PM SAYS MALWATTE MAHANAYAKE THERA OUT OF THE COUNTRY
We are accepting the opinions of the public regarding a new constitution at the moment
PWe are ready to have a debate in the coming week on how to proceed in the future with regard to the constitution making process
rime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday charged that there is a move to mislead the public with regard to the statement issued by the Joint Karaka Sabha of Asgiriya and Malwathu chapters as the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter is not even in the country.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe made this remark just after accepting a report on a research carried out on the new constitution by the Sri Lanka College of Journalism and several other organizations at the Parliamentary complex last morning.
‘One of the gentlemen gathered here said there are allegations with regard to the new constitution. Who is making those allegations? Look at the newspapers today. They are carrying a story saying the most venerable Maha Nayaka Theras are against the new constitution. I spoke to venerable Maha Nayaka Thera of the Malawathu chapter. He is out of the country at the moment. I spoke to him today. Therefore how can the media carry his picture? How can the media mislead the public in this manner? The draft of the constitution is yet to be made. Will you give front-page headlines for my story as well? You went ‘Kade’ for Rajapaksas once. Do you have to do it again,” he said. The Prime Minister further said: “We are accepting the opinions of the public regarding a new constitution at the moment. We are ready to have a debate in the coming week on how to proceed in the future with regard to the constitution-making process. After that debate, we are seeking public opinion on the constitution.
“Some people are misleading the public with regard to the proposed constitution. Who is misleading the public? I saw all the media had published a news item with the photograph of the Malwathu Mahanayake Thera stating that he had made a statement regarding the new constitution. But, when I spoke to the Malwathu Mahanayake Thera about it, he said that let alone making a statement, he is not even in the country
If you published such a false news item at a time when the Malwathu Mahanayake Thera is not in the country, so prominently, shouldn’t the statement by me who is in the country at the moment too be published as a prominent news item
these days. Then how do such a news item and a picture get published in the media?
“Isn’t this a misleading of the public by the media? On an earlier occasion the Malwathu Mahanayaka Thera had expressed his opinion very well with regard to the new constitution. On that occasion the Mahanayake Thera had said that there was no new constitution prepared as yet, it’s only at the discussion stage and he is accepting what is stated by the President and me as the Prime Minister regarding a new constitution. “But after seeing this news I thought of contacting the Mahanayake Thera. I realized the true position only then. If this press conference was called by the Diyawadana Nilame in Kandy, the picture of him should have been carried with it and not that of the Mahanayake Thera. In the future I expect to ask the
We are accepting the opinions of the public regarding a new constitution at the moment. We are ready to have a debate in the coming week on how to proceed in the future with regard to the constitution making process
Diyawadana Nilame about this.
“There is no problem in publishing anything for or against the Mahanayake Thera in your media. But I would like to ask the media in the country as to why such false new items are published in the press when he is not even in the country.
“When this is asked before the media personnel what is the answer given by them? No one gave a direct answer. I am asking the media to publish this questioning. “Ask from the heads of your media institutions and tell where the Malwathu Mahanayake Thera is? What will happen to the country by publishing such false news items? Where are you publishing my statement regarding this? Is it on Page one or the last page? If you are publicizing the opinions of others regarding the proposed new constitution, you should give an opportunity to my opinion as the Prime Minister of the country regarding this matter as well.
“If you published such a false news item at a time when the Malwathu Mahanayake Thera is not in the country, so prominently, shouldn’t the statement by me who is in the country at the moment too be published as a prominent news item?
“The people have given us a mandate. At such a time, what is a game played by the media by misleading the people? Are the Lankadeepa, Divaina and Daily Mirror newspapers and some electronic media forcing us not to work according to the mandate given to us? I am asking the media that went ‘Kade’for the Rajapaksa regime for some time to stop this game.”
At this moment the Prime Minister told the journalists representing the media which carried the statement of the joint Karaka Sabha to call up their editors so that he could talk to them. He actually got a few journalists to ring up their editors and talked to them.