Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa who served in the post for five years before President Mahinda Rajapaksa took over the Ministry in February this year said he had voluntarily stepped down from the post to devote more time to election work.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, he spoke of his work in the post as well the prospects for the UPFA in the Kurunegala district. Here are excerpts:-
You were the Minister of Media for almost five years? What is your self-assessment of how you fared at the job?
The role of the Media Minister is always challenging. During my time I have seen tremendous growth in the sphere. New organisations have popped up with more newspapers, television and radio stations. There were some issues as well. People expected so many things from me. I took that challenge in a very calm manner.
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| Anura
Yapa |
I don t say that I have been an excellent Media Minister by any means. A balancing act is very important in the Media Ministry because you are working with so many different personalities, different ideologies, and different issues. By being balanced, I was able to neutralise many issues.
I really enjoyed that period. The media was good with me, the President and the Government supported me and so did the officials in the ministry.
I felt sorry leaving the place, but I knew I would have to leave during the election period as I would not have had enough time to spend on that kind of thing. I am covering a huge electorate, a huge district, far away from Colombo. This is a Colombo-based Ministry so I decided to resign as the Minister with mixed feelings in my heart.
But it is rumoured that you were removed from the post and you did not voluntarily step down?
I volunteered to step down. I had another Ministry too. If you can t fulfil the responsibility the government expects of you, what is the best option available? To quietly move away from it. That is my way.
What do you mean when you say “cannot fulfil the responsibilities?”
What I mean is during the election time, there are responsibilities I have to fulfil for the party.
When you say you have had a good rapport with the media it is true, but that was on a personal level. But the last five years have been very difficult for the media with journalists being killed, attacked and abducted. . Weren’t many things beyond your control in the media field?
There have been many unforeseen incidents. It was a very damaging period for me but everyone helped including the President. He wanted investigations into all such incidents that took place. In some cases we managed to produce the culprits before Court. Some cases are still under investigation. Those were very unfortunate incidents and those responsible should be brought to justice. I firmly believe the media should be allowed to work freely in the country.
Was there any particular incident that took place after which you felt you failed as the Media Minster and made you feel helpless?
No I never felt helpless but you all have to understand in every society when you have turbulence like terrorism, you have to expect this kind of thing. But when the country becomes calmer everything will be under control.
Are you satisfied with the manner in which investigations into attacks on the media have proceeded?
In every society the conducting of investigations are very difficult tasks. The police have an enormous task trying to find the culprits. My belief is that these are organised incidents. The police should be able to apprehend them one day.
What about the Rupavahini incident? You were Media Minister at the time.
There is a case pending in Court in this regard. I don’t want to blame anyone but it was an unfortunate incident. You cannot have a repetition of that kind of incident.
The President has appointed so many committees to look into attacks on journalists but we haven’t seen their findings?
I was also on a committee. We did our best. I always believe that reconciliation and consultation is much more important than anything else.
This government has had a turbulent relationship with the media particularly the private media. What do you feel about it?
I will give you some advice now that I am no longer the Media Minister. . . If you try taking one side you will criticised. Balanced reporting is the best.
Doesn’t that also apply to the state media?
They can also do that. I didn’t want to blame everyone. I have a lot of respect for all media institutions that are operating.
During your time as Media Minister were you given a free hand? Wasn’t there a lot of interference in your work?
There was no interference from anyone. The Media Minister has a challenging job just like the Managing Director or Managing Editor of a newspaper. I had the help of everyone and I appreciated that. These are challenges that even future Media Ministers will face.
What are the prospects for the UPFA in the Kurunegala district at the general election?
For many years this has been one of the safest districts for the UPFA particularly the SLFP. Even with the PR system we have shown we could achieve a two-third majority in our district as seen at the last Provincial Council poll.
We have shown it to the other districts and they have followed us. We have shown remarkable growth in membership. We believe the people will help us achieve the two-thirds majority in our district this time as well. The Kurunegala district always goes with the victorious side. It’s like Ohio in the USA. We are a kind of a barometer in the political field in Sri Lanka.
What factors do you think eroded the UNP vote base in the Kurunegala district?
My assessment of the UNP is their leadership is weak and they didn’t have a proper programme to present to the masses. It is also no longer an organised party. There is lot of in-fighting and the UNP made a blunder in joining the JVP for the sake of defeating the President. The UNP’s time is over. It’s impossible to think they will come to power in the near future.
Are you spending a lot of money for this election?
Some people are spending a lot of money. I don’t have money to spend like that. I have worked with people for long so I don’t have to spend like that. I want to make sure the voters remain with me for the next elections as well. Money cannot buy people. It can be beneficial in the short term but there is no sustainability. If you win the hearts and minds of the people and work hard for them, they will be with you always. |
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