Buddhika reveals credentials of MPs

20 September 2014 04:17 am

Main opposition UNP parliamentarian Buddhika Pathirana yesterday said that 142 of the 225 members in the present Parliament had failed the GCE Advanced Level Examination while 94 members had failed GCE Ordinary Level examination,

“This is today’s state of affairs in the Parliament where the country was being administrated. Although I don’t have statistics on the situation in the Provincial Councils and other local bodies, I’m sure it cannot be better” Mr. Pathirana told the Daily Mirror.

He said he agreed that examinations meant brushing up knowledge and not intelligence because there were people who achieved so much without paper qualifications.

 “There have been and there still are successful politicians and intellectuals though they haven’t had good results but there aren’t many of them. The educational background and qualities of most politicians chosen by the people are degrading,” he said.    

He said even a school child was not in favour of becoming a politician because of the image they had today. “Students want to become doctors and engineers. They will never want to become politicians. Students are using words like fraudster, liar and swindler to describe a politician,” he said.   
 
He further said one might guess the numbers of MPs who had failed the A/L and O/L examinations did not tally but they must understand that there were MPs who had failed both the O/L and A/L examinations as well.