A Presidential directive approving the use of the song ‘President’s Official Song for 2016 – Numba Ape Minihek’ as the Ring Back Tone (RBT) issued by the Telecommunication regulatory Commission to mobile operators has been recalled with the letter having been collected by the Presidential Security Division (PSD), Colombo Telegraph can reveal today.
A Facebook Meme
Officers of the PSD had visited the offices of each of the mobile operators and physically collected the said directive prior to the denial issued by the Presidential Media Unit to the effect that it had nothing to do with the production or airing of the song.
In the face of growing public criticism the video of the President Sirisena’s Official Song for 2016, has been removed without any reason being offered. President’s Secretary P.B. Abeykoon on January 11, 2015, said that there was no official song released by the President’s Secretariat or other responsible entities to mark the one year anniversary of democratic governance under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena. Abeykoon said “The song has been played by some social networking websites without the permission of the President as well as the Presidential Secretariat”
Status updates on Facebook by the producer clearly shows that the President was aware of the production and had approved the final cut to be telecast. Sirisena had checked the script and listened to the song prior to its broadcast.
When Colombo Telegraph contacted the President’s Media Director, Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake on January 15, 2015 for clarification on the matter, he claimed ignorance. However, he agreed to inquire from the President himself, but is yet to respond to the query.
The producer of the said video, Dr. Arosha Fernando, a senior consultant at Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, which is an institution that comes directly under the President, has posted on his Facebook page on January 7, 2015 that the video was being telecast over all TV and radio stations and that the Ring Back Tone (RBT) was available with all the mobile operators with the following song code:
Dialog – 87534349
Mobitel – 23740
Etisalat – *3541622
Hutch – 876010
Airtel – 88800600200
Although Arosha Fernando has now deleted all pictures from his Facebook page, screen shots were grabbed and archived by Colombo Telegraph.
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President Sirisena’s Official Song For 2016 Removed From You Tube
Official King Song: Sirisena Approved The Song And Now He Lies
President’s Officials In A Twist Over Spin On Controversial ‘Official Song’
punchinilame / January 20, 2016
Poor Abeyakoon has only the precedence set by MR-1 to go by. There is
a complete lack of co-ordination among the high-ranking executives within the Presidential Staff, which could prevent debacles of this sort. They will learn it now that CT goes hay-wire frequently with Simple-Sirsena bytes. Hope MS is not cheaply treading the steps to become a legendary MR2 ?
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Amarasiri / January 21, 2016
RE: Ring-Tone ‘Recall’ Shows Maithripala Sirisena Sanctioned ‘King Song’
“A Presidential directive approving the use of the song ‘President’s Official Song for 2016 – Numba Ape Minihek’ as the Ring Back Tone (RBT) issued by the Telecommunication regulatory Commission to mobile operators has been recalled with the letter having been collected by the Presidential Security Division (PSD), Colombo Telegraph can reveal today.”
Mahinda Rajapaksa has trained his former ministers and cronies quite well.
Mahinda Rajapaksa School of Politics.
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maalumiris / January 20, 2016
Can we have a Prime Ministerial Song as well ? Please ? Please ?
Then we can at least take the heat off poor Parakramabahu Sirisena
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Muhammed Fazl / January 21, 2016
President Sirisena is a good man… I know that ‘cos I worked with him during the last Presidential elections. It is just that, at present, he is surrounded by a set of morons. Instead of insulting him, let us give him time and/or address serious issues facing the country…
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Frank / January 21, 2016
Muhammed Fazl, you are seriously mistaken. Remember that Sirisena was the apprentice serving under Mara. A good man can never become the ruler of Sri Lanka. It is a thrice cursed country.
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Muhammed / January 22, 2016
Muhammed Fazl what are you insinuating is he a good man but do not posses the intelligence or the capability to understanding that he is surrounded by moron’s. Or he is a good man but like to be surrounded by morons?.
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BBS Rep / January 21, 2016
While all these high ranking highly paid officials such as Arosha Fernando (Doctor of what I do not know) and the president himself are engaged in frivolous king making activities the jobs that needs to be done are being neglected. No wonder the ‘Wonder of Asia’ is on the bottom of the economic and humanitarian pit.
I wonder who paid for the bills to produce that stupid song – the location shooting, the lyrics, the actors, the elephants, the lunch packets, the dinners, the arrak bottles, the singers, the musicians, the photographers, the clapper boys, the dancers, the editors, and so forth and so on. What a tamasha with public money.
This Arosha Fernando must be sacked.
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kumaran / January 21, 2016
In public life, one never “get a chance”. It is only My3 who knows the loneliness of the top post. I know that as I have been there. Its always complaining, complaining and complaining!! In every country this is the case. Anyway, the majority prefer the man from Polonnaruwa to the man from H,tota. How about YOU?! They both have guts but one has GUTS tempered with modesty and decency. You decide who!!
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K.A Sumanasekera / January 22, 2016
Poor Sira..
He should have picked “Purututhgesi Karaya…. Ratawal Allanna Sooriya”.
And the Yahapalana Elite would have been happy..
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Dr.R. Seneviratne / January 22, 2016
When will the Tin Pot Heads of this Bannana Republic ever learn? MY3 is no better than MR.
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Lanka Watch / January 22, 2016
CT should not allow their valuable space to be used to discuss trivial matters like this at a time when people want to know the pros & cons of the new constitution in the making from constitutional experts in the country. CT editors should encourage their worthy writers to put
forward their views on this important subject, which will make or break
Sri Lanka.
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HER BEE PEE / January 24, 2016
UNLESS MOTIVATED BY DIRTY JEALOUSY WHY STUPIDLY FRET OVER THE ISSUE OF PRESIDENT SIRISENA’S KING SONG. THE PRESS MUST WORRY OVER ONLY ON MATTERS
THE READERS ARE CONCERNED WITH, WHILE THE MATTER ABIT SIRISENA AND THE KING ARE OF LITTLE OR NO CONCERN TO THE AVERAGE PUBLIC.WHEN THE PRESS FINDS HUNGRY FOR NEWS IT TICLES THE NAMES OF THOSE IN HJIGH OFFIC. THIS IS UTTER STUPIDITY,IDIOCY AND “GON KAMA” ITIS JEALOUSY AND A MANIA.
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