Whosoever hath, we shall give all

There are a handful of our countrymen busy hiding their wealth, away from the country, the public eye and the tax man. Exhaustive work by outstanding investigative journalists have unravelled the names of the dubious of the world, hiding their filthy lucre in tax havens. Among these rich and infamous are a few names from sunny Sri Lanka, a country presently choking in the vice-like grip of foreign debt

Hobbling about our COVID-19 devastated landscape are many a breadwinner, having lost their employment, now desperate to feed their families. Even among those lucky enough to retain their jobs, many are on reduced pay, the prices of daily essentials meanwhile have reached stratospheric heights.

We now learn that there is another reality. There are a handful of our countrymen busy hiding their wealth, away from the country, the public eye and the tax man. Exhaustive work by outstanding investigative journalists have unravelled the names of the dubious of the world, hiding their filthy lucre in tax havens. Among these rich and infamous are a few names from sunny Sri Lanka, a country presently choking in the vice-like grip of foreign debt.

Interestingly, these are not the usual suspects, at least not the obvious ones. One would have thought that our so-called captains of industry, those running near monopolies, or professionals extracting unconscionably exorbitant fees would be scrambling to hide their black money. They are not on this list. Here is a “B” list, lesser-known names, not from the country’s top of the pops 10 richest. 

There are several with “Indian” family names, relatively new immigrants with a reputation for sharp business practices, names that one time ruled all trading in Colombo. Of the indigenous names exposed, most are new to money; the ‘nouveau riche’; steadily climbing the social ladder, buying influence, throwing their weight around; funders of politicians, sponsors of sports, patrons of good causes. Cynics, who know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing, leaving behind corrupted systems, a diminished public life and a broken country. 

The list is not homogenous, black money can be made in many ways. A few on the list are said to be from old money. Explaining one particular account, a club member whispered knowingly, “They had money, his father was a top official in a British company in the old days, had a big house in Colombo 7.” Such trivia is expounded with a certain smugness, a world of private knowledge unknowable to the listener. Of course, this is tosh, for the “knowledgeable” club member the thrill is in the telling, not in the fidelity of his tale. There was no explanation how that inherited 20 odd perches in Colombo 7 translated into millions of dollars in a Swiss bank.

On the list are no known industrialists, manufacturers or growers – a telling fact. The money in these secretive tax havens belong to tradesmen, importers, commission agents, facilitators, even social hangers-on, a country exploited to the bone. Some of these black money holders do not even maintain an office in this country, employ very few and perhaps carry no personal tax file. Their own employment record will be hazy, in fact, many of them do not even have the educational qualifications to obtain a well-paying job. Obviously, they have other skills, we have a system that rewards such skills.

Apparently, there is even a retired public servant on the list; yes, the public servants are presently indulging in union action demanding a raise in their Rs. 30,000 something a month salary! An octogenarian domiciled overseas, a spectre that appears in a commanding position whenever the Ranil Wickremesinghe UNP forms a government, has huge amounts hidden in a tax haven.

This is an illustration of the special kind of folly that accompanies that unfortunate leader. Forty years ago, when this man was employed in the public service, the world was very different, our economy was different, attitudes were different; the typewriter was advanced technology then, there were no three-wheelers, a mobile phone was something in science fiction; yet this geriatric is imposed on the country as a critical managerial asset. 

The leader pronounces, “He knows how the public sector works and makes decisions,” thus invalidating the millions who have come out of our schools since; for 40 long years we have not produced a single other person capable of understanding the public service, or one inclined to make decisions like this 80-year-old man! 

This self-serving “Brahmanism,” the secrets of “statecraft” possessed by only a select few in the elect order, is a necessary lie, like the raucously-claimed elitism of our leading schools, like the loudly-acclaimed benevolence of our political dynasties, a lie to be drilled into the heads of a pathetic nation. These elite schools produce world beaters, first class citizens, honest and skilled, while our leading families are worthy of emulation, deserving of veneration!

When, after a lifetime of selfless service, they depart this world, a grateful people name public institutions in their name, religious ceremonies are held to invoke more blessings on them, annual lectures are delivered by learned persons in their memory. Our society has prepared the people for that abasement, elite-generated social mythology affirms these grateful practices.

We only compare us to ourselves, a former government, a past leader of Sri Lanka. Outside the shores of this small country, our leaders are only looked at dismissively, if not disparagingly; self-serving windbags and small-timers wanting to be national leaders; some killers, some robbers, over-rated pretenders with a bloated sense of self. The truth dawns when things like our foreign investments, tourist numbers, per person productivity, national development rate are compared with neighbouring countries. In hindsight, we see that all the ‘Brahmins’ and all the ‘decision makers’ have not made any difference to what amounts only to a very average national performance since 1948. 

Not a single statistic, not a single criterion with regard to comparative development, justifies the hoopla. There is nothing to show a breakthrough era or a pivotal leader, post-independence. The inconvenient truth is that we are stuck firmly in the Third World, a near failed State, poor performers in practically every field, surviving from day to day on the benevolence of international lenders. For the humble citizen, applying for a foreign visa is the moment of reckoning; his person amounts to so little, his country is treated with such contempt!

But the lie must be drummed in, the system continued, for the politician and his clan must remain leaders, in perpetuity!

As to the tax haven investor from Colombo 7, the club member’s knowledge is vast and varied. “A typical Sri Lankan high class product with the required credentials. He is smooth, has friends on both sides of the political divide. The guy is trusted and respected for his confidentiality. His well-known spiritual bent also adds to his reliability.”

This blather of course did not explain the millions spirited away to tax havens by the Colombo 7 resident, the tortuous path there, the front companies formed all over the world, obvious attempts to cover the tracks.

There arise several crucial questions regarding these funds. If the account holder is domiciled in Sri Lanka, how did he earn this money? What is his business? Were his earnings declared for taxes? How did he take this money overseas? Why were such efforts made to confuse the money trail? Is this money qualified under the recently-declared tax amnesty? 

We are not certain whether this country has adequate laws to cover the extended scope of all these complicated transactions, much of which have occurred in other countries. Our investigative structures are primitive, severely handicapped in human and other resources. One of the feeblest being the Tax Department, delighting in chasing rabbits, missing the elephants in the room completely. Clearly, those who have huge sums deposited in these tax havens, have the resources to influence the decision makers. For the millions of the tax-paying, law-abiding Sri Lankan citizens, there is little reason to expect a successful investigation, leave alone a just punishment.

St. Matthew may have meant the holy rule – “for whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more” – spiritually, but in our country the interpretation is literal, in the rawest sense, for whosoever hath, we shall give all.