MP Sarath Weerasekara dials wrong number over SLT privatisation

It was interesting to read the reply by MP Sarath Weerasekara (https://www.ft.lk/opinion/Right-of-Reply-Desperate-attempts-to-prevent-privatisation-of-SLT/14-759360 ) to the editorial which was published on 1 March under the heading  “Desperate attempts to prevent privatisation of SLT” ((https://www.ft.lk/ft_view__editorial/Desperate-attempts-to-prevent-privatisation-of-SLT/58-759011). Unfortunately Weerasekara’s Right of Reply contained numerous inaccuracies.

In his reply, the former Cabinet Minister had asserted that the Government ownership of Sri Lanka Telecom would act as a deterrent against illegal interception. Illegal interception of telephone calls is a matter that should be dealt with by having in place robust and effective legislative as well as regulatory mechanisms. Telecommunication industries in numerous countries, which are more powerful than Sri Lanka in terms of political and economic superiority, are entirely represented by the private sector. For instance, Australia, which has concerns about Chinese spying, does not have a Government-owned telecom entity.

The issues pertaining to privacy and national security need to be addressed through regulatory and law enforcement authorities like nations in the developed world.

Weerasekara also pointed out that most of the Government officers/offices are provided with Mobitel phones and telecom landlines. There are four 4 mobile network operators in the country, and 3 of them are owned by foreign companies. The 3 foreign companies account for almost 75% of the mobile network subscribers in the country. In reality, a considerable number of influential Government officials are subscribers of private networks. It is also well known that most of the powerful politicians/officials in the country are customers of private operators. Doesn’t that pose a threat to national security?

Weerasekara had erroneously mentioned that there were no mobile phones in Sri Lanka in 1997. The retired Admiral is unaware that Sri Lanka was the first nation in South Asia to launch a mobile phone network in 1989. In fact, it is reported that there were about 10,000 mobile phone users within Sri Lanka in 1993 – (https://www.afr.com/politics/telstra-wins-mobile-slice-in-sri-lanka-19931108-k5p6d). The number of people using mobile phones in the country during the 90’s were a tiny minority. However, the usage of mobile phones began to increase considerably at the beginning of the 21st century aided by liberal and conducive government policies, increased affordability and portability of mobile phones, the introduction of superior technology, etc. Weerasekara must surely be unaware that Mobitel was started as a joint venture between Telstra Australia and SLT in 1993 with the Australian party having dominant control until 2002. From 1989 to 2002, all firms which operated mobile networks in the country were controlled by foreign companies.

The Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee’s report on National Security, which advised against the privatisation of SLT, was repulsed by none other than President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Subsequent to the Parliamentary Committee’s flawed recommendation, the Presidential Media Division (PMD) issued a press release stating that the report of the Committee lacked logical or scientific data analysis pertaining to the subject matter. The release by the PMD also added that the Oversight Committee did not have any consultation with the relevant authorities responsible for national security. Former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Professor Rohan Samarajeewa too dismissed the observations of the Weerasekara-led group.

 

Telecom industry analyst