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Thursday 28 June 2001 |
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EDITORIAL, DAILY NEWS Towards
stable governance It is in the fitness of things that this ruling was made because the Government’s constitutional reforms aim primarily at restoring the cabinet system of government with sovereignty returning to the legislature. Regional Councils, as the principal mechanism of power-sharing along with power-sharing arrangements at the centre are also, of course, being envisaged in the Government’s draft constitution. However the reversion to the cabinet system of government where the Executive arm of the State would be responsible to parliament, is a crucial development which shouldn’t be glossed over at present. We are compelled to make these comments on considering the numerous panaceas, which are being trotted out as remedies for the current problems affecting the body politic. One of these is the national government idea or the notion that there ought to be a government of national reconciliation. We are compelled to say right away that this idea is no answer to our problems. One of the principal tasks facing the State is to integrate all communities into an indivisible whole which would enjoy equal rights and privileges and the mere coming together of principal political parties is unlikely to bring this about. We need a new constitutional order, which could lay the basis for this desirable equation among the peoples of this land, and the draft constitution promises this. It is the UNP-sponsored no-confidence motion, which has triggered off this debate anew on forms of government and we are glad that some hard thinking is being done on the subject. We wish to, however, point out that whatever may transpire at the level of the legislature, the President remains strong and unaffected. The reins of governance remain essentially in the hands of the Executive President. The need of the hour is a strong and purposeful legislature, which would complement the authority of the President. The current legislature is not in a position to rise to this challenge on account of its inherent weaknesses deriving from the Gaulist constitution. As is well known, the proportional representation system ensures that no single party enjoys a stable majority in parliament. This has contributed towards the present instability. Therefore the constitutional reform process should be pursued with renewed vigour and appropriate reforms in the electoral system effected to ensure stable governance. Now is the time to debate these issues to a finish and take constructive reform measures.
Mervyn, we hear your guffaws He has, according to the government-controlled Daily News, faulted the media for ‘daily barrage of ill-founded information being directed at the Sri Lankan public.’ If one is to go by what he says, it looks as if the Sri Lankan media did deliberately dish out false information on a daily basis to mislead the reading public. This is a serious allegation. When delivered fresh from the oven, information may not be hundred percent accurate. True, lapses are something to be expected in a field where the practitioner works under immense pressure to meet a number of deadlines. But to make such a sweeping statement is a deliberate attempt to discredit the media, the dazzling red rag to political bulls. We hold no brief for the government media manipulated by their political bosses — Mr. Amunugama included. Perhaps, Mr. Amunugama is talking about the kept press where the spin the servile scribes put on news makes even world class spinner Muralitharan look a greenhorn. Mr. Amunugama has also said that in Mervyn’s time, English-medium journalists used to look down upon their vernacular counterparts. We take exception to this view. There may have been a handful of English journalists who did and could do so. For that was an era when the field of Sinhala journalism was dominated by literary giants like Martin Wickremasinghe, Chandraratne Manawasinghe, D. B. Dhanapala—to name only a few — who were no second to English-medium journalists. Others, too, were well qualified and competent and were easily on par with their English counterparts, whom Mr. Amunugama is talking so highly about. One wonders whether such views as articulated by those who claim to have received ‘an upper class education’ emanate from their deep-seated prejudice against the vernacular press. Mr. Amunugama speaks very highly of Mervyn; quite rightly so because he was one of the outstanding journalists the country has produced. But he has stopped short of mentioning what befell Mervyn during his Lake House days under the SLFP and during his days at Times of Ceylon, which was closed down by the UNP. He was thrown out of job. Having fallen between two papers, he had to settle for his own journal to practice his profession. At a time when Mervyn was considered incendiary, only The Island carried his columns regularly. His last column written on the day before he died was published posthumously. Where were all his friends and Mr. Amunugama then? Today, we see many a politician shedding crocodile tears for Mervyn (and other deceased heavyweights) to gain some political mileage. Poor Mervyn must be laughing in his grave! Mr. Amunugama, who laments so much about the media, has not owned up, in his speech, to his own contribution to the suppression of media freedom. He, it should be recalled, was once the competent authority of Mr. J. R. Jayewardene twisting the arms of journalists of the Upali Newspapers Ltd. He and his political masters went to the extent of threatening to freeze our bank accounts. The reason: We had the courage to articulate the views of the then Opposition - mainly the SLFP — on the Indo-Lanka Accord. By a quirk of fate, the self-same Mr. Amunugama as part of an SLFP-led coalition is today giving lessons on media freedom, ethics and responsibility! He also finds himself in a government that refuses to honour its promise to broadbase the biggest publishing house, ANCL and does not hesitate to clamp down censorship at the drop of a hat. So much so for Mr. Amunugama’s credentials as a media freedom fighter. Finally, Mr. Amunugama has said "We have an illiterate media where the reader knows more than the writer." The government, as was said, earlier has at its disposal the biggest media institutions - both print and electronic - and if the standards have deteriorated so far, as he claims, then what has the government done about it? Hasn’t his government made the biggest contribution to making the media ‘illiterate’ as he claims? How many qualified professionally trained journalists or those of the calbre of Martin Wickremasinghe, Chandraratne Manawasinghe, D. B. Dhanapala have the state media got on board since 1994? We can confidently state that those who have been recruited en masse to Lake House are plain and simple political stooges. Can Mr. Amunugama name one such outstanding journalist there? Not only adversity but mutual security and interests make strange bedfellows. We have the Chief Commissar of Lake House, Mr. Ajith Samaranayake, and his former Censor, Mr.Sarath Amunugama, hectoring the public on standards and ethics of journalism. Mervyn, we hear your familiar guffaws from somewhere beyond.
Combating
drug menace Many incidents where drug addicts, deprived of their daily dose had gone berserk, were reported in the media. And it is said that the drug consumption has dropped by 80 percent. This welcome shortage was reported to have occurred as a result of over 500 kg of drugs brought from India being taken into custody together with 200 drug racketeers by the Police Anti Narcotic Division. Amid these encouraging reports, media also reported the extremely disturbing incident of a 15-year-old student from a Colombo school being arrested with 16 packets of the deadly drug. The fact that drug abuse and drug trafficking have emerged as one of the nasty scourges that has caused an estimated three to four percent of the world’s population to become regular consumers of these substances, needs no emphasis here. Its negative impact on economic, human and social development with devastating effect, has become clearly evident. This problem of narcotic drugs has not arisen overnight. It began to draw the United Nation’s attention from around the time of its inception in 1945. The problem acquired serious proportions gradually with more and more, particularly the youth, being attracted to drugs and with racketeers finding illicit drug trafficking, a lucrative business. Alarmed by this development, the world body adopted a series of treaties to arrest its growth. Among them were the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961), the Convention on Psycho tropic substances (1971), the 1972 protocol amending the Single Convention and the 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psycho tropic Substances. In 1990, the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) was established with the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of the UN structure for drug control. Their conventions and programmes compel countries to exercise control over production and distribution of narcotic drugs, combat drug abuse and illicit traffic, maintain necessary administrative machinery and report to international organs on their actions. Despite all these efforts, illicit drug production, trafficking and consumption, according to reports, have made tremendous advance over the past decades bringing under its sway, countries around the globe, including those once thought safe from such activities. International cooperation, governmental determination and meaningful action and public support are of the essence in combating this menace. The theme chosen for this year's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is, "Sports against Drugs". This theme has been selected in recognition of the great power that sports exert especially over the young as an agent of positive change. As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan points out, if this effort to promote alternatives to drug taking lifestyles, is to succeed, entire communities, civic groups, businesses, teachers, doctors and parents, must be involved to reach into young people's lives and grasp their concerns. In this context, the anti-drug programmes launched by the 'Navajeevana Amadyapa Handa Sevaya' deserves high commendation. As correctly pointed out by the director of this Non-Governmental Organisation, Rajah Wijekoon, drug dependents are patients and not criminals. They have to be accepted by society, loved and cared for and be treated mentally, physically and socially, as he says. The parents' role in preventing their children from becoming drug addicts is of the utmost importance. More often than not, it is the attitude of the parents and family environment that drive the young ones to the drug habit. The temptation or urge for drug use could occur in any youth, exposed as they are, to today's society where anti-social elements are poised vulture-like to achieve their selfish ends. The parents, as well as teachers have special duty to be extra vigilant to watch their children's conduct and movements. This year's theme that places emphasis on sports as an agent of positive change, is well-timed and all efforts should be made to provide wider avenues and opportunities for youth, especially those vegetating after finishing school, for participating in sports activities. It is this category of youth who are found to be most vulnerable to drug addition.
EDITORIAL, LANKADEEPA (Sinhala Daily) Investigate
checkpoint raping We hope this incident, which is a shame and disgrace on the entire police service will be comprehensively investigated. These inhuman and brutal acts of certain policemen bring serious charges of violations of human rights and personal freedom against the country. Undisciplined acts of a few black sheep bring shame and condemnation on the police and the armed forces. The Tigers who are eagerly awaiting a chance to vilify our armed forces will exploit these to the fullest.
EDITORIAL, DIVAINA (Sinhala Daily) Filling
up of paddy lands Businessmen dealing in real estate and housing development are making maximum use of the need for buildable land and farmers are giving up paddy cultivation due to low profitability. This is also posing a grave threat to the environment due to the reduction of wetlands. The public should be educated on the important aspects of the Agrarian Services Act. Government officials should play a major role in this effort. The government is said to have prohibited the filling of paddy lands, 500 meters on either side of the main Kandy-Colombo and the new Kandy Road. Meanwhile, 16,673 hectares of paddy lands in the Gampaha District have been cultivated while 3,647 hectares lie fallow.
EDITORIAL, DINAMINA (Sinhala Daily) Establish
a constitution for the people It is an artificial indecision forced on the country against the will of the people. The political will of the people is to change governments through the ballot and not through the bullet. This was well and clearly demonstrated in 1970 and 1977. On both these occasions the people's will was expressed in no uncertain terms. But the UNP Leader J.R. Jayawardene introduced a constitution in 1978 to keep the UNP in power for all-time. It was a trap to ensure his party would be kept in power continuously. But it failed and relegated the UNP to the Opposition with continuing fear of being kept there forever. This constitutional change dissipates and distorts the real will of the people and causes untold misery to the public. As such, this situation should be corrected promptly by getting rid of J.R. Jayawardene's constitution and the electoral system connected to it.
EDITORIAL, LAKBIMA (Sinhala Daily) This
negligence is dangerous The nurse who was asked to administer the injection on the buttocks had selected the hand for the injection. This is not the first time that such an incident has taken place in a government hospital. However, these incidents should not be taken lightly. A small, but deadly mistake on the part of this nurse, has caused irreparable loss to the child. A full-scale inquiry should be held into this incident and the offender punished. Stringent action will ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future.
EDITORIAL VIRAKESARI (Tamil Daily) A
new precedent from the President The communiqué issued by the President's office says that the visit is a private one and of three-day's duration. The question naturally arises; why go to all this trouble of handing over all her powers, if she is going to be out of the country only for three days. This is, indeed, a new precedent for a President.
EDITORIAL THINAKARAN (Tamil Daily) Smaller
parties and the no
confidence motion The UNP is exerting its utmost to defeat the government through the no confidence motion. However, there is no universal support within the UNP for this motion. Realising that the motion will not succeed, the government has not wasted its efforts. The government is still stable.
EDITORIAL THINAKKURAL (Tamil Daily) The
JVP's stand The stand taken by the JVP that a final decision as to how to vote on the motion, would be taken at voting time, appears to be a mature decision. The party has gone to great heights, since its insurrection of 1971. It is also clear that if the JVP decides to vote with the government on the no confidence motion, it will not be for consideration of power and favour, as some of the constituent parties of the PA are shamelessly engaging themselves in. The party is also not likely to be influenced by the UNP's efforts to win over the other parties, with its rosy economic policies. However, the JVP cannot survive in Parliament all the time by keeping aloof from the other parties. Conflicts among the major parties are making way for the JVP to emerge as a truly third force in this country.
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