Corruption perception

Friday, 27 January 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Corruption, perhaps more than any other aspect of governance, is open to public judgment and it would seem that the perception is that the ‘Yahapalanaya’ Government is failing to walk the talk.

Despite a marginal score change of 36, Sri Lanka has dropped a dozen places in the latest Corruption Perception Index compiled by Transparency International (TI), hitting 95 from 176 countries when compared with 2015.

Sri Lanka, which was ranked 83 just two years ago, failed to push up the ranks and slotted in behind India (79), Singapore (7), Malaysia (55) and Rwanda (54). Even though multiple speeches have been dedicated to how Sri Lanka wants to follow in the footsteps of Singapore, it is clear that Colombo has failed to make progress on aspects of governance that really matter.

The ranking seemed to resonate with growing public discontent with the Yahapalanaya administration on corruption issues. The Government’s failure to bring culprits in the February 2015 treasury bond scam to book and its inability to check corruption within its own ranks have fuelled accusations that the administration that was swept to power on an anti-corruption platform had lost its way.

Corruption investigations involving members of the former Rajapaksa Government have also stalled, with no significant prosecutions or convictions to date.

So contentious has this issue become that President Maithripala Sirisena in the aftermath of a heated parliamentary debate on the COPE report into the bond scam attempted to distance himself from the melee by saying that he would back a criminal investigation into the findings. Sirisena, in a charged speech, also pointed out that he had removed controversial former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and appointed current Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy.

Given the furore in Parliament over the COPE report on the bond scam it is clear that the issue is far from over and activists and opposition members are likely to keep pressure on the Government. The inability of top Government leaders to take decisive measures to overhaul Sri Lanka’s clogged judiciary, investigate serious issues and actually put offenders behind bars has stripped away credibility. This has only been worsened by “sweetheart” deals with loyalists of the former Government who should have been investigated for corruption.

Ultimately President Sirisena, preferring to focus on his party’s unity, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, protecting his loyalists, has hollowed out the campaign promises made by the Government. Perhaps what is most disheartening is that the hope people had of restoring good governance to Sri Lanka’s democracy, severely cracked under the power of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is now also ebbing.

Interestingly the Transparency International index has showcased Afghanistan as one of the few countries that has made progress towards tackling corruption. Despite being racked by conflict, a sluggish economy and having its share of corrupt politicians, the country has pushed forward a reform agenda that is now showing signs of bearing fruit. It’s still early days, Afghans live in hope. Just two years ago Sri Lankans also rejoiced in hope that change was possible. Now it is abundantly clear that the struggle is harder than expected.