Sri Lanka’s indifference to combating corruption!

The Fourth Session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption was held in Marrakesh, Morocco from 24 to 28 October 2011. Sri Lanka has been the very second country to have ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption, as far back as 31 March 2004. Today 158 countries are parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption.

I was nominated to participate at the Fourth Session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, as a Member of the Observer Delegation of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities, with ability to participate in workshops, and to be an observer at the main Plenary Sessions.

It was indeed appalling that Sri Lanka had not shown much interest to actively participate at the UN Conference dealing with the important and relevant UN Convention Against Corruption, where one of the main Agenda items was the implementation of a review mechanism to monitor the extent to which countries who are parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption have taken steps to implement and/or enforce the obligations to be performed and observed by them under the Articles of the UN Convention Against Corruption.

I noticed from a distance that there was a lady seated at the table allocated for Sri Lanka at the Opening Plenary Sessions, but that thereafter the Sri Lanka table continued to be abandoned and vacant, as depicted by the photographs.

In contrasting comparison, the Singapore Delegation led by Eric Tan, Director, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Singapore, who is vested with power and authority even to conduct investigations against the Prime Minister of Singapore, was present right throughout the Plenary Sessions.

(The writer, F.C.A., F.C.M.A., C.M.A., C.F.E., is a public interest activist.)