Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Monday, 18 December 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
I just watched a recent video published by the World Bank Group (WBG) titled ‘Confronting corruption: commitment, innovation, impact’. It was screened at an event to mark International Anticorruption Day (9 December) which was attended by WBG President Jim Yong Kim and former WBG President James D. Wolfensohn (two terms of office; 1995-2005).
Former World Bank President James Wolfensohn
Wolfensohn can be regarded as the father of the anticorruption movement launched by WBG more than 20 years ago. Kim is following in Wolfensohn’s footsteps and has made a lot of progress in combating corruption and making WBG more human.
At the said discussion, answering a question raised by Kim, who is now serving his second term as WBG President, about one of the meetings Wolfensohn had in Indonesia 20 years ago, the latter said: “The meeting timetable changed all of a sudden. After the President’s (Suharto) speech, there was a half hour break in the 
agenda before mine. I asked the reason from one of his assistants. He said that the President wanted to speak to me and I was fetched to his office. At this private meeting, he (Suharto) told me that he understands that we were doing interesting things at WBG and asked about corruption. So I explained what we were doing at WBG. Then he looked at me and said, ‘I understand what you are saying, but it is not a subject for you to go along here!’ Then I (Wolfensohn) told him that I thought it was one. He (Suharto) said, ‘No, no. In terms of governance corruption is a good thing. I (Suharto) think it is good; my whole family thinks it is good’. So, I (Wolfensohn) asked whether it was their salary, he said, ‘Yes - but not approved!’”
Then Kim recalled how Wolfensohn paraphrased Suharto’s words a few years back as follows: “Mr. Wolfensohn, what you call corruption, we call family values!”
WBG’s officials mentioned a number of measures and systems they have put in place after President Wolfensohn’s historic anticorruption speech delivered in 1996. One of the recent initiatives has been holding the first ‘Global Forum on Asset Recovery’ staged earlier this month and the signing of a tripartite MoU between Nigeria, Switzerland and WBG to recover public assets from the Abachas of Nigeria (Sani Abacha was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993-98).
Sources say that during the Abacha regime, he and his family reportedly stole £ 5 billion from the country’s coffers.
This forum has been attended by 28 countries including Sri Lanka. Asset recovery must be on the cards here too and it is good news for all law-abiding Sri Lankans.
For most of us Sri Lankans who can think a bit, corruption and upholding family values are two different things. But we know some Sri Lankans have upheld their so-called ‘family values’ at the public’s expense. The authorities must make arrangements to bring all the culprits to book for the recovery of stolen assets while tightening the screws against potential future corruption.
[The writer is a borderless thinker and futurist. He can be contacted at [email protected]]
