Welcome precautions against
sleaze
It is most
encouraging to note that nearly all the candidates who contested
the recent Local Government elections have declared their
material assets and liabilities to the authorities. We are told
that this rule applied to all who were in the fray, whether
successful or otherwise, and that the relevant disclosures have
been duly made by the polls candidates. This is a welcome
development and it is most commendable for the Election
Commissioner’s Department to get these candidates to adhere to
the relevant official procedures which are vital from the public
interest viewpoint.
Along with this news comes the disclosure that the
authorities are also calling on the public to make submissions
to them in instances where it is suspected that public officials
have earned notable wealth or come in for ‘windfalls’ in
inexplicable ways. This service by the relevant anti-bribery and
corruption authorities, it is reported, is operative
round-the-clock and the public are encouraged to make
representations in this regard readily, provided their
complaints are credible and supported by facts.
Declaration of assets and liabilities by polls candidates, as
far as we are aware, is a legal requirement and we hope this law
will in future be rigorously applied at all our elections and to
all those who run for public office, regardless of their
standing and official positions. This law has not been
implemented with the required consistency thus far, but we hope
there would be a marked improvement in this regard from now on.
We wish more and more strength to the Election Commissioner’s
arm and to those of his officials who are charged with carrying
out the crackdown.
It is a common complaint that only the ‘small fry’ are
usually netted in these anti-sleaze operations by the
authorities. This should not be the case in the future if the
current moves against sleaze are to have at least a semblance of
credibility. It is to the extent to which even the ‘sharks’ are
caught that the anti-corruption machinery would be seen as
effective and we hope this will really be so.
We would not be saying anything particularly scandalous by
stating that corruption is a way of life in some sections of the
local public. In these sections, sleaze is said to be so
widespread that nothing could be expected to ‘move’ without
juicy kickbacks and commissions figuring in the relevant
transactions.
Year One admissions in some public schools are said to be
reeking with sleaze and corruption. On and off, one hears of a
public school Principal or two being hauled up before the
authorities on credible bribery complaints but the blight is,
apparently, very pervasive in some areas of public life and we
hope the law will be applied extensively and comprehensively so
that the Rule of Law in this regard could be said to be reigning
steadily. Some public schools and their irregularities could
only be the tip of the iceberg of public sector corruption.
The authorities need to skim below the surface in this matter
if the law could be described as being applied equitably.
Another vital aspect of a successful anti-sleaze operation is
that it cuts across the public-private sector divide.
Admittedly, current laws on these matters may not be
sufficiently ambitious to cover the private sector, but,
ideally, our laws in this regard should cover the private sector
too. For instance, there need to be laws to guard against
insider trading in the securities market and legal curbs to
cover other financial irregularities in the corporate sector.
It is encouraging to note that Sri Lanka is scoring high now
in the area of business facilitation. This proves that the
authorities have been reflecting some sensitivity to the
obstacles that have been trammeling the inflow of Foreign Direct
Investment.
Sri Lanka’s ranking as a business-friendly destination is
likely to improve even further if the cancer of corruption is
stopped in its tracks in every area of public life. For, it is
no secret that public sector corruption has been chief among
factors militating against business growth. Sri Lanka’s
attractiveness as a business destination is dulled when
investors are compelled to ‘grease palms’ in some quarters to
get businesses on track. This malaise must be wiped out
completely.
Therefore, we urge that the Rule of Law be made to prevail in
all areas of public life. Coming down heavily on corruption is a
paramount necessity if the wheels of prosperity are to whirr
more vibrantly. |