Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said no Treasury money will fund the Rs. 104.6 million for MTV to host the 63rd General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).
He was responding to questions at the Cabinet press briefing on Tuesday. Journalists asked why hosting an international conference was given to a private media company when state media institutions and the Department of Government Information exist. They also said many people believe the Government is spending a large sum to promote a private channel.
Mr Jayatissa said neither the Treasury nor public tax money is being spent on the project. He said the ABU executive board, not the Sri Lankan Government, chooses the host broadcaster for its general assembly. About six channels in Sri Lanka, including two state channels, are members of the union, he said.
The payment of about Rs. 104 million to MTV will come through the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the minister said, and the money is not drawn from the Treasury or the Ministry of Finance.
When journalists asked whether Tourism Promotion Bureau money should also be treated as public money, Mr Jayatissa said such funds allow the bureau to work with either state or private institutions on promotion activities within its mandate. He added that, given the size of the sum, the Cabinet needed to be informed, and it was.
Background
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union is an association of broadcasters from the Asia-Pacific region. Its general assembly brings member organisations together, and a member broadcaster in the host country usually takes on the local organising work.
According to the minister, the Tourism Promotion Bureau is funded by a US$5 charge collected from tourists arriving in Sri Lanka and a contribution of 1 percent of income from the hotel sector.
Mr Jayatissa said the bureau has previously sponsored the Colombo Marathon, the Air Force cycle ride and the Kite Festival held on the Derana channel.
He said representatives of 225 media organisations from 66 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are due to attend the assembly. In his view, it offers Sri Lanka a chance to promote its appeal to tourists and its international image.
What it means
The explanation draws a line between Treasury money and funds raised through the tourism levy and hotel-sector contribution. Journalists at the briefing pressed the point that the bureau’s money may still be seen as public funds, and the minister’s answer rested on the bureau’s authority to work with state or private partners.
For readers, the question is how money collected from tourists and hotels is used. The minister said the payment does not come from general taxation, and he named earlier events the bureau has backed as precedent.
