Does Lasantha Still Matter? (UNESCO Award)
Scene from Lasantha’s funeral march
Today Lasantha won the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize. In death. I think he might also be cheered that the Sunday Leader lives on, and that his life has inspired so many Sri Lankans into action. Personally, there are two events that have spurred me into service. One was the tsunami, and the other was Lasantha’s death. The tsunami obviously, every Sri Lankan was united at that time. But why Lasantha? Why did he matter?
Follow The Leader
I rarely read the Leader, I rarely read the papers at all. It stresses me out too much, you need four stomachs to process the ruffage. But while the Island is its own brand of sloppy bullshit and the Times is warmed over bullshit, and the Daily News is the whole bull, while all these things were spread on the table, the Sunday Leader stood out.
Any Given Sunday
Any given Sunday you could pick up the Leader and it was insane. All the other papers have a bias (as in a biased owner) and they stick to a plot. The Sunday Times is from a UNP family, the Island is kinda JVP, the Nation is bought by a Mahinda catcher, Lakbima News is owned by a bookie and SLFP candidate. The Leader, however, just pissed off everybody. I was always like, can you really say that? I guess you can’t.
I’d always assumed the Leader would be there, yelling at everybody, carrying that weight. Until it wasn’t. That’s why it was such a shock when Lasantha was killed. People die every week, but I figure they weren’t that important if you only hear about them when they’re dead. But everyone knew Lasantha, everyone knew the Leader, and – like cutting a rook in the first rounds – it was a shock. But they did. They killed him with a cattle prod or something in his car, the autopsy hasn’t been released. They killed him in the street.
Colombo In The Streets
Then, for the first time in my circles, Colombo took to the streets. For me, Lasantha’s funeral was the first time I ever marched in the streets. I’ve always been like fuck it, it’s too hot, it doesn’t change anything. But this time it did. It changed me.
It’s a fundamentally different experience walking around Kanatte junction in the middle of the day. It’s like tromping around a civilized city at dawn. You realize that the city is yours, that this earth is yours. From a car you’re just passing through, in between places you own or rent or have permission for. But marching on the street in fuck-off numbers makes you realize that this land is yours. And that you can do something about it.
Once More Into The Vacuum
Since Lasantha died there’s been a vigil at Alexandra Circus every Thursday. I go there and hold a candle. Since then I’ve been meeting concerned citizens every week. We organize stickers, petitions, letter-writing. Tiny, probably pointless things. Through that group I met people sending relief to the war refugees and injured in the North. And I went to the Vanni, to see. And I’m excited to vote, I researched and met some candidates, I’m praying that I get the correct form this time. I’m involved. And there’s hundreds like me.
I realized that we took Lasantha for granted, he was out there all alone, and he died. But now he’s not alone. Those people on the street didn’t go home. We’re still talking, we’re still organizing and we’re changing our nation and ourselves. So what they did was they killed one man, but they gave life to many more. They woke up a segment of Colombo that’s been fully Kumbhakarana for years.
I’m not saying that Lasantha’s death has created some movement that’s going to change the world or Sri Lanka or anything. I don’t know. But I do know that it’s changed me. In fact, I write for the Sunday Leader now.
To quote the last line of Lasantha’s last editorial:
Let there be no doubt that whatever sacrifices we journalists make, they are not made for our own glory or enrichment: they are made for you. Whether you deserve their sacrifice is another matter. As for me, God knows I tried.
At the time he died, I don’t think we deserved his sacrifice. But I think, in time, we will. The international awards are great, but I think Lasantha would be most proud that he has changed Sri Lankan people and that they, some day, may change the Sri Lanka he loved and served.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
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Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
Indi, I don’t want to insult the dead.
But your statement “But everyone knew Lasantha, everyone knew the Leader, and – like cutting a rook in the first rounds – it was a shock.” is wrong. Or, at least it needs to be corrected as “everybody in Colombo knew Lasantha”.
The point being, The Leader did NOT reach the breadth and the width of this country. In fact, not any of the English newspapers did and probably Leader was the least of them. Only a handful in Colombo and other few cities knew him. The people of this country didn’t really know, and even who did didn’t really care for his words didn’t appeal to many. That is why his death did not – remember, the protests in Colombo doesn’t count – stir this country…
if you read this it’s clear that it’s a very personal piece. I’m talking about myself, the people I know here, Colombo. And Colombo does count. That’s ridiculous. If I said that rural people don’t count that’d be offensive, I don’t see how counting Colombo out is any different.
Which part of Colombo you talk about?
Colombo does count. But not your “Barefoot Cult”. Colombo is the sign of Sri Lankan unity. What you see as “Colombo” is not real Colombo.
You were right to say “I’m talking about myself, the people I know here”. But stop there! You don’t represent the average “Colombo Guy”.
You have to “walk in the street” more than once, to know real Colombo. Know real people of Colombo. And you have to walk on real streets. Not behind the dead body of some black mail don of the under world.
So what if Lasantha didn’t appeal to the masses?
The masses are rationally ignorant anyway. Give some cheap talk about Dutugamunu and “motherland of the sinhaleese” and you’ll get a swarm of followers. Blame British colonialism for the poverty in Sri Lanka, and thousands of heads will nod in unison.
Lasantha didn’t appeal to mainstream Sri Lankans, because most of them are idiots who are looking for quick fixes.
Indi, I don’t think Sachintha was suggesting that Colombo doesn’t count, but rather that Lasantha failed to touch the country at large. I think this is partly because he was so over-the-top partisan that even a fair number of his loyal readers had to take him with generous helpings of salt. Partly because he held a barely-concealed contempt for Sinhala Buddhists that prevented him from reaching out to them. And partly because he published largely in English. Sadly, these various biases and prejudices kept him a polarizing and somewhat marginal figure for many years before his brutal murder.
Still, the UNESCO Prize is richly deserved for Lasantha’s undeniable courage and commitment. It brings an entirely appropriate mix of honour and shame to our country. I hope that this international spotlight will somehow help bring the killers to justice.
@VIC, I won’t get into real or unreal people, but – to me – every citizen of this country is real. Rich, poor, Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, whatever. You don’t have to be the average to be ‘real’. I don’t look down on poor people and the ‘average’ people I meet don’t seem to look down on me. You can just be whoever you are and ‘real’ Sri Lankan people are generally cool with that.
Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka spoke about how its not the size or reach of a particular medium that matters, its the power of the stories. If I remember correctly, Lasantha broke stories like Water’s Edge and many corruption cases which percolated through other media. Many of the stories he broke affected change. The issue isn’t whether people read the Leader, but the Leader broke (breaks) stories that other people are afraid to and then they circulate through the more timid media. In that sense it’s leadership value is far greater than its circulation.
Sorry if I offended you in any way, because I didn’t mean to. And as I said, I don’t mean to insult the dead.
But I still stand by what I said.
Please do read my comment again mate, I said the “protests” in Colombo doesn’t count. Because, of all people you should know that “most” of them are done for 500 rupees each and maybe a parcel of lunch. Because in all honesty, protests in Colombo, almost all of them do have an agenda behind them.
Also if you meant people in Colombo by “everyone” when you said everyone knew him and everyone knew Leader, then yeah you are right, as I pointed above. So… in that case I am mistaken or rather misundertood what you wanted to say.
But if you meant the whole Sri Lanka, well, obviously things are different. Anyway, since you claim that this is a very personal piece and that you were talking about you, my opinion doesn’t count. I’m leaving it at that.
Cheers!
Perhaps Sachintha does not live in Sri Lanka? In around 2003-04 there were massive hoardings with his face on them: “Lasantha for breakfast.” He had a morning show on TV. Few in the blogosphere know about the Sinhala newspaper Irudina.
Yup, but those hoardings were all in Colombo. Most of the country had never heard of him before his death, and had certainly never read anything he wrote. I also think the Leader had lost most of its effectiveness. Gone were the days when being splashed in the Leader meant trouble. The current government just doesn’t care — they know where their votes are buttered, and it’s not Colombo.
I lived in SL until March 07.
So, I was very much aware of everything that was going on in SL and I still am. I admit I don’t get to read everything in here (oh yeah, I”m in Tokyo as Indi pointed out) like I used to do when I was in SL, but I do try to be informed as much as possible on current affairs.
So, all I wanted to say is said in the comment above by Blacker, so I don’t have much to add to that.
Sorry, lived in SL until March 08.
The Leader always seemed to be pro-Ranil W. It was unfortunate since their reporting was kick-ass, but whenever I told anyone that I read this great article in the Leader, the usual response was “it’s UNP propaganda.” Just goes to show, it ain’t just about the article you write, it’s about being legitimate. But anyways, I’ve always read it from the time they started back in the nineties. I feel the paper has actually improved in quality under Fredericka’s editorship. Hats off to her for handling the Lalith Kotellawela story and exposing the massive fraud he perpetrated when other newspapers still have their lips firmly entrenched in his arse. She’s always had this attitude of “turn the fan on to full, I’m going to throw some shit at it and see what happens.” More power to her. Glad to see you working with the Leader Indi.
As for the Island, they’re not JVP; they are unashamedly pro-Snhala Buddhist. When the govt’s actions agree with their ideals, they praise them, but they also are quick to criticize those in power. I don’t like their ideals, but I get a good window on the Sinhala Buddhist viewpoint since they attract a lot of letters from that lot.
The Wijeya group is just friggin bland. They don’t report anything I don’t already know. They’re too scared to step on anyone’s toes. It’s just an advertising-money making machine. But hey, that’s ok. Newspapers are ultimately businesses; they’re not supposed to change the world–we are.
The Nation: boy, when it first started, it was awesome! They had balls. They were the Leader without the pro-Ranil bias. But then Keith Noyahr got beaten up, and the paper was taken over by the Rajapakshas, and now it’s just a private version of the daily news/observer.
As for the govt rags, also worth reading just to know what those ding-dongs are thinking. Besides, propaganda is entertaining in a sorta perverse way.
I remember about a month where The Nation was killing it, I used to go out and look for it. They were slagging off all the big boys, Gota, Mangala, postering and everything. Then it got bought and it sucks now.
Never read the Island at all, but simply cause the quality is so so bad. I linked above to where they accidentally ran dirty and sexually explicit limericks in the kids section.
And the Wijeya Group is just bland, is more of a record keeping device now.
@Rohan – I think Sachintha is in Tokyo
If I may ask, what proof exists of the authenticity of the said ‘posthumous editorial’??? Or have we all assumed its legitimacy simply because it was publised in the Leader?
Personally, I view the paper as being more ‘tabloidish’ as opposed to responsible investigative journalism.
“What I find deeply irresponsible about her article is that she both admits that she’s ill-informed and yet sees fit to basically accuse the whole Sinhala south of prosecuting this as a racist war”
This what you wrote about Arundati Roy. I think the same applies to you when you say “I rarely read the Leader, I rarely read the papers at all.” and went on labeling them.
For me Leader publications are counter part of Lake House publications. It’s true Lasantha was exposing lot of men and women but he did it on a selective basis to make sure the people to he was loyal are safe and look clean.
I simply don’t see a much difference between political columns publish on Leader publications and Lake house publications. All of them are full of lies, half -lies and a little bit of truth.
Recently, in two different media briefings, UNP national organizer SB Dissanyake and senior member, MP Lakshman Senevirathne revealed who is running Leader publications. According to Mr Senevirathne, it’s UNP decides who will be interviewed and what will be written on Irudina. I’m pretty sure that’s the same with English papers from Leader. If that’s not the case, then it’s because Leader editor used to decide what UNP was going to do. There were reports on UNP MPs claiming ( during UNP working committee meetings) that they invest their money running these publications.
Therefore I wonder how one could claim Leader publications is an independent source of information.
The Island, Daily Mirror, Sunday Times, The Nation may not be the examples for highest quality. But they at least have some room for dissent. For an example the Island/ Sunday Divaina have been a platform for many political debates, despite their obvious nationalistic stance. They publish content highly critical on this regime despite their slant towards the same.
I never observed that in any of the Leader publications. Just like Lake House publications, they allow only one group of people to dominate.
From what I knoww, Lassantha himself wasn’t a clean man as some of his fans want to portray him to be. (this doesn’t give another part the right to kill him). His 2nd wife Sonali Samarasignhe, served SL high commission in Australia during the period of RW’s premiership. It’s a public secret that Lasantha used his influence to get Sonali ,who was having an outside the marriage relationship with him those days, this appointment. There are lots of other malpractices related to this but despite these some people still try to draw a picture of a honest, clean man. (his affair with Sonali is not my issue but how he used his influence to win favor for her )
“I have spent years railing against the government without actually leaving my comfort zone. Life was much simpler then. Since I’ve tried to become more active I’ve discovered that things no longer seem so black and white.”
I wish you had started your involvement long ago. Then you would have not wakened up suddenly at Lasantha’s funeral. I saw two very ironical things at his funeral and I don’t know whether you noticed them. First one is the presence of CBK and Mangala Samaraweera; the same duo did everything to assassinate Lasantha both politically and physically. The second thing is the outrage of those so called free media men who carried his coffin while shouting slogans. Their malpractices are now within the public domain (revealed by their one time colleagues) and I don’t understand how such highly corrupted men going to lead us.
These observations compelled me to think and act too. But it seems that we have come up with different outputs.
Please. I know the current UNP and they couldn’t organize a tea party. They couldn’t even muster real numbers for Lasantha’s march. I went to a Platform for Freedom and they’re organizing more than the UNP, the UNP has bit parts on their schedule. There are more plausible conspiracy theories than ‘the UNP controls it’. The UNP can barely control its own bladder.
The value of the Leader is not its columns, its the fearless investigative journalism. They’re the only ones that really do it, they’re the only ones really pursuing the Kotelawa fraud right now, for example. Even their business pages are quite critical, not just warmed over press releases. It’s good stuff, deserving of all the awards.
Indi, exactly, I was just about to quote Tarun Tejpal!
If a publication can have an impact on the people MAKING the policies; then its job is being done.
Well done, Indi. On everything you are doing.
But is it making that impact? The Leader, I mean, not Indi.
Who the fuck knows? Sometimes you have to hammer at the darkness all night before it bleeds daylight.
Sure, just might be useful to find out if you’re hammering where it hurts, that’s all.