UK’s Sri Lankan Candidates & Distasteful Crusade Of The Constrained Media

Uma-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ranil

By Rajasingham Jayadevan –May 12, 2015 

Rajasingham Jayadevan

It is unhealthy news reporting in the Sunday Island datelined 10 May 2015. The news headline ‘Two pro-LTTE Conservative MPs defeated in British poll. Only one candidate of Lankan origin romps home’ spoke of the unpleasant crusade of the constrained media.

The news is clearly a cheap media spin, to continue with the never ending anti campaign between Sri Lankan Diaspora communities in the UK. Having engaged in the election campaign from the dissolution of the House of commons for the election on 8 May 2015, and knowing the intricacies of the campaign process, the mischievous whirl in the Sunday Island appears to be an effort to continue with the age old agenda to embroil in propping up animosity without reporting the factual account in a broader sense. Tamil Diaspora cannot be analysed or visualised with a redundant binocular, instead one needs deep engagement with the communities.

My two colleagues and I had a meeting with the Conservative parliamentarian Mr Lee Scott on the day of the dissolution of the parliament on 30 March 2015 at his constituency office in Gants Hill. In the meeting, a wide range of issues including political resolution to the conflict, war crimes, efforts of All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils etc., were discussed. The primary objective of my meeting was to influence Mr Lee Scott to reform the APPGT to be more open and transparent in its conduct and reflect wider collective views of the Tamils. He was under pressure from a section of the Tamils in his constituency for this change. One of his Tamil constituent (Name withheld) had engaged with him and his exchanges speak of changes wanted in the APPGT under the newly elected parliament.

‘Dear Hon Scott MPFirst letter to Mr Lee Scott:

‘As your constituent, I am very concerned about the stand taken by the APPG (T) you lead by associating with the constrained, sectarian and hate groups.
‘The bigger Tamil Diaspora is intelligent stock and the time has come for the APPG (T) to open its door for true democratic voices of wider Tamil Diaspora to be heard.
‘Kind regards.’

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