Fighting bribery and corruption
It is no exaggeration to say that
bribery and corruption in Lankan society have assumed monstrous
proportions so much so that it has come to be accepted as part
and parcel of everyday life with nary a whimper of protest from
any quarter.
True, bribery and corruption exists in all countries
including in those that enjoin Third World countries to rein in
corruption making this a condition for aid flow, not to mention
the countries of those NGOs who compile statistics giving
corruption ratings to Third World countries.
However this cannot be cited as an excuse to turn a blind eye
to the scourge of bribery and corruption that is eating into the
moral fabric of the Lankan nation and urgent remedial action is
called for to fight the cancer before it takes further root in
society and reach a stage of being inoperable.
It is in this context that we harken to the statement made by
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka who had called for
public vigilance to eradicate the twin evils and bribery and
corruption from our midst.
Addressing a function to mark the International
Anti-Corruption Day the Premier called for the laws against
bribery and corruption to be applied strictly without
consideration of the status or station of the person or persons
concerned.
This was in reference to the all too familiar public
perception that the sharks escape the net while only the sprats
get caught. Inherent in the Premier's remark is the stark
reality that the hydra headed monster of bribery and corruption
has spread its tentacles deep into the country's civil
adminstration and all walks of life and fields of activity.
The PM has enjoined the Bribery Commission to act without
fear or favour and remove the public perception of it as going
soft on the big time embezzlers.
Coming from the Prime Minister of the country it is hoped the
message would be clear to the functionaries of the Commission to
go after the big shark and make an example of some them so that
it would have the desired effect down the way. The Commission
should be given all facilities in this regard.
When the Premier called for eternal public vigilance for
eradicating corruption he was no doubt speaking of the sense of
immunity, nonchalance and impervious indifference that has taken
hold of the public to acts of bribery and corruption in our
midst and is akin to a clarion call for a collective shedding of
this armour against a public evil and a joint effort by all to
tackle the problem.
Indeed, turning a blind eye to bribery and corruption is
worse than the act itself. This is why whistleblowing has
assumed such significance today. They can be termed as guardians
of the law and moral values. By bringing instances of bribery
and corruption to the notice of the authorities, they help even
in a small way to minimise these evils.
It is hoped that the Prime Minister's call would galvanise
the concerned authorities to redouble their efforts to fight the
twin evils of bribery and corruption that have taken a firm grip
on every aspect of pubic life and society at large.
The multi billion rupee VAT scam could well be the tip of the
iceberg of the festering rot that lies in the labyrinth. Bribery
and corruption is not a new phenomenon in this country. There
has been even an instance when a public figure found guilty of
bribery was hounded out of office in the late fifties.
There can however be no argument that bribery and corruption
became institutionalised with the advent of the open economy. So
much so not a single institution or Government body escaped its
overarching reach with their tentacles making deep inroads into
the political establishment as well.
There was a going price for everything which saw a deep
erosion of moral values where mammon took precedence over
everything else.
It is hoped that Prime Minister Wickremanayaka's remarks and
observations in this regard would provide the necessary impetus
for a new initiative to fight the twin evils of bribery and
corruption in our midst and pave the way for the return of the
much cherished, time honoured values and ethical conduct in our
society. |