Promoting Pluralism Through Media and Other Social Institutions

This document is downloaded from DR‑NTU (https://dr.ntu.edu.sg) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Promoting pluralism through media and other social institutions S. J. Sumanasekera Banda. 1992 S. J. Sumanasekera Banda. (1992). Promoting pluralism through media and other social institutions. In AMIC Seminar on Media and Pluralism in South Asia : Karachi, Pakistan, Oct 29‑Nov 2, 1992. Singapore: Asian Mass Communication Research & Information Centre. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/92957 Downloaded on 04 Oct 2021 04:48:13 SGT ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library Promoting Pluralism Through Media And Other Social Institutions By S J Sumanasekera Banda Paper No.12 ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library £. 3\ SuM,<v« U-M~*. *«. PROMOTING PLURALISM THROUGH MEDIA AND OTHER SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Pluralism as a democratic means of achieving a more contended society in which each ethnic group could find free expression of views and opinions and participate on an equal basis in sharing and developing the country's resources has assumed greater significance today in all multi-ethnic developing countries. In Sri Lanka 74% of the 17 million population are Sinhalese who are mostly Buddhists. Tamils who constitute 17% of the population are mostly Hindus while Muslims occupy another 7 per cent. Many Buddhists and Hindus have been conver ted to Christianity during the four hundred years of Western domination and as a result Christians as a religious group comprise 7.5% of the total population. This demographic profile has compelled the country in recent times to promote multi- culturism to counterveil the dominant historical culture of the Sinhalese. The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (1978) enumerates the fundamental rights of freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom from torture, right to equality, freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention and puni shment and prohibit retroactive penal legislation. Article 14(1) of the Constitution states that : (1) Every citizen is entitled to :- (a) the freedom of speech and expression including publi cation ; (b) the freedom of peaceful assembly ; (c) the freedom of association ; (d) the freedom to form and join a trade union ; ...2 ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library - 2 - (e) the freedom, either by himself or in association with others, and either in public or in private, to mani fest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching ; (f) the freedom by himself or in association with others to enjoy and promote his own culture and to use his own language ; (g) the freedom to engage by himself or in association with others in any lawful occupation, profession, trade, business or enterprise ; (h) the freedom of movement and of choosing his reside nce within Sri Lanka ; and (i) the freedom to return to Sri Lanka. These rights are however, subject to such restrictions as may be prescribed by law in the interest of racial and religious harmony, national security, public order and the protection of public health or morality or in short, of meeting the just requirements of the general welfare of a democratic society. Every person is entitled to apply to the Supreme Court as provided by the Article 126 in respect of the infringement or imminent infringe ment by executive or administrative action of a fundamental right to which such person is entitled under the provisions of the Constitution. Of the three languages used in Sri Lanka, Sinhala, Tamil and English, Sinhala and Tamil are the national languages as well as official languages and English the link language. A person is entitled to be educated through the medium of either of the national languages, except in institutions of higher educa tion where the medium of instruction could be a language other 3 ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library - 3 - than a national language. A person is also entitled to receive communications from and to communicate and transact business with any official in his official capacity in Sinhala, Tamil or English. The directive principles of state policy commit the state to uphold pluralism and maintain justice and fair play in all its activities. The State is pledged to establish in Sri Lanka a democratic socialist society, the objectives of which include, inter alia, the full realization of the fundamental rights and freedoms of all persons, the promotion of the welfare of the people, the realization by all citizens of an adequate standard of living, the equitable distribution among all citizens of the material resources of the community and the social produ ct, the establishment of a just social order, raising the moral and cultural standards of the people, the complete eradication of illiteracy, and equal access to education at all levels. The State is bound to safeguard the independence, sovereignty, unity and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and strengthen and broaden the democratic structure of government and the democratic rights of the people by decentralising the adminis tration and by affording all possible opportunities to the people to participate at every level in national life and in government. Strengthening national unity by promoting co-opera tion and mutual confidence among all sections of the people; ensuring equality of opportunity so that no citizen will suffer any disability on the ground of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion or occupation, assisting the development of the cultures and the languages of the people; creating necess ary economic and social environment to enable people of all ....4 ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library - 4 - religious faiths to make a reality of their religious principles; promoting with special care the interests of children and youth so as to ensure their full development, physical, mental, moral, religious and social, and protecting them from exploitation and discrimination are the other salient directive principles of the Government policy. The Constitutional provisions as stated above, attempt to create a truly democratic society of a socialist pattern designed to redress the social injustices. The commitment to translate this policy into action is reflected in the following pledge made by the first elected Executive President at the Convocation Address of 31st May 1978 at the BMICH : I will treat every citizen of Sri Lanka alike, and give him or her equal opportunities to progress. Sri Lanka will not be only a socialist democracy, it will be a meritocracy too The present Executive President when questioned about his commit ment to the attainment of a Sri Lanka in which all communities will be able to live in amity and harmony while respecting each others' rights has stated that : " All human beings, of whatever race, religion, colour or creed, have a right to fulfill their lives in terms of their respective cultures. The obligation of the State is to provide the framework under which all its citizens may exercise their right. Then we will have created a multi-ethnic democratic society Interview with Neville Jayaweera - A Charter for Democracy in Sri Lanka. ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library - 5 - The United National Party's Manifesto.of Action States : " We need to commit ourselves to a new restructuring. We need to conceptualize the Sri Lankanness of our different peoples. The diversity of peoples must coalesce and unify to produce a richer and larger Sri Lankan identity Historically, we have so much that is common. Often person to person relations are warm and cordial. There are the diff erences. But the differences lie within a basic oneness and interdependence " We call upon all Sri Lankans to strive to realize this binding force, this shared identity, within the Constitution. We will wholeheartedly protect the provisions of the Constitution regarding Buddhi sm, other religions, languages and'fundamental rights. Let us realize our strength in unity " It would be clear from the statements given above that the new vision and the new deal of the government encompass a concept that integrates the people fully into the governmental process. The party action plan uses devolution and decentralization to strengthen peoples participation in government through the establishment of democratic institutions at the grass roots and divisional level with autonomy in decision making using ocal resources and managing their own development. According the Manifesto the concept of Gramodaya Mandalayas at the ss root level has been evolved "to transcend political, '.gious, caste, class, linguistic and other divisions at >ase." .6 ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library - 6 - The Constitutional provisions for protecting human rights and the declared intentions of the government so far described attempt to meet the several criticisms levelled against the Constitution of 1972. Prof. Neelan Tiruchelvam, Executive Director, Asian Council for law in Development in a public lecture on "Human Rights Policy and the General Elections" deli

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