Sri Lanka: Court Order Against 'Janapathi Janahamuwa' ( Updated - The Court Order)
( January 5, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) District court of Kaduwela today issued enjoining orders against ITN, Rupavahini, Swarnavahini, Derana from broadcasting JanapathI Janahamuwa or similar program today or any day upto January 08, 2015.
The court order notes that as the programme favors the incumbent president and common candidate was not afforded similar airtime, broadcasting such a programme would violate election commissioners media directives.
( January 5, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) District court of Kaduwela today issued enjoining orders against ITN, Rupavahini, Swarnavahini, Derana from broadcasting JanapathI Janahamuwa or similar program today or any day upto January 08, 2015.
The court order notes that as the programme favors the incumbent president and common candidate was not afforded similar airtime, broadcasting such a programme would violate election commissioners media directives.
A Presidency Under Threat – Perversions Of Norms
By Rajiva Wijesinha -January 5, 2015
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha MP
I had thought this would be the last article in this series, since the election will be held in a couple of days, and the threat would have been fulfilled then (or possibly averted, though that seems increasingly unlikely as I write). But the manner in which some characters in the President’s camp are behaving suggests we may still have a period of uncertainty after the election results.
First there is the extraordinary statement of Rev Nalaka that, even if he loses, the President can go on for another two years. I cannot believe that a priest could be so utterly ignorant of matters on which he presumes to speak, but that is a less worrying belief than thinking he is a liar, intent on deliberately deceiving the people. The Constitution is very clear on the fact that, if the incumbent President seeks early election, and wins, his term of office begins on the next date corresponding to the date of his previous election (ie he could get upto a year more, but certainly not two years). It is equally clear that, if another candidate wins, his term of office will begin immediately.
The pronouncement of the priest then is bad but, assuming he is ignorant, it is worse that television stations showed him making the pronouncement, without themselves providing a correction. Even private channels should have political commentators capable of making the correction, but it is worse that State Television should allow such statements to gain currency.
A second problem is the desperate efforts of government to curry favour with the forces. They were told just before the postal vote that they would be given motor cycles, while the police were informed of a loan scheme. Sadly the government does not seem to understand that servicemen are not foolish, and I was given several reasons by ordinary members of the forces as to why these promises had no credibility.