By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former Catholic Church spokesman Rev. Cyril Gamini Fernando says that ongoing government efforts to rein in the media, including social media platforms is actually a sign of weakness.

Rev. Fernando insists the incumbent administration cannot suppress the truth by muzzling the media as no government ever succeeded in doing so.

Rev. Fernando, currently the parish priest of St. Anne’s Church, Kurana, told The Island that the government could easily silence what it considered hostile media by changing its strategies.

Responding to another query, Rev. Fernando emphasized that the government should reexamine post-2019 presidential election vis-a-vis the promises made by the then Joint Opposition (JO) in the run-up to the change of government.

Unfortunately, the incumbent dispensation had resorted to strong arm tactics in addition to threats and intimidation of sections of the media considered hostile to the government, Rev. Fernando said.

The top Church spokesperson said that the recent disclosure in Parliament of an alleged attempt to silence Sirasa TV underscored the need to be vigilant. Recalling the suppression of the media by successive governments since the 80s, Rev. Fernando stressed that no one could achieve that despicable objective.

Regardless of the State resorting to terror tactics and various other underhand methods, the entire media couldn’t be controlled or influenced to follow the agenda desired by those in power. The SLPP government appeared to have wrongly recognized the media as an emerging threat and taken measures to neutralize that challenge, Rev Fernando said.

Asked whether the Church would take up these contentious issues with the government, Rev. Fernando said that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith regularly commented on public interest issues so much so in the wake of the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage some accused the Church of backing the then Opposition.

“The then Opposition is in power today. It enjoys a near two-thirds majority in Parliament having backed Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the presidential election. But, today, we are struggling to convince them of the need to bring the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday carnage before a court of law,” Rev. Fernando said. The priest said that the Attorney General’s Office and the police owed an explanation over the latter’s failure to question former Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC, regarding a controversial statement he made several days before his retirement in late May 2021.

Rev. Fernando asked how could the government ignore de Livera’s declaration that there is clear evidence of a grand conspiracy linked to Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter bombings. De Livera has said that information that the state intelligence service (SIS) had, “with times, targets, places, method of attack and other information is clear evidence there was a grand conspiracy in place with regard to the April 21 2019 attack.”

Rev Fernando emphasized that investigations couldn’t have been completed without the CID recording the former AG’s statement. Pointing out that De Livera made the declaration on May 18 about a week before his retirement, the police were yet to question one-time outspoken official, who fearlessly led the grilling of those involved in the Bond Scams before the special Presidential Commission of Inquiry that probed the daring heist involving some of the highest individuals in the yahapalana government and others.

The Church official alleged that the government conveniently forgot the Presidential Commission report on the Easter Sunday carnage. “What have they done with it? In spite of big talk, the government didn’t implement the PCoI recommendations. In fact, we are wondering why the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and the PCoI were appointed at all,” Rev Fernando said, alleging that those in authority apparently perpetrated a massive fraud on the people.

Having examined the proceedings of the PSC, the PCoI as well as speeches made in Parliament, Rev. Fernando said that he couldn’t comprehend how the government continued to suppress the truth. Rev. Fernando said that one didn’t need the skills of a Sherlock Holmes to realise that those who carried out the actual bombings weren’t the masterminds of the dastardly crime.

Rev Fernando said that those trying to suppress the truth would find fault with the Church and the independent media for raising concerns. The Church believed the government couldn’t absolve itself of the responsibility for ensuring justice.

The priest urged the media to courageously report what was going on. Acknowledging the role played by the social media, Rev Fernando said that those in Parliament shouldn’t be blind to the reality. The recent controversy over the increase in fuel prices resulted in the disclosure of the pathetic state of the national economy, Rev Fernando said. The admission that two key state enterprises, the CPC and the CEB, owed a staggering Rs 737 bn to state banks and may cause the collapse of the banking sector was shocking, the priest said.

Referring to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s declaration that the country had to meet annual loan repayment obligations amounting to USD 4 bn should be examined against the backdrop of allegations pertaining to waste, corruption, irregularities and negligence, the priest said.

Rev Fernando also strongly criticized the deployment of police to breakup legitimate protests against the government. The move to exploit recent instructions relating to the Covid-19 prevention health guidelines to suppress those opposed to government projects should be condemned, Rev Fernando said, citing the police intervention to break up a peaceful protest against the Kotelawela Defence University Bill as a case in point.

Having captured power with a huge mandate, the SLPP government was doing everything on its own to antagonize the public, Rev Fernando said. The hasty decision to ban chemical fertiliser without making proper arrangements to introduce organic fertiliser, destruction of X-Press Pearl in Sri Lankan waters, financial crisis and general breakdown of law and order leading to decline in public confidence should be matters for serious concern, the Church spokesman said.

Rev. Fernando said that the failure on the part of the government to ensure a transparent vaccination programme was also a serious issue. The reportage of the Covid-19 control ‘operations’ and the vaccination programme were mired in controversy, the priest said, urging the government to take tangible measures to address the concerns of the public.