(Lanka-e-News - 29.May.2017, 6.45AM) While the whole country is experiencing natural disasters – floods and landslides devastating the country ,and the people are facing untold hardships , Thilanga Sumathipala the deputy speaker of most revered Parliament cum president of the Cricket Association , is in the ready to throw a most extravagant party on the 28th. A sum of about Rs. 5 million is expected to be spent (wasted ) on this party . Thilanga is indulging in this profligate exercise on account of the Annual general meeting of the cricket association.
The officials have been appointed for two years , and therefore this year there are no election of office bearers .
Yet this wasteful Tamasha is being arranged by Thilanga in order to get the annual audit report and the annual accounts passed by the membership which is a mandatory requirement under the Cricket association Act.
It is however learnt that the auditor general has not given the approval for the accounts this year. A number of cricket clubs are vigilantly following the colossal expenditures , yet throughout the whole of last year, there were reports of controversial expenditure including those without following proper tender procedures .
Unbelievably , the minister of sports who imposes fetters on Badminton , football and other clubs is behaving worse than a timid obedient puppy of Thilanga by turning a blind eye to all the latter’s financial malpractices wasting billions of rupees of the association.
The letters sent to every club for the annual general meeting , an amendment to the constitution that was passed at the recent special general meeting was annexed. According to that , only an individual who satisfies the eligibility requirement can hold the post of treasurer.
Shammi Silva who is the present treasurer however hasn’t the eligibility , yet he is getting ready to continue in that post during the following year too. The only qualification he has is the friendly ties he maintains with Thilanga and sports minister Dayasiri .
The three of them are members of the CCC club. Though Shammi Silva holds the post of president of CCC club , because the former secretary of the club has filed a case against him , Shammi is not eligible to sign even a check . The irony of it is he is still allowed to continue as the treasurer of the association.
Shammi who recruited an individual (a female) of his own club to the association’s financial division authorizes all expenditures through her . Nobody in the financial division does a scrutiny of the accounts.
Though a chief executive of a media Institution cannot be selected to the executive committee of the Association , Sujeewa Godaliyaddha the chief executive of Lakbima newspapers of Thilanga is in the executive committee of the association. He is given an allowance , and uses two vehicles of the association . He is the one who is in charge of all the playground contracts.
Although a proper audit must be done through the auditor general because of the raging corruption involving these individuals , no proper auditing has been conducted. Thilanga after handing over a report that had not been previously audited to Dayasiri , is having his way and his say while indulging in a media circus.
By claiming assistance is going to be rendered for disaster relief , Thilanga who commenced a body under the association itself, on the 28 th (Sunday) held the annual general meeting spending about Rs. 2.5 million with plentiful air conditioning . A heavily air conditioned tent was erected at the SSC grounds (vide photos)
While the disaster afflicted areas are hard put to get a simple meal packet , the 300 representatives of the 147 clubs and sports associations are to be served with food and beverages at a luncheon at Hilton hotel at a cost of Rs. 4000.00 per head. The victims of the disaster haven’t even a bottle of water to drink , but these revelers and gormandizers are entitled to unlimited bottles of beer. Thilanga who showed ‘great’ concern, spurious though for the flood victims , had no qualms about paying several hundred thousand rupees to an advertising Co. for a book incorporating photographs.
All these expenditures and wasteful high profile Tamashas are geared to satisfy , gratify and mollycoddle the members so as to win the elections to be held next year .
In the midst of the catastrophic situation prevailing in the country , if president is not Thilanga’s superior for this obscene extravagance , and not even Dayasiri . Then it is sorry. Com.
Even when floods are drowning the country Thilanga has only his one characteristic solution- sending colossal funds down the drain .
---------------------------
by (2017-05-29 01:25:23)
Read 88062 Times
Leave a Reply
0 discussion on this news