‘OPA President violating its Constitution’

A number of members of the General Forum of the Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka have given notice that it would raise certain acts of OPA President Elmore Perera which they said violated the OPA’s Constitution, at the OPA General Forum on July 4.

The signatories of this proposed motion said the incumbent President Elmore Perera, has adopted an extremely biased political stance in respect of national issues on which the members of OPA hold different and sometimes opposing views.

“In one instance he has sponsored a highly debatable political resolution calling upon political parties to move an impeachment motion on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be discussed at a special meeting of the OPA. This proposal has been signed only by one member whereas it should have had at least ten signatures to be considered at all. The procedure adopted violated the OPA Constitution.”

They said: “The Organisation of Professional Association of Sri Lanka (OPA) is the premier inter-disciplinary body of professionals formed in 1974 for the specific purpose of projecting the considered views of the professionals on matters of national and professional interest.

Over the years OPA has taken up issues of national interest and made representations to the Governments seeking co-operation to resolve such issues. In this endeavour OPA has achieved remarkable success.

The main tool the OPA has used over the years is to make representations to the authorities (whether Government or otherwise) and through dialogue arrive at a meaningful consensus. Aggression or threats are never a part of the armoury of the OPA.

In order to safeguard the independent nature of opinions conveyed to the press and political authorities, it has been made mandatory that any releases to the media be approved by the Executive Council.

It has also been made mandatory that any resolution discussed in the General Forum of the OPA is either submitted by the Executive Council or supported by ten members of the General Forum. This is to ensure that the resolution reflects a broad consensus before it is taken up for discussion.

OPA President Elmore Perera has also issued a number of press releases that are of political nature purporting to impress upon the public that these were the views of the OPA. In fact, we state that these were his personal views but he has used the office of the President of the OPA to gain publicity to these statements. None of these statements has been sanctioned or approved by the Executive Council.

This conduct also violates the OPA Constitution and has affected the creditability of the OPA and its member associations who have raised considerable objections to these statements.

We were unaware till recently that Perera has been suspended from practising as a lawyer by the Supreme Court on a charge of Contempt of Court, a fact that was not intimated to the members by him. While this suspension is in force, Perera becomes persona non grata with the professional community thus making him unfit to hold office as President of OPA.

Considering these circumstances we tendered the following resolution to be taken up before the OPA General Forum which is now fixed for July 4.

“We, being members of the General Forum of the Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka, do hereby give notice and notice is hereby given in terms of Article 10.3(a) of the Constitution of the said Organisation to discuss the following acts of the President Elmore Perera,

1. Issuing press statements or making statements to the press in violation of Article 8.1(c) of the Constitution,

2. Abusing the powers vested in the President by taking up a proposal by one person contrary to article 6.3(e) of the OPA Constitution requesting the political parties to impeach the President of the country.

This proposal was contrary and in violation of Chapter 2 of the OPA Constitution as it was outside the objectives of the OPA, 3. Failing to hold meetings of the General Forum as required by the General Forum, 4. Failing to inform the members and member associations, specially the member associations of which Elmore Perera is a member, that he has been suspended from practising as an Attorney-at-Law by the Supreme Court.”

It was not the intention of the signatories to the above resolution to make these issues public but to resolve them within the portals of the OPA.

Even when the news items referred to, appeared they were not contradicted publicly but raised at the relevant meetings within the OPA. Unfortunately, due to the distorted an unwarranted publicity that has been given to the above resolution it has now become necessary to enlighten the public on the real issues involved.”