Frederica Jansz, Diplomat?
Image of Frederica via RubyGoes.
I was at my Achchi’s, eating all the pol sambol. They get the Island so I was reading that. Apparently the government line against The Sunday Leader is that the Editor, Frederica Jansz, was angry cause they didn’t make her a diplomat. This is one of the dumber excuses I’ve heard, ever. As a quick refresher, the government is angry because Frederica published the filth that the Defense Secretary actually said. As a further refresher, Frederica Jansz is no diplomat.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter what happened, nothing excuses a public official say ‘pig shit fuckity fuck’ (I’m only slightly paraphrasing Gotabhaya Rajapaksa here, the words are his) and threatening to kill anybody. In any civilized country such an official would step down. Even in a dignified barbary you’d get an apology. Instead the government is doubling down on stupid, trying to tax and subdue online media for being ‘filthy‘ while government officials blackguard the media in filth.
This line of attack against Frederica, however, takes the cake. Frederica Jansz is not known for diplomatic words. Unless you’re sending her to someplace you’re actively trying to start a war with, she’s not the best choice for diplomat. Not that the Rajapaksas appoint diplomats or anyone, really, on a merit-basis. But the idea that the government was trying to bribe her and things went screwy is not the most believable or even relevant defense.
The Defense Secretary was way out of line. That’s all it is. And the government’s media policy is offensive and dumb. And bear in mind that this all started over a puppy. Seriously. It’s like someone gave the worst children in school a government. And guns.
Posted on Friday, July 20th, 2012 in Media, Politics, Sri Lanka.
I’m happy to be featured in Echelon magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature, profiling young people who contribute to the economy in some way, mainly in business but also in terms of innovation and thought leadership. It’s an interesting article not just in that I’m in it (mainly for work on indi.ca and 
I won’t add too much commentary, but just read I guess. The youngest Rajapaksa, Rohitha (Chi Chi) has given an amazing interview to the 
In 2009 this strange character appeared on the Sri Lankan Internet scene, getting angry, flaming, trolling whatever. Then he started naming anonymous bloggers, posting comments as people’s kids, nasty stuff, for which I removed him from 
The chutzpah of this government knows no bounds. Every government since Independence has had to balance placating Sinhala nationalists (AKA racists) while at the same time actually running a sensible, inclusive nation that doesn’t send minority citizens, capital and foreign investment fleeing. Basically, they’ve had to pay lip service to nationalists while at the same time trying to run an actual nation. Every government has also generally failed, SWRD being killed by a nationalist monk and everyone after almost losing the country to various rebellions. In that context Mahinda is actually doing a better job by virtue of not being dead and not losing control of the country. But he’s still not doing a good job.
Oh, i don’t know. She did testify against SF and tried to get to SF’s lawyers through his kid. This is how ambassadors are generally born in this country.
Now that Gota has admitted that most of the conversation was as Frederica claimed, including the “people will kill you” bit, I wonder what steps she has taken about it.
In any civilized country, the secretary of defence will have to leave his job.We don’t even have a public uproar against this.If the general public is not concerned,then we deserve the leaders we have!
In the minds of most of our voters, Frederica is the devil and want her dead.
I think the public is just shit scared to say anything about it as we all know who it involves and what he is capable of
I think many in the public see the outburst with amusement rather than real outrage. On one side it’s pretty funny to see a dignified official lose it like that. On the other, they will see FJ’s questions as unnecessary given it was a non-issue — no plane was changed, no passengers were offloaded, no foul no harm — all over a puppy. GR should however apologize publicly.
I’m no fan of Frederica, and I wish she had grilled him about more serious issues than that. I would have been amused if it was just Gota’s language, but when he tells an editor that “people” will kill her, I’m more like worried than outraged.
well shammi, Gota was merely the messenger.
Doesn’t change anything.
What public are you speaking of? The public don’t read the leader and are oblivious to fedrica’s existence, ignorance is truly a bliss in this regard. Of course fedrica’s should have been sacked a long time ago for trying to ruin in the life 18 year old as revenge for getting humiliated in court.
Some of these comments exhibit the hilarious disconnect some people have with the ‘public’.
I meant the public that knows about the incident.
Most people don’t care because public opinion of Frederica Jansz is generally negative. Frederica’s contribution to the country is basically diddly squat. I find it amusing how she portrays herself as a victim, a snow white journalist under siege carrying on the “legacy” of Lasanta Wickrematunga (who himself was the worst kind of yellow journalist).
Hey, Ramesh there was no public uproar when Lasantha was gunned down in the broad day light or/and youths were killed and burned on the roadsides (let’s “forget” about “far” north and east, I am talking about “Sinhala Buddhists” youth in the south). We still vote overwhelmingly for child killers, thieves, rapists etc.
Anyone can become a reporter in Sri Lanka, the same in business and politics. Therein lies the problem. It’s all the same, same as the shite the Sri Lanka’s defence secy, senior reporters and you spout mate!
It’s just not going anywhere… Other than of course shooting ourselves happily in the foot.
Greedy much? Must be a convenient way for Frederica Jansz to recover money for a newspaper struggling financially.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2012/07/22/sunday-leader-editor-sues-media-minister-for-50-million/
That’s probably the amount the Leader owes Gota from the MiG debacle
That article says that Gamini Abeyratne was a director of Mihin Lanka and a close confidant of the president ???? How do people like that manage to get so close to people in power? First Chandrika, then Ranil and now Mahinda. Seems to be pally with Frederica as well. One wonders who actually runs this country.