SJB slams Govt. for removing checks on corruption via 20A

• Raises alarm over the cancellation of the National Procurement and Audit Commissions
• Says Auditor General’s role weakened 
• Concerned 20A opens door to corruption with no CA to offset questionable presidential appointments 

By Asiri Fernando

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday severely criticised the Government, claiming it was attempting to weaken measures in place to reduce corruption by removing the National Procurement Commission and curtail the powers of the Auditor General through the 20th Amendment (20A). 

Speaking at a press conference, SJB Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva said that the proposed 20A will do away with the Procurement Commission, which was introduced under the 19th Amendment to update the procurement guidelines and close corruption loopholes in government tender procedures. Dr. de Silva conceded that there were issues regarding the Procurement Commission but argued that the shortcomings could have been fixed without abolishing the commission. 

“Removing the commission is not the answer. They could have fixed it and strengthened it,” Dr. de Silva said, pointing out that members of the Auditor General’s staff have taken their concerns to religious leaders. Dr. de Silva questioned how corruption will be effectively tackled if the commission, which was appointed to create audit-related policies and make recommendations, is removed.

He urged the public not to buy into the view that the 19th Amendment was a barrier to effective governance and economic growth, which he charged the Government was trying to popularise. “This is not true; they are trying to mislead you all,” Dr. de Silva said. 

He stated that the proposed 20A will also do away with the Audit Commission. He argued that although the 20A proposes a Parliamentary Committee to replace the Constitutional Council, which will appoint the Auditor General, among others, the Parliamentary Committee will only have the power to make observations to the President, which the President can disregard. 

“The proposed Parliamentary Committee does not have the power which the Constitutional Council had. There is a big difference between making observations and making recommendations. The President doesn’t have to take into account the observations,” he explained, pointing out that the SJB and the Government views differ on the need to have civil society persons on the committee. 

“Nevertheless, even if the proposed committee was to be made up only of elected parliamentarians, why not give the power to make recommendations? Why constrain them with only the right to make observations?” he questioned. 

By doing away with the Audit Commission, the proposed 20A does away with the Audit Act, which weakens the nation’s audit and anti-corruption apparatus, Dr. de Silva stated. “We, as the Opposition, will stand against this in Parliament,” he said, pointing out that the National Audit Act will end up being limited to the paper it was published on.

“Under the 20A, the Auditor General is appointed by the President, the promotions are controlled by the President. Therefore can you expect a new Auditor General to take on corruption in the Government? Before, the Auditor General and his deputy were not afraid of the President or the Prime Minister,” Dr. de Silva charged. Further, the proposed 20A will place Government members of Parliament as the heads of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), Dr. de Silva said which earlier had Opposition members as their heads and was open to the media. 

Dr. de Silva charged that the Government was deploying the proposed 20A under a smokescreen which is intended to fool the public. “Can you all not see the difference of what is being told to you and what is being done?” 

“With these measures, will the 20A bring the promised people centric governance or accelerate economic development? Or will it be corruption which will grow in the guise of economic progress?”