The Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament Asoka Ranwala has resigned from his position, in the wake of the controversy surrounding his educational qualifications.
The NPP Parliamentarian confirmed this decision issuing a special statement today (13).
In his statement, the parliamentarian noted that an issue concerning his educational qualifications had surfaced over the past couple of days. Ranwala assured that he has never made a false statement regarding his educational qualifications at any point.
However, the MP stated that at this moment he is not in possession of certain documents required to confirm his educational qualifications and that while he has requested for them from the relevant institutions, it is difficult to urgently produce these documents at this moment.
MP Ranwala further stated that while the relevant documents can be obtained from the research institution affiliated with Japan’s Waseda University which had awarded him the doctorate, he intends to present them as soon as possible.
“However, considering the situation which has arisen, and in order to avoid inconveniencing the government and the people who had placed their trust in us, I have decided to resign from the position of Speaker of Parliament,” he said.
Various reports were circulated on social media over the doctorate of Ashoka Ranwala recently, and the controversy had escalated, with the Sri Lanka Parliament website recently removing the title “Dr.” from his profile in the members’ directory.
Opposition parties had demanded a clarification on whether he genuinely holds a doctorate and have called on the government to clarify and dispel growing public suspicion surrounding the matter.
The Speaker reportedly used the title “Dr.” in his introductions prior to contesting the general elections. Following his election as Speaker, his name was listed as Dr. Asoka Ranwala on the official website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
However, the issue gained attention when university professors and other individuals questioned on social media whether the Speaker’s doctorate was legally granted or recognized.
Adding to the speculation, doubts have been raised about the removal of the title “Dr.” from his name on the Parliament’s website.
In response, Mr. Ranwala had subsequently stated that he would address the allegations at the appropriate time.
Meanwhile, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) parliamentary group, led by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, today commenced signing the Motion of No Confidence against the Speaker of Parliament over the issue.
