Investigate NGOs including their objectives, activities, sources of income, expenditure - SPUR

 Tuesday, 29 July 2014 

Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka Inc says to investigate NGOs including their objectives, activities, sources of income, expenditure, derived benefits and periodic reporting in their press statement released on 25th July 2014.

The full text of the press statement as follows

The non-government organizations (NGOs) operating in Sri Lanka which are mainly funded by foreign sources are a direct threat to the social cohesion, peace and harmony of Sri Lanka. They should be investigated immediately so as to separate those abiding by the law and delivering benefit from those that are acting as agents of foreign agents subverting the harmony and democracy in Sri Lanka while swindling the vulnerable public.

Furthermore, transparent reporting would put to end corruption that is rampant in this sector.

The history of the conduct of some of the NGO activities demonstrate contemptible efforts to not only swindle the nation of benefits expected by honest sponsors of some of these NGOs but also undermine the social fabric of the Nation. Some of the initiatives funded blatantly white ant democracy by promoting organisations running anti- national and anti - government agenda. Examples of such activities include but not limited to:

1. Supporting Tamil Tiger terrorism directly and indirectly.
2. Underwriting media efforts of LTTE sympathetic fronts.
3. Strengthening of the separatist ideology for the balkanization of Sri Lanka.
4. Denigrating the Sinhala Buddhists and launching programs to destroy the country’s heritage thus weakening the Nation.
5. Assisting directly and indirectly, plans to destabilize Sri Lanka and her people.
6. Direct and indirect involvement in unethical conversions and the formation of radicalized extreme religious groups.
7. Direct involvement with forces which are seeking “a regime change” thus undermining
the democratically elected Government.
8. Funding of the media and other foreign agents parroting misinformation.
9. Associating and working in partnership with anti-Sri Lankan foreign organizations contrary to the conditions of NGO registration in Sri Lanka.
10. Illegal, improper and questionable receipt of funds and expenditure of the NGOs
11. Misuse of funds so received contrary to the conditions of registration of the NGOs in Sri Lanka and the constitutions of these NGOs.

In a recent article, an eminent Sri Lankan journalist pointed out that foreign donors funded
three NGOs, namely the Centre for Policy Alternatives headed by Pakiyasothi Saravanamuttu,
the National Peace Council of Jehan Perera , and Transparency International to the tune of Rs 618.33 million. We ask these NGO’s to demonstrate the tangible benefits achieved with this expenditure. We also would like to point out that expensive vehicles, opulent lifestyles, palatial accommodation and cocktail functions are not considered by the Sri Lankan civil society to be ‘tangible benefits’.
Now that a set of regulations has been introduced by the democratically elected government in Sri Lanka to guide the activities of NGOs in future, the damage caused to the Nation and her people to-date and the monies wasted on whimsical ideological tamashas etc must be investigated, expenditure details and achievements evaluated and culprits exposed.

If any NGO is found to have misused or swindled donor monies, the full wrath of the law should be applied and perpetrators if found guilty, punished according to law.

The NGOs claim to present a democratic national outlook when they are little more than courtiers of social instability promoting cheap and narrow objectives.
Their action plans filled with acts of sabotage against the sovereignty and the security of the Nation are typical of those who scramble for crumbs at the tables of slave masters.

The Government of India has demonstrated their commitment to national sovereignty by having strict laws governing NGO operations. The Sri Lanka Government lead by President Rajapaksa should be commended for having the courage to place the interest of the Nation first before the filthy lucre thrown around by regime-change centric agents of skewed democracy.

We urge the Government to strictly apply the NGO law as it stands, strengthen it further if necessary to be in sync with Indian law and implement it fully without fear or favour.