likely to escalate into explosive proportions
(Lanka-e-News -26.Aug.2016, 11.30PM) The internal conflicts within the media ministry has now reached alarming proportions. Minister Gayantha Karunathileke , media secretary Nimal Bopage and ministry officers are in one camp while the scheming deputy minister Karu Paranavitharne and slimy time serving State information Director General Ranga Kalansuriya are in the other camp precipitating a power struggle with the result the ministry is virtually split into two.
It is the ministry that is vested with the powers to implement the right to information bill , but with the information department intervening to exert its power in this matter , the minister had to take action to restore those powers in the ministry .The deputy minister Paranavitharne on the other hand taking steps to implement this bill via his information department through his representative Ranga Kalansuriya had naturally attracted the attention and focus of the ministry .
The main reason for this dispute is the abominable crafty maneuvers of the scheming deputy minister. The latter who until the final week was eating out of the same plate with corrupt ,crooked and criminal Rajapakses and sniffing his loin cloth stench notwithstanding , is now while trampling the policies of the good governance government , and insulting the president has begun pampering and promoting prime minister, not with good motives of course, given his crafty and scheming traits.
This schemer and time server by trying to celebrate the completion of one year in office of the president and make Maithri a fake ‘King’ with ulterior motives got thrown out of Maithri’s charmed circle. On one occasion on the advice proffered by him to Ranga Kalansuriya, the latter issued a communiqué which stated until the return of the financial minister , the president has no powers to appoint a Central Bank Governor. Subsequently , the media secretary releasing a communiqué denied having issued such a communiqué . The Information department too later sent a communiqué saying , such a communiqué was not issued. It is a well and widely known fact that it was this crafty and slimy Paranavitharne who was at the bottom of this disgraceful imbroglio ,and the architect of all those misfortunes to the detriment of the ministry and the country.
It was in this state of confusion and chaos, the deputy minister Paranavithane and the Director General of information , Ranga Kalansuriya tabled a Cabinet paper through the P.M. to launch a ‘National media center’ and got it approved. As a rule such a paper ought to be tabled by the minister who is in charge of that subject. In this instance the minister even did not know. This odious Director General of information has somehow got himself appointed as the chief of that center.
The establishment of a National media center while there is already a Government information department to provide State information , is due to Bopage who is wielding strong administrative powers within the ministry.
At the same time , the deputy minister and the information department have lost their opportunities to conduct their affairs duly because the minister and his secretary are together and taking one stand .The deputy minister is therefore unable to issue communiqués in the way aforementioned. In any case , the new national media center is not within the purview of the minister or his secretary.
Since the National media center is not within the control of the minister or the ministry , and is housed within the ministry , the deputy minister has been able to create the necessary environment in his favor to run it in the way he wants .
On par with the post of ‘Cabinet spokesman’ , another post ‘ State official spokesman’ has been created, and Ranga Kalansuriya has been appointed to that post.
In the circumstances , may we forewarn , this issue is likely to escalate into explosive proportions undermining even the government.
By a special correspondent of Lanka e news inside information division
Translated by Jeff
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by (2016-08-26 21:43:55)
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