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By Javid Yusuf

One of the key factors that propelled President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power (NPP) to power last month was the focus on corruption and the pledge to curb, if not eliminate, it from governance.

This cry helped the Government to mobilise the voters and increase the three percent who voted for the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to forty two percent at the September polls, resulting in the NPP Leader being installed in office.  

In a rather unique situation, the NPP has had to manage the affairs of the country with only the President and two other Ministers comprising what is essentially a caretaker Cabinet until the Parliamentary Elections is held on November 14th.

In such a situation it is rather ironic to find those who have contributed or have in some instances been solely responsible for the woes of the public pointing fingers at the Government for not ameliorating the difficulties of the people within the past month.

It is apparent that the Government is treading cautiously in responding to the challenges it encounters in addressing the legacy of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa / Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and Ranil Wickremesinghe / SLPP administrations.

However what is equally clear is that with the change in National leadership governmental agencies are beginning to act with more confidence in dealing with breaches of the law including allegations of corruption. The speedy action taken by the police with regard to the allegations relating to former SLPP Minister Johnston Fernando and former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte are a case in point.

The investigations against the two politicians are ongoing and whether they are guilty or not of the offences they are charged with will be eventually determined by the Judiciary. However what is significant is that these investigations were not initiated on formal complaints lodged by members of the public or by political rivals but were triggered by tip-offs by members of the public.

What is equally significant is that going by media reports, without the complicity or negligence of officials of State agencies the offences that are being investigated by the Police could not have been committed. This suggests that the offences that have been detected are only the tip of the corruption iceberg and government will have to take strong and meaningful action after the Parliamentary Elections in order to bring the scourge of corruption under control.

While steps must be taken to bring those who have committed offences relating to bribery and corruption before the Courts of Law, it is equally or more important to put in place systems that prevent or minimise the resort to corruption by individuals or organisations. The cost to the country and the economy by corruption has been highlighted many times but with little or no effect.

Anti-corruption processes critical for investment and economic revival

The latest observations on this subject were made by the outgoing Japanese AmbassadorMizukoshi Hideaki who in a media interview made some telling remarks with regard to how corruption impacted on the investment climate in the country and its consequential impact in attracting investment.

Ambassador Hideaki’s remarks were made based on his experience during his three-year tour of duty in the country.

The Ambassador pointed out that Japanese investors want a business environment which is fair to everyone, transparent and predictable for the future businesses which he believed Sri Lanka lacks at the moment.

The Diplomat pointed out that Japanese companies were very clean and abide by strict compliance rules and don’t pay kickbacks or bribes. According to him if they are requested to pay bribes, they would just turn their back to such a country.

Referring to the cancellation of the Japanese Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project, Ambassador Hideaki said that it was a typical case of a very non-transparent decision. The decision by Sri Lanka to unilaterally cancel the project which had been agreed by both the governments shocked the government of Japan, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and all the others involved, including the companies involved.

As a result of this very regrettable cancellation, according to the ambassador, Sri Lanka lost the confidence of not only Japan but also other foreign countries.

The Ambassador pointed out that after the cancellation of the LRT Project he found it very difficult to get assistance from Tokyo for Sri Lanka

It took an apology from President Ranil Wickremesinghe about the cancellation of the LRT project and a request for Japan to support Sri Lanka before things began moving again.

The Japanese Ambassador’s remarks have far-reaching implications for the country and should be taken seriously by the Government. Japan is one country which has been a long-standing friend of Sri Lanka and was at one time the source of the largest amount of investment in the country.

A favourable impression of Sri Lanka’s business environment among the Japanese can enure to the benefit of the country in the future. For this a corruption-free investment climate is critical.

The International Monetary Fund’s Governance Diagnostic Report has cited a number of measures to minimise corruption but little action was taken by the previous administration in this regard.

Verité Research, an independent think tank too has confirmed that Sri Lanka has failed to fulfill commitments related to financial management, transparency, and anti-corruption measures underscoring persistent challenges in governance that have plagued the nation.

It goes without saying that urgent measures such as strengthening the office of the Auditor General, putting in place stringent procurement procedures, not entertaining unsolicited proposals are among a few of the many measures that need to be introduced if the anti-corruption drive is to be made meaningful. (javidyusuf@gmail.com)