Chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education and Human Resources Development, Prof. Ashu Marasinghe said they have found that Batticaloa Campus (Pvt) Ltd., had misappropriated funds and resorted to a series of other illegal acts. Therefore, the Committee has recommended the taking over of the Batticaloa campus and its properties and run it as a faculty of the Eastern University.
Speaking during an Adjournment Motion on the Batticaloa Campus, Prof. Marasinghe said the Sectoral Oversight Committee report has been compiled with the participation of all MPs in the Committee. If somebody attempts to say this Committee report has been compiled by one particular person that is completely wrong.
He said the Committee extensively discussed the Batticaloa Campus issue.
“This is not an issue related to Muslim extremism or Wahabism. This is an issue pertaining to a higher education institution set up violating accepted norms and the rules and regulations in the country. This is not a personal issue but a national one. Therefore, this issue has to be looked into with an open mind and racism should not be brought into this issue at all,” he said.
Prof. Marasinghe said they asked the National Secretariat for Non Governmental Organisations about the Hira Foundation. There are two Hira Foundations, the Sri Lanka Hira Foundation and the Hira Foundation.
However, the Sectoral Oversight Committee report in Parliament on June 21, 2019 did not include the observations of the NGO Secretariat as it was only received on June 26.
He said the Hira Foundation signed an MoU with the then Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma on June 11, 2013 to set up a technical training institute in Batticaloa.
Hizbullah who conducted a media show and published a book attempted to portray all that was mentioned in the Sectoral Oversight Committee report as wrong. “We requested the AG’s advice on two specific matters as we saw it as a conflict of interest. The AG’s Department in a letter to the Secretary of the Sectoral Oversight Committee has clearly stated that Hizbullah being a Deputy Minister at that time cannot sign a MoU with the Government. It also stated that the MoU which the Hira Foundation signed with the BOI on July 17, 2015 was also illegal.
The AG Department’s letter says, “In terms of article 91 E of the Constitution, Hizbullah would not have been entitled to sit and vote as a Member of Parliament with effect from June 11, 2013 which is the date on which MoU between Sri Lanka Hira Foundation and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development was signed by him as its Chairman.” This AG’s Department letter is a clear testimony on the accuracy of the Sectoral Oversight Committee report, he said.
“According to the recommendations sent by the AG’s Department, as the Sectoral Oversight Committee, we have requested the Speaker in writing, to provide instructions to the AG’s Department to initiate legal action against Batticaloa Campus (Pvt) Ltd. This is a good lesson for all 225 MPs, that being a Member of Parliament, they cannot sign any agreement with the Government.”