Cornered by corruption? 

CORRUPTION has always been the sore point in Sri Lanka’s politics. Parliament was informed on Friday that since 2004 as many as 104 local government members and provincial councillors have faced allegations of corruption and abuse of power. The high numbers included politicians from all three main parties and is likely the tip of the iceberg.
Sri Lanka slid down by 12 places from last year’s position of 79 to 91 this year, scoring 40 points in the annual Global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) compiled by corruption watchdog Transparency International. This is just one indication of how deeply embedded corruption has become in Sri Lanka and the Government’s complete apathy towards addressing it competently. When the top rung of Government – which in this case includes legislators – is connected to crimes, there is no hope of justice.
Among South Asian countries, Sri Lanka ranks second above India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Only Bhutan (31) has fared better than Sri Lanka. In the Asia Pacific region, Sri Lanka is ranked at number nine. Corruption has become so rampant in India that it became a major election battle, with even a new party formed to battle institutional lethargy and impunity. It is an indication of how countries that reach the tipping point fight back to get their public rights. However, in Sri Lanka, as balances of power disappear, there is less impetus to fight corruption. A case in point is that even though legal action has been taken in some of these cases, many politicians are allowed to continue in their positions, often facing no consequences.
Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) believes corruption within the public sector remains one of Sri Lanka’s biggest challenges, particularly in areas such as Police, education, lands and political parties. TISL believes that public institutions need to be more open about their work and officials must be more transparent in their decision-making. The Police, for example, are consistently seen as the most corrupt entity in the country by the public and as many as 64% of the people polled believe that Sri Lanka has become more corrupt since the beginning of this year.
It is therefore obvious whatever steps being taken by law enforcement authorities are being seen as cosmetic and undeserving of trust. This then results in serious crimes never coming to the forefront or being dealt with “jungle justice”.
Elsewhere in the world, Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia predictably make up the worst performers, scoring just eight points each. More than two-thirds of the 177 countries in the 2013 index scored below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean).
The Index, which focuses on corruption in the public sector, is conducted by Transparency International, the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption. The CPI, though perceptional, has been accepted as the most recognised and often quoted international index on corruption.
Therefore, it is clear that Sri Lanka has its work cut out. Some economists have pointed out that even though Sri Lanka’s official debt to GDP ratio is below 80%, if the losses of State enterprises were added, it would soar closer to 90%. The socioeconomic cost will soon be too much to bear and the possibility of elections present a make-or-break moment for the country in terms of accountability.