A government minister fires back in the ongoing academic credentials debate, dismissing the logic that one politician’s unrevealed degree excuses another’s, and challenges MP Namal Rajapaksa to simply present his qualifications.
Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has directly addressed the ethical question surrounding the scrutiny of MP Namal Rajapaksa’s academic degree, especially in light of former Speaker Ashoka Ranwala also not presenting his PhD certificate. The minister firmly rejected the premise that one person’s action justifies another’s, stating there is no reasonable argument for someone to withhold their credentials simply because someone else did.
He articulated his position clearly, quoting, “There is no reasonable argument for another person not to present it because someone else did not present it.” Minister Jayatissa suggested a more straightforward approach for MP Rajapaksa, saying he could proactively challenge others by stating, “Here I presented it, where are yours?” In his view, the actions of different politicians should be judged independently, summarizing the situation with, “Ranwala will do Ranwala’s thing. Namal will do Namal’s thing.” This statement reinforces his core argument that each individual parliamentarian bears their own responsibility for transparency and accountability regarding their educational qualifications, and the conduct of one cannot be used as a shield by another in the court of public opinion.
