Sri Lanka's parliament speaker resigns amid controversy over academic credential
Source: XinhuaEditor: huaxia
2024-12-13 21:09:30
COLOMBO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Asoka Sapumal Ranwala resigned on Friday in the wake of controversy over his educational qualification.
Earlier, the opposition parties have accused the speaker of lying about holding a PhD from a Japanese university.
In a statement, Ranwala clarified that he had never lied about his educational qualification, but admitted that he currently lacks documentary proof of his academic achievements.
He said that he had been awarded a doctorate by a research institute affiliated with Waseda University in Japan and hoped to present the degree certificate in the future.
"However, given the confusion surrounding the issue and to prevent embarrassment for those who trusted and voted for this government, I have decided to resign from the post of speaker for the time being," Ranwala said.
The resignation was prompted by an attempt by the opposition to bring a no-confidence motion against the speaker for misleading the public about his educational qualification. ■
- https://english.news.cn/20241213/a986ef2517ed4904b72ace2bf875254b/c.html
Speaker's Resignation Shakes Sri Lankan Parliament
Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Asoka Ranwala announced his resignation on Friday after allegations surfaced claiming he falsified his educational qualifications.
Ranwala stated that while he had not made any false statements about his credentials, he was unable to provide documents to verify them. The opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya, accused him of misleading the public by claiming to hold a doctorate, leading to a motion of no confidence.
In response to the controversy, which saw changes on the parliamentary website, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared the government would act against anyone involved, regardless of rank. Ranwala, previously a trade union activist and employee at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, served as speaker for less than a month.
(With inputs from agencies.)
- https://www.devdiscourse.com/articl...kers-resignation-shakes-sri-lankan-parliament
------ Post added on Dec 14, 2024 at 2:05 PM
