Sandamali Chandrasekera has stepped down as Chairperson of Lanka Sugar Company (Pvt) Ltd, effective immediately, citing pressure from some local politicians. In her resignation letter to Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetthi, she pointed out that Lanka Sugar Company, which is a State-Owned Enterprise facing financial losses, operates under strict rules and financial oversight from the Department of Public Enterprises. Chandrasekera explained that while these regulations are important for accountability and governance, they limit the Company's ability to respond to outside influences. During her time as Chairperson, she encountered several situations where there were demands made on the Company that would have required breaking existing rules and legal procedures. She emphasized that both the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer, along with herself, had to follow their legal and ethical responsibilities and could not meet these demands. The letter also indicated that this situation caused increased tension with some provincial politicians. Despite her attempts to clarify the legal and regulatory limitations the Company faces, these explanations were not acknowledged, according to Chandrasekera. She stated that the ongoing pressure from local politicians to act in ways that contradict laws, regulations, and government guidelines made it hard for her to fulfill her responsibilities while upholding good governance and the integrity of the institution. “Given these circumstances, I cannot perform my duties in a way that serves the best interests of the institution and aligns with my professional ethics. Therefore, I believe it is both appropriate and necessary for me to resign from this role,” she concluded.
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