News
Silent period image build-up continues on social media, regardless of ban
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya and Ishu Bandara
Social media is widely used by some candidates to pitch themselves to voters, despite restrictions during the 48-hour silent period, when television channels, radio, and newspapers did not carry any advertisements or promotions.
Some have used Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube to promote themselves ahead of yesterday’s election.
Social media was inundated with videos of speeches made by candidates, clips of them feeding and petting their dogs, as well as memes and funny videos and posts against rivals. These videos gained an entirely new momentum.
Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake told the Sunday Times more than 1208 cases were submitted to social media companies overseas.
“I requested the voters to think wisely, make their decision carefully, and elect the president without being misled by advertisements and content on social media.’’
Some social media posts during the 48-hour silent period
Mr. Rathnayake said the EC had been notified about some foreign media involvement in the promotional propaganda of a candidate during the evening hours of Friday.
An attempt is being made to remove the videos with the assistance of media technical units. External technical support from partner organisations is also used.
He urged voters to rely solely on reports released by the EC to the mainstream media, instead of being influenced by social media or external sources.
The police have detected an increase in the use of social media to promote candidates during the silent period.
Deputy Inspector General and Police media spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told the Sunday Times that what had been noted was mostly defamatory, but action has not yet been taken.
He also said that crime-related activities were not reported.
He said the EC has discussed with social media companies and formulated a system where actions would be taken.
Mr. Thalduwa said the EC has the authority to give information and to address violations. People should seek information from credible sources, he said.
There are also unavoidable incidents, such as when social media posts posted earlier go viral due to comments and sharing.
The election monitors said social media platforms were used to promote candidates and urged legal action be taken.
People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said numerous violations were reported during the 48-hour silent period, mostly on social media. He noted that Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa ran overseas media campaigns, while there were 846 paid advertisements by other candidates.
“We have brought this issue to the attention of the Election Commission and have already identified the social media pages responsible for these violations. After the elections, both the Election Commission and our organisation will pursue legal action against them,” he said.
Hashtag Generation, a group of young tech-savvy, socially conscious Sri Lankans, has submitted over 1,100 complaints about social media violations to the EC as of 5:00 pm Friday.
Several Indian media outlets had interviewed independent Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. These were posted on YouTube and other social media platforms on Thursday and Friday.
According to Sri Lanka’s election law, no candidate is allowed to engage in promotions during the silent period. Interviews on YouTube are being shared widely on Facebook and WhatsApp.
Hashtag Generation’s Programme Chief Darshana Gamage described these moves as an ethical violation and reported them to the EC.
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