A country’s champion

Thursday, 25 October 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

INSPIRATION is hard to come by in Sri Lanka, particularly among public officials, but what is perhaps even worse is that even those rare individuals are not protected for their integrity and steadfast determination to do the right thing.

Former Audit Superintendent Lalith Ambanwela has hit headlines on and off since he was attacked in May 2002 by a gang that threw acid in his face for fearlessly fighting corruption. The heartless attack left him seriously disfigured and unable to continue his work for a long period of time. On Wednesday three people accused of the attack were sentenced to 10-20 years of rigorous imprisonment. Justice has been a long time coming, but gives the chance for closure and another glance at this remarkable man.

In a previous interview Ambanwela had described that the attack had taken place because he tried to expose the fraudulent acts that were taking place in the sub office of the Education Department in Kandy

Huge amounts of Central Provincial Council funds, Central Government funds and foreign-funded project funds were being embezzled at the sub office in Kandy at the time – about Rs. 250 million in total. Having been assigned to investigate into the matter, Ambanwela saw no reason to hush it up. With that decision, he put his life on the line.

He was on his way home from work when the acid attack happened and he had to swallow acid to keep breathing, even though it damaged his lungs. Not only was he seriously disfigured he also lost an eye in the attack. Subsequently, two operations had to be done to rebuild his face and Ambanwela spent eight years at home recovering from the heinous act.

What makes his actions even more impressive is that he received numerous threats but refused to be intimidated – even when an acid attack was threatened, there was no stopping him. Even though he had two daughters who were barely teenagers at the time and a wife, his courage and sense of doing the right thing did not let him back down.

In May 2009 he returned to work and is enjoying his job. Ambanwela received a National Integrity Award from Transparency International for his tireless efforts to fight corruption in 2004 and in terms of compensation, he received Rs. 7.5 million from the Government in 2008, which covered the cost of his treatments. The Government also allowed him full-paid leave while he was being treated for his injuries. Other than these overtures, there was little effort to put his sacrifice in the limelight.

At least the legal process, which dragged over a decade, is finally over. Yet the lessons that people such as Ambanwela can teach society are endless and may be the only opposition to the corruption juggernaut rolling through Sri Lanka’s society. Each country needs a champion and Sri Lanka can find there’s one in Ambanwela.

Coincidently, the Washington Post published a story on the same day of an Indian public official Ashok Khemka who has been transferred a whopping 43 times for highlighting corruption in his various capacities. In his last post he began investigations into shady land deals allegedly conducted by Robert Vadra, son-in-law of India’s most powerful politician Sonia Gandhi, resulting in a prompt demotion. Yet he continues to speak out and has become the face of India’s anti-corruption campaign.

These are the people who inspire a nation and spark the flame for change.