Govt. rocked, Speaker steps down following allegation over academic credentials

• Says did not want to embarrass Govt, breach public trust  
• Third Speaker to resign in Sri Lankan history

By Yohan Perera  and kelum bandara

Following heavy public outcry over false doctoral title,  National People’s Power (NPP) MP Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala announced  yesterday that he would step down from his post as the Speaker of  Parliament.   
According to a media release issued by him, he said a  public debate had been triggered in society over his academic  qualifications. However, he said he had not falsified his academic  qualifications.   

However, he said he had not received documentary proof at  the moment to establish his qualifications and would have to receive  them from the relevant academic institutions. He said he would obtain  documents from the research institution affiliated to Waseda University  of Japan, where he studied, and present them.   
Given the current context, he said he decided to  step down as the Speaker since he did not want to inconvenience the  government and breach the public trust placed in it.   

According to Article 64 (3) of the Constitution, whenever  the office of Speaker, Deputy Speaker or Deputy Chairman of Committees  becomes vacant otherwise than as a result of a dissolution of  Parliament, Parliament shall at its first meeting after the occurrence  of the vacancy elect another Member to be the Speaker, the Deputy  Speaker or the Deputy Chairman of Committees, as the case may be.  

According to the procedure, the resignation letter should  be submitted to the President. Once it is accepted, it should be  notified to the Secretary General of Parliament. Then, the Business  Committee of Parliament should meet and decide on the appointment of the  next Speaker at the first sitting.   

He is the third Speaker to resign from his post before the  completion of his term in Sri Lankan political history. Late M. A.  Bakeer Markar resigned from his post on August 31, 1983, and R. S.  Palpola resigned in 1964.  
Ranwala will go down in history as the shortest-serving  Speaker in Sri Lanka as he held the post for only 22 days being  elected on November 21 and chaired only one sitting week in Parliament.  He chaired the House when President Anura Kumara Dissanayake presented  the policy statement. He chaired only one debate in the House from  December 3 to December 6, 2024, the days on which vote on account was  debated.  

The first business of the House on December 17 would be the  election of a new Speaker after the Secretary-General receives the  letter of resignation from President Dissanayake. “President has to  inform Parliament of Speaker’s resignation and then we can declare  that a new Speaker would be elected on December 17 as per Article 63(4)  of the constitution,” Deputy Secretary General Chaminda Kularatne said.  

The Speaker’s resignation came in the wake of the main  opposition SJB taking action yesterday to table a no-confidence motion  against Mr. Ranwala, accusing him of deceiving the public and the  government by falsely claiming to have earned a doctorate.  

This motion was to be introduced on the grounds that he,  both before and after contesting the 2024 parliamentary election, during  his tenure as an MP, and even after assuming the position of Speaker,  falsely claimed to hold a degree in Chemical Engineering from the  University of Moratuwa. He also used the title “Dr.” with his name,  asserting that he had obtained a doctorate from Waseda University in  Japan—a claim that has now been proven false. Despite public protests  and demands for clarification, the Speaker failed to disclose the truth  and remained silent on the matter. The motion further asserts that the  Speaker has violated the rules of conduct outlined in Part 5 and Part 3  of Section 6 of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament. “His  actions have undermined public confidence in Parliament, the  Constitutional Council, and other supreme institutions under his  leadership as per the motion.  

Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunatilleka told Daily  Mirror that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa placed his signature to  the motion at noon yesterday. SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma  Bandara, Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunatilleka and  Parliamentarians J.C. Alawathuwala, Ajith P. Perera, Sujith Sanjaya  Perera, Chathura Galappaththi, Jagath Vithana, and Harshana Rajakaruna  were among those who have signed the motion.