The Dregs of the Press - "Mawbima" at its usual tricks to fool the readership

The Rag Mawbima the Daily and Sunday Sinhala Paper of the Ceylon Newspapers Group owned by Tiran Alles now firmly with the Govt. and another sycophant of the Mahinda Rajapakse Regime is at it again to disguise its hand in glove love affair with the Autocrats. (started on Nov 18th last year on the Birthday of MR with a huge pull out praising his pretendership!)

Under its Rabidly anti Lankadeepa Editor, Thushara Guneratne who thankfully left the Wijeya Group purportedly for three times his prior salary to edit the Mawbima has today under an article purportedly written by a lawyer Devaka Lankatilleke spewed forth so much trash against  Thushara’s former employer Ranjit Wijewardene so as to make the article look silly. (The article in question is on page 15 of the Sunday Mawbima of 14^th October 2012, which is on sale today, and I would recommend any reader who is able to read Sinhala and see through the news with some background to read)

The modus operandi today was to use a statement made by Ranil Wickremasinghe in Parliament on Tuesday over the real situation as it pertains to the Judiciary to hit at Ranil and the his uncle Ranjit, by digging up all Thushara’s bad dreams into print putting into focus the gutter press to which the Mawbima has stooped to.

It is time the reader of the papers realize the venom and anger the Editor has, which he finds some flimsy excuse such as an unrelated statement made by the Leader of the Opposition to get at the Wijeya Group. It is to the discredit of the ownership of the Ceylon Newspapers Group, which owes it to its readers to desist from personal attacks, that this still goes on.

Sadly we have too few rational and reasonable people in Sri Lanka to see through some of the rot that is the Press, and a Govt. which supports any rubbish said against anyone in opposition to them, as long as the mud does not stick on their filthy clothes that look snow white on the outside but has never been washed in the inside!

In Conclusion I can only see the level to which some of the gutter press in Sri Lanka is willing to stoop to achieve their limited short term goals, when the country needs to establish a sane, balanced and well rounded press to teach a thing or two to our people who have a lot to learn, not to believe what they read and to see behind the news. I hope that day dawns soon!

All FUTA got was what had already been agreed to earlier– it was just a face saving exercise to pretend otherwise!!

The power and the cunning of the Government was clear for all to see. Despite the advance notification of a joint press conference, FUTA backed out at the last minute citing that they needed to get the approval of its membership to hold it jointly. – BULL SHIT

So now the excuse is that in the interests of the public they decided to go back to work. The only concession was that they will be paid their back pay which has already been allocated by the Treasury, as long as they do catch up on the lost work these past months, and begin marking the A level papers immediately.

The Govt. is also facing a dilemma, as if they give the Academics what they want there are other Public Sector workers who feel their relative positions then are in jeopardy creating an unending cycle of agitation.

As for the 6% it is a non starter and will remain so until the whole structure of education is changed, not to reflect 6% in future, but to take steps to create a truly educated work force, with allocation on a need basis.

This union activity was a salutary lesson nevertheless to bring into the open the education debate in Sri Lanka warts and all. People are now talking writing and making suggestions almost daily in the Newspapers on how we can improve our education system. Further the debate is a talking point in all area of gossip be it in buses or living rooms and we can only feel for the poor students being put through the mess we call education, and now we have the urge to change the structure as best as we can, as soon as we can.

I am therefore hopeful that there will eventually be a positive outcome for students who are at the receiving end of the poor education standards, lack of facilities and archaic syllabi, and have to compete in the global market place. They must be equipped with the tools to compete with their peers all over the world and to come out on top. It is creditable that many private schools are achieving this target, and the public school system can only emulate it and learn from it. New teaching tools using the Internet are timely and far less costly and can be adopted without delay and huge expense. Let us therefore hope that the novel teaching and learning experiences take hold in Sri Lanka immediately casting away the fossils of education in favor of the contemporary style.

Ceylon Today Disposes – Has joined the Gutter Press!

Ceylon Today’s gutter journalists are at it again, with a head-line today of Sajith Proposes and Ranil Disposes. This refers to SP’s suggestion that the UNP make a hue and cry about the JSC Secretary’s beating up. (the reality by the way is a long way from the way the actual event transpired- but that is another story)

One must understand that the Leader of the Opposition does not behave like a jack in the box. He is more reasoned and considers both sides of the argument before jumping to conclusions. He is a seasoned politician, which most unseasoned politicians cannot understand as their perspective is still from the kindergarten or Montessori.

In RW’s view the Judiciary has been partial to the Govt. lately and particularly so against the Opposition. That is a far more serious allegation they have yet not been able to answer. Then there is a case where a Minister tried to knobble the judge in Mannar and when RW protested, the Judiciary in the form of the top law enforcer of the land slapped him in legal knots. In order to protect the judiciary which has acted so unfairly against the Opposition, to now take their side, when the opposition is not even asked to assist by the judiciary is calling for further embarrassment.

It is therefore correct for the Leader of the Opposition to desist from making direct comments against the action, but rather make the more reasoned comments which he did in Parliament calling for a Committee to look into the problems of good governance by preserving the independence of the Judiciary and Legislature from the Executive, the hallmarks of a mature functioning democracy. It was interesting that the Govt. benches also welcomed this request, and it sounds more like they (Govt. members) did not understand what they were welcoming. It was actually requesting that when the independence is compromised, it will take steps to correct the wrong when in fact none of the Govt. members were capable of doing so, without affecting their cosy relationship within Govt. as sycophants.

This is a good opportunity for Sajith also to take a leaf from his leader’s book and look beyond his short term nose, to the long term consequences of his actions. This I am sure will mature him to make correct decisions out of reasoning and not of gut reaction. A sign of growing up! It further reinforces the obvious that there is time yet for someone of his caliber to take on the leadership mantle. It is better to let a known devil carry on rather than allow an unknown angel make a devil of himself due to impertinence.

FUTA have suspended their action and will report to work tomorrow!

FUTA pulled out of the press conference today, but nevertheless decided to suspend their action. Tomorrow’s papers will put a spin on this story to bamboozle the most finicky reader, but the reality is that FUTA were hurting, without pay for three or more months. They have bills to pay, school fees, car payment and the like, which most of us mortals also have and could not see a way out of this except the one line given by a craft govt. to end the dispute.

They called on the support of the opposition for it, which they gave, and thanks to the combined forces stacked against the govt. were able to get this far, and get this level of comfort, as that is all that is from the Govt., that their grievances would be looked into.

There is NO let up in the 6% slogan of allocating this percentage from GDP to education as there is a growing debate as to what this percentage should encompass, and who should be included in it and even if it is practical as the current system cannot absorb the funds allocated to it, due to organizational failures in the State University system to manage capital expenditure wisely.

What a relief to the students. They can resume lectures, they can return to their dorms and boarding houses and can resume their degrees. It is also time to allocate to the 5600 additional intake owing to the Z score fallout.

Then there is the marking of A level scripts. That is long overdue. We do not want another Z score crisis do we when the results are announced perhaps in January or February or will it be March 2013?

Let us all get back to our senses and look at the plight of the Undergraduate. He must first learn how precarious his position is. He must then realize that his state degree really does little to ready him to the world of employment and there is a lot more for him to do. Let us take the initiative and lead that undergraduate to the reality of the employment world today, before he seeks employment by holding weekly employment seminars within the University System to ready him or her to the outside world where there are NO MORE Govt. jobs with desks. They have to work in the fields with lap tops, mobile phones and other equipment to do their jobs, without one place of work. They will have to travel long distances and be productive in what they do. Let them know that in other countries the Postmen have Masters Degrees.

That is just the start. But let them know reality. That is the service we owe our State University Undergraduates. Even Doctors are not sure of employment anymore. Let reality dawn on them NOW.

Who does PBJ think he is to make the statement below? – Yesterday!

"I blame the government, Vice Chancellors of our universities and student leaders for not acting responsibly which started something which could have easily been avoided," Dr. Jayasundera said delivering the 9th Annual Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Oration at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute last evening.

The pomposity and arrogance of our Treasury Secretary is apparent from the above statement. Humility is not part of his personality. He thinks he is not the Government whilst drafting many of the policy statements of the Govt. and also some of the thinking behind the heavy borrowing at exorbitant interest rates from Foreign Sources is all part of the burden which will be his legacy to Sri Lanka within a few years of his departure from the scene.

He is in a sufficiently senior position to have prevented this issue getting to this stage. Therefore it is obvious PBJ is DIRECTLY responsible for this delay in finding a resolution, which he could have speeded up without letting it drag on for so long with the resulting disastrous repercussions for the undergraduates and soon to enter undergraduates.

The FUTA issue has NOTHING to do with student leaders!! Why PBJ is dreaming it is their responsibility defies logic, especially as they have been the worst affected by the impasse. I believe he is in his waning years long past his sell by date and needs to go home to his village and start pottering around his garden without interfering in the affairs of state.

I cannot understand why we allow bureaucrats to feel they are so indispensable to their positions where there are hundreds who are able to perform the task possibly better than the aforesaid individual. It is important that no one stay too long in a position, like Treasury Secretary who has long outlived his usefulness to the detriment of the state. They become wedded to their jobs, believing that no one can do the job better. They must realize that there are many who can perform better than the incumbent.

The responsibility for his continuity rest squarely with his boss the President who should have realized the above if he is worthy of his position and be able to shuffle such positions amongst other people so that new thinking can come into the debate. It is not too late to get rid of the fossilized wood from the Ministry which is currently stifled for new thinking. An appeal to reason to see the light and stop this nonsense of long-stayers, is long overdue.

A Joint Press Conference called for tomorrow(Oct11th 2012) – FUTA / GOVT

Always a lover of publicity to gain maximum exposure, both the Govt. and FUTA have decided to hold a joint press conference tomorrow to explain the deal that has been made. Whilst the Govt. spokesman will not want to show any climb down by them in agreeing to some of the more reasonable terms, FUTA will also want to be seen to have achieved their objectives, despite the lack of value in some of the statements and demands they made, especially in regards to the 6% of GDP for the state education allocation.

In this win win scenario, it will be interesting to see who the preferred spokesperson are for each side to clearly explain the resolution to the demands and the 4 months of work stoppage. Neither will accept blame.

In this game of bluff and counter bluff it is the University Students who have suffered the most, who have been turfed out of their hostels and other accommodation, with the need to provide some relief for them and ensure they do not delay their progress towards their hard fought degrees.

The Students supported the FUTA demands, and I would only expect the Lecturers to back the students this time to ensure they are not left out of the reckoning. The reality is that after the dust settles, it is the Undergraduates and the next batch about to enter the University, who have suffered from the turmoil of the past 6 months, and it does not look as if there is any relief for their grouses.

Let us now hope that this press conference provides a useful forum for the next step and not merely a face-saving exercise to prove each party’s point in the debate. It should address all the matters of interest now to the students who have suffered in this tug of war with solutions to their grievances in the overall context of better facilities, better teaching environment, better and more up to date syllabi, with employability as a goal for all students at the conclusion of their studies.

It is important therefore that the real beneficiaries and in the same vein those who suffered most from this action, the students and future students to the State University System come first. All steps MUST be taken to ensure that their rights are restored and they are able to resume their studies and are able to catch up with the lost classes so that there is NO delay in their graduation and future employment prospects as a result of the past union action.

FUTA in a dilemma whether to accept a letter from PBJ!

FUTA has received a letter from the Treasury Secretary along the lines of a temporary solution to many of their grievances. They, the FUTA have now to decide whether to accept, believe and trust this letter before deciding to get back to work. They are caught in a real dilemma.

On the face of it the letter seems reasonable. However on second thoughts, the track record of the Govt. and PBJ in particular are rather suspect. They must therefore make a ruling on whether it was right to accept a letter from PBJ who has no clout or his Minister who happens to be the President who if he reneges will be shown to be a liar. PBJ lying is not new and part of his behavior, hence the dilemma!!!!

The added pressure of not being paid for 4 months is hurting some of the honest teachers who are committed to teaching students. The dishonest one however who have other means of income by moonlighting in private tertiary academies however are not as badly affected. Some are on Govt. sinecures and have been some of the academics who have denounced FUTA.

Added to them, some in the Medical Faculties have also not joined the strike as many are highly paid Channel Specialists who earn more in a week through the private hospital system than they earn in a month as professors in the state medical system. They use their professor ship to gain a reputation, which then transcends into charging high consultancy rates for a 5 minute consultation.

I presume the letter does not refer to the 6% for state education request. Personally I do not believe it can be done instantaneously as the current system cannot even manage the capital expenditure budget adequately and requires considerable planning before a better managed program of Capital Expenditure for all areas and for a directed increase in Training Top class teachers is even attempted.

Above all, it is important that FUTA obtains a commitment from the Govt. to tackle the areas of immediate need responsibly, and show a commitment for the welfare of the students who have now been badly affected by the strike, Z score fiasco and the lack of tools in their quest for a reasonable education, with employment as a main goal. If this can be achieved then they should return with an added zest to teach their charges with greater dedication.