Various forces are active to manipulate the country in a way that even journalists don’t understand, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said at the launch of the Asidisi accidents and medical insurance scheme for journalists.
The Mass Media Ministry on Thursday launched the Asidisi accidents and medical insurance scheme for journalists to make healthy media professionals as part of the Government’s responsibility to create an undisturbed environment for their profession making a reality of the Government’s Policy Framework ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.
The insurance coverage for journalists, which is the first such scheme in Sri Lanka, was presented to 98 journalists representing all the media institutions at Temple Trees under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.
Financial assistance
The Asidisi insurance provides financial assistance for residential medical care, outpatient treatment, treatment for serious illnesses, hearing aids, purchase of spectacles and Covid-19 related treatments. Around 3,000 media personnel have been identified by the Mass Media Ministry to award the Asidisi Insurance under the first phase of the scheme.
The purpose of the Asidisi Insurance Scheme is to evaluate the commitment by the journalists in disseminating accurate information to the people with the responsibility of ethical journalism without prejudices and to ensure the wellbeing of journalists. Those who have a journalist identity card issued by the Government Information Department and do not have an insurance cover from a media institution had the opportunity to apply for this.
This year’s budget allocation for the insurance program is Rs. 100 million and no fee is charged from journalists.
The Premier said the Government never wanted to hide anything from the media and working with the media is an art. He said journalists were with them during the most difficult times of their lives and that of the country.
He said that the Government is always with journalists and takes measures to protect journalists.
Evil forces
Premier Rajapaksa said that evil forces are trying to tarnish the reputation of the country by using what is being shown in the media today. He said, “The media can form Governments. A Government can be brought to power, but the media cannot protect Governments.
Only those who run the Government can protect it. If the media is going to protect the Government, the media will have to be given more insurance.” While journalists have understood this, the Prime Minister said, members of the Government have failed to grasp this fact.
The Prime Minister said during his political career, apart from attorneys, he was mostly close to journalists, adding that he was referred to as a ‘reporter’ by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, while he said he preferred being called an editor as he always provided the media edited stories.
The Premier said, “We protected journalists whenever there was terror in the media. When political thugs attacked and smashed the camera equipment of the journalists, we took them to the journalists. Richard de Zoysa came to the South and worked with us during 88/89. Working with the media is an art. If we are strength to the media, the media will strengthen us. We never hide anything from the media,” he said.
He said one of the allegations against the state media is that Government development activities are not published in the media. There was always the accusation that other good things in the country were not published in newspapers. Even Anagarika Dharmapala had that problem. He has once said, “No matter how good things are in the country, they are not published in the newspapers.”
There is no point in blaming journalists. That is how the media has been since then, he said.
Premier Rajapaksa said, “So are the people. As soon as the headline says development news on TV news, the audience switches to another channel to watch a play. Journalists and media institutions, understand this.
“The problem is that we do not understand. We have to accept these as ordinary things. Not only us, but the world today is disturbed by the media.”
“I remember the things that went on social media in the days when the corona pandemic came,” the Prime Minister said.