Freedom and Responsibility
The Sri Lankan media this week launched a landmark initiative, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), an autonomous self -regulatory body whose dispute resolution council is headed by a much respected former Secretary General of Parliament Sam Wijesinha. The PCC will inquire into complaints from the public against the press.
It is a body that has the support of the publishers, editors and journalists - and even though all may perhaps not like the idea, certainly the vast majority supports it.
This newspaper for instance supports the PCC without reservation.

One of the concurrent demands of the media for long had been - the repeal of the draconian and archaic criminal defamation laws which were used with a vengeance by the former regime. This was accomplished last year when Parliament, unanimously, passed legislation to repeal the odious legislation.

The PCC is a fair-exchange for the absence of that law. The setting up of this Commission is something that other trade unions making demands could take an example from. The Press didn't simply make demands but ensured that it delivers on its own responsibilities towards the public. Every trade and profession must not only make demands but also have a social responsibility to perform towards the public and community it serves, and the country.

PM's visit to India
The Prime Minister is such a frequent flyer to neighbouring India that it probably won’t make news, except that India continues to be very much part of Sri Lanka's two decades old Northern insurgency, that every such visit has its own significance. This PM has learnt from his late uncle's handling of India that one cannot rub that huge monolith the wrong way.

Not that the late JRJ can be blamed so easily either. India was so much to blame for inflicting upon this little island-nation the monstrous atrocity in the form of a guerrilla insurgency.

While we cannot forget the past, and we must not forget the past, we also cannot live and wallow in it. New Delhi views things differently now than it did during the early years of the Northern insurgency, and it is in Sri Lanka's interest to ensure that India's national interest blends with ours.

There will be issues like a defence arrangement that will be discussed between the PM and the Indians, as well as international issues such as the agricultural subsidies issue that dominated the agenda of the WTO meeting on world trade where Sri Lanka went on a limb supporting the rich West, but insisted that it was done with India's blessings despite India's staunch defence of the poor.

However, it indicated that Sri Lanka's policy was independent from India's, even though whether it was the right way to turn is an arguable point. Coming on the heels of the Indian Foreign Minister's visit to Colombo during this week, the PM's 'touching base' with Indian PM Vajpayee as often as he can, (having met him in New York only three weeks ago) nevertheless is a good omen. Good neighbourliness, we can say, is next to Godliness.

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