Clause on media control during polls removed

BY KELUM BANDARA

AND YOHAN PERERA

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday that on a request made by publishers and electronic media institutions, the government had removed the clause that sought to control private media organisations during elections.

He said several private media organisations met him and requested him to reconsider the enactment of this clause in the 19th Amendment.

We have done our part after listening to your concerns. It is up to you now to work out guidelines and a self-regulatory system

However, Mr. Wickremesinghe said he asked the publishers and private media institutions to evolve their own mechanism to abide by the regulations of the Election Commissioner during elections.

"We have done our part after listening to your concerns. Now, it is your responsibility to work out a self- regulatory system regarding guidelines and regulations stipulated by the Commissioner," he said. Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva claimed that the government had inserted this clause surreptitiously and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party( SLFP) had requested President Maithripala Sirisena to do away with it. "We thank the President for his intervention in this regard," he said.