Defeated Royal Asiatic Society Head refuses to step down

COLOMBO: On September 3 at a largely attended Special General Meeting of members of the Royal Asiatic Society its President Dr K.D. Paranavithana and its treasurer Hemantha Situge were voted out on a no-confidence motion.

But in a bizarre turn of events when the Council - the executive body - of the RAS met on September 11 to elect a new president which was their duty, the former President Dr Paranavithana had walked in and sat in the chair announcing "you had your meeting but I am still the President". Amidst heated arguments the meeting could not be held.

In the aborted Council meeting was Olcott Gunasekera the RAS Vice President who had chaired the special general meeting which had evicted Dr Paranavithana. At this council meeting Mr Gunasekera had reiterated the results namely that President Dr Paranawithana had been voted out on a no-confidence motion.

Three lawyers who were members of the council - Daluwatte President Counsel, Seneka Weeraratne and Methsiri Cooray attorney had all explained to the council that after the passage of the no-confidence motion Dr Paranavithana could no longer hold his post.

Yet Dr Paranavithana stuck on in his chair repeating that he was still the President and that the RAS membership could not oust him.

At the Special General Meeting itself for the no-confidence motion Dr Paranavithana had handed over a letter to the vice President Olcott Gunasekera to conduct the meeting.

Later Dr Paranawithana in his defence at the meeting had also come to the podium and announced to the members that he would abide by the ruling of the members and whatever decision they would take whether for him or against him he will still continue to be a loyal member of the Association.

RAS council members who were contacted gave shocked responses. History Professor M.L J. de Silva who was at both the meetings said "in my several decades of academic life I have never experienced such behaviour."

Dr Susantha Goonatilake another council member who had been also a past General President of Sri Lanka 's largest academic body the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science SLAAS said "such awful authoritarian occurrences would never happen in the much larger SLAAS".

Methsiri Cooray, attorney, an office bearer of the OPA and a former Vice President of the Colombo Law Society said that "these are not heard of in any other professional associations and the RAS has now become a laughing stock".

Dr. H.N.S. Karunatilleke who had been a Governor of the Central Bank said "Dr Paranawithana has also arbitrarily changed the keys to the building and I now fear that the invaluable collection of RAS books and manuscripts is in danger".

Former Income-Tax Commissioner Mr. Gaston Perera said "to so blatantly defy the expressed view of the general membership is the very height of authoritarianism ".

Dr Paranavitana had earlier moved an ex parte stay order in the Colombo District Court to prevent the motion of no confidence being considered at a Special General Meeting.

He was the complainant and the accused was his own Royal Asiatic Society. But when the District Court eventually heard the other side namely that of the Royal Asiatic Society it had lifted the stay order.