Dullas soft lands at transport
 

It was the most welcome soft landing at office by a new cabinet minister. Shortly after being sworn in as the new Minister of Transport last Sunday, Mr. Dullas Alahapperuma made his first official visit to his ministry. Key ministry officials were got down, a discussion on work held, some documents signed and the office inspected. He found the office was too dirty for his liking and ordered a clean up. Most important there were no cameras from the print or electronic media.

This is in sharp contrast to what is generally happening today. We are once again at the stage of the all too familiar ceremonial assuming of duties by ministers, with all the accompaniments of auspicious times, drums and lamp lighting, religious blessings, signing of documents at the appointed hour, the kiri buth , kavun and plantains, and spouses playing an all important role in the whole event.

The scene is so stereotyped that after the assumption of duties by one minister is shown, there is nothing new to be shown to the public. It is a repetition of the same worn out pattern. What puzzles me is how the media faithfully records these events and shows them to the public on news bulletins and in newspapers, quite oblivious of the fact that after one such event is shown whatever news value there may be in it is over. No one bothers about the sheer waste of time and video footage in recording these events with the same actors either in old and familiar places or new locations.

Most of these "assuming of ministerial duties events" have a touch of the first day in school for a child. There is the spouse of the minister standing nearby, a substitute for the mother when schooling began, possibly giving the minister the feeling that he has nothing to fear in the new place. Everything else that takes place there gives the impression of acclimatizing the minister to new surroundings, and dispelling any trepidation he may have about the new office and work.

I'm sure most ministers have a feeling of deja vu when participating in these well worn-out ceremonies. Many of them are going through the motions of what they did a little more than one year ago, in the same rooms, with the same furniture, and other surroundings, and on earlier occasions, too. Although it is a repeat act, the only difference being that both the minister and spouse may have increased in girth and could be wearing more gold on their persons, yet he has to be guided through the same motions as in the very familiar past, just like a child on the very first day in school.

With the size of the Cabinet and other ministerial positions now increased to 55, due to political necessity, and the media obviously ready to keep recording these questionably "newsy" events for showing to the public, we can be sure that news channels will be loaded with this repeatedly boiled cabbages that lack any flavour; bringing on the urge among TV viewers to change the channel and among newspaper readers to flip over to the next page, hoping it will not have another picture of a similar event.

The craving for publicity being second nature to politicians, one cannot fault the first time ministers wanting to show the whole world their fumbling first steps in office, with an endearing or overbearing spouse guiding their hand as to where the first signature has to be placed.

There could also be something of news in showing some of the key figures who have joined the government from the Opposition, doing what they too have been seen doing earlier, only for the comments they make about the new patterns in political culture.

There is nothing much we can do if politicians have a preference for these now routine performances before cameras in the belief that they show the people how diligent they are about the new tasks they undertake, or the same old roles they play. But one fails to understand how those in the media can think these stage managed performances can be news, and worthy of being imposed on the public.

That is where one has to appreciate Minister Dullas Alahapperuma for assuming duties in a very important ministry, without any of the fuss that is made by his peers in office, although this is his first essay as a minister.

And kudos to him also for making his first ministerial decision the need to physically clean up his ministry, to have a pleasant environment for work and also make it people-friendly. Let's hope he has set a pattern, which others will follow in the future, and spare us the boredom of watching a replay of the current farce that is presented as news.

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