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Tuesday, 10 December 2013 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
This year’s awards ceremony, marking a decade, recognised its past winners of the previous nine years and presented them with tokens of appreciation. The ceremony comes hot on the heels Transparency International last week revealing that Sri Lanka’s position in the global Perceived Corruption Index has worsened with the country slipping 12 positions to 91.
The tenth anniversary of the presentation of the National Integrity Award (NIA) was celebrated by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) coinciding with the UN Anti-Corruption Day which falls on 9 December every year.
The ceremony was held at BMICH on Monday 9 December in the presence of clergy, members of TISL, including its Executive Director S. Ranugge, Transparency International (TI) re-elected Board member J.C. Weliamuna, Guest of Honour Norwegian Ambassador Grete Lochen and Chief Guest Justice Sri Lankabhimanya C.G. Weeramantry.
Over the past 10 years TISL has recognised both individuals and organisations for their efforts in fighting against corruption and promoting integrity. In addition to the NIA the TISL has been actively supporting and facilitating groups and organisations that expose corruption in various quarters.
One of its initiatives is the Coalition Against Corruption which was formed for the first time in Sri Lanka comprising of trade unions, civil society organisations, professional associations, academics, media personnel and artistes.
Though there was no winner to fulfil the required criteria, two Special Mention Awards were presented; one to an individual and the other to a trade union.
Special Mention Award to an individual: Saman Ratnapriya
Saman Ratnapriya is an active trade unionist and is the President of the National Nurses Union and the Health Services Trade Union Coalition. He has been unearthing corrupt activities and malpractices in the health sector as well as other health related matters.
He started his trade union activities in 1969 and formed the Health Services Trade Union Coalition in 2003. He has managed to bring to the authorities attention about the corruption resulting from the purchase of drugs without proper tender procedures, use of drugs with foreign matter, sub-standard drugs being issued to patients and other malpractices including: Import of gloves for government hospitals in 2011 resulting in a massive loss (Rs. 1,000 million); import of 160,000 Saline units in 2010; misappropriation of funds at Mahamodara hospital to the tune of Rs. 3,000 million; fraud in the Health Ministry’s postal stores; exposed malpractices in the CEB, Petroleum Corporation and Gem and Jewellery Training Institute; and Ratnapriya also got the court order to suspend milk products that included dangerous chemicals.
Upon receiving his award Ratnapriya stated that he was grateful for Transparency International and few of his colleagues for nominating him for this award. He stated that this award belongs to each and every union member, activists, political parties which joined with him to expose these corruptions and malpractices throughout the years.
“Despite the loss of my job and being cut off from receiving any compensation I will continue to fight in banishing corruption with the support of my fellow union members and activists. As a union we have managed to expose many incidents and have also taken legal action against some institutions and individuals and wait for the legal system to pass their verdict yet. No one can stop us from our efforts to eradicate bribery and corruption,” Ratnapriya said.
Special Mention Award to a trade union: Insurance Employees Union
In 2002, the Insurance Employees Union (IES) was one ten trade unions in the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation functioning as a small union with just 39 members. While most unions existed for their namesake, some folded up due to the stern anti-union attitude of the management at the time.
Though the unions went underground, some were acting secretly against corruption and mismanagement. The IES however was bold enough to expose and demand a change in the management and kept the President of Sri Lanka and higher officials informed of the malpractices.
The union pointed out the largest corruption transaction in Sri Lanka when Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation was sold at Rs. 10,500 million to a private organisation while the actual value of the company at that time was Rs. 60,000 million. Though the IES emerged victorious and managed to win back the corporation to the public sector under the new management it has been sidetracked since.
Receiving the award on behalf of the IES its President Sarath Nandalal stated: “This award belongs to all the members of the union. Being the president of the union I received death threats and had to relocate to more than 50 places in the country. We exposed the largest corrupt transaction in the country and got the insurance corporation back to the public sector and after that all I got as thanks is being cut off from my own insurance and being laid off from my job. But I will continue this fight and keep investigating on the present corruptions that are taking place in the privatisations of the insurance sector”.
