Thushara, Banda of ‘Mawbima’ take Alles to task!

Thursday, 25 June 2015
Thushara Gunaratne, managing editor, and Manel Dharmakeerthi alias Banda, advertising and marketing manager, of the now fast sinking ‘Mawbima’ newspaper, owned by businessman MP Tiran Alles, has taken their boss to task Last Sunday at Gymkhana Club in Colombo while having drinks with a group of friends. Partaing of the bites being brought by Gunaratne’s brother, who is a cook at the club, the duo explained in detail the crisis faced by the newspaper. Those who were there say that Tiran was at the receiving end more than what the bites had to offer.

According to them, ‘Mawbima’ is obtaining on credit the newsreel and ink needed to print the newspaper, even that is at the last moment of printing. Tiran’s all businesses are going downhill after his finance director Dushantha Basnayake left him. Dharmakeerthi is angry that he was not appointed to the marketing director position vacated by Saranga Wijeratne. “Without remaining there any longer, it is better to go to Australia and clean toilets,” he said again and again with a dejected tone.

Gunaratne has asked Alles that he be relieved of the responsibilities as a member of the director board of his businesses. Gunaratne has told everyone his reasons for the decision. By now, members of the ‘Mawbima’ editorial are resigning by the week. Last few weeks saw the resignations of Gunasiri Silva and Shalika Wimalasena. So did general manager Vidanapathirana, Serasinghe and Gayan. In order to avoid further trouble, Alles has started giving promotions, which were not there for the past four years. Accordingly,  Nandana of distribution division and Athula of production division have been promoted general managers. By now, the Commercial Bank and the Bank of Ceylon have stopped granting overdrafts for ‘Mawbima.’

The newspaper’s earnings, which stood at more than Rs. 10 million during the previous regime, have now come down to Rs. 04 m.

On the advice of astrologers, Alles has changed the name of his other business, CBE, to Apogee. His Chatz super restaurant and Head Master Saloon at Horton Place are on the verge of collapse, said Gunaratne and Dharmakeerthi. “We have to toil hard in order for him to sleep with women and to build palaces for his children. When everything is in ruin, we lose our personal properties too, due to directors’ liabilities. Therefore, we should get away as soon as possible.”

Upon inquiry, they said that Alles’ businesses have collapsed due to his having built palatial houses with 10 and nine rooms each for his son Ramantha and the daughter, and his generous spending on his girlfriends. Gunaratne and Dharmakeerthi said that ‘Mawbima’ will definitely face closure before the end of this year, and that ‘Ceylon Today’ has already been closed down.