Director leaves NFC with a bombshell on Chairman

By Susitha R. Fernando

Writer, poet and well-known make-up artiste Buddadasa Galappaththi handed over his letter of resignation from the Board of the Directors of the National Film Corporation (NFC) to the Minister of Cultural Affairs citing a number of allegations against the chairman and the administration.

Buddadasa Galappaththi

In his letter to the Minister of Cultural Affairs, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Mr. Galappaththi has reasoned out his resignation complaining that NFC Chairman has not recognised the powers and the responsibilities of the Board of Directors and had not revealed information that are directly affecting with the administration of the Corporation.

Citing one instance Galappaththi has stated that despite his protest at a Board meeting on June 12, 2007, the Chairman has forwarded a Corporate Plan. He has said that the document should not have been called a 'Corporate Plan'. Further the Chairman had never mentioned that it was to be produced before the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) and it was subjected to criticism by members of parliament including Auditor General.

Mr. Galappaththi also stated that some of decisions taken by the directors and certain arbitrary resolutions by the Chairman himself has caused him to resign from the NFC. Among these the Chairman has failed to declare the accounts of the cricket carnival which was held with the participation of the film artistes. "Chairman failed to inform the Board of Directors that the expenses of the event which was also was a failure was borne by sponsors," Mr. Galappaththi complained. He also stated that the Chairman has failed to declare the profits from the concert organised with the participation of school children. In addition despite his and veteran filmmaker Vasantha Obeysekere's protest, appointment of a wife of a politician who hasn't any background or experience on cinema or any other related field to the Scrip Evaluation Board.

Allowing a contract basis employee to speak as the Advisor to the NFC to the media with regard to cancellation of the selection of certain films for the SAARC film festival by veteran filmmaker Tissa Abeysekera and communication with the Secretary of the Foreign Ministry.

Buddhadasa Galappaththi further complained that the Chairman has brought disrepute to the Ministry and the entire government by carrying secret plans with some of the Ministry officials to stop the screening of Ashoka Handagama's film 'Aksharaya' (The Letter of Fire). Among his allegations against the Chairman, Mr. Galappaththi also complained that he (Chairman) has directly interfered with the editing of the souvenir for Presidential Award- 2006, the job which was delegated to him by the Board of Directors.

At this instance the Chairman has asked him to not to include articles written by Dr. Dharmasiri Pathiraja, Ashoka Handagama and Inoka Sathyangani and asked to edit the article written by Gamini Weragama.

Forwarding copies to the Secretary to the President, Chairman of the COPE, Auditor General and Chairman and the directors of the NFC, Buddadasa Galappaththi claimed that he was sorry about the state of the Corporation which is gradually going to its grave yard.

Chairman's response to Director's resignation..............

NFC Chairman, Ashoka Serasinghe In response to the allegation, NFC Chairman, Ashoka Serasinghe told the TV Times that the reasons for Mr. Galappaththi to leave the Corporation was that he could not realise his aims. "We cannot allow him to act according to his whims and fancies and run the Corporation. And he is free to leave at any time he wants," Mr. Serasinghe told TVT. He also said that all the allegations made against him were baseless and Buddadasa Galappaththi had made them reasons to resign from the Board of Directors of the NFC. "He is only one director out of nine others and the others have not taken his stand". "Anyway we will not give into his treasonous ideologies which promotes films that are disgraceful to the country's image," Ashoka Serasinghe also said that Buddadasa Galappaththi leaving the Board of Directors of the NFC should not a big news for the media.