“The journalists were quite willing to go into hiding during the two day summit and have bullet proof cars after that, was the counter reply. Besides what benefit will this so called summit bring to Lanka and what is the work that ministers do? If 100 ministers are working so hard for the country, why is it that the country is in such a poor state?”
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by Gamini Weerakoon
(July 06, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The current plaintive plea of journalists of Sri Lanka to the government to identify the forces that are hounding and hunting them and save them, is very well described in the trite Sinhala saying: Horage ammagen pena ahanawa (asking the rogue’s mother who has mystic powers to identify the rogue).
SOS messages are being sent out desperately but it appears that only the submarine that is attempting to sink the ship of the scribes, can receive and respond to save the souls of these ladies and gentlemen in peril.
While ruminating these thoughts after lunch on my hansiputuwa, I fell asleep and had a dream which elated and then depressed me.
It was hazy. I was in a large hall packed with politicians clad in virgin white national dress with the long strips of blue or red draped around their necks. The rest of the hall was packed with grubby journalists, men and women, most of them in dirty pants and shirts.
All love journalists
A familiar figure in white was saying: We love you journalists. We wouldn’t have been in these positions if not for you. We will do everything to protect you. I have ordered a special inquiry into the attempted abduction of Perera of the Press Institute and Ratnaweera of the British High Commission.
A voice from the back of the hall asked what happened to the Amunugama sub-committee appointed only the week before to protect journalists and suggested that another sub committee be appointed to inquire into the non-functioning of the Amunugama sub-committee.
This was obviously not the way to Save Our Souls. You can’t attack the only possible rescuer on the horizon and expect to be saved.
Treating the scribes
Someone else made a better suggestion, well received by the scribbling tribe. Why not the state present gratis, super luxury, bullet-proof BMW vehicles to journalists along with truckloads of troops travelling ahead and behind the BMWs with sirens screaming and outriders Kandyan dancing on pillion seats to scare pedestrians away? This way scribes would be quite safe from being waylaid on the roads and even safer if they are housed with their families in well guarded state guest houses.
But those were privileges meant only for ministers of state. These BMWs were brought in for heads of state attending the SAARC Summit and after that to be used by the Presidential Secretariat while the same model but older cars will be given for use by ministers, was the reply.
The journalists were quite willing to go into hiding during the two day summit and have bullet proof cars after that, was the counter reply. Besides what benefit will this so called summit bring to Lanka and what is the work that ministers do? If 100 ministers are working so hard for the country, why is it that the country is in such a poor state?
This line of questioning once again demonstrated why Lankan journalists are in this pitiable state. As another Sinhala saying goes: Maaluwa nahinne kata hindha (The fish dies because of its mouth).
Journalists as ambassadors
The third proposal was to send the disgruntled journalists as ambassadors of Sri Lanka. Some of them know at least something more than the political zombies that had been sent out.
Appoi, no was the answer. At least the diplomatic zombies were faithful government supporters having pocketed out millions for our leader’s victory. These disgruntled journalist fellows are all NGO types and will work for Pirapaharan and Eelam. Worse, most of them are Ranil’s supporters. We have already sent out some of our favourites as counsellors and the like though not as ambassadors.
But what have they done? Made matters worse!
Foreign Ministry
A Foreign Ministry type arose from the audience and made strong objections against the use of the ministry for other purposes than foreign policy matters. The Foreign Ministry is not for R&R he asserted.
What’s R&R? — Rest and Recreation or Rohitha and Relatives?
The figure in saintly virgin white went into a frenzy. ‘This is why I say that all this about abduction of journalists is a conspiracy against the government to discredit it, diminish the historic victory in the east, defeat us at the provincial council elections and support Pirapaharan.’
Conspiracy
Is it possible that journalists are abducting themselves and getting smashed up on their own to discredit the government and if so why does the government not track down the culprits to clear its own name? someone asked.
At this point pandemonium broke out and the scribes disappeared fearing further abductions and I woke up from our afternoon slumber.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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