The Sunday Leader – The refuge of mangy dogs
Posted on July 11th, 2010
Ajit Randeniya
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The effect of the war years on the great tradition of English language journalism in Sri Lanka is often buried among the more pressing concerns arising from the obvious consequences on the Sri Lankan economy, the national psyche and its cultural life.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Until the early years of the war, the early 1970s, Sri Lanka had benefited from several generations of high quality journalists who also built up a tradition of nurturing young talent to whom they passed on good writing skills as well as an appreciation of the duties and responsibilities of the profession, of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”history writingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ From around the 1980s however, the political chaos and bad management that accompanied the war that gave rise to the expansion of English language media also gave rise to the unhealthy phenomenon of the journalistic profession being invaded by many pretenders: people who did not possess the requisite educational background, or more importantly, had not served an apprenticeship. They simply broke in to the field because they possessed varying levels of competency in conversational English.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Examples of this group include people like Richard de Zoysa, Lasantha Wickramatunga, Sonali Samarasinghe, D Sivaram and of course, Frederica Jansz! D. Sivaram, as we now know, should never have been referred to as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”journalistƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. There could be many others, but this group springs to mind because a few among them paid the supreme price for their lack of familiarity with the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”limitsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the trade they were engaged in and others are struggling!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Obviously, the publication most afflicted by this malaise appears to be The Sunday Leader, the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”kele pattareƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ with pretensions to being a newspaper: having run from the very beginning by a crop of non-journalists, without the guidance of a senior real journalist guiding them on the duties and responsibilities of the journalistic profession, this rag is an embarrassment to the journalistic profession in Sri Lanka. When viewed against the spectrum of English language media in Sri Lanka, or just the Sunday newspapers, it is clearly apparent that those who are associated with this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”kele pattareƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are unworthy of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”journalistƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ tag.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Those behind this rag seem to expect the Sri Lankans and the world to believe that a sheet printed simply to promote vested interests of religious fanaticism, and seeking government influence, could make them a group of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”journalistsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ carrying out unbiased reviewing, reporting and commenting on national affairs. Its war time chants of impunity, human rights violations, rule of law and lie-based Rajapakse family corruption have now been replaced by GSP+ and US trade concessions, simply as a means of staying relevant.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The hallmark of the handicap of lack of tradition at the ‘kele pattere’ is the total blindness to a journalistic ethic among this group of people: they claim to be vehement advocates of ‘democracy’, but make a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”management decisionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to back a particular candidate for president, and worse still, tell the world about it, ostensibly assuming it is all in a dayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s work!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ After the election loss, the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”editorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ keeps throwing personal abuse at the Sri Lankan voter, in broken English and with the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”helpƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of irrelevant Shakespearean quotations; then they decide to attack the leader of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”theirƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ party and fail to respond to allegations that the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”pattareƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ received tens of millions of rupees from the party. For them, all this muck passes as perfectly normal behavior for a self-claimed ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”newspaperƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ group.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If the same acts were committed by a newspaper in a western country, whom they worship, the entire group would be in jail by now!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The most striking thing about the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”kele pattareƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ however, is the uniform inability of the people associated with it to use invective as a mere aid to deliver an idea effectively, rather than for gratuitous personal abuse. Its news reporting, editorial writing and umpteenth columns show that the place is run by a bunch of dingbats who continually fail to read the direction of Sri Lankan politics. They try to hide their shame by throwing more personal abuse at people.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The so-called editor Frederica JanszƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s attack on Wimal Weerawansa on yesterdayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s edition is a case in point: this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”mother dogƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ has showed many a time that she doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t need much to get her knickers in a twist and throw abuse at people. But even by her own gutter standards, the attack on Weeravansa, including gossip about his wifeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s alleged conversations with someone, hit a new low.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Frederica JanszƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stupidity is of such massive proportions that she accuses Weerawansa of being ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”poorly educated and plain stupidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. That is a bit rich coming from an ignoramus to whom nature has denied the faculty of prose and has no prospects of getting a job at any other newspaper in Colombo.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ WhatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s more, she follows that up with her unique mixed metaphor of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”boiled frogƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. She writes: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Wimal Weerawansa is a perfect fit for the boiled frog metaphor. Living in a small pond where he figures he is a big fish. Idiotic and bullheaded to the core ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” what he failed, very simply, to understand is that he is unimportant and inconsequential for the likes of the United Nations and its Chief Ban Ki-Moon.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ OƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦h! MƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦y God! Why this fetish about a frog and a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”bigƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ fish? The silly woman clearly has no idea that the situation the metaphor of the boiling frog alludes to is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”lulling someone to complacencyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢: literally, it is based on a cunning way of killing a frog by dropping it in tepid water first and by turning the heat up gradually, rather than by dropping it straight in to boiling water. How does this apply to WeerawansaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s general situation or his fasting?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Then comes her ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”editorialƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢: she starts by quoting Bertrand de Jouvenel; wonder what she knew about this French ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”nobodyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ who at 16 years of age had an affair with his stepmother, who was in her late 40s; he seems qualified to teach Frederica Jansz!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ JanszƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s use of language shows that she is prone to moaning like a demented idiotic child rather than organising a stream of thought in an acceptable way. As examples, she poses the illogical question, would Ban Ki-moon ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”splatterƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ egg on his face voluntarily? Then she goes, referring to Wimalawansa: We do know of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-type castƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚;
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The statement ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri Lanka needs all the friends she can muster and cannot be selective in the absence of a size[a]ble domestic marketƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ shows her ignorance about the reasons that should underlie Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s foreign relations: if we are looking for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”marketsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, we havenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t got much to worry about with India and China on side!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Her economics seems even worse: she is against Chinese projects because they ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”have a long gestation period by which time other nations will woo and fill in the void left by us in European and US markets by not being competitiveƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. And she uses the word ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”stupidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in reference to Weerawansa!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ JanszƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ignorance about the global debt, trade, investment, international influence and development trends is demonstrated by the sentence, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-There will surely come a time when China, India and Russia will tow the line of the USA and Europe in furthering their own domestic interests, leaving us to fend for ourselves.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ She has no idea that the US currently lives on money borrowed from China and half the US is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ownedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by China!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Frederica JanszƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”kele pattareƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”enhancedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ also by that poofter Mangala Samaraweera who seems to be advising Sri Lanka to follow the British and US fraud of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”full-scale investigationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at home about the bombings of weddings, funerals and market places in far away places like Afghanistan and Iraq. He even praises the war criminal Douglas Rumsfeld! This brainwashed Homo appears to not understand that the dead Afghani or Iraqi people will not benefit from an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”after the factƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ white wash based on the finding that the army has not violated any rules!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lankans can take heart that the rubbish they print on The Sunday Leader is not be read widely, or not at all perhaps!
July 11th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Mr Randeniya you are absolutely right. The Leader publication is the worst newspaper and their intention is attacking the present government. The so called ‘journalist’ have no journalistic ethics. In this modern era anyone can say what they like. Yet some of them claim there is no freedom of press. Only the fools will believe the stories the leader group publishes.
July 11th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
I agree with everything what Ajith Randeniya said. Not just Fredrica and company but all most all of its subscribers are anti- nationalists to the core. Together, they have been condemning the nationalist cause and often sling mud at those that took a lead in it. Sarath Fonseka was a villain as well. When SF was a patriot and waged the war against LTTE, they threw every brickbat at him. In fact, some of them have gone even so far as to accuse him as the one who killed Lasantha. Amazingly, SF had become a friend of the Leader the moment he changed sides. That’s when I realise the true colours of ‘the Leader’.
I decided to follow the policy of dwell in its horn and bite its ear. So, I became a regular commentator to the ‘the Leader’ under the name ‘Leela’. I made use of ‘the Leader’ to propagate and defend the nationalist cause and defend all right action by the government and Rajapakses. For its credit, it published all my comments as they were. But they didn’t do it for long. Its moderator started to delay publishing my comments.
As of now my comment for its lead story “The Biggest Con Artists Of Our Time” is being delayed for the second day: It read as follows:
Forget Wimal’s fasting, for that may be his choice of showing disgust with UNSG. The fact remains; UNSG acted arbitrary. John R Bolton a former US ambassador to UN thought withholding U.S. funds would chasten UNSG for overstepping of authority. Read the link below if you like to know more of it.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/23/ban-mischief-at-the-un//
That report has nothing to do with Sri Lanka. It’s about UNSG Moon’s repeated call to set up an “international” inquiry into Israeli commandos attack on Turkish ship carrying relief material to Gaza in the high seas etc on the May 31 and Israel incursions on Gaza.
With the US opposing, UNSG Moon couldn’t get the approval of the Security Council to setup his commission. All of a sudden, Israel had appointed its own commission with three Israeli members, and two non-voting foreign observers; and UNSG Moon dropped his desire to appoint a UN commission. It’s not just a con drama like Wimal’s fast; it’s a result of a high drama. A conspiracy to connive the entire world, I suppose.
What prompt me to mention it here are double standards by the US. The US opposed that commission on Israel but it supports alike commission by UNSG on Sri Lanka. Such hypocrisy disgusts me.
For those that think the report by UNSG moon’s personal commission would lead to hang our war heroes, the article gives a clear indication what awaits for it. It will be opposed vehemently and rejected by other two permanent members Russia and China.
Herold Leelawardena
July 11th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
This she-dog said that there is no freedom to journalist in Sri lanka when interviewed by BBC Hardtalk. After uttering such rubish to a cabinet minister she is still alive and well ! May God punish her !
July 12th, 2010 at 2:11 am
This woman Frederica Janz must be decended from Dutch as her name sounds that way, and has no feeling to be a Sri Lankan. She seems to be very obsequious to the West. She is not a real journalist and full of hullabaloo.
July 12th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
YES Ajit! USA depends big time on China! Frederica is clueless!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503983_162-4864398-503983.html
July 13th, 2010 at 8:42 am
This ugly women had the nerve to say “i love my country” when she was “interviewed” (pre-planned question and answer drama) by BBC CrapTalks Sakur.
“her country” has plenty of meaning, precisely herself and her ugly Colombian clique of white worshippers who live in their own little bubble of superiority and denial that at this very moment are hungry for power and desperate for a hand in government to fund their bogus and fraudulent luxury lifestyles and feel important.
It is only through having hands in power (i.e. through the UNP, as both Colombians and UNP are like bread and butter) that they can easily fund their luxurious “Western” lives which have always been sustained through corruption and bogus business contracts, fraudulent deals and fraudulent foreign aid schemes from their white masters (the long term burden of debt is passed onto the poor masses while the short term benefits and wealth “generated” go straight to them and their masters).
Today this lot struggles to make a fast buck because they cannot sustain their businesses and luxury lives as they need the crooked deals and fraudulent contracts to do so, crooked deals they cannot make without the UNP holding the reigns of Government, which is why they vent such hatred for Rajapakse, they hate his popularity which makes a UNP Government coming any time soon an impossibility. Hence they pour venom against him and the country (through media and NGOs) in the hopes that from within and out they can get rid of him so they can live “the good life” which a hand in power gives them and their families. These despicable selfish people are driven by their greed, their hate for the UPFA is to do with political jealousy and desire for power, not any love for the country. They cry about “corruption”, but the masses know that these vile people are the most corrupt (1977-2004) and dictorial (they rule with an iron fist) and only complain with such “authority” and “fact” on the subject of corruption because such robbery is the only way their kind know how to behave and excelled in when they were in power.
That said they are top of the range manipulators, deceivers and out right liars.
They emulate their masters well, so its good to know the West cultivated these skills within their pets, however they were smart enough to make sure such tendencies would be directed at their fellow people not the white masters. Ensuring a loyal force of subterfuge from within that would crush any nationalism, questioning or challenging of white dominance thus making subjugating peoples around the world (where other Colombian-esque cliques were seeded and exist) an easy job for the West, they do it by proxy (making them appear “neutral” or out of the scene) with long term results ensuring servility of the world for centuries.