“It has been months now but the Centre of Policy Alternatives (CPA) has chosen to remain silent on Colombo Telegraph’s allegation that the CPA has been less than transparent in its financial activities attracted the attention of many since it first surfaced says Dr. Liyanage Amarakeerthi.
Dr. Liyanage Amarakeerthi
“It is also important for genuine public intellectuals to distance themselves from these corrupted NGOs and work with people at the grassroots level to rebuild a tradition of civil activism.” he further said.
On October 10th Colombo Telegraph exposed various financial malpractices in the CPA. The CPA, in its official website, referring to this exposé, on the same day announced that its Executive Director, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu was away and that a response would be given ‘in two weeks’. Dr Saravanamuttu returned to Sri Lanka on the 17th. The self-imposed deadline expired on 24th October.
On October 10th, based on CPA documents in our possession, Colombo Telegraph accused the CPA of billing for un-held workshops, engaging in double billing,’ i.e getting grants from two donors to do the same task and duplicating receipts, hotel bills and other bills to submit to donors (perhaps even submitting same bills to multiple donors), and hoodwinking donors by filing expenses under safe cost columns. Colombo Telegraph first asked the CPA to respond to certain questions based on our investigations on 8th of June, 2014.
Dr. Liyanage Amarakeerthi, Senior Lecturer at University of Peradeniya said today that the fact that some NGO big shots live luxurious is quite well-known and that fact alone has distanced many important public intellectuals from NGOs. The modus operandi of these NGOs includes the concepts such as ‘transparency’, ‘accountability’, ‘financial ethics’ and the like. But the NGOs seem to ignore those very concepts when they are used against themselves.
He said; there are NGOs doing some important work in the country. That work needs to continue. Arguably, the NGOs indirectly helped the Sri Lankan state during war years by taking care of many social issues while the state was busy waging war. Even during these ‘peace years’ the NGOs are taking upon themselves many tasks to which the state could have ideally attended. There are some NGOs that focus on critical civil society activities geared towards empowering citizens. For these very reasons, it is important that Sri Lankan citizens expect these NGOs to practice what they preach.
“Given this background the CPA’s freezing into silence is puzzling indeed. Big shots in the government spend luxurious lives that they would not have even imagined a few years ago. The prices of the president’s wristwatch, of his son’s cars, are rightfully questioned. Those factors are already causing the downfall of the regime. The shades of defeat are already visible on the face of the corrupted patriarch. It is also important that the citizens have access to the information of about the funding these NGO vallahs get in our name, the people.
“It is also important for genuine public intellectuals to distance themselves from these corrupted NGOs and work with people at the grassroots level to rebuild a tradition of civil activism. The re-discovery of genuine (unpaid) activism and participation in governance needs to be built into the movement of comment candidate and other social moments.”
Related posts;
Nirmal Condemns Hypocrisy Of “NGO Tribe”
CPA’s Powerful ED Dr. Sara Is Travelling, CPA Says It Needs Two Weeks To Respond
Exposé: Centre For Policy Alternatives Defrauded And Hoodwinked Donors
CPA Hattotuwa Must Answer Instead Of Dodging And Misleading
Response To Article In Colombo Telegraph
Exposed: Rights Advocacy A Gateway To Lavish Lifestyles
CPA Removes Groundviews Editor From ‘Senior Staff’
‘Dhanapala Must Choose’ Says Saravanamuttu
How Sunanda Robbed Money And Rs 30.9 million Unaudited FMM
Sunanda Saga, States Of Denial And NGO Accountability
pearl thevanayagam / November 28, 2014
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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MirakRajBanda / November 28, 2014
IF any financial irregularities occured in CPA which I hardly believe then compare it to MaRa regime. It’s peanut!!!
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Uthungan / November 28, 2014
Peanuts?
You b….dy Oaf,
It is because of such sort of attitude that we have we have inflicted the MaRa ‘s on ourself with ,
it is people like you who will be voting for the Rajuruva
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Uthungan / November 28, 2014
Peanuts?
You b….dy Oaf,
It is because of such sort of attitude that we have we have inflicted the MaRa ‘s on ourself.
it is people like you who will be voting for the Rajuruva
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kp / November 28, 2014
No, enough with the relativism. Like Uthungan has said, this is the attitude that brought MR and his dictatorship on us, this “no, this devil is slightly better than the other devil” kind of thinking. Wrong is wrong, regardless of who does it, or its magnitude.
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Burning Issue / November 28, 2014
May be peanuts but CPA still need to respond to the allegations of misappropriation of funds. I hope that CAP is currently engaged in a form internal investigation and will publish the findings and remedies in due course.
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Jim softy / November 29, 2014
What ever it is he was stealing money, —earning money the wrong way.
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Burning Issue / November 29, 2014
Jim,
You need to be consistent in your assessments; you support the MR regime unconditionally! Do you want us to believe that the MR regime is squeaky clean?
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MirakRajBanda / November 28, 2014
If a respective government or the donor not bothered about the CPA finances then why worry?? It’s not, after all, not tax payers money!!!
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Paul / November 28, 2014
‘If a respective government or the donor not bothered about the CPA finances then why worry?? It’s not, after all, not tax payers money!!!’
Because it is all a part of the culture of fraud and corruption that prevails in the country.
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Javi. / November 29, 2014
MirakRajBanda,
you dont seem to understand European concept.
NGO Non Govt Org. – You see the word gov. – the people of the receiving nation benefit therefore the people of the receiving nation must bring it up as in gov matters- that is how it works.
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Pusswedilla / November 28, 2014
Self-critic or self-reflection in Colombo NGOs is dead as in political culture.
CPA had done grand living in a sinking ship while jaw jaw on human rights (Newa Gillunath ban chun-) Colombo Women and Media NGOs do same.
Junior staff work hard but the NGO owners and operators are in the international UN conference circuit and Embassy cocktail party circuit with donor cash.
Human Rights queen Nimalka Fernando is a Star NGO HR dancer.. with protection from corrupt Dead Leftist Vausdeva Nanayakkara dancing with Jarapassa while Madam sheds human rights tears in Geneva is example.. The HR party goes on, business as ususal..
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K.A Sumanasekera / November 28, 2014
Wonder who this Dr Amarakeerthi is?..
How can the Intellectuals work with the grassroots, without NGOs giving them the dosh..
CPA spent a few bob on grog. What is the big deal, when NGO bosses spend thousands on Single Malt, French Bubbly, Ontario Reds,and New Zealand Sav Blanc.
And that is not LKRs
Besides just imagine how much the Intelligentsia would have to fork out if Dr Pakiosothy billed his valuable work on an hourly rate
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Javi. / November 29, 2014
K.A Sumanasekera,
So why was Executive Director, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu crying they plan to kill me when everything is tickety boo??
Dont bother about: What is the big deal, when NGO bosses spend thousands on Single Malt, French Bubbly, Ontario Reds,and New Zealand Sav Blanc.¬
the reason is as long as there is bread and wine the wine is there to stay but they will stop fags and keep increasing taxes because someone say my baby breathes no more. Smoking a havana cigar Boris just asked them not to go over the top when they said we should have designated areas even on the street for smoking while more die due to drinking.
Example once there was a surfeit of apples in the EU Salvation Army wanted it sent to africa but it was too expensive for EU to send it so they made wine with it in 1990.
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justice / November 28, 2014
NGOs abroad always appoint local auditors who send annual reports.
These reports are accepted by the NGOs unless there are compelling reasons not to accept them
If projects scheduled are cancelled, adequate reasons are expected and given.
NGOs who collect donations from citizens/governments of western countries and fund projects in the third world, expect those whom they selected to implement projects, to live like themselves in their own countries.
Such lifestyle, to our locals appears luxurious and rightly so.
NGOs carefully select locals who implement their projects.
These locals ignore criticism and accusations as they are answerable only to their NGO superiors.
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Javi. / November 29, 2014
¬NGOs abroad always appoint local auditors who send annual reports.¬
¬These locals ignore criticism and accusations as they are answerable only to their NGO superiors.¬
Not really as in practice.
if that was the case CT would not have bothered to inform the lankan public over again.
What these guys have done is a back to back funding EU-UN (typical thala thel brain)
smart alecs.
I am never jealous of how others live for that is their way but the monies taken are for evaluation of lanka which effects the ordinary folk of lanka ultimately because the west takes their word before the word of elected governments corrupt or not.
Good luck with the gravy train
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connor / December 1, 2014
Auditors don’t catch everything though, do they Basil.
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Jim softy / November 29, 2014
These CENTERS FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES -NGOs are in the west too.
Western Countries use Local NGOs in other countries to bring about political changes desirable to them.
Saravanamuttu from time has to go there and give public talks in order to show off what he is doing too. That is the evaluation of their contribution.
That is how they get money and that is how they live.
So, if they submit their budget and expense to the public, we see what exactly they are doing.
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Ram / November 30, 2014
NGO behaviour comes as no surprise when even the UN apparatchiks working with refugees are now allegedly SELLING refugee cards (which entitle them to certain benefits) for US$1000 each.
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george jilmart / November 30, 2014
CPA does not need to respond to your allegations. NGOs are not accountable to privately run websites that each have their own agenda.
NGOs are funded by foreign countries, no burden is placed on the Sri Lankan taxpayers, and the funding country sets the objectives for use of the funds. If CT has got evidence of irregularities in expenditure, you have the right to send this evidence to the funding agency for action by the donor. It is up to the donor then to investigate it and take action as the donor deems fit. CPA is not answerable to CT, better untwist your knickers which appear to be in a knot at the moment.
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