Gearing Up For The Times Ahead

By Chandra Jayaratne -May 5, 2014

Chandra Jayaratne

Arjuna Herath Esq.

President,

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka,

30A, Malalasekera Mawatha,

Colombo 7.

Dear Arjuna,

“Gearing Up For the Times Ahead-The Need to Remain Relevant and Stay Ahead of Times”

I am writing this open letter to you, after months of watching in silence, the many professional bodies, chambers and others organizations with strategic core value commitments to its key stakeholders, failing to duly discharge their accountability with transparency and openly advocate for essential reforms and change, in line with expected best practices. This silence is mainly due to the prevailing external environment.

The current authoritarian governance environment is driven by a “carrot” and “stick” based “rewards” and “punishments” system and is exercised with a lack of transparency and with scant respect for compliance with expected best practices. Such an environment  promotes a value system that has no regard to “fear” and “shame” to do wrong, and further restricts and sometimes compels not only public institutions and regulators, but also professional bodies, chambers and others organizations, to sacrifice hallowed principles and adherence to core value commitments.

I heartily cheered in silence your recent election to office and watched the many creative, innovative and sustainable value adding initiatives launched by the Institute under your leadership, especially in developing the quality of education contents; enhancing member professionalism and skills; member job market opportunity enriching initiatives; and member personality development programmes; as well as those initiatives targeting fellowship amongst members.

I was heartened reading the core theme of the Annual Report titled “Gearing Up For the Times Ahead-The Need to Remain Relevant and Stay Ahead of Times”.                       Read More