{"id":245712,"date":"2026-02-07T03:40:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T22:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=245712"},"modified":"2026-02-18T08:17:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T02:47:21","slug":"npps-naked-gun-missed-the-target-instead-of-the-master-it-hit-the-disciple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/npps-naked-gun-missed-the-target-instead-of-the-master-it-hit-the-disciple\/","title":{"rendered":"NPP’s Naked Gun Missed The Target Instead Of The Master, It Hit The Disciple!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Vishwamithra<\/a> –<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPower is a game, and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effects of their actions\u201d <\/i><\/i>~ Robert Greene<\/p>\n

They could not remand the master, instead they went after the disciple. Still there is no explanation as to why they did it. Saman Ekanayake, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Secretary served as his Secretary when he was Prime Minister too. Saman’s association with Ranil goes a long way. Apparently they were close enough to serve the country as master and disciple more than two terms when the master was in power. Such associations could be traced to JR Jayewardene and Ananda Tissa de Alwis, Felix Dias and Gamini Wickremanayake, R Premadasa and KHJ Wijedasa\/Paskaralingam. Such partnerships do serve as exemplary collaborations in government service.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Saman Ekanayake<\/p><\/div>\n

The successful, rapid completion of grand projects\u2014often referred to as megaprojects\u2014frequently occurs when strong political will, efficient bureaucratic processes, and technical competence align<\/span>. These projects, which range from massive infrastructure (like dams and highways) to specialized technology, can be delivered ahead of schedule and under budget when supported by clear, high-level directives that streamline approvals and resource allocation. The most recent example for such a unique government accomplishment was the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Project in which Gamini Dissanayake’s political will and his immediate technical and bureaucratic staff that consisted of ANS Kulasinghe, Douglas Ladduwahetti and NGP Panditharatne, among others, combined to complete a megaproject in seven years.<\/p>\n

Ranil Wickremesinghe cannot be credited with any stupendous achievements. Yet when he became Prime Minister under Maithripala Sirisena’s Yahapalanaya government, probing into his real management quality and political will was absolutely justifiable. In a UNP\/Maithri combo regime in which more than sixty percent of the Cabinet Ministers were of the UNP origin, Ranil’s performance became one that was closely watched. Beside Ranil was Saman Ekanayake, second-most (next to Presidential Secretary)\u00a0 <\/span>powerful bureaucrat in the government.<\/p>\n

Saman Ekanayake was no novice to high-level power game. His loyalty to the then government was never questionable, nor was his allegiance to his immediate master Ranil Wickremesinghe. For Saman Ekanayake to have committed such a silly and glaring bureaucratic blunder with regard to Ranil’s visit to the UK in connection with his wife Maithri Wickremesinghe’s, acceptance of a honorary doctorate is unpardonable in all respects.<\/p>\n

In the mainstream news media, it was reported thus:\u00a0 <\/span>‘Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris yesterday told the Colombo Fort Magistrate\u2019s Court that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe would be charged in March over misuse of Rs 16.6 million during his visit to the UK in 2023. <\/i>The ASG, appearing on behalf of Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe, Jr, PC, said that investigations would be completed within a month to pave the way for formal charges to be filed in March.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

In a separate development, the Colombo Fort Magistrate remanded Saman Ekanayake, former Secretary to the President until February 11 in connection with the same case. The order ws issue when Ekanayake appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court<\/i>.’<\/p>\n

The real target was missed and the NPP government’s naked gun hit a peripheral prey. The people were mad when it was revealed that Ranil, when the country was in dire need of foreign exchange, was so careless to have spent so much money, including butler services, on a overseas trip. They were waiting for Ranil to be brought before justice. Instead it was Saman Ekanayake, Ranils Secretary, who would have had enough experience in government service in order to make the trip look like a genuine and official visit to the UK, paid the price for sheer negligence. He apparently did not advise his master correctly. And he is paying the price for that.<\/p>\n

Saman Ekanayake has committed more than one wrong. One, he did not advise his President that the proposed visit was not an official visit and as such he would have had to spend his own private money to finance the last leg of his trip on his way back home from Cuba. Two, had his master insisted that the said trip had to be presented to the government accountant as an official visit, Saman could have easily, not seriously meddling or interfering with the integrity of government records, made some minor adjustments to the presentation of Ranil’s expense report, so that no queries could have been made later. Saman failed on both counts. That does not spell good for an efficient civil servant.<\/p>\n

The government is now in a serious situation. The current circumstances do not allow it to brush aside the ultimate findings of the total inquiry into Ranil’s expenditure record. Punishing the disciple for carrying out illegal or unethical orders is praiseworthy yet if the government fails to indict the master, then the very trust the people have placed in the NPP and its Cabinet headed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake comes into focus and the eventual outcome would have to look and spell genuine and sincere and people-friendly.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the Attorney General’s department had another choice. If the main target was Ranil Wickremesinghe, it could have easily asked Secretary Ekanayake to collaborate with the government, provide indubitable evidence of wrong-doing on the part of the then President Wickremesinghe on the condition of granting Ekanayake impunity.<\/p>\n

Nothing of that sort happened. A minor error on the part of the bureaucrat has resulted in a major process in which, both the master and disciple have been caught, virtually red-handed. Political power, as I have always written about, is not only extremely intoxicating, its potent condition can cause even the most pious person to turn the most innocent-looking error into a game-changing dynamic. That is what precisely has happened here. And the NPP government has pounced on it. The net has been thrown at both the Master and Disciple, but only the disciple\u00a0 <\/span>has been caught. The Master is awaiting his turn.<\/p>\n

In a rush to catch the thief, the government has placed itself on a razor’s edge. The court system shall decide the ultimate fate of both these gentlemen. The verdict will say who is the gentleman and who is not. Maybe both are gentle or both are not so gentle.<\/p>\n

*The writer can be reached at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com<\/span> <\/em><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/em> <\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":245713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2186,46,8,2375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-featured-news","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nNPP's Naked Gun Missed The Target Instead Of The Master, It Hit The Disciple! - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/npps-naked-gun-missed-the-target-instead-of-the-master-it-hit-the-disciple\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NPP's Naked Gun Missed The Target Instead Of The Master, It Hit The Disciple! 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