Media ‘Sakvithis’ in the dock in Sri Lanka?
In the past week, the name ‘Sakvithi’ has been causing ripples in Sri Lankan society and creating numerous news headlines — for all the wrong reasons.
Sakvithi Ranasinghe, a populist tutor of English turned millionaire businessman, has fled the country after duping thousands of unsuspecting people to deposit their life’s savings in his investment firm. Media reports have variously placed the number of victims between 1,500 and 4,000 — and some estimates place the total worth of his loot to be a whopping Rs. Nine billion (over USD 83.5 million).
Since it broke around September 21, the scandal has consumed a good deal of newspaper space and broadcast time. Editorialists and TV pundits have been having a field day, some simply unable to resist the temptation to say ‘I told you so!’. One editorial reminded us that Sakvithi means king of kings — and asked if we should call this racketeer the king of conmen or Con King?
He might as well have used the name Sucker-vithi, or the king of suckers. The unfolding scenario is indeed disastrous for the victims, but they must share part of the responsibility for their current tragedy. The media coverage shows them to be grown up people, all indications are that they voluntarily parted with their money in return for interest rates as high as 72 per cent per year – several times what reputed commercial banks offer. Is this another case of people suspending their common sense in pursuit of quick and easy money?
The finger pointing, fist waving and name calling will continue for some more weeks and then, in typical Sri Lankan style, the incident would be forgotten by all except those directly affected. And we can be certain this won’t be the last scam of its kind, notwithstanding the noises now being made by the regulator — Central Bank of Sri Lanka — cautioning the public and threatening action against other operators of illegal deposit schemes.
Television as great authenticator
A vigilant regulator is useful, but woefully insufficient, to guard against future scams of this or other kinds. Police investigations and prosecution need to follow. And in our media-saturated times, I see at least two other key requirements: greater vigilance by the media, and higher levels of media literacy in everyone.
Our media have played more than a reporter role in the Sakvithi saga. I was intrigued to read, buried amidst the news coverage, one victim saying she was led to trust the fraudster after seeing an advertisement on television. “I invested Rs. 2 million of my money after seeing him on TV. I basically believe what I see on the TV and so was misled,” she lamented.
Hers is not an isolated case. Not everyone heeds the common sense advice, ‘Don’t believe everything you hear in the media’. Indeed, the Sakvithi scandal once again brings into sharp focus the media’s — especially television’s — perceived role as the great authenticator of our times.
For several years, Sakvithi ran English teaching programmes on Sri Lanka’s national television and other channels. We can only presume these were treated as commercial programmes, for airing of which the stations would have sold their airtime. (Extracts can be still be watched at the online video sharing platform YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/hodawada2007).
On the guise of teaching English to the nation’s youth, Sakvithi carefully manufactured a larger than life image for himself. He also ran regular newspaper advertisements in the highest circulating weekend Sinhala newspapers. Some were in full colour, occupying an entire broadsheet page. These too reinforced his image as a benevolent, enterprising young Sinhala businessman doing social good.
Broadcast airtime and newspaper space don’t come cheap. Over the years and across the media spectrum, Sakvithi’s custom must have generated tens of millions to both state-owned and privately owned media organisations.
Pied piper of Nugegoda
I find it more than a tad ironic that the same media outlets are now peddling the tales of woe of the thousands of men and women tricked by their former, big-time customer. Knowingly or otherwise, these media have amplified the mesmerising tune of this pied piper of Nugegoda who lulled thousands into parting with their money.
Their journalists would no doubt protest innocence, reminding us of the divide between editorial and advertising operations. And they are right: media practitioners and editorial gatekeepers don’t have much (or any) control over what fills up the commercially sold advertising space. But how many of their readers or viewers can distinguish the difference?
Most people experience media products as a whole, and lack even the basic media literacy to separate news, commentary and paid commercials. Besides, with the rise of ‘advertorials’ — product promotions neatly dressed up as editorial content — it’s becoming harder to discern which is which.
To be fair, the business sector is not alone in manipulating the media or taking advantage of our society’s widespread media illiteracy. Most of our politicians and ultra-nationalists, as well as some artistes and religious personalities have been doing this for years, with considerable success.
Consider these prime examples:
- Our elections have turned into media-driven carnivals where voters are being tricked or lulled into electing the biggest image-builders, irrespective of other credentials (or the lack of it).
- Our greatest national tragedy — the bloody North East war — is being waged both on the ground and in the media, with truth becoming an early casualty.
- The state owned media organisations are being prostituted shamelessly for every ruling party’s propaganda, with scant regard for accuracy, balance and credibility.
Scoundrels like Sakvithi are not born; they are nurtured and cheered in lands like ours where assorted politicians, generals and priests manipulate the media every day for their narrow personal agendas. A land where impunity reigns, corruption is stinking to high heaven and the rule of law is routinely sidelined for political or commercial expedience can breed not one but hundreds of Sakvithis.
Journalistic vigilance
In these calamitous times, even journalistic vigilance has limited utility. For example, while most sections of the media industry were happily pocketing Sakvithi’s advertising revenue, the independent Ravaya newspaper exposed him on 27 July 2008. But that expose triggered no criminal investigation, and Sakvithi carried on for a few weeks more. The rest of the media pack woke up to the story only after the man fled the country in mid September.
Journalists become disheartened or restrained when the most common response to media investigations is to literally shoot the messenger — or question the messengers’ racial pedigree or political leanings. For example, when the multi-level marketing or pyramid schemes were first exposed several years ago, it took weeks and months of media pressure before official investigations were launched. By then, much damage was done.
More than a century and half ago, Abraham Lincoln cautioned: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Old Abe is still right, but with more gullible people around these days, just fooling some people for a short while is quite sufficient. The hoodwinkers then laugh all the way to their banks or elected offices (or both).
Confidence tricksters are increasingly media savvy, liberally buying media space/time to build invincible images. To safeguard against this, we must keep strengthening the truly independent media while improving everyone’s media literacy.
Nalaka Gunawardene blogs on media, society and culture at http://movingimages.wordpress.com
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I agree with the recommendation that media literacy be improved. But am puzzled about the one re strengthening truly independent media. Sounds nice, but was this horse not flogged to death many years ago; now what is being flogged is its rotting corpse.
What the Internet and media such as this very publication show us is the future of media, a future different from the old paradigm based on scarcity. When there are thousands of choices the concept of editorial control goes out the window. The implicit assertion that “good” journalists should ensure that “bad” advertising is not carried in “their media” makes no sense in the new paradigm. There can be no control when anyone can publish (think of all the scams that land in your email box every day). There will be nothing called “my media.” There will be no alternative to caveat emptor, simple common sense and intelligent consumption of messages. Good and bad lie in the eyes of the beholders, mostly.
I realize your comments have some relevance still where the Sinhala and Tamil reading audiences are still limited to old media. But life changes faster than we think. Would be nice if you engage with the emerging present rather than flog the dead horse.
Rohan – I deeply appreciate your comments. I owe you some clarifications.
I didn’t mean to suggest a divide of ‘good’ journalists and ‘bad’ advertising: I realise things aren’t so black and white in the real world. I’m also not advocating controls on advertising, which is an old debate I’d rather not get into. What I really want to see is greater discernment at the audience end. If we consider media purely as a market product, they are the consumers and the age old advice ‘Buyers beware’ still applies here. But many Sri Lankans seem to suspend their judgement and common sense when consuming media. Mainstream media (MSM) products and outlets are still being treated with an awe and reverence – perhaps a relic of a bygone era when some progressive media (e.g. the old Lankadeepa newspaper) did play truly transformational roles in society?
In my view, none of the MSM products today deserve this uncritical acceptance, and hence my fervent wish that we improve our media literacy. We can’t really expect this drive to come from within MSM establishments or those in the politico-military-religious complex who manipulate the people’s media illiteracy. It is left to civil society and the precious few public intellectuals.
As you know, I have been talking and writing about new media for some years, and I entirely agree with you on the blurring of old divides and their inevitable disappearance. The question is how long it will take. The Digital Natives (under age 30) are already riding this wave and they are significant in numbers. The others will slowly cross this digital divide between old media (MSM) and new media, but at least where Sinhala language media are concerned, I don’t see this happening in a hurry. Our Sinhala MSM have many content producers and gatekeepers who perfectly fit the known descriptions of mediasaurus (media dinosaurs): for instance, some believe that alien UFOs can be a threat to national security (and write editorials on this); frequently mix up United Nations and United States; and fear that the whole world is out to screw innocent little Sri Lanka! I can’t wait to see the new media wave wash away these deadwood that still produce Sinhala MSM (print and broadcast) consumed by millions. My own guess is it will take at least several years: even the old dinosaurs took a while going extinct!
Finally, I don’t expect MSM to fizzle out and disappear completely; the smarter ones will adapt. Hence my wish to see better journalism of a truly independent and investigative kind, carried out in the public interest, confronting the oppressive state or advertising pressures when necessary. The formidable challenges we face in Sri Lanka call for all the courageous MSM journalists AND committed citizen journalists we can find. We need them to form a protective bulwark against pervasive corruption, crony capitalism of the JKH kind, well organised scams (Sakvithi only the latest) and other assorted evils that threaten to tear apart what little is left of our social fabric and battered economy. The combined efforts of MSM and citizen journalists may not completely stem the spread of this rot, but they can help hold the wolves at bay while civil society gets its act together to advocate more fundamental legal and policy reforms.
On new media, ICTs and Sri Lankan media, see also my blog posts:
http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2007/04/29/press-freedom-in-the-digital-age-seeing-beyond-our-noses-and-tummies/
http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/who-is-afraid-of-citizen-journalists-more-than-you-think/
I read the above with avid interest, specially to fund out alternate views.
I do find, buried within the content, a call for a more regulatory role in the arena of advertising and a media that is ‘more responsible’ and/or discerning. At least, slightly supervisory.
The responsibility of media and the lack of it is an age old debate. And the many changes that the field had undergone and will continue undergo should demonstrate that consumption should be doen with vigilience. This is in no way a call to abdicate resposibility as media professionals.
There is so much said about ‘trade puffs’. People do have a reasonable understanding that often advertising tends to be unrealistic and dramatic.
As for the duped victims, I wish they had the comon sense just to verify the legal status of the institution before investing hard earned money. Like most others, I did feel the Pramukha Bank saga served as an eye opener.
As for regulation, I strongly feel that the Central Bank has acted irresponsibly for years, even after being cautioned by the Committee on Public Enterprise that some 80% of the so called finance companies being illegal!
I do hope there could be some collective action against the CB that has failed the people with adequete warning and speedy action. The Governor of the CB did undertake to take pursue legal action against such institutions within two months before COPE and he has acted in breach of his duty.
I find it hilarious that the Central Bank under its current management is trying to be seen as belatedly active. Where were they all this time? Merely issuing newspaper statements warning customers is not good enough. As regulator, they must be more proactive as well as adequately reactive. Ok, they can’t on their own undertake criminal investigations or sue culprits, but they must coordinate better with those arms of the government who can (police, AG’s department). And believe me, when the Central Bank really wants, they do invoke these connections – for example, to harass a political opponent of the ruling party over alleged foreign exchange abuses.
Besides, the current governor of the Central Bank is seriously tainted with corruption charges over pyramid schemes under GoldQuest. He has been directly implicated in police as well as CB investigations on this scheme which robbed tens of millions from gullible and greedy Sri Lankans. See, for example:
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20060723/spotlight.htm
There is a Sinhala saying – horage ammagen pena ahanawa. Roughly translated, it means asking the thief’s mother for clues about the theft/thief. This best describes the current situation! Say no more…
Sakvithi Ranasinghe was a Sinhala Buddhist businessman who was beginning to make a mark in Sri Lanka. There is a devious conspiracy to trip such promising entrepreneurs and discredit them or make their businesses collapse, so that Christian, Islamic and Hindu business interests can continue their domination over Sri Lankan economy. The same trend was observed in well orchestrated campaigns against Thilanga Sumathipala, but he was smarter (and better connected?) than Sakvithi so he survived and thrives.
All successful Sinhala Buddhist businessmen should watch out against these forces who are relentlessly at work to mislead, corrupt and ultimately destroy them. The Sinhala Buddhist government of Mahinda Rajapaksa should ensure that the Buddhist economic power is not diluted in this manner. The government should adopt Boomi Putra style policies as in Malaysia. And go easy on failed businesses if they are owned by Sinhala Buddhist people.
I agree with Sue that Sinhala Buddhists are under siege. Sri Lanka is the only country where Sinhala Buddhists can raise their head proudly. Everywhere else, they have to bow down to other communities. So there is no harm in Sinhala Buddhists ascendency being supported constitutionally, legislatively and in every other respect.
I would go as far as to say that Buddhist clergy should be held above suspicion at all times, and all public or media criticism of the maha sanga should be outlawed. Buddhist patriots should lobby Parliamentarians to introduce new laws protecting Sanga’s good name similar to Lèse Majesté law of Thailand where the king is above and beyond any criticm in any forum or media.
Hey Hem Goon…you guys have an “Island Mentality,” also known as Xenophobia!
Xenophobia is an intense dislike and/or fear of people from other countries. It comes from the Greek words ξÎνος (xenos), meaning “foreigner,” “stranger,” and φόβος (phobos), meaning “fear.” The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from oneself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophobia
As long as you guys believe that this country belongs only to Sinhalese…there will never be peace!
“Patriotism is proud of a country’s virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country’s virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, “the greatest,” but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.”
SYDNEY J. HARRIS
When I wrote my earlier comment in mid October 2008 about Sakvithi, we did not know about the much larger, more devious crime being quietly perpetrated by Lalith Kotelawala and his pirates at Ceylinco. What is alarming is how little the Golden Key scandal was covered in the media – government owned and privately owned – in the first few days and weeks after the news broke that the Ceylinco House of Cards was about to fall apart. This to me is another bit of evidence how tightly Sri Lankan economy is controlled by non-Sinhala or non-Buddhist elements. Kotelawala is part of the Catholic mafia that runs the Sri Lankan economy and, every time when Sinhala Buddhist bhumi putras are in office, this mafia tries to wreck the economy.
In comparison to Kotelawala, our Sinhala Buddhist entrepreneur Sakvithi looks like a juvenile delinquent, and that is how the government should treat him. We should invite him back, forgive him for his sins of omission, and then ask him to play a constructive role in rebuilding the economy nearly wrecked by the likes of Kotelawala.
And in the future, we must keen a very sharp eye on businessmen (including bankers) who are not Sinhalese by race and not Buddhist in faith. If they don’t fulfill these essential criteria of patriotism, they cannot be trusted and must not be allowed to reverse the gains of our patriotic forces and the Sinhala Buddhist kingdom now being restored after 500 years of colonial rule which ended only in 2005.