A group of ministers representing the national unity government have formally complained to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe against Media Ministry Secretary Nimal Bopage for the latter's attempt to "manipulate" state media.
Sri Lanka's Media Ministry has come under fire for exerting pressure on state media stations to prevent them from giving publicity to the 'Pada Yatra" protest march, launched by the Joint Opposition.
There were multiple allegations that the state-run TV station's main news bulletin, over the weekend, did not give any fair coverage to the protest march, despite the government's repeated promises to create a state media culture where every political party gets fair coverage.
When contacted by several ministers who were concerned about the matter, the heads of the state-run TV station had said that they only acted under the directives of Media Ministry Secretary Nimal Bopage.
Bopage has now been accused of violating media policies of the Yahapalanaya government which pledged to ensure a free and fair state media culture, the Prime Minister's office sources said.
Many good governance activists expressed serious concerns about the government's media practices over the past few days, saying the 'Yahapalanaya' was taking the path of Mahinda Abeysundara and Hudson Samarasinghe, two notorious propaganda bosses under the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration.
"It was appalling to see the Rupavahini main news bulletin on Friday and Saturday. We are no fans of the Rajapaksas and we firmly believe that all charges against them should be investigated. Unfortunately, the Rupavahini main news bulletin, on Friday and Saturday, resembled the conduct of the Rajapaksa regime. It is utterly disappointing that this happened under a government that came to power with the promise of ensuring good governance," a prominent member of the Purawesi Balaya organisation told Asian Mirror.
"The same trend continued on Sunday as well. It means the Media Ministry is too arrogant to listen to the civil society's opinion. It is a dangerous trend and they should know what happened to former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran," he further added.
