“If Sira is mad Kira must wake up” To one who seals TV channel for exposing truth, committing murder is simpler..

By Wimal Dheerasekera-

(Lanka e News - 09.June.2018, 7.30PM) A UNP leader who always has a soft corner for the incumbent president Pallewatte Gamarala phoned the writer last month after some time.  Following the banning of Lanka e News in  November last year, a number of UNP leaders either by phoning or meeting the writer expressed their deep regrets , though  this UNP  stalwart phoned only last month. While condemning the ban imposed on Lanka e news  , he revealed the present plight of the UNP in the government

The writer told him , by your telling us this personally instead of highlighting to the public, the people’s opposition being mounted against the UNP for the venomous and vicious actions of the president cannot be averted. But if  that situation is to be reversed  , the UNP while performing the duties  as a  government must also engage in the tasks of the opposition , the writer pointed out to  him , to which the UNPer had nothing to say.

A month after this  discussion ,  on the 5 th  the TNL channel belonging to the elder brother of Prime Minister (P.M.) was sealed on  the instructions of the president . Consequently , a number of UNP leaders had to condemn the action of Gamarala and openly say this government is useless ,and they would have to associate with the opinion of joint opposition . We of course anticipated this because the cruel hand that  hit below the belt of Lanka e News, we knew  is surely one day going to wring the necks  of others too. Therefore when the TNL was sealed subsequently it was not a matter for surprise.  We expected this media strangulation , only we did not who will be the next victim and when ?

Shan Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka- the one and only…

Even the Rajapakses who are a byword for media suppression  and earned an ignominious distinction in that direction in the whole of Asia   did not ban the TNL . There were a number of reasons for that..

Shan was the elder brother of Ranil Wickremesinghe and was of a  noble  character who never got himself embroiled in the politics of his younger brother.  Nor did he use his younger  brother for his business promotion. He was conversant in  every aspect of engineering technology , and possessed of an unbelievably impeccable character.

He is a wizard in electronic waves  transmission science . If a water pump of the TNL (of which he is the chairman) goes out of commission , he will not hesitate to get down to the bottom of the well to attend to the repair. If a telephone does not work , he will himself take a screwdriver and  mend it.

Amidst all his onerous duties if someone  seeks his help , he would put aside all his work and spend his precious time to teach them from to A-Z without demur. Truly speaking he is not only Ranil’s other side but also the good side.  In SL such a Shan Wickremesinghe is one and only.

Unbelievably it is such a media Institution of his,  Gamarala decided to give a blow…

Sri Lanka’s  first television channel ITN was launched by Shan  with his friends Anil and Bob in April 1979 , and was broadcasted within a fifteen (15) mile radius of the city of Colombo.

On June 5 th same year , JR’s government took over the channel of these youngsters without paying any compensation. It is a coincidence of fate exactly 39 years later on June 5 th , Gamarala who has become a country’s  scourge sealed Shan’s second Television channel  .

In 1979 when the government acquired Shan’s television channel which he looked after carefully like his child , Shan did not lose heart. Late Premadasa who came to power subsequently , after realizing the injustice that was done to Shan decided to  pay compensation for the loss , and issued him a television channel  electronic transmission license.

Though the license was obtained , Shan could launch his TV channel again only in 1993 -14 years after the ITN was acquired by the government  . After forming the Company Telshan , TNL was commenced as the first private television channel in SL.

It is  such a valuable pioneer TV channel , Gamarala sealed after obtaining a court order without both sides being heard alleging that license fees have  not been paid for the last 25 years .

TNL the leading channel and Piyadasa

The television channel of Shan who inherited mass media skills beginning with his grandfather D.R.Wijewardena down through his father Esmond Wickremesinghe , which  coupled with Shan’s engineering knowledge was not only the first TV channel but also adorned the mass media history .

It was Shan’s TNL that was the first private channel which telecast news. It was TNL that started the first fascinating and popular TV drama series “Kopi Kade’. This drama series is still on going.

It is  TNL again which commenced the first political debate program   ‘Janahanda’,  though other channels too have started some meaningless debates later. That program too is still continuing. The hilarious ‘Always breakdown’ political program too was introduced to the television media for the first time by  Shan’s TNL, but  by now that program has been terminated. The ailment afflicting all channels , that is  the Temple visiting Poya day live program  was for the first time introduced by TNL which is still continuing.

The mad maniacal pavement  dog which sealed the TNL might not be aware that the  TNL channel of Shan has entered the Guinness book of world records. That was , following the medical program that was conducted with Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena for many years without interruption. That program created a world record as the longest TV program conducted without interruption. 

It is such a world famous world record breaking TV channel which was sealed by moron Pallewatte Gamarala who prefers his own tomfoolery and buffoonery to well meant constructive criticisms against him .The irony of it is  , it is this very leader after appointing a mass media pundit  as his  party general secretary who chose this course of action against the TNL .Not only those who learnt communication from Prof R.L Piyadasa the pundit , but even all others must be waiting in earnest to learn what he has to say in this regard.

It is only a rabid  maniacal dog from the pavement which would indulge in such destructive and despicable activities….

This Gamarala’s action will certainly go down in media history as the most despicable and detestable any leader of a country  could have resorted to .No human would resort to such an action , let alone think of  it , unless he/she is a born pariah . 

In order to justify the action it is being said , the license is valid for broadcasting and not for telecasting .If anybody is to say that  TNL has been engaging in telecasting activities for  25 years without a license, that individual’s mental condition  should be examined.  It is being said the levies had not been duly paid.

On the other hand, according to Shan all fees have been duly paid.  In case  , if he has ignored payment , what must be done  is , send a letter inviting attention to payment.  If such a letter has been duly  sent we challenge the TRC  to prove it.  If the reminders are  unheeded , a deadline has to be issued for  payment before the license is cancelled , and sealing shall be the final resort. Instead ,if  a court order is taken on the sly unilaterally  without noticing the owner of the channel , and the Institution is sealed , is there a better description  than ‘pariah   mad  dogs’ to those indulging in such rascally methods?

Such media bans we have witnessed only during the time of Hitler and during  criminal activities of the ISIS brutes.

The troika must resign forthwith ….

It is the TRC chairman Austin Fernando who says his belly is white  should be answerable primarily to this debacle. If  Austin’s belly is truly white how is that he is working under a pavement mad dog still ? In addition the masses have an issue with two individuals who talked most loud about media freedom in the recent past . One of them is  , Dharmasiri Bandaranaike who is now Director General , Cultural affairs.

If the culture of the pavement mad dog is,  sealing a mass media Institution on the sly , the people must be questioning Dharmasiri the loud mouthed champion of media freedom cause ,  is he still the director general to safeguard such an atrocious culture? The other individual is Sunil Jayasekera who shouted and screamed in  the streets to promote media freedom  like a fish monger to sell his fish . Jayasekera is now the media director under the pariah dog.  Sunil who resigned the post for some inscrutable reason , later got himself reinstated, ought to  be asked how  his media director position  under the mad dog become pleasurable  now?

We are questioning this troika because the people are still believing this troika is having a conscience and guided by it. Others of course being puppies of the pariah  dog , those don’t concern the masses.

Foretelling of the future by the writer after sealing Shan’s  TNL….

There is a fortunate side to this episode …

The UNF government under P.M. Ranil Wickremesinghe which is  a bugbear for the president is spilling over with problems , but that is   going to end  to some extent.

The people have come  to know of the vindictive aims and objectives of president Gamarala who steered  forward an abortive no faith motion against Ranil , and even took revenge on Ranil’s brother . Those dastardly  moves of Gmarala are  going to be advantageous to Ranil’s government. The people would now understand president Gamarala and Ranil’s government are  not same and they are different.   

The government of course should be able to exploit the situation to the full. If mouths are kept shut and the blows are to be endured  as Ranil says,  it must be decided  ,how can such a ‘ ponna (effeminate)  government’ which cannot stop the one who is attacking save  the nation ?  and take measures to slate  the ponna government and give one fatal   blow to both the mad dog which is attacking as well as the ponna government , and get rid of both. .

It can be presumed , after Pallewatte Gamarala excreted on the head of Ven. Sobitha Thera at his death commemoration, and following Gamarala’s deadly and portentous media suppression  , the UNP leaders must have been pushed to the edge so much so they cannot just idly watch and wait any longer.

Danger is looming …

This sealing of the media Institution portends grave  danger to the future political  landscape ….

Pallewatte Gamarala first instilled fear into the internet media by imposing a ban on Lanka e News the leading Sinhala news website which was a pest to him , as it was   exposing all his treacheries and trickeries fearlessly , frankly and forthrightly. By that he punctured the heart of internet media.

In like manner he instilled fear into the television media channels that  are a  source of annoyance to him  by sealing TNL the leading television channel in SL , which is owned by P.M.’s brother . By that he punctured the heart of television media .

What remains to destroy  for him next is the personal character of those who are criticizing him. He is not going to stop. He will be going  to the  extreme point to  attack them so much so  they will not be able to rise again. Pallewatte Gamarala so far only has not committed murder . Now he has arrived at that point too.  Gota being his closest friend ,theoretician and mentor  now , it is doubtless Gamarala will not hesitate to do killings too in the not too distant future.

It is a well and widely known fact Gamarala whose popularity base has dropped steeply to a mere 4 % , and is on the fast track to doom is now like a  rabid dog biting and attacking all and sundry . Obsessed with greed for despotic power ,like others dictators  in history is devouring everyone and every Institution that criticizes his perfidies , traitorous and anti democratic activities.

In the circumstances it is our duty to alert and awake everyone on the slogan ‘if Sira is mad , Kira must wake up’

Wimal Dheerasekera

Translated by Jeff

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by     (2018-06-09 14:03:20)