Calling Jayantha Dhanapala a liar, or the tragedy of Lankan public life

Ph oto courtesy CTBTO by Dr. Chaminda Weerawardhana - on 04/12/2014

On March 16, 2014, Colombo Telegraph, a UK-based online news outlet published an article entitled Jayantha hanapala !s " #iar$ %au&ht #yin& O'er (ilence On Colombo Telegraph )loc*in&+, -his article was a .ollow-up o. an earlier article on the .ailure o. "/bassador Jayantha hanapala, a /e/ber o. the )oard o. irectors o. ialo& "0iata 1#%, one o. (ri #an*a+s pre/ier teleco//unications ser'ice pro'iders, to pre'ent Colombo Telegraph .ro/ bein& bloc*ed by that co/pany in (ri #an*a, -hese articles were .ollowed by a third .ollow-up piece published on 22 March 2014, with photo&raphic e'idence that Colombo Telegraph continues to be bloc*ed, -he third article described ialo& as bein& surreptitious+ in bloc*in& access to the online newspaper, unbloc*in& the site be.ore hanapala deli'ered a speech at public .oru/ or&anised by the )ar "ssociation o. (ri #an*a 3)"(#4, and rebloc*in& it soon a.ter, !n the relati'e a.ter/ath o. this outri&ht accusation o. "/bassador hanapala as a liar, this article atte/pts at rethin*in& the issue, in the bac*drop o. the broader picture o. challen&es to the .ree press in (ri #an*a,

Threats to the press: an old story Colombo Telegraph has been one a/on& /any websites to be bloc*ed in (ri #an*a under the 5a6apa*sa re&i/e, the a'ersion o. which to press .reedo/ is no secret to the

world, !t is also an online /edia outlet that has rapidly de'eloped a steady readership .ro/ across the broad, &arnerin& substantial interest both inside and outside (ri #an*a, -he 5a6apa*sa ad/inistration+s ostrich+s attitude to the press has led to an unprecedented deterioration o. press .reedo/ in the island, )y no /eans does this i/ply that threats to the .ree press are a sin&ular pheno/enon that ca/e to bein& under the 5a6apa*sas, -hey ha'e been around .or a lon& ti/e, and can be considered as a constant presence in (ri #an*a+s socio-political .abric, !n the early 1770s, .or instance, se&/ents o. the press critical o. the 1re/adasa presidency .ound the/sel'es in /ortal dan&er, "lthou&h press .reedo/ relati'ely pre'ailed durin& the decade o. Ku/aratun&a rule, one cannot .or&et the attac*s on the Sunday Leader and the 8uestionable circu/stances o. theassassination o. 5ohana Ku/ara, the 9ditor o. the Satana newspaper, -he story o. threats to the press under the 5a6apa*sas is indeed a *nown story that does not re8uire additional reiteration, The liberal lobbys reaction: wanting in critical insights Ma*in& a thou&ht-pro'o*in& contribution to the Colombo Telegraph debate, a (ri #an*an social scientist describes "/bassador hanapala+s position as ethically untenable+, -he .act that the retired diplo/at, U: Under (ecretary-;eneral, candidate .or the post o. U: (ecretary-;eneral, 1resident o.1u&wash !nternational, ;o'ernin& )oard /e/ber o. the (toc*hol/ !nternational 1eace 5esearch !nstitute 3(!15!4 and leadin& .i&ure in the ci'il society &roup <riday <oru/ is also a /e/ber o. ialo&+s e0ecuti'e board is put into 8uestion, hi&hli&htin& that a co//it/ent to corporate responsibility is not an e0cuse to adapt a cautious attitude towards ialo&+s bloc*in& o. Colombo Telegraph to its (ri #an*an clientele, "t .irst si&ht, this 'iew does appear to ha'e a le'el o. credence, "ddin& .urther wei&ht to this ar&u/ent, r 1ai*iasothy (ara'ana/uttu o. the %entre .or 1olicy "lternati'es 3%1"4 also /aintains that "/bassador hanapala ou&ht to choose between his co//it/ent to the <riday <oru/ and its priorities 3which notably include the rule o. law+4 and a corporate position at the hel/ o. ialo& "0iata 1#%, -he abo'e ar&u/ent /ay indeed hold &round a/on& so/e in (ri #an*a+s liberal, urban, 9n&lish-spea*in& and =estwardly inclined bubble, but is /onu/entally inconsistent, !n .act, it a/ounts to the %1" or any non-&o'ern/ental body in %olo/bo re.usin& a substantial &rant .ro/ a distin&uished U,(, .under on the basis o. U,( authorities+ dubious practices in !ra8 or ;uantana/o, or re6ectin& a &enerous &rant .ro/ a (wiss .undin& /echanis/ as a /ar* o. protest o'er the recent passa&e o. contro'ersial i//i&rant-un.riendly le&islation in the (wiss <ederal "sse/bly, or, .or that /atter, the (wiss <ederal 1arty+s stron& anti-i//i&ration lobbyin&, -he .unda/ental proble/ with the a.ore/entioned liberal urban, well-tra'elled and educated lobby is that it lar&ely operates in a hi&hly the/-'ersus-us+ paradi&/, -his in'ol'es percei'in& the liberal lobby as on the &ood side and the state, populist politics, and local entities and indi'iduals that do not position the/sel'es within the urban,

liberal, 9n&lish-spea*in& social le'el or its 'alues as the bad side, or the illiberal 3and conte/pt-worthy4 other+, -he latter conte/pt also e0tends to anybody who positions hi/sel. or hersel. on the liberal+ end, but also en&a&es with state-related responsibility or, > as the hanapala- ialo& case denotes > with the corporate sector, -his the/and-us+ paradi&/ is also lo'ed by so/e o. the so-called (ri #an*a specialists+ in the =est, a /i0ture o. hu/an &eo&raphers and anthropolo&ists, who utilise their lin*s to the (ri #an*an :;O?thin* tan* lobbies .or their bene.it, !n so/e respects, this outloo* /ay indeed carry a certain le'el o. salience, @owe'er, it pre'ents people .ro/ ta*in& a /uch-needed critical posture on national and international politics, as well as the duplicities and dualities o. concepts such as the liberal and the illiberal, !t is no secret that =estern liberal internationalis/, in all its /ani.estations, is couched in an array o. essentially illiberal+ a&endas, "ccountability, the rule o. law, press .reedo/ or any other ri&hts issues are o/nipresent uni'ersal proble/s, with 'aryin& /ani.estations .ro/ one socio-political space to another, Putting the Dhanapala-Dialog issue in perspective )rowsin& throu&h the e0istin& reports on the hanapala- ialo& a..air, one cannot help obser'in& the &apin& lac* o. a balanced 'iew beyond the liberal lobby+s criti8ue o. "/bassador hanapala+s corporate en&a&e/ents, -he issue o. bloc*in& online /edia channels, as well as "/bassador hanapala+s low-pro.ile responses to Colombo Telegraph 3the abo'e-cited articles 8uote .ro/ e/ail co//unications between hanapala and Colombo Telegraph4 need to be put in perspecti'e in the bac*drop o. the broader picture, especially in ter/s o. the o'erlappin& areas o. &o'ernance, accountability and corporate culture, !t is not ialo& or any other teleco//unications ser'ice pro'ider that has any interest in bloc*in& news websites in (ri #an*a, (uch decisions are the e0clusi'e preser'e o. &o'ern/ents in power, and to be /ore precise, o. the 90ecuti'e, " /i0ture o. the pro'isions o. the 172A %onstitution on the 90ecuti'e branch and the (ri #an*an polity+s clientelist and ser'ile inclinations ensure the concentration o. tre/endous and o'erarchin& in.luence around the 90ecuti'e, " ban on independent news sources could not ta*e place in the absence o. .ull e0ecuti'e endorse/ent, !n the present-day conte0t, the 90ecuti'e /ost i/portantly includes the de.ence hi&h co//and, with its enhanced ties with certain .orei&n re&i/es un*ind to press .reedo/, and willin&ness to solicit the support o. !- specialists .ro/ such re&i/es to *eep the press and opponents under constant watch, !t is the in.luence o. this e0ecuti'e cohort that pro/pts .ir/s such as ialo& to ban whate'er website they are ordered to ban, Un.ortunately, adherence to such re8uests is pri/ordial to the sur'i'al o. such businesses, and e0ecuti'e wrath is the last thin& they would aspire, Disciplined reaction and corporate responsibility !n this conte0t, "/bassador hanapala+s reaction could only be described as nor/al+,

unsurprisin&+ and pra&/atic+, hanapala is only a non-e0ecuti'e, independent /e/ber o. ialo&+s )oard o. irectors 3'ery /uch a brie.less-barrister+ role4 and certainly not the )oard+s sole ideolo&ue or moteur-dirigeant, )oard /e/bers o. this nature are called upon to ta*e decisions on the a&endas o. the se'en or ei&ht board /eetin&s held annually and any ensuin& resolutions, !t &oes without sayin& that such /e/bers are also disconnected .ro/ the daily operational details o. the co/pany, (o/eone in such a position can only a..ord to adopt a diplo/atic posture, re.rain .ro/ openly criti8uin& the .ir/, and, .or the sa*e o. &ood conscience, deploy any in.luence they /ay ha'e in del'in& into 8uestionable issues such as the press ban internally, and see*in& options o. addressin& such issues diplo/atically, all o. which hanapala has done, One could notice a 'ery low-pro.ile and cautious undertone in his co//unications with Colombo Telegraph, -he .act that ialo& surreptitiously+ unbloc*ed Colombo Telegraph durin& hanapala+s oration at the a.ore/entioned )"(# e'ent su&&ests that so/e .or/ o. le'era&e had been le'elled at ialo&+s direction, encoura&in& the co/pany to /a*e an e0ception, -his /ay not be a /easure worthy o. any special co//endation, @owe'er, it is su&&esti'e o. the .act that "/bassador hanapala has not re/ained inacti'e on ialo&+s bannin& o. the .ree press, "ll that is doable .or so/eone in his situation is that o. e0ertin& /ild pressure .ro/ the inside, within a 'ery narrow re/it o. action, and callin& upon the co/pany to e0plore options o. at least partially li.tin& the ban, -his, to &o by realpoliti*, is unli*ely to yield positi'e results, but is the best a'ailable alternati'e, hanapala+s critics also conde/n his silence+ in the public do/ain on this issue, "nyone with the sli&htest ac8uaintance o. (ri #an*an %o/pany #aw could con.ir/ that it e0pressly .orbids the public di'ul&in& o. in.or/ation &athered as a board /e/ber o. a co/pany, e0cept in a court o. law under oath, !. the cue is to be ta*en .ro/ "/bassador hanapala+s e0e/plary diplo/atic career, one has to be so.t in the head to e0pect hanapala to publicise his co//unications with ialo& on the issue o. bannin& Colombo Telegraph, Commitment to best practice, corporate responsibility and the rule of law: not incompatible -he ar&u/ent that "/bassador hanapala, who also stands as a stron& ad'ocate o. accountability and &ood &o'ernance, should ha'e distanced hi/sel. .ro/ ialo& loo/s the debate, (uch a decision is indeed an indi'idual one, but how could a decision o. this nature be conceptualised in the conte0t o. corporate cultureB =hen so/eone is attached to a leadin& business .ir/ at its hi&hest le'els, one is indeed bound by ri&hts, obli&ations as well as co//it/ents, !. one sin&ular .eature characterises "/bassador hanapala+s distin&uished career in &o'ern/ent and beyond, it is a co//it/ent to his duties and obli&ations, -his, by no /eans i/plies 3as a &ood .ew out there see/ to concur4 a sense o. dishonesty, double-standards or a .or/ o. cowardice, !t is the /ost diplo/atic and disciplined o. approaches at one+s disposition, and pursuin& it re8uires an e0tre/ely hi&h le'el o. sel.-control, restraint and sel.-discipline, " 8uestion worth raisin& is that o. what Colombo Telegraph or any other news outlet

could achie'e by blatantly casti&atin& a senior citiCen 3and one o. the hand.ul o. (ri #an*an diplo/ats with a substanti'e international standin&4 as a liar+, -his appellation only a/ounts to a 'ery puerile understandin& o. the state o. press .reedo/ in the (ri #an*an conte0t, !t is re/iniscent o. the UK+s Daily Mail or Sun-li*e pressblurbs, and /ore i/portantly perhaps, a blea* perception o. corporate responsibility, %allin& hanapala na/es does not a..ect in any way the o'erarchin& .orces that ha'e i/posed bans upon news channels such as Colombo Telegraph, -he <riday <oru/, lar&ely spearheaded by "/bassador hanapala, has been deplorably ine..ecti'e in in.luencin& public opinion or &o'ern/ent policy, -his certainly does not co/e as a surprise, as the rulers+ strate&y is that o. obliteratin& the 'oice o. reason, -he li*es o. the <riday <oru/ lac* the /edia resources and or&anisational stren&th to reach out to the /asses, !t re/ains a &roup o. senior citiCens 3all o. the/ pro.essionals in their respecti'e .ields4 who call .or constructi'e policy chan&es, )eyond that narrow re/it, there is little a .oru/ o. that nature in its present .or/ could per.or/, -he conte/ptuous na/e-callin& that tar&ets "/bassador hanapala is considerably in.luenced by his role within the <riday <oru/, which enables critics to see a parado0 between hanapala+s reaction to ialo&+s ban and his ad'ocacy o. &ood &o'ernance, -his in itsel. is an erroneous and con'oluted assu/ption, "dherence to a loose-*nit &roup such as the <riday <oru/ does not deter one .ro/ corporate en&a&e/ents, and when the need be, .ro/ adaptin& an attitude that corresponds to such en&a&e/ents, 5esi&nations, press-sa''y 8uic* decisions and /ediatised outbursts o. a contro'ersial nature are ne'er the traits o. a .ine diplo/at, which "/bassador hanapala has been and continues to be, to the letter, Swedish oreign !inistry and Dhanapala: wrong focus Colombo Telegraph has also cited an article published in a (wedish website that .ocuses on (outh "sia that the (wedish <orei&n "..airs Ministry is .ollowin& the /atter closely, "s an ad'ocate o. :ordic nor/-entrepreneurship 3the substanti'e criti8ues o. which is a di..erent /atter4 and press .reedo/, the Ministry+s and (!15!+s attention ou&ht to be on the .orces that in.rin&e press .reedo/ within (ri #an*a+s rulin& re&i/e, and not on a retired diplo/at, hanapala+s role in a pri'ate .ir/ is bein& /ediatised as a near-cri/inal act, whereas neither hanapala nor the co/pany in 8uestion are to be bla/ed .or the ban on Colombo Telegraph or any other news channel in (ri #an*a, -his is the /ost .arcical aspect o. the accusation le'elled a&ainst "/bassador hanapala, )ans on the .ree /edia will e0ist in (ri #an*a .or as lon& as the pre'alent political culture rei&ns, !t is by a /ore nuanced and painsta*in& e..ort at awareness raisin&, de'elopin& pressure &roups and supportin& e0istin& .ree /edia outlets that a

di..erence could be .oreseen in the lon& run, :a/e-callin&, in the /eanti/e, could only help tarnish the 'ery na/e-callers, DDD r %ha/inda =eerawardhana co/pleted his 1h in %o/parati'e 1olitics at the (chool o. 1olitics at Eueen+s Uni'ersity )el.ast, where he presently holds a 1ostdoctoral <ellowship, !n early 201F, he held a Marie %urie early career <ellowship, hosted at the %entre .or %on.lict (tudies at Utrecht Uni'ersity, " past pupil o. -rinity %olle&e, Kandy, and an alu/nus o. Uni'ersitG <ranHois 5abelais in -ours 3<rance4, r =eerawardhana has interned at the United :ations and tau&ht at se'eral <rench uni'ersities includin& Uni'ersitG 1aris 1F and #ille 1,