Media related missions and meeting Marcos in the Philippines

Excerpted from volume ii of the Sarath Amunugama autobiography

As Director of Information in 1969 I was the first Sri Lankan contact of the Asian Mass Communication and Information Centre [AMIC] which was established in Singapore .This Centre was supported by the Government of Singapore and largely financed by the Freidrich Ebert Stiftung of West Germany. The FES was the NGO of the SPD or Social Democratic Party. At that time it was left of centre in politics and specialized in trade union and media development.

An Indian Journalist cum media scholar Lakshmana Rao was appointed the first Secretary-General of AMIC. He was a student of Wilbur Schramm, a notable media researcher and University teacher in the US. Rao soon undertook a tour of Asian countries to introduce AMIC and drum up support for this new venture. Since there was a FES office in Colombo it would have nominated me to be the local counterpart and Rao visited me in office and we agreed to collaborate in research and training.

Rao and I got on well and we were able to send many of our scholars and media officials for seminars and training courses to Singapore. During this time travel facilities to journalists were not freely available and AMIC became a popular institution both for training and duty free shopping. DC Ranatunga whom I recommended to be the AMIC representative in Sri Lanka wrote:

“One day I got a call from Sarath Amunugama, then Director of Information. “Would you like to go to Singapore?” he asked me. Having been good friends with common interests I asked him not to pull my leg. He told me that a friend was with him with an invitation from a new organization on mass communication. They had sent an invitation and an air ticket for a representative from Sri Lanka. At a time when foreign travel was virtually banned, I was thrilled with the offer but I told Sarath that I was no longer a journalist and he should pick someone else. He insisted I should go having been in the field of journalism for over 10 years and able to make a useful contribution. The event helped me to make contact with a host of media men from Asia and AMIC got off to a flying start.

AMIC’s live wire was Lakshmana Rao, an extremely amiable person. He told me a regional conference would have to be organized in Colombo and I gladly agreed. We held the conference at Galle Face Hotel. I persuaded Arthur C Clarke to deliver the keynote address. The Conference delegates were delighted to listen to him and to chat to him after his presentation.

After some time I was appointed to the Governing Board of AMIC. It was a high level group of Asian media personalities and included Roy Daniel, the Director of Information of Singapore as Chairman, Roshian Anwer [Indonesia], Somkuan Kaviya [Thailand], Chanchal Sarkar [India], Sir Charles Moses [Australia], Dol Ramli [Malaysia] and myself. Hormoko, a well-known Indonesian journalist also joined us. Later he became the Minister of Information under Suharto.

From the Phillipines Flore Rosario – Braid became an AMIC associate. We would meet every quarter in Singapore to plan AMIC programmes and review the budget. Since AMIC was the only media ‘think tank’ for Asia we had considerable influence on making media policy and in linking the nascent media departments of the universities in the region with each other. We held regular seminars in Asian countries, usually within universities, which helped to draw attention of governments to the role of media and media education.

It was the biggest network of media experts in Asia and western universities also began to collaborate with us. Everett Rogers from the US and Micheal Kunzik of FRG were reputed communications scholars who were associated with us. AMIC began its operations from a Singapore hotel. After studying its activities the Singapore Government provided AMIC with a large bungalow on Newton Road close to busy Orchard road. At that time Lee Kuan Yew was a favourite of the German Foundations whose Asian operations were conducted through their regional offices located in Singapore. Much later in time these premises were taken over for the construction of the Newton Circle MRT station and AMIC moved to the Campus of Nanyang University.

However by the late 1970s AMIC ran into trouble. Lakshmana Rao’s autocratic ways did not please the FES or the Singapore Government. Even the Asian scholars were unhappy about his dependence on a few cronies. Due to his powers and FES not looking at the accounts of AMIC, it was found to be insolvent. The original agreement was for the regional administrations to contribute their share for the upkeep of AMIC. That did not happen as Rao insisted on keeping everything within a small circle of AMIC supporters who were his personal friends.

In this hubbub Rao resigned and AMIC was left headless and Dr. Sinha who was an assistant Director was asked to oversee the institution. He was ably supported by a Sri Lankan journalist Guy de Fontgalland who was another employee of AMIC. Fontgalland who was the Jaffna correspondent of a Sri Lankan newspaper became a nationally known figure because of his excellent coverage of a Hindu Temple entry crisis which became top regional news.

When a well-known temple in Mavaddipuram in north Sri Lanka refused to open its doors to so called low castes in the peninsula there was a protest and an attempt by a group of worshippers to forcibly enter the Temple. This was resisted by a former Minister and ‘enfant terrible’ Suntheralingam, a high caste or Vellala leader from a distinguished Jaffna family. He was a brilliant Cambridge educated mathematician who was a Professor in the Ceylon University. He was an advisor to D.S. Senanayake in the struggle for national independence.

In fact Suntheralingam was credited with providing mathematical evidence for DS to make submissions regarding ethnic representation to allay alleged British fears of a Sinhala steamroller majority after Independence. He was given the important portfolio of Trade in DS’s first Cabinet. However when the bill which in effect disenfranchised the estate Tamil labour was passed in Parliament, he resigned and became an implacable foe of the government. It must be noted here that G. G. Ponnambalam his rival did not vote against that bill. He remained as Minister of Industries much to Suntharalingam’s displeasure.

He tried to make a comeback to public acclaim by appealing to the caste prejudices of the Vellala Tamils by obstructing the entrance of the Harijans to the Temple. Fontgallend who was a Catholic went to town on this issue. He was admired by the Colombo newspaper establishment and was brought down to Colombo to work as their Tamil affairs specialist. From there with his strong personality and flair for journalism he appealed to Rao and was hired as an assistant Director to AMIC.

From then on it was plain sailing for Guy. He was extremely popular among AMIC members and with the departure of Rao became the power behind Sinha who was a social science researcher from the University of Patna without much administrative experience. Earlier he had played the role of Rao’s hatchet man .But with his bosses departure Sinha turned to Guy Fontgalland to manage the centre. His concern was mostly to stay on in Singapore because he had moved over bag and baggage from Patna.

How all this affected me was that Sinha and Fontgalland had selected me among themselves to be their ally in the AMIC management committee in their negotiations with the FES. This was a shrewd move because the FES representative Reinhard Keune was my friend who helped in setting up our television training centre in Colombo with FES funding. Through Reinhard I came to know the FES top brass ensconced then in their headquarters in Bad Godesberg, near Cologne, which was the provisional capital of the FRG. Later in time FES moved to Berlin when the capital of united Germany was shifted there.

Another lucky coincidence was that the German expert sent to equip our Film Unit under German aid was Dieter Rauch. Dieter had earlier worked with FES and had given a glowing report about the cooperation of the Ministry of State in implementing that programme. All this gave the idea to Sinha and Fontgalland that if I could be persuaded to head AMIC it would be a way out of their uncertain future after the departure of Lakshmana Rao.

Development Information Network

At about this time I was offered a short term assignment by UNDP, the development arm of the United Nations. The communications unit of the UN in New York, with whom the distinguished Sri Lankan journalist Tarzie Vittachi was associated as an advisor and was working on a project to use communications as a way of empowering rural small farmers to get a fair price for their products. Many field studies had shown that the funds allocated for rural development by UN agencies were not yielding results by way of improving the life chances of the rural poor. Many leaders, bureaucrats and middle men were siphoning off a large part of the aid money and the UN was getting a bad name.

Could media – basically radio and TV – help in keeping the farmers informed of market prices for their products and also help in agricultural extension to raise productivity? A pilot project was proposed and, in typical UN style, a high level delegation was to meet the heads of state of the Philipines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Fiji to apprise them of this signature project of the UN and to solicit their support.

As the leader of the two man delegation the UNDP chose Dr. Hernan Santa-Crusz, former Foreign Minister of Mende’s Cabinet in Chile and ex Deputy Secretary-General of the Food and Agricultural Organisation. For the post of second commissioner the UNDP nominated me. This was a signal honour which showed that I was being recognized as a ‘brand’ in the field of communications. I suspected that Tarzie may have had a hand in my nomination as he and my friend Roberto Savio of Inter Press Service were regularly consulted by UN agencies on communications matters.

Savio was a great friend of Juan Somavia – the famous Chilian development economist who fled to Mexico during the reign of terror unleashed by Pinochet. Somavia was the son in law of Santa Crusz and the reputed UN old boys network may have been working to get us together for this mission. Hernan and I were summoned to New York for a briefing while our itinerary was worked out through the UNDP Resident Representatives in the countries we were to visit.

Hernan Santa Crusz was a big built, well dressed, veteran diplomat who was very conscious of his high Ambassadorial status and was full of old world diplomatic charm. He was delighted when Heads of State and Ministers referred to him as ‘Your Excellency’. In our travels throughout Asia I learnt much about Latin America and particularly about Allende and his murder by the army which had close links with the CIA.

He also told me about the intrigues in FAO. He had canvassed for the post of Director General of FAO but had been pipped at the post by Ambassador Sen who was a member of the Indian Civil Service. My friend Hernan believed that India had collaborated with the US to deprive him of the topmost position in FAO because of his Allende connection. This was my first visit to New York and the week-long stay in a small hotel on Lexington and 4th street close to the UN building in Manhattan, gave me a splendid opportunity to explore a city which I got to know well in later years. I also got familiar with the UN practice of drinks parties in office after the end of the days work.

It was not possible like in leisurely Colombo to have parties in late evenings. Homes were located far away. So small office parties were held in the same office right after work. I got used to this when I was in Paris and would return home after office parties in a slightly inebriated state. Both in New York and Paris we could buy a few bottles in the UN commissary at duty free rates. They were well patronized by the staff who were envied by our other friends in business houses who did not have such duty free privileges.

We were never short of liquor in Paris because Ginige and our staff in the Sri Lanka embassy had quotas for duty free bottles. Our Sri Lankan visitors, used to rations at home, were amazed when liquor was freely served in parties that we had in their honour. Every year we had a delegation of senior police officers visiting France for meetings of Interpol. They were entertained right royally by us at house parties where drinks were in abundance and they could be persuaded to give us inside information about inquiries back home. In particular I remember startling disclosures about the disappearance of Upali’s aircraft, by the CID officer who had been designated by the President to investigate that tragedy.

After the initial briefings I returned to Colombo and through the UNDP Office here coordinated my visits to the countries assigned. The first of the meetings were to be in Manila and included a meeting with President Marcos in his Malcanyang Palace. Fortunately for me the UNDP Resident Representative in Manila was Devarajan, a senior ex-CCS officer who too had taken early retirement and joined the UN. He had access to all the top personalities in Manila and had arranged several high level meetings which was a pleasant surprise for Santa Crusz who was nervous that his standing may not figure so much in Asia as in Latin America.

Devarajan had set up meetings with Marcos and Foreign Minister Romulo who was now in his dotage. The meeting with Marcos was a memorable one. We had entered the scene when the US which had backed him fully at the beginning was now disengaging largely due to a barrage of criticism from the Western media. Media was highlighting the massive corruption of his regime and the extravagance of his wife Imelda Marcos, an ex-beauty queen and dominant personality who towered over Marcos who was a slight figure.

His short stature obviously troubled him. He met us after climbing onto a small platform to greet us from on high as the accompanying photo will show. Marcos was pleased to see us because only the week previously he was on the cover of TIME magazine with a devastating story of corruption and cronyism in the Philippines. He was very angry and receptive to our suggestion to improve his national Press agency.

The Phillipines was so Americanized that its media was a pale imitation of the US model. The appalling poverty of the population was covered up by the elite which was super rich. I remember that later when I visited Manila for an annual General meeting of the Asian Development Bank we found that the slum areas were boarded up and the poor were not allowed to emerge from their homes till the conference was over.

Hernan Santa Crusz and I did not know that US policy makers had already decided to replace Marcos with the Harvard educated, super rich and populist Aquino. Aquino however was- assassinated by Marcos’s goons when he landed in Manila Airport. This further aggravated the concern of the international community who then brought in his wife Corazon (Cory) Aqino When we met him, Marcos told us about his achievements in cleaning up gun toting Manila and was indignant that he was being criticized after dancing so long to the US tune. He may have known that his days were numbered because the grape vine in Manila, which is famous for its gossip, told us that his wife was stashing away large sums of dollars abroad.

Marcos seemed weary but he was very courteous and assured us of his full support. With Devarajan as the UN coordinator our project could take off and we sent an optimistic report to New York. Writing a report with a veteran like Santa Crusz I learnt about making a presentation in UNese language which comes after long experience in the international system. It was a good lesson which helped me when I joined UNESCO.

Devarajan also took us to see Carlos Romulo who was a national icon having been involved in the fate of the Philippines in the early days following the second World War, as a friend of the western camp. His interventions in the UN were mostly as a mouthpiece of the US. He thereby managed to get a lot of publicity. He was a favourite of the TIME magazine and I remembered reading about him as a schoolboy. He and Ramon Magsaysay were presented as the popular face of their country at that time. Though old he was quite feisty and asked me about Sir John Kotelawala whose guest he had been at Kandawala. He ran a well-appointed office and had a bevy of good looking Philipinas running around. Like his friend Kotelawala, he also was a social butterfly who enjoyed partying and female company.