MONEY TALKS FOR THE NGOs
Posted on July 31st, 2014
Malin Abeyatunge
Today’s Daily News (31/7/2014”) reported Quote GOVTs FUND NGO GRAVY TRAIN -Three NGOs get Rs. 618.33 m. Donors gave Rs. 618.33 million to three NGOs – Centre for Policy Alternatives received Rs. 277 million, National Peace Council received Rs.171 million while Transparency International received Rs.174 million. Unquote”.
Where have these funds gone other than enhancing their personal lavish life styles and anti-Government propaganda. Presumably they would have been spending some of these funds to buy some local media too to propagate their hidden agenda. No wonder that the heads of these three organizations have been spreading anti- Government and anti-Sinhala Buddhist Stanza instead of constructive criticism of the governments. No wonder they can afford to have cocktail parties in plush hotels every other day. If you go to the plush Restaurants and five star hotel Restaurants, you will observe at least 50 % of the diners are top heads of NGOs. No wonder the axiom MONEY TALKS.
We have not forgotten how CPA, NPC and TI have been molly codling, appeasing and white washing LTTE terrorist out fit over the years. They still continue to do so even today by teaming up with LTTE supportive international Tamil Diaspora and bring false allegations against the present government at every turn. The agenda of these NGOs and many other NGOs is to destabilize and carry out regime change in Sri Lanka so that an Anglo-Saxon supported regime can be brought in. The previous governments and the present Government have been naïve for not strictly monitoring these NGOs activities and its funds given by foreign Governments and their nefarious Agencies.
It’s time that the Sri Lanka Tax office gone deep into the operations of these organizations including some other NGOs to verify whether they come under the categories of non-taxable entities. The Tax Office should also verify the personal tax files of the top hierarchy of the NGOs to ascertain whether they are tax payers or not. It is learnt that the Government has decided to bring more stringent laws to monitor the NGO sector and it’s vital that Government should not leave any loopholes to enable them to seep through the law.
1/8/2014
July 31st, 2014 at 2:04 pm
NGOs should also be taxed like companies.
NGOs make several tens of thousands of millionaires. They should NOT be exempt from tax.
August 1st, 2014 at 1:02 am
I think money talks for unethical, thick skinned people who are hyperactive in the public domain, selling their wares of deception, fabrication, imagination, hatred, fear etc. One could find many such people in abundance amongst the NGOs (coming up like mushrooms in every corner where there is a bit of money to grab), Journalists, Politicians, diplomats etc etc and they make the biggest noise.
After all, they used to say money is the younger brother of God, but today we could even say, money is the older brother of God.
August 1st, 2014 at 1:53 pm
Teacher-Kneeling’ case witness found dead-
The body of the witness, who gave crucial evidence in the case in which Wayamba Provincial Councillor Ananda Sarath Kumara was convicted of ordering a teacher to kneel down, was found inside an abandoned well at Nawagaththegama today.
Relatives said the witness identified as Rajakaruna Abeyratne Mudiyanselage Punyasoma Bandara had gone missing a few days ago.
Thanks to the likes of ICJ, HRW & CPA the Witness and Victim Protection Bill will be presented to parliament soon.
However, the news is likely to be met with some cynicism, given that this is a bill that was first presented to parliament in 2008. Intimidation and harrassment of witnesses is a serious problem in Sri Lanka, with frequent reports related to many high profile cases in recent years (for example the murder of Khuram Shaikh, assaults involving Malaka Silva and the many cases against Vaas Gunawardena), and regarded as endemic in lower profile investigations.
The bill looks to address these problems, help ensure the safety of witnesses, and also help tackle a culture of impunity. It will establish a national authority under the provisions of the proposed bill to deal with witness protection.
The International Commission of Jurists wrote to Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem asking him to ensure that the body remained independent. “The involvement of Government officials in the Authority and police officers in the Division, both of whom are responsible for threat assessments, will result in an assessment that lacks independence,” the ICJ said.
As Sri Lanka does not have a witness protection law or program many human rights groups and activists have emphasized the need for a mechanism to protect the victims and witnesses to improve the human rights situation of the country.