By – Shantha Wijesooriya 

The Director General of the Department of Government Information, Harsha Bandara  ordered the security officers and staff of the Department of Government Information to ensure that only journalists holding media credentials issued by the Department of Government Information Department could participate in the press conference held at the Government Information Department in Polhengoda Kirulapone on the 6 of this month to announce cabinet decisions. The security officers informed the reporter who had gone to participate in the press conference that he would not be allowed to enter the auditorium where the press conference was being held.

Later, an official from the Government Information Department told the writer that if he had obtained a media identity card, there would be no problem and asked him to fill out an application form for a media identity card. After a while, the official informed the writer that even if he filled out the application, he would not be allowed to participate in the media discussion. Later, as the writer folded the half-filled application form and put it in his bag and left the auditorium building,. While leaving he met face to face with the Minister of Mass Media and Health, Nalin de Jayatissa.

The writer expressed his resentment to this anti-democratic act in front of him. The Minister told the writer to bring his government ID card to the next cabinet press conference. I did not say that they are refusing  to take the ID card. But the writer replied to the Minister by saying that we are not ready to accept the government media ID card as the only ID card.

Later, the writer wrote this news from inside the cafeteria and published a news article on Lanka Sky News stating that the press conference to inform cabinet decisions prohibited the editor of the Lanka Sky News website, Shantha Wijesuriya entering the Government information department. At the same time, the President of the Sri Lanka Professional Journalists Association, Duminda Sampath, was informed about the incident.

The Sri Lanka Professional Journalists Association issued a press release protesting the arbitrary actions of the Minister and the Director General and expressing disgust at the government’s policy of denying freedom of speech and expression.

On April 30, the Director General of the Department of Government Information, starting the press conference held at the Department of Government Information, requested the journalists to limit each journalist to one question. Earlier, when he intervened to limit the number of questions to be asked by the journalists and their content, the writer objected to it.

However when the writer tried to comment, the opportunity slipped when Hiru journalist Banuka started to raise questions continuously like an interview. Later, journalist Sahan Nuwan Ganegoda of the Divaina newspaper requested the Director General to moderate the discussion. 

The writer said that he was against the Director General leading this discussion. Previously, during the tenure of Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena, the press conferences to announce cabinet decisions were not conducted by the former Directors Generals. 

A journalist on a certain website said that Sahan Ganegoda is a senior journalist and that all should heed him. The writer pointed out that seniority is determined by work, not by the time he has been in the chair of media institutions. However the writer rejected the attempt made by a journalist to portray Sahan Ganegoda as a senior journalist.

Questioning the role of the Director General and challenging the hired writers can be pointed out as proximate reasons for banning cabinet press conferences. However, the Director General also admitted that there was a political reason behind this. 

 During the discussion held with the Minister at the Ministry of Mass Media on May 14, he accused journalists who are pursuing various political agendas of trying to use the press conference to announce cabinet decisions for their own objectives. The Minister initially said that there was a danger of underworld members coming to the press conference. Now, since people of different political views are invading the press conference to announce cabinet decisions, he says that identity cards should be made mandatory.

Can someone take a media ID card and ask such questions like that during that discussion? Comrade Lakshman, executive member of the Sri Lanka Journalists Association, asked the minister a question in return. It is up to you to decide whether the minister can give a successful answer to that question.

Although a few of us intervened against the arbitrary stance of the government’s Information Department regarding the media identity card, media organizations, journalists, editors, and institution owners did not raise their voices. 

On the same day, the Minister, in response to a question raised by a journalist, reiterated that the media identity card issued by the Government Information Department would be mandatory for journalists attending government press conferences. The reasons given for this were that a certain newspaper had previously issued a government identity card to a person involved in underworld activities.

The journalist, who said that the previous governments as well as the National People’s Power government were suppressing the media, pointed out that although newspapers and websites were registered with the Ministry of Mass Media during the time of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the power to clear those websites and newspapers was delegated to the Ministry of Defense.

He further stated that the Ministry had delayed the clearance process for journalists for years, despite this, the government was making the identification card mandatory for press conferences to inform the government’s cabinet decisions, which was an unfair interference with the media.

It is unacceptable to make the media ID card issued by the Department of Information mandatory for government news conferences and reporting. The writer pointed out that journalists in the world, especially in Europe, use the media ID card issued by the institution they work for. 

There is no question of identity, in making the media ID card mandatory. 

“I have been participating in this news conference for almost a month. Don’t the Minister and the Director General know that I am a journalist? I am an executive member of the Sri Lanka Professional Journalists Association. I use an ID card issued by the International Association of Journalists and the Sri Lanka Professional Journalists Association. I have an ID card issued by the Lanka Sky News website”

The Minister was forced to grant an interview on May 14 due to the  protest that arose on social media against the mandatory issuance of media ID cards by the Government Information Department for journalists participating in the government’s press briefings, especially to inform cabinet decisions. A discussion had arisen against the dismissal of the writer and the suppression of the media, especially among the National People’s Power and the JVP-like minded factions, professors, and ordinary workers and oppressed people who handle social media.

The Sri Lanka Professional Journalists Association made a written request to the Minister and the President, but no discussion was received. Although the former leaders of our association, who had gone abroad due to the media repression of the previous governments, tried to arrange a discussion with the President, that attempt was also unsuccessful. The Director General discussed the matter with our association based on the incident of the writer.
In that, a discussion was requested with the Minister regarding this matter and accordingly, media organizations, media institution owners, the Editors’ Guild and journalists from selected government and private institutions were invited for the discussion. About forty people participated in the discussion.

The discussion on the formulation of a national media policy was taken up first.

The Minister first emphasized the importance of a national media policy and said that the previous government had initiated this and that it was his government’s intention to take those discussions forward. He said that this was a project given to the government’s Information Department by the UNDP during the government of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Journalists expressed their views in favor of the national media policy and that such a policy was not needed.

The policy statement prepared by the government’s Information Department during the previous government and under the National People’s Power government, taking into account the views of journalists and organizations, did not specifically say the rights of journalists and who a journalist is, and the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Professional Journalist Association, Duminda Sampath, accused the department of sending only the English version of the national policy statement prepared by the department to media organizations. He pointed out that such a policy is useless if there is no consensus among media owners and media workers on the national media policy.

Minister, the discussion on the formulation of a national media policy has been going on for more than two decades and the Tholamgamuwa Declaration and the Colombo Declaration were prepared by the media community with the support of international media organizations. The importance of these two declarations and the fact that they were not used as supportive documents in the formulation of the national media policy were criticized by Dharmasiri Lankapeli, General Secretary of the Media Workers’ Union. He said that although every government that has come to power has put the formulation of a media charter as number one on its agenda, no government has been able to formulate that media policy in a way that is convenient for the people. Furthermore, Lankapeli pointed out that the primary focus in formulating the Media Charter should be on the professional rights of professionals in the media industry, and that the protection and survival of the profession, as well as their basic rights, should be taken into account, saying that the majority of those working in this country do not receive these rights.

The writer questioned the economic situation that forced the government to intervene and create a national media policy for journalists. Did we, the journalists, demand a national media policy? Media owners? Editors? Or media workers? There is no point in creating national media policies for the needs of the UNDP. The writer said that the basis of the national media policy should be for the protection of media freedom, not for the existence and security of the government or the owners of media institutions. 

Lakshman Gunasekara of the Sapma organization said that a national media policy is no longer important in the context of globalization. We are particularly waiting to see what legal framework the government is going to formulate? What are the government’s views on freedom of speech? He further pointed out that it is not easy to formulate a national media policy in a situation where media owners, journalists and media workers hold different opinions.

The Young Media Association has filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against the law requiring the Ministry of Defense to obtain permission after registering newspapers and websites of the Ministry of Mass Media and the Media Identity Card. The investigation in this regard has now been completed, and the only thing left to do is to make recommendations, and if a national media policy is to be formulated, it is imperative that the public’s opinions are sought, said the Chairman of the Young Media Association, Tharidu Jayawardena.

Journalists Tharidu Uduwaragedara, Sampath Samarakon, Kumara Lopas of the Sri Lanka Press Institute, Hana Ibrahim, Convener of the Free Media Movement, Kurulu Kariyakarawana and Nadaraja expressed their views during this discussion.

Amid heavy criticism of the National Media Policy being prepared by the Government Information Department, the Minister withdrew the statement and suggested to media organizations to prepare a new National Media Policy based on the Colombo Declaration and the Tholamgamuwa Declaration. The discussion is scheduled to begin on May 28 at the Government Information Department.

Although the registration of newspapers and websites is carried out by the Ministry of Mass Media, there has been strong protest to the transfer of clearance powers to the Ministry of Defense. The Director General of the Government Information Department promised in the discussion that clearance will not be transferred to the Ministry of Defense in the future. No honest writer can create an authentic document subject to laws imposed from outside. Even under the existing parliamentary democracy, how can a journalist have any restrictions that the rest of the people of the country do not have? The Constitution has guaranteed freedom of expression, speech, and access to information. It also contains laws related to violations of personal security. Media ethics are the job of journalists. A media policy that deviates from what is stated in the constitution is an attempt to restrict media freedom in any way. All those who respect democracy should not allow this practice.