Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, Head, Department of History, University of Colombo who is also the former president of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) has strongly condemned the way the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has responded to the Colombo Telegraph’s revelations on its dubious financial transactions.
DR. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri
Asked to offer his comment on the behavior of the CPA, Dr Devasiri said; “I am not happy about the way in which CPA is handling the whole issue.”
“Apart from being failed to provide satisfactory answers to the questions raised by the Colombo Telegraph, it has not done enough to prove its commitments to the ideals that it is fighting for, viz. good governance, accountability, etc. This is very unfortunate because the damage it not only for them but also for the entire struggle for these ideals. The public has a right to ask for clarification from the CPA because the funds that they receive are meant for the public after all.” he further said.
The Colombo Telegraph charged the CPA and its all powerful Executive Director Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu of deliberately misleading donors, sanctioning or condoning dubious financial behavior and covering up fraud.
Related posts;
Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu & CPA Slip White-Collar Crime Under ‘Executive-Summary’ Carpet
Exposé: Centre For Policy Alternatives Defrauded And Hoodwinked Donors
CPA’s Powerful ED Dr. Sara Is Travelling, CPA Says It Needs Two Weeks To Respond
Nirmal Condemns Hypocrisy Of “NGO Tribe”
Exposed: Rights Advocacy A Gateway To Lavish Lifestyles
Response To Article In Colombo Telegraph
CPA Hattotuwa Must Answer Instead Of Dodging And Misleading
Sunanda Saga, States Of Denial And NGO Accountability
How Sunanda Robbed Money And Rs 30.9 million Unaudited FMM
Good Governance / February 1, 2015
Dr. Devasiri, are you trying to portray to the world that you are so naive as to entertain the possibility of having an organization of good ideals with bad financial management? Why don’t you take the bull by its horns?
Colombo Telegraph (CT) has given instances of CPA maintaining records or making up records to cover merry-making. Though it has a string board members it has not yet been able to account for itself as to whats going on. The arrogance displayed shows that it does not believe in a thing called transparency, which is fundamental for good governance. Like in most companies, the middle managers have fun, which they consider as a part of there so called privileges and they submit a sham to the board. There is a big distance between the middle managers and the board in all the companies and other organizations. To make matters worse they hide behind a thing called confidentiality. This is exactly the thing what happened even in the previous Government before Jan 8, 2015.
CPA may claim that it is an independent private organization. But it receives funds from various donors for the activities they sport. The same story in a private company where it runs on the financial inputs of the shareholders and consequently it has to answer the public.
Dr. Devasiri, I am not a learned academic like you. But I think before the CPA or any other organization that sports various ideals and preaches them, they must set an example and lead by example on ideals they sport. If this does not happen then they use funds for something else of which merry making may be a very insignificant part and the rest goes for others, purposes of which has yet not been discovered.
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K.A Sumanasekera / February 1, 2015
Isn’t this the UNP Professor who helped to give our great majority of Sinhala Buddhist inhabitants , good governance through patriots like Azaat Sally and Bathudeen?.
Dr Paikiasothy is sort of a hero now,because he didn’t rip off the inhabitants.
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thondamannar / February 8, 2015
UNP ex-Clergy
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Jim softy / February 1, 2015
If CPA is corrupt and if it registered as a NGO, cancel it’s license. Only barrier may be [Edited out] e’s may influence the decision as the CPA boss is a friend.
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Mods putha / February 1, 2015
What is dewasiris problem?
If there is a dead stinking body and a dead fly in the room, do you first sort out and arrange for the dead body to be creamated or do you spend your energies in trying to throw the dead fly in the dustbin?
There is so much corruption in the higher levels of govt, surely these so called advocates of good governance ought to get their priorities right. Haven’t they heard the expression call a spade a spade and a shovel a shovel.
CT should exercise it’s editorial discretion and not give prominence to such nonsense.
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Down and Out in Cinnamon Gardens / February 1, 2015
The ideal of good governance should be pursued across the board. It should apply to all activities in the public sphere and not merely to the state sector. It is an open secret in Sri Lanka that many in civil society organizations, NGOs, Human Rights groups and the media are no second bananas when it comes to corruption, cronyism and nepotism. These elements also played a substantial role in the political degeneration and the resultant suffering endured by people under the MR regime. Such elements seem to think they are not accountable to anyone as they are operating in the non-state sector. This anomaly must be brought to an end under Maitri’s Yuga Palanaya. The new administration should ensure the same standards of accountability, transparency and good governance in the NGO sector as well. Pakiasothy, Sunanda, Hattotuwa and others should be made to face the full brunt of the law if the allegations mentioned in CT articles are true. CT should spearhead the campaign to clean up the NGO-civil society-HR cabal.
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justice / February 1, 2015
It appears that the CPA is carrying on regardless of criticism.
If the donors of CPA are known, they should be made aware by Dewasiri or someone else.
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vishvamithra / February 2, 2015
CPA always claims that it stands against Corruption, Social Justice, Good Governance and Rule of Law.
The refusal to provide full and detailed answer to the issue raised by Colombo Telegraph only damage the credibility of the CPA in the minds of the public.
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Moda putha / February 3, 2015
If devasiri has the intellectual integrity persons with similar background are expected to possess, then he should first write and ask for an investigation on the supposed 157 million spent on entertainment in November and December alone in the presidential palaces by rajapakse.
Don’t waste your time and those of us readers in writing about pennies when millions are being robbed in daylight.
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Henna / February 4, 2015
What a low life this Muttu is?
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Ranil Wijeyesekera / February 7, 2015
Doctors are not Medical Doctors only. Homeopathy, Ayurveda , ect play there part. Who is qualified to dispense and prescribe medicine.Senior non western Practitioners know more than freshly qualified western Doctors.Nurses and others who are qualified should be trained to prescribe. Specialist, GP and others must have different Bands that they can describe. They are al trained. is more aware. They obtain prescription drugs without a prescription. We have to meet the shortage of Doctors.
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maali karunaratne / February 8, 2015
Is CPA your priority. Lets bring the culprits who waste our money be tried. Now we hear that the Ariyawa in Hambantotal had an account with a bogus ID card. Should the Bank take action. Who should take action against that NGO. Mr Dewasiri why not go into that case where evidence is available.
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