Sight of drones and failed communication

The Government is using drones to spy on people who disregard health guidelines specified to combat the second wave of the Coronavirus (AFP) 

Presenting news via mainstream media calls for professionals to be employed

The regime has to have a mechanism of making the public believe in the government version of the news

The regime has to deal with fake news with a countering strategy

The month of November in 1989 was colder than in past years. It was in fact chilling from a metaphorical sense.

This was largely because of the rebel JVP movement coming to an end with the killing of its leader Rohana Wijewera. There were no advanced communication equipment back then, but the JVP communicated its ideas and warnings quite clearly to the public. Fast forward the clock by 31 years and now we have another crisis (the pandemic) gripping the country and miscommunication or the deliberate circulation of false information has caused great inconvenience to the public. 

History has taught us that when the right individual is entrusted with handling the role of communication it assures that work would run with clock-like precision. There is not much of a difference between 1989 and 2020. A fear psychosis prevailed during both these eras and successive governments were with their backs to the wall. The only little difference with regard to presenting news, compared to that dark past, is that news relayed over most television channels today is presented by a civilian to the whims and fancies of the military. Back in 1989 the Rupavahini Corporation was taken over by the Defense Ministry and news was presented by readers who were Army and Air Force personnel. This was because a good number of civilian news readers quit their jobs out of the fear of being killed by JVP insurgents. 

The government must understand that presenting news via mainstream media calls for professionals to be employed. This is certainly not the work of the military. When we hear that Jayaruwan Bandara was asked to resign from the post of Health Ministry Spokesman, with no apparent reason given for his removal, we have to figure out that something is terribly wrong in terms of handling the government arm of communication. 

Back in 1989 the Rupavahini Corporation was taken over by the Defense Ministry and news was presented by readers who were Army and Air Force personnel. This was because a good number of civilian news readers quit their jobs out of the fear of being killed by JVP insurgents

Last Sunday a leading Sinhala weekend newspaper carried a comprehensive editorial which highlighted how poor communication is during the present regime. The author underscores how the decision taken recently to isolate Western Province was poorly communicated to people in other provinces of the country. The same poor communication was the highlight in closing down the Dambulla Economic Centre and on most occasions when the police declared its curfew and placed selected areas in isolation. That editorial takes us back to the year 1971; a time when people were glued to the radio and attentive when news was read over this popular tool used for communication.  Communication was successful because the regime had created the habit of making people gather near a radio when it was time for the news. 

One of the biggest causes for concern is the public taking the news fed by the present government lightly. An ideal example is when the regime decided to lockdown Western Province (WP) for a week people were seen moving out of WP a few hours before the curfew was imposed ‘in a getaway plan’. Most of these travelers had embarked on pleasure trips!

Controlling communication isn’t easy by any means today with the advent of social media tools like Youtube, Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter and other websites. The government has taken steps to arrest certain individuals who have posted misinformation on social media during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More than arresting anybody the regime has to have a mechanism of making the public believe in the government version of the news.  

We can take a cue from the book ‘the cult of the amateur’ penned by Andrew Keen in dealing with the ‘destructive impact of the digital revolution on a country’s culture, economy and values’. He also writes on misinformation caried in social media and how it undermines our sense of what is true and false’. 

In this backdrop we can see how the rebel movement mentioned in this article and also how the LTTE nurtured their ideal candidate for a similar job. The JVP talks about one Beligalle Sirisena who quit his job as a bullock cart mender and joined the JVP. He rose in the ranks of the JVP and became a skilled orator; earning a name for himself as a person with a sound knowledge in politics. Later when deteriorating health conditions curtailed his work he was relegated to handling the communication 
affairs of the party. 

The same can be said about Suppiah Paramu Thamilselvan who rose from the ranks of an ordinary cadre to become ‘Political Commissar’ of the rebel movement. Our columnist D.B.S Jeyaraj writes that Thamilselvan was a misfit in this position. But what was most important was that he reflected Prabhakaran’s thinking perfectly in his speeches and when ever he communicated. What needs to be underscored is that whatever the JVP media official and the spokesperson of the LTTE conveyed to the public was clear and was never contested by their own leaders. 

The government cannot take the social media away from the public. The regime has to deal with fake news with a countering strategy. Even for that the Government has to hire communication professionals; ideally from the private sector. This idea of getting the military to attend to all areas of civil functions will soon spell doom on this government. 

These are days when politicians are kept in cold storage because the fight against the second wave of the coronavirus is led by medics and the team appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa; for the record this team mostly comprises military officials. 

So it’s reported that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, led by Sajith Premadasa, has initiated a movement to establish call centres which will present to contacts of the party the problems citizens are facing due to the pandemic. This is good for the opposition, but not for the government. This is largely because the Sri Lanka People’s Freedom Alliance (SLPFA) that’s in power communicated its election manifesto perfectly to the public using the expertise of seasoned politicians and working professionals; those who were involved in Viyath Maga and Eliya campaigns. The military was never in the picture then except for its presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

But now what’s happening is that much of the news reaching the people is heavily influenced by what the military and the Police have to say about the health situation in the country. 

An individual like Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa, other than reading out a Budget for 2021, is seen attending to issues related to temples. This is a seasoned politician loved by all and has the potential to make people listen to him if he says ‘the virus is strong, so stay indoors’. But the regime prefers the use of drones to that and wants to spy on the people, because it (Govt.) now believes in a mechanical way of communicating with the public and is closing the door on traditional politics.