By Padmasena Dissanayake
Editor’s note:
Here’s a candid analysis of today’s RCU by one of the most committed and controversial alumnus of RC.
Better known as Dissa, Padmasena Dissanayake entered RC in ‘67 as a Siyawasa scholar from Narammala MMV. When he left in ‘74, he had been a senior Prefect of the RCH and Student President of the school’s largest club-සිංහල සාහිත්ය සංගමය. In ‘96 he was elected Secretary ROCOHA (Royal College Old Hostelers Association) and until ‘01, worked like a possessed resulting in ROCOHA becoming the most dynamic body in the ORGACO of RCU. He transformed an otherwise sleepy Hostel into a hive of activity. There were English Language immersion sessions, watching quality movies where renowned Directors such as Wasantha Obesekara led discussions and listening to Guest Speakers including past Principals and artists such as Ravindra Randeniya & Athula Adhikari. But none of that stands close to his biggest achievements to date: leading ROCOHA towards construction of a brand new building (opened in 2005) and the mammoth school walk Royal Millennium March (1999) which became the largest ever recorded school march raising Rs 5.2M.
He also created history as the first ever life member of RCU to be suspended for life for his public criticism of RCU organized annual Stag Night (an euphemism for Cabaret Dances). He later claimed that his biggest contribution to RC was ending this infamous act! It’s no secret that he and the RCU are sworn enemies and we advise our readers to bear it in mind, when reading the following analysis.
1) All these years and up to 2016, the Rugby Match Organizing Committee (RMOC) - a hand picked blue eyed team of kingmakers of RCU - did an excellent voluntary job. I was told by a past President (immediately prior to 2016) how meticulously he banked the total collection to the last cent, on the following Monday, the moment the Bank was opened.
2) He also recalled of one or two unsavory characters introduced to RMOC around 2015, subsequent to which he left. He told me how religiously he monitored the collection and banking, entrusted to the Treasurer RMOC, following the footsteps of his predecessors. He had later learned how horribly it was mismanaged with no one keeping tabs where one or two rotten eggs could effortlessly dip their hands into the till.
3) Once this happened and the details came known to the seniors (High Priests), Lakshman Kaluarachchi was appointed to inquire into it. He did and found one individual-the Treasurer RMOC-responsible. RCU reported the matter to CID who conducted an investigation - supported by a forensic audit carried out by a reputed, independent audit firm. From this point onwards, the trail seems to have gone cold.
4) It looks like the RCU has taken great pains not to prosecute the individual. Had the RCU, as advised by the CID’s investigating officer, gone to the Fraud Bureau, the suspect would have been immediately arrested, produced before a Magistrate and would have been remanded for the entire duration of the case. RCU seems to have been forced into taking this route, by a hidden hand of the RCU-a small group who mixed with the political powers of the day, who seems to have wielded an enormous power. My guess is that the ceremonial leadership (prominent business & societal leaders) were lulled into apathy.
5) So a fraud of serious proportion -referred to as the largest ever in a schools - was swept under the carpet-for not less than seven long years-and would have been forever -had not a small group of people demanded Principal Waththuhewa for vital information under the RTI Act. Realizing their game was up, the hidden hand at RCU seems to have made a quick deal, this time involving the Attorney General’s Department.. The suspect agreed to plead guilty and to pay Rs 9.9M within a few months. The case was filed in the High Courts Colombo and preceded with top speed. The suspect paid the penalty and was set free. As an eyewash, one or two cases were filed in Magistrate Courts which everyone knew would drag on for at least a decade. Even there, if the culprit wants a clean end, there’s provision that one could be free if he pays just ten percent of the total amount. So this is where we are.
6) The RCU, seriously threatened of its existence and its reputation in tatters are blocking our attempts to discover all the facts related to this Fraud, before the RTIC, for nearly two years. It has hired a President Counsel who is fighting with his tooth and nail, even going to such lengths declaring that the RCU is a private entity where the Principal is a ceremonial figurehead.
So this is my take. What I have learned in this two years of journey, obsessed with finding the truth and recovering the total amount that everyone isn’t rotten at the RCU-just a handful of experienced racketeers capable of denying us access to vital information; the majority at RCU are guilty by remaining silent; majority of Alumni can be duped easily by the RCU and will believe in its spins. And finally my conviction that Truth will prevail in the end.
Amen! D
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