, say the commentators who are unable to go beyond the fulmination and finger-pointing to substantiate by adducing facts and figures, or naming names.

In short, if you cannot give a list of the names of persons that have been harmed recently - there goes your contention up in smoke, that there are threats to the lives of people due to the actions of the Defence establishment, aimed at people 'who have won public sympathy'.

All that can be said in review is that the media at large seems to have been almost mortally wounded. The mortal wound inflicted on the press and the broadcasters was to take away the one issue around which the regular practitioners of hyperbole could weave their doomsday scenarios. This of course was the problem of terror and violence.

There is no such terror to speak of now, so the wounded media staggers around, looking to terrorize the public with fly-swatter stories disguised as T 56 tales. Those who are sympathetic to the government fear for their lives, they say.

And the nominees are - in this category - exactly who? Sunila Abeysekera? Paikiasothjy Sarvanamuttu? Jehan Perera? Wickramabahu Karunaratne? But then, all these people who are allegedly 'fearing for their lives'(!) can be seen either on Colombo's thoroughfares or the social whirl, gadding about in gay abandon. Not a cat, as they say around these parts, want to raise a finger against them.

So that's a fly-swatter story. But, it can be made into a 'T56 story' by sloganizing and putting things in the scariest of terms such as "This has been the practice of the defence establishment - to terrorize anti regime activists who won the sympathy of the people.'' It's in fact these people's wish that such a thing happens, so that they can begin to whinge about it with conviction.

Meanwhile, there is a race to complete highways, and there are programmes for poverty alleviation that double as development efforts. None of this is grist to the mill of the pundits, the eggheads and the commentariat in general.

It may be true to some extent that development news does not have the media 'sex-appeal' of crime, disaster and plain gun-toting terror. But that does not mean that things at least cannot be put into something that approximates a proper perspective. Instead of which, we have a relentless campaign to vilify slander and blacken, while the fact that those such as the HSBC's best financial handlers say that Sri Lanka's economic performance is phenomenal, does not so much as get a look in.

This is ridiculous. In no other country does the cream of the literate few go to such lengths to obliterate the gains that are being made as a nation, thereby shooting themselves collectively in the foot. This is a totally Sri Lankan proclivity.

It's reminiscent of the hoary old yarn about there being nobody to guard the Sri Lankan quarter in the deep recesses of hell, because if any individual tries to get out - - the others will collectively pull him under! But this time, somewhere in the collective gut the people will not stand for any more of this arrant nonsense. Optimism will prevail over the negativity of the whinging horde - and from this newspaper, that is a promise.
 

Defending ISLAM and Muslims

Response to ‘Laws and Religion – some concerns of Sinhala Buddhists’:

Shenali Waduge claims that Islamic ‘fundamentalists’ are inciting violence against Buddhists in ‘East Sri Lanka encroaching upon land given to them by Sinhalese kings and demolish Buddhist sites. Well, for starters if the land was given to them by Sinhala kings then the question of encroachment doesn’t arise, does it? In this case it would be the Sinhala Buddhists who would be encroachers if the law of the land is anything to go by. Besides if what she says is right then there is legal redress. They can take the matter to courts and seek redress there,

Full Story

People’s sovereignty is in Parliament

President Rajapaksa, most loved President in country’s history - Minister Mahindananda Aluthgmage

The people’s sovereignty is in the Legislature (Parliament) because the people’s sovereignty is the people’s verdict. The people had given a verdict by choosing their Parliamentary representatives. Therefore, people’s sovereignty is in the Parliament. All constitutions in the world have shortcomings. India amended its Constitution 96 times. Some countries in the world amend the Constitution as soon as the judiciary gives an anti Government verdict, but Sri Lanka has not done this, said Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage in an interview with the Daily News.

Full Story

Constitutional Reform – the Liberal Party returns to roots in promoting discussion and consensus

The Liberal Party will be hosting a series of discussions on Ideas for Constitutional Reform, given the general consensus that this is urgent, and the announcement by the Speaker that this should be a priority. The first will take place at 6 pm on Wednesday January 23rd at the Auditorium of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, 120/10 Vidya Mawata, Colombo 7, and will look at the Separation of Powers,

Full Story

 

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