Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Saturday, 6 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
D.E.W. Gunasekera
The Report exposes an absolutely scandalous situation; yes we do owe a deep debt of gratitude to Minister D.E.W. for this exposé ; there is no doubt that those who were in charge of these public sector institutions have betrayed the trust of the people and must be charged for the crimes they have committed.
Lapdogs have let us down
I am curious about why the previous committees never brought such matters to public notice; is it not, as representatives of the people, their duty to safeguard our interests and inform us the taxpaying public of frauds being committed by public officials in State-owned institutions? They are expected to be our watchdogs but they have been lapdogs and have indeed let us down.
‘Money is the root of all evil’ was the name of an old song, it is no doubt true. The revelations of Minister D.E.W.’s Committee expose the pathetic state of affairs in our public enterprises. COPE has examined the audited accounts and investigated the ‘performance’ of 46 State-owned institutions thrice within a period of four years – this is indeed unprecedented and the committee should not only be congratulated but profusely thanked.
In this short article I shall refer to the reports on the functioning of just five important State institutions: the Petroleum Corporation, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, SriLankan Airlines and the Road Development Authority and even of Sri Lanka Cricket and the Central Bank, which strangely went into the management of our foreign relations and retained some so-called lobbyists at a huge price to lobby on behalf of our country. However nothing, absolutely nothing has come of it; the US administration remains hostile and continues to pillory us forgetting their own misdeeds and the blood they have spilled and continue to spill around the world to safeguard their so-called national interests.
Regarding the retention of lobbying firms by the Central Bank, Ambassador Ernest Corea and I together without any lobbyists countered the Tamil diaspora after the horrible happening in our country in July of 1983; Ambassador Corea also had President Jayewardene invited to Washington as Guest of State the following year.
Serious lapse of accountability
Besides the questionable acts of the Central Bank the report of the COPE exposes “the situation of non compliance with rules and regulations, inefficiencies, non transparent transactions” in 46 State institutions, there has been a serious lapse of accountability – some State institutions have not even tabled their 2011, 2012 and 2013 Annual Reports in Parliament!
As stated earlier, the Report refers to questionable acts of the Petroleum Corporation, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, SriLankan Airlines and the Road Development Authority and even Sri Lanka Cricket. Now the question is, where do we go from here?
The Report has to be read to be believed. It is indeed a disgraceful situation that exists. There are sixteen general observations made by the committee in relation to the 46 State institutions the Committee appears to have examined in depth; the Committee has also made 17 valuable recommendations to correct the horrendously bad situation.
Strengthening COPE
The Report states that COPE has made persistent demands for the amendment of Standing Orders to strengthen COPE’s authority and capacity but their (of senior Members of Parliament) initiative did not see the light of day!. There was also a special ‘Follow-up’ Committee to ensure “effective and speedy implementation of the directives and recommendations given by the Committee”, but there is no evidence of any implementation of directives of the Committee.
COPE should take the initiative and the Government should establish an Anti Corruption Commission, drawing from the experience of other countries that are combating this menace. This would replace the present Bribery Commission; such a Commission would have to be statutorily independent and properly staffed. Next, the Government should retain a competent audit firm along with a competent Police unit and with AG’S Department officials to undertake a thorough investigation into the accounts of all these institutions.
We, the taxpaying public, are being cheated and robbed; there does not seem to be any accountability we must not only demand such an investigation but also action against the perpetrators of these crimes against the country. The Government must also do some revolutionary thinking about the State sector and consider selling 50% of shares of all public enterprises along with the right to manage, to the private sector. This appears to my mind a far better arrangement than the State owing such important public institutions/enterprises; business in whatever form should be left to business with the Government having oversight authority.
Corruption is spreading
Corruption is indeed spreading and the people must be mobilised to keep a watch, while report organisations such as Transparency International and other such watchdog institutions should be asked to help. All the religious institutions and civil society organisations including Rotary Clubs and Lions Clubs and trade unions could be mobilised for the war on corruption. Shame and fear are the two sure weapons we should use to expose the corrupt in the war and we will succeed in curbing corruption.
