Eyes Wide Shut: Media illiteracy and propaganda in Sri Lanka
Mano Ganesan was recently featured on Rupavahini, the State and pro-government TV broadcaster, in a manner that suggested he unequivocally supported the LTTE and terrorism.This was noticed and taken up bloggers such as Voice in Colombo who challenged this site to answer a number of questions regarding our perceived bias towards Mano Ganesan and by extension the LTTE.
These questions included whether Mano Ganeshan violated the constitution of Sri Lanka by actively speaking on behalf of a separate state called a “Tamil Ealam”, whether he believes that Tamil Ealam is a reasonable idea or a “considered solution” in solving the problem in North, whether LTTE is responsible for massive human rights violations and if so, how he could justify speaking in favor of them in one of their rallies.
The challenges thus posed were interesting to take on as a case study that demonstrated the workings of the Government’s highly sophisticated and extremely effective propaganda machine. Mano Ganesan is a Member of Parliament and Convener of the Civil Monitoring Committee. He has been featured on Groundviews, amongst many others from political and civil society, speaking about his experiences during the anti-Tamil riots in July 1983. Vikalpa’s YouTube channel also has 6 videos of him taken on three occasions over the course of the past year, dealing with the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka including the outrageous rise of extrajudicial killings, abductions and the prevailing culture of impunity.
The speech in question by Mano Ganesan was delivered at the a Pongu Thamil event in 2005, with Sinhala commentary framing a select soundbite and video clip, available on YouTube here. This was broadcast during the lead up to the Western Provincial Council elections towards the end of April 2009. At around 1:50mins into the clip the Sinhala commentary vigorously notes the following, suggesting it is a verbatim translation of what Mano Ganesan says on stage:
What does this man say to the public? Inhabitants of the Tamil Eelam! Help the LTTE! Help the state of Tamil Eelam! Take up arms!
The visuals were carefully selected too. Mano Ganesan is in full flow, with arms flailing and speaking an alien tongue to many Sinhalese would really look as if he is saying these words.
This particular piece of propaganda worked so well, like many others akin to it, because of the language divide in Sri Lanka. The majority of the majority in Sri Lanka (including obviously Voice in Colombo) don’t speak or understand Tamil. It becomes easy therefore to suggest through misleading translations in productions such as these an expression or intent in Tamil far removed from the original content and submission.
The following video records Mano Ganesan’s reaction to the clip broadcast on Rupavahini in April and the other questions posed by Voice in Colombo.
To our knowledge, no retraction has been made to date on Rupavahini over what is clearly a false and misleading translation. Mano Ganesan also issues a clear challenge of his own to Rupavahini and the Government to produce any evidence that, as Rupavahini and Voice of Colombo allege, he has actively spoken in favour of Eelam or incited people to arms and violence.
It is certainly possible to take exception over Mano Ganesan’s prevarication on the essentially violent nature of the LTTE, its genesis or even contest his assertion that the Sri Lankan State is also responsible for human rights violations and violence.
However, attempts such as we find in this case study to paint him as a LTTE sympathiser inciting hatred and violence demonstrates a disturbing preoccupation of the Sri Lankan State today, and some bloggers, to use propaganda as a means to quell dissent and the growth of critical expression. Voters in the South are so conditioned to see conflict and its resolution in simplistic terms today that propaganda such as this plays to a large audience who unquestioningly believe whatever they see, read and hear in traditional / mainstream / web / mobile media.
This is hardly suprising. Both the LTTE and successive Governments, not just this one, have used the media to promote half-truths, lies and disinformation. Media after all is a weapon of war. We know that the reach and influence of this propaganda depends, in large part, on the media literacy of polity and society.
Any ideas on how it can be developed in a “post-war / post-LTTE” Sri Lanka?
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Media stations need to make profit. Right now, “patriotism” and “nationalism” sells. Where dissent and disagreement sold, now the market for that has gone down, and the number of vendors who sell dissent have depleted. It’s not necessarily media illiteracy, it’s more of a case of selective blindness and selective vision, for survival and for money.
i speak and understand tamil. i don’t think there is much of a “distortion” in translation as claimed when we take account of the context.
context since the writer of this post chose not to mention it ( why is that?)-
ltte is nothing but a terrorist organization using armed violence to get what it wants , which it did throughout without a break including during so called cfa ( during the time of this speech) .
ltte fronts organized the “festival”.
ltte mass murders, including its leader, were honored at these festivals.
ppl in the area in which it was held were denied their basic right including their right to vote by ltte.
does writer deny any of that? (btw does ganeshan deny any of that ?)
visuals and clothing including mano ganeshan’s are clear for all to see . maybe that is why this writer neglected to embed the that video in the post?
what does a speech made in such a place mean in context? i think what thew writer call gosl distorted propaganda got it right
this is true even if we accept ganeshan’s own “explanation” of his words.
for instance what does “no alternative” means in such a context ? anyone care to explain? is that not a justification of ltte violence ?
why don’t you post the full speech in tamil and in other languages in written form. then we can see. including how much distortion you and “gov propaganda” are engaged in .
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in his response ganeshan advance the lame argument that jvp terrorists also engaged in terrorism and still celebrate those ( thankfully and deservedly killed ) terrorists in similar festivals ? so?
one has to be morally bankrupt to use the example of one kind of terrorists ( or support for same) to excuse other terrorists ( or support for same).
nothing excuses terrorism . period.
btw opponents of jvp rightly use jvp’s past ( including speeches made by it current leaders in support of its past activities ) against it during elections.
in addition to lameness of that argument of ganeshan, there is also a difference; jvp no longer uses armed organized violence to get its end. ltte was doing that during that speech . it never stopped . does writer of post disagree?
ganeshan has same rights as jvp. and face the consequence of his past and present actions as they do.
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btw ganeshan’s absurd gov run white van conspiracy theories are still well…. conspiracy theories. totally unsubstantiated .
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questions asked by vic are about your support for mano ganeshan and your characterization of him
and your view of “tamil ealam”
they are very clear. read them and see
here you evade the questions. and go off in a tangent for cover. that is called intellectual dishonesty
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dinidu de alwis:
i think ppl can see who has a case of selective blindness and selective vision when it comes to ltte and its supporters even when there is audio visual evidence.
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will my comment be censored to maintain selective blindness, as happed here in the past?
Mano ganeshan is a Member of Parliament who has taken an oath to uphold the constitution of this country and espusing the cause of seperatist is a violation of that oath. When he asked ciizens of TamilEelm to tke up arms, that is exactly what he did.He is typical of many Colombo based Tamils as well as the disapora to a large extent who want to hve their cake and eat it too.Ganeshan wnats to enjoy his cushy Colombo lifestyle on one hand and then also to be seen as championing the cause of the Northern Tamils.. The fact is he is only paying lip service like all the other Tamil politicians who shed crocodile tears in fear of the LTTE while shelering their familteis away in foreign land and enjoying a high life in Colombo.. So far other than asking foriegn countries to intervene in Sri lankan affrairs,what have these gentlemen done to help their brethen languihsing in welfare centres????
Some among us lean towards the LTTE in protest of what they see as state terrorism – the same way yet others lean towards the state bureaucracy in protest of what they see as separatist terrorism. This has been the story of our so called ‘democracy’.
Perhaps the most important lesson to be learnt from the past thirty years is that we have to face the consequences for our actions (and their guiding thoughts and ideologies). There is no justification for violence or even the slightest threat to human dignity. However, who would dare argue against the fact that the bombs that were going off in Colombo are the direct or indirect consequences of what has happened at least from 1958 to 1983… perhaps before 1958 and well after 1983. what is happening today in the north – however unjustified or unfair – are the consequences of two communities that actively or passively approved the choice of violence over civil discourse, to solve our problems. We should all be equally ashamed and appalled by what is happening in the North today irrespective of our political allegiances and sympathies.
Yet, these have not been visited on us by external forces or perpetrated by one set of terrorists over another. They are the consequences of our actions and the decisions we have made over the past 60 years. We can no longer blame our colonial past for the carnage caused by a bankrupt rebel force and corrupt and incompetent governments that we chose to create, elect, support and tolerate.
I hear grave concerns being raise about the plight of civilians – which is fair enough, but I am confused as to what moral code gives sanctity to civilian lives above the life of a combatant, to a Sinhala life above a Tamil or a child’s life over a man’s or woman’s?? Aren’t we all entitled to the same dignity and right to live?? Is a soldier more expendable? Don’t we all have friends and loved ones?? Do we grieve less for soldiers?? Perhaps we have conditioned ourselves to do that… don’t you think? That’s not all though. We have also been conditioned to think that it’s ok for governments (people in power) to kill people that they decide as those who ‘need’ or ‘deserve’ to be killed. Clearly the ‘patriotic’ amongst us support state auctioned killings – but we call it war and glorify it. Even the offspring of government ministers freely roam the streets after committing mass murder, whereas anyone less powerful will be branded a murderer and reprimanded. As much as the LTTE must be eliminated – because of their vicious organizational motives, shouldn’t at least the same moral standards – if not higher ones – be applied to everyone?
I found the particular news item on Prabhakaran’s family quite amusing – the way it tried to show that the Terrorist leader has pushed so many others to the horrors of war while shielding his family in the secure lap of luxury. It’s just that I couldn’t help but notice the irony that the reporter – quite honestly blinded by his patriotism – failed to draw the obvious parallels with the democratically elected leaders of the country. To his credit though, he did report that Prabhakaran’s son was injured in battle – which means the guy was actually in the battle front and not Prabhakaran’s Aide-de-camp.
Nayana,
Dr mervin Silva has also taken an oath to uphold the values of democracy enshrined in the constitution. But the constitution iself (or whetever there is worth preserving in it) is suspended under emergency regulations… The constitution says that all citizens of Sri Lanka have a right to equality – try looking for that equality at a check-point whe you walk along with a tamil friend (do you have any?) or when your right to travel can be suspended because a junior minister’s right to travel can over-ride yours.
“All pigs are created equal…. but some pigs are more equal than others”
Why havent Mano ganeshan collocted stuff to be given to IDP;s. actually why dont we ever see tamils in Kotahena, wellawatta, or wherever collecting to send food items or other stuff for IDP’s. its the sinhelese who send a majority of the colelctions also…
Literal,
Your example makes no sense. Yes, there is no equality at a checkpoint, no arguments there. But let’s not confuse cause and effect shall we? In the absence of the LTTE there would be no need to be suspicious of any average individual, or indeed even have a checkpoint. But under the praticalities of the situation, is there any other realistic response? The bottom line is that thanks to the LTTE, a suicide bomber is also invariably Tamil, so racial profiling is inevitable. This happens to innocent arabs across the world. I’m sorry, don’t expect that equality to emerge until the scourge of the LTTE is wiped out.
We are all stopped in our cars because of drunk drivers. Should we all take offense at being suspcted? What does equality even have to do with it? It’s just practicality.
If you have a more realistic alternative that can save lives while preserving the dignity of individuals, we would be happy to hear it. Please list some widespread examples of real discrimination if they exist, not ones which are a direct or indirect result of the LTTE (surprisingly, the examples seem virtually non-existent, so I am happy to be educated of any).
Pavan, there are many tamils who are giving a lot – the media keeps its eyes shut – and so you don’t get to see. Similarly there are many tamils – infact over 75% of the tamil IDPs say that they are thank ful for the immediate assistance but don’t need any more – all they want is to be allowed to go out of the internment camps to stay with their relatives/friends. The 170,000 plead not to keep them behind barbed wire becuase some of them may have LTTE connection – that is collective punishment of innocent civilians. It is illegal under Sri Lankan Law. The media keeps its ears shut – and so you don’t get to hear those voices either.
//all they want is to be allowed to go out of the internment camps to stay with their relatives/friends. he 170,000 plead not to keep them behind barbed wire becuase some of them may have LTTE connection – that is collective punishment of innocent civilians.
This will be their hope, but is it a possible alternative? There are nearly half a million mines in nothern province. Do you want these people to be realesed to such areas? Then you’ll start accusing that GOSL released these civillians without clearing the field of mines. You are tactfully hiding this glaring truth. It may take even two years to clear the mines. The process is a painstakingly slow one. If the international agencies are in a fear of an humanitarian crisis, the solution is not to accuse GOSL, but to fund enough to deploy adequate de-mining staff in the once battle fields. Media are well aware of the fact, but people like you keep your biased mind shut about this issue.
Over to Mr/Ms. Sittingnut of May 13, 6:30 pm
Well, you say you understand and speak Tamil. I believe you understand and Sinhala too. Before going to the Context, let us face the facts. The Rupavahini commentator specifically says to the effect that Ganesan called the people to TAKE UP ARMS.
Nowhere in his speech has Ganesan said anything about Arms, the criminal reference. And he challenges the government to come out with more evidence to this effect. So it is for the government that is the Rupavahini news unit to come out with more evidence, if any and also to translate the total speech available with them in all languages. Mr/Ms. Sittingnut better not call Groundviews to do this.
Now let us face the context.
Yes, LTTE, a terror outfit was engaged in terror tactics during CFA period and the time of this speech. The famous boycott of the presidential elections came later. It is also true that this festival was organized by some LTTE front organization.
But please note that this was the period of transition. Transformation of the terror outfit LTTE into a democratic political party was the very sprit of the CFA. CFA permitted LTTE to establish political department and open political offices in north east, thus the Pongu Thamil festivals. Therefore taking part in such festivals and delivering speeches were not considered illegal then. Ganesan and many others including governmental ministers and diplomats went to LTTE territory and engaged with it in their own unique styles. Some are ministers in today’s government. These were legitimate engagements with the Terror organization. All these occurred with respective sincere hopes towards the democratization of LTTE. If there are any suspicions on the authenticity of the visits of Ganesan or for that matter of any other visitor, the government of the day can bring charges with evidences. End of the day, if LTTE ever democratized itself due to the engagements of Ganesan and others or if GoSL sincerely allowed this democratization process to be succeeded are parts of the larger question. It is very unfair to single out Ganesan and bring them around his neck alone.
I heard Ganesan over the Rupavahini news in his now famous visual speech highlighting the necessity for equality between Sinhalese and Tamils as the precondition for unity and cautioning if not it may lead to separation. And before ending his speech he uttered the words in Tamil “I think (Ganesan thinks) that this assembly sends this message to the world”. This is Ganesan’s understanding of the event. Why should it be only the justification of the violence of the LTTE? Why cannot it be the forewarning in the best interests of the Tamils within Lankan state? Doesn’t Mr/Ms. Sittingnut care to note this? Besides can’t a democratically elected people’s representative of the oppressed Tamils speak out the truth vibrantly? Those who always take the sides of the oppressor and JUSTIFY the state terror may not understand. But Ganesan in his explanation clearly condemns all kinds of terror including those of LTTE and GoSL.
Common, it is news now that it was only JNP Leader Vimal Weerawansa MP who called for Ganesan’s arrest. Therefore Ganesan was obviously referring to JNP/JVP past in his explanations. Weerawansa even said Ganesan took part in LTTE Hero’s day festival so Ganesan had do deny it. Neither Ganesan looks morally bankrupt nor using any lame argument finger pointing at JVP atrocities.
It is the GoSL that always attempts to evade culpability by pointing the finger at LTTE atrocities. GoSL as the legitimate state has far greater obligations and responsibilities than terrorist LTTE. Ganesan very clearly explains these matters. Pls watch Ganesan’s 7:49 visual explanation fully.
At last Mr/Ms. Sittingnut describes the accounts of state complicities in the White van abductions as absurd unsubstantiated conspiracy. These are well substantiated by credible human rights organization long before. Please go read and see. The recent incident of shame less white van abduction when a popular Tamil daily editor was abducted and later after the diplomatic pressure was described as an arrest. This last confession of Mr/Ms. Sittingnut tells all.