“Champika's backbone has gone a pilgrimage”
Opposition Leader tells in parliament
2011-02-12
Speaking during the condolences of the late Minister P. Chandrasekeran, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament on the 10th, “There's no independent media. It is even sad that there are no independent journalists in the country. Media institutions have given up their media independence and the Daily Mirror newspaper is a good example for it. The newspaper's editor, Champika Liyanarachchi's backbone has gone a pilgrimage today.”
“Chandrasekeran always valued the individual freedom and independence. He always said that he did not want to see any one else suffer in prison the way he did. He has exchanged ideas with me in parliament. He has spoken to me about the problems faced by the normal Tamil civilians simply because they are Tamil. When he spoke of how the up country Tamils were being victims of such a situation, he was even attacked by the media although he was a minister.
“Chandrasekeran spoke to me about the manner in which the Daily Mirror newspaper treated him.
He spoke to me with great pain about the articles sent by him to the Daily Mirror about his stance and that the newspaper had rejected them. At that time I said that the Daily Mirror Editor Champika's backbone has gone a pilgrimage and to therefore ignore what she said like us. I pacified him,” the Opposition Leader said.
When Lanka News Web inquired from the Opposition Leader over the telephone as to what he meant by saying “gone on a pilgrimage,” he said, the backbone of a devotee on a pilgrimage is flexible in order to be able to worship any statue, temple or dagaba.
