EDITORIAL: THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

People power to end corruption

It is an open secret that rampant bribery and corruption, the plundering of state resources and the extravagant lifestyles of our political leaders are diluting if not polluting Sri Lanka’s 2,500 year-old culture. Often we read or hear of instances where little or nothing is done in most public institutions when complaints are made of money having to be paid under-the -table to get a job done. The millions needed to upkeep the country’s jumbo cabinet, and the inflated delegations, which accompany VIPs on foreign trips, are a waste of people’s money and of little or no benefit to the country.

Recently the shocking disclosure by a deputy minister in parliament provided an insight or another dimension of corruption, which is assuming monstrous proportions in Sri Lanka. He said a staggering Rs.411.87 million had been spent to construct a four-kilometre stretch of road along the Maha Oya-Chenkalady highway. Among others too numerous to mention, the latest is the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) scam. The SLC which at one time was one of the richest private institutions is now faced with empty coffers. According to media reports the SLC owes a massive Rs.4.5 billion to suppliers during the cricket World Cup and if this is not enough at least Rs.47 million in ticket sales are not accounted for. That was probably why former Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake described the unelected SLC as one of the most corrupt institutions. How can we stem this rot or the cancer that is eating into nearly every segment of our society? Media keep reporting it, several have complained about it but the caravan of corruption moves on though the watch dogs keep on barking.

Against this backdrop we have the news of a death fast, by a 78-year-old Indian social activist and a Mahatma Gandhi devotee Anna Hazare, against corruption in that country. The movement, gathered momentum with hundreds of thousands including men, women and children from all walks of life joining Mr. Hazare in conveying a strong message to the government that enough is enough and corruption, which has plagued the Manmohan Singh-led Congress administration, must stop and stop now. Mr. Hazare ended the fast after four days when the Indian government agreed to accede to his demands. His main demand was that members of civil society sit on a committee that would draft an ombudsman or Lokpal Bill, which would give teeth to anti-corruption laws enabling the prosecution of politicians including ministers and public officials. A sewing shop worker making his way to the protest on crutches said he was a poor man but came to show that this is not a fight of one man but there are thousands standing right behind him for an end to corruption and for a more equitable distribution of the country’s wealth and resources. In recent years India has been riddled with allegations of corruption in high places, the latest being that of the 2G telecom scam, which forced government minister A. Raja – a member of the Congress ally, DMK to resign.

It is high time that Sri Lankans too stood up against corruption and compelled the government to work for the welfare of the people without just mouthing empty words. It’s time we thought of and spoke of a people-centered democracy where people have a say in governance instead of a government-centered democracy where a group of politicians enjoy all possible perks paid for by the people and are unanswerable or unaccountable to none but themselves. If corruption, plunder and extravagance are ended and the billions thus saved diverted through proper channels to development projects then Sri Lanka can be transformed not only into a hub or wonder of Asia but also into a genuine participatory democracy instead of merely a representative democracy.