IFJ Love Hana And Hate Frederica, So No Statements On Ceylon Today And Sunday Leader Issues

By Colombo Telegraph -July 14, 2012

Colombo Telegraph exclusively learns that the silence of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on key media freedom issues including the Defence Secretary’s recent tirade against the Sunday Leader Editor and the sacking of Ceylon Today Editor in Chief Lalith Allahakkoon is a direct result of petty personal clashes and internecine politics within the media activist fraternity and individual journalists.

Frederica Jansz, editor-in-chief of the Sunday Leader (center)IFJ full member FMETU Secretary Dhramasiri Lankapeli (Far right) Sri Lankan journalists, activists and opposition lawmakers have staged a protest against media suppression and intimidation after she received a death threat from the president’s brother.

As the Sri Lankan media faces a new wave of media clampdowns and renewed intimidation from powerful elements within the Sri Lankan government, IFJ and its affiliate media activist groups are too deeply embroiled in internal politics and agenda pushing to effectively represent endangered scribes and media organizations in the country.

The Colombo Telegraph learnt that in a conversation with Uvindu Kurukulasuriya, a former Convenor of the Free Media Movement, South Asia Project Manager for IFJ, Sukumar Muralidharan said his organization would not be issuing a statement condemning the Defence Secretary’s recent tirade against Sunday Leader Editor Fredrica Jansz until the journalist patched up her relationship with the FMM and certain media activist groups in Colombo. “They (Sunday Leader) need to patch up their relationship and we cannot get involved in something that could alienate us from the affiliates,” he said.

Muralidharan was referring to the Free Media Movement of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association which are affiliates of the IFJ.

“This is the same reason why we did not say anything on the Ceylon Today matter,” Muralidharan added. “Beyond a point, when there are serious disagreements between local groups, we cannot take a stand one way or the other,” he said, adding, “it only makes things worse.”

The Sunday Leader has recently published articles criticizing the alleged corruption of the FMM and the IFJ, while Hana Ibrahim, who profited directly from Allahakoon’s sacking by being appointed Editor in Chief of Ceylon Today, was a trustee of the FMM, contributor to the IFJ and Sri Lanka Representative for the New York based Committee to Protect Journalists. Following a statement released by the FMM on Allahakkoon’s sacking, Ibrahim tendered her resignation to the FMM. Reports say she made consistent efforts to prevent the FMM from issuing a statement in reaction to her predecessor’s sacking and resigned when massive pressure from civil society and other sections of the media forced the group to make a statement, one week after the incident.