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The Moving Finger by Lionel Wijesiri

Transparency International Sri Lanka recently said that it is concerned with the serious nature of allegations made against some of the ruling politicians such as bribery, corruption, nepotism and obstructing the public administrators in the performance of their duties. It has called on all politicians to display integrity in their public affairs and show their commitment to protect ethical values in governance.

There is an old saying in our country that if a man rose to a high political office, his family would be financially set for five generations. Not a day goes by without some new tale of corruption being aired in the press. The list of scandals gets longer each day in a country where corruption drains away 10 to 20 percent of the national budget. "There's clearly a knock-on effect," says Asiri Devanarayana, an economics post-graduate. He adds "there is broad consensus in favour of a national crusade against corruption aimed at reforming the whole society."

"It's very hard to make people realize that what they've done all their lives is in fact illegal and can land them in court," says Chandrasiri Karunananda, a school Principal. "You really have to change the political culture and that's not going to be easy. Many aspects of our culture and social values-such as respect for hierarchies, a distaste for confrontation and the belief that wealth and a powerful job go hand in hand - tend to encourage corruption. The task ahead might seem daunting."

Donations

The public trust in authority has waned over the years due to countless scandals involving our politicians and public officials. When cases of bribery had played out in headline news, the men of honourable status were implicated for operating dishonestly under the guise of serving the interest of the people. Being seduced by greed, money, and power,they shelved their duty to the public for self-enrichment, defiled the role of authority, and degraded themselves as not much better than white-collar criminals.

Saturated with scandals connected to the important institutions, the public could no longer ascribe political corruption to just a few political parties or isolated incidences but to the whole structure of the political system.

As a result, with nowhere to turn, peoples' distrust and disgust of politicians have deepened, elevating political apathy in day-to-day affairs.

Even the punitive measures for misconduct exact only a reprimand, a light fine, or a transfer. For a more serious offence, the wrongdoer is allowed to resign and collect his pension. Rarely would one see an offender being dismissed, prosecuted, and thrown into jail. The most appalling and unjust point about the punishment is that most of these offenders were men of clout in their administrative posts which had granted them opportunities to exploit politics as a tool of vested interests.

Most bribery incidences involved companies donating huge sums of money to politicians or bureaucrats in order to obtain lucrative government contracts, political patronage or official favours. Other forms of bribery have been uncovered including entertainment, exclusive club memberships, foreign trips and expensive gifts.

People throughout the country are asking themselves the question: "Why are so many men in so many high places involved in so much corruption?" They observe huge cash payments, unreported, being made to national political campaigns and wonder why so many businessmen feel the need to involve themselves in politics.

Reducing Power

It may be true that we need more honest men in the legislative bodies. It may also be true that we need stricter laws and additional control by the Parliament. But the simple reason why so many businessmen are involved in politics is that politics is so involved in business. If government did not have the power to fix wages and prices, no one would feel the need to bribe anyone for a favourable ruling. If government did not have huge contracts to bestow in a multiplicity of fields, no one would need to pay off politicians for a piece of the action. If government did not provide itself with the power to regulate, in the name of "safety" or "ecology" or whatever, no one would feel the need to bribe anyone for or against a particular ruling.

It is inevitable, as government becomes more and more powerful and controls more and more aspects of our lives, that some of us will seek to influence that government through contributions and other forms of reward. It is similarly inevitable that men in political life, with such enormous power at their disposal, will be tempted to accept such bribery. Changing the men and keeping the system as it is will change very little.

The only lasting answer to bribery and corruption would be an end to the power of politicians to bestow great privileges upon private individuals or corporations. As E.L. Godkin - the renowned writer says : "The remedy is simple. The Government must get out of the 'protective' business and the 'subsidy' business and the 'improvement' business and the 'development' business. It must let trade and commerce, and manufactures, and shipping and rail, and communication alone. It cannot touch them without breeding corruption." Politicians, without life and death power to wield, could more easily maintain their honesty and integrity.

In forming a government which is to be administered by men over men, the greatest difficulty lies in one important factor: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

If the present government intends to win back public confidence, it must urgently enact political reforms to sever any dubious ties to money politics, show transparency in government activities and inculcate honesty and decency in its members and public officials; Some heads may need to roll,if that is the only way to clean house.

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