Talking point: No change in Lady’s demeanour

Politicians, who fall from grace sympathise with media personnel and wax eloquent about protecting media freedom, denouncing corruption and promoting good governance.

They become the darling of journalists and use them for their propaganda, and walk arm in arm with them until they regain power. This is the stark truth, the country has been experiencing for decades.

A small group of such crestfallen politicians met last week in Colombo and it was described as the first convention of the Mapila group.

The former President and the Opposition Leader were among the invitees.

Generally the aim of any convention is to explain the party’s future plans but at this convention, the main speaker attacked the government’s strategy of combating terrorism and the treatment meted out to the scribes.

The media community in this country remembers only too well how their members were treated during her 11-year regime, and realised that her stance had not changed even after she had fallen from grace.

While she was levelling false allegations against the government that the media freedom is being threatened, it was amusing to see her security guards outside threatening the media personnel and barring them from entering the auditorium.