Shortly after a new government took office in Sri Lanka, allegations emerged regarding parliamentarians’ actions. The controversy over their educational qualifications has taken centre stage.
Speaker Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala was the first to face these allegations. Additionally, the title ‘Doctor’ that appeared before Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara’s name has been removed from the parliament website. Meanwhile, Ashoka Ranwala recently issued a letter announcing his resignation as Speaker, which has become a setback for the new government.
Pressure to Leave Speaker Position
Ranwala announced his decision to resign due to increasing pressure regarding his position. Claims about the Speaker’s basic degree and doctorate being fraudulent initially spread as ‘rumours’ on social media before becoming a major public debate.
Both the government and Speaker Ranwala failed to provide concrete responses to requests for verification, only stating they would reveal educational qualifications at the appropriate time.
Opposition politicians, university professors, ordinary workers, and even children strongly questioned this matter, asking why there was a delay in presenting doctorate certification if it existed.
Speaker Has No Doctorate – First Revelation
Former MP Thalatha Athukorale first spoke about Speaker Ranwala’s educational qualifications. On the 10th, she stated at a press conference that Ranwala’s claims of having a doctorate from Japan’s Waseda University were false, citing documentation obtained from the university.
Brief Tenure as Speaker
Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala was elected Speaker on November 21st. After his election, the Sri Lankan Parliament website was updated to show “Dr. Ashoka Ranwala” and listed him as having a Chemical Engineering degree from Moratuwa University and a doctorate from Waseda University in Japan.
Prime Minister Also Called Him ‘Doctor’
Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya had also referred to him as “Dr Ashoka Ranwala” when nominating him for the Speaker position.
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Technical Officer
Before resigning, Ranwala stated he received his basic qualification from Moratuwa University and worked as a technical officer (not an engineer) at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. He claimed to have received the controversial doctorate in biochemistry from Waseda University.
‘Doctor’ Title Removed from Parliament Website
The parliament website subsequently removed the ‘Dr.’ title from his name, though some media releases on December 10th still included it.
Speaker Position Overturned
Everything has now been upended with Ranwala’s resignation. In his resignation letter, he acknowledged the recent controversy over his educational qualifications while maintaining he never made false statements.
However, he admitted that he lacked certain documents to verify his qualifications and needed to obtain them from relevant institutions. He claimed he could present educational documents from the Waseda University-affiliated research institute that awarded his doctorate but decided to resign to avoid embarrassing the government and protect public trust in the administration.
