Bribery and Corruption - Enemy of the Nation?

Obviously the corruption and bribery can not be completely eradicated and the
attempts should be made to minimize it as far as possible. If the system is not
effective short and long effective methods are to be adopted and implemented
to curb it.

by Sarath Wijesinghe-Dec 27, 2017

Bribery and Corruption

(December 27, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Guardian) Sri Lanka has come to 4th position in Bribery and Corruption with the
first place as the largest cabinet in the world. "Yahapalana" came to power with
the negative vote to erase the corruption and the bribery of the previous regime
still trailing to recover the lost / misplaced and misappropriated billons siphoned
and hidden in Dubai or other parts of the world. Few months after coming into
power over a trillion was robbed to run over 30 years and now there are mega
scams lined up from the military ship deal, the fertilizer scam, vacant building
taken for the Ministry Ministry onwards in the public domain are only a few when
compared to the parliamentary Mafia on sale of permits and shady deals to be
revealed by activists in the near future.
Everybody has skeletons in cupboards thereby unlikely there will be an outcome
from the toothless commissions. Citizen is confused whether billions have been
spent on helicopters and cars for the president and prime minster and billions
have been allocated to the Mafia for cars and the illegal trade on car permits
given to individual MPs for personal use. Case filed by the legal activist on the
permit robbery is on the the hold and the judiciary is given perks increased
salaries holidays and many more facilities as indirect remunerations expecting
something in return in the future. Telephone communications are rampant and
still taking place at "Hulftadorp" especially in view and before promotions,
proving sadly that Bribery and Corruption is rampant frequent and all over as air.
West is silent as a remuneration for their enemy MR who was considered a
difficult man to control. In the process of independence of the judiciary which is
connected with the enforcement of Bribery and Corruption is in doubt as the
success of eradication is connected to legal process. Laws delays not a new
scenario in the law field which is a continuous problem ever when Wijayadasa
Rajapaksa became a casualty for not brining members of the previous regime to
books soon. There are proposals to appoint more and more judges with salary
increments, more perks, directing them to hear cases on daily basis,
MR is a pleasant but firm personality credited for liberating the country from the
clutches of terror tortured the country for 30 years was unfortunate surrounded
by cronies and the men in the second phase of the regime with less or no control
on bribery and corruption rampant then but a lesser extent- not billions- may be
in millions, thereby he is finding it difficult to defend some of his lieutenants
submerged in bribery and corruption. Our exercise is to get rid of the culture of
bribery and corruption We are used and immersed in the day to day life and in
the law of unlawful practices unharmed and unpunished. Bribery is a long history
from time immemorial fast spreading all communities of society like wild fire. It is
cancerous rampant and exist all over the air and breath with no boundaries and
barriers. Efforts made by the state, religious leaders and social workers have been
miserably failed due to excessive greed of the human being. Oxford defines it as a
fraudulent conduct by those in power typically involving bribery and the act or
effect of making someone or something morally deprived. Corruption evades
trust in governments, business and markets Sometimes it is considered customary
and accepted. Bribery is giving or receiving something and affecting a
transection. Oxford defines it as a fraudulent conduct by those in power typically
involving bribery and the act or effect of making someone or something morally
deprived. Corruption evades trust in governments, business and markets
Sometimes it is considered customary and accepted. Bribery is giving or receiving
something and affecting a transection. Oxford defines it as a fraudulent conduct
by those in power typically involving bribery and the act or effect of making
someone or something morally deprived. Corruption evades trust in
governments, business and markets Sometimes it is considered customary and
accepted. Bribery is giving or receiving something and affecting a transection.
Corruption involves more than two or more persons involved in a secret
agreement to pay an inducement to an official of securing for a favour of some
deception in return. In the west bribe id is indirectly legitimized by way of
commissions to the companies which in the process trickles down to the
dishonest members of the community. Bribery is an offense punishable under the
Penal Code as far back as 1882. In 1994 act no 19 was created to combat briary
and corruption. The preamble of the bribery act states that it is an establishment
to investigate allegations of bribery or corruption and direct institutions for
precautions for the bribery act and the declaration of asserts and liabilities law no
1 of 1975and the matters connected or incidental. Chapter 36 provides the
definition as an act to provide the prevention and punishment of the bribery and
to the consequential provisions relating to the operation of other written
law. Commission to investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption will be
appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council
by Article 41) by the nominees submitted by the Constitutional Council.
Commission is given enormous powers to combat Bribery and Corruption in the
whole country with a strong support of professional and technically qualified staff
with branches. Surprisingly only few complaints and anonymous calls have been
received in the year 2017 to the Commission incurring an enormous expenditure
for the fiscal year, which indicates the loss of interest or loss of trust on the
system, using the institution created to combat bribery and corruption , when the
commission is competent to act upon complaints on "own motion" on initiating
inquiries on wrong doings against the community and the state at large. It is in the
mandate of the commission to educate the citizens on their rights and duties
jointly fighting this menace which has serious effects on the life if the citizen and
the economy of the country.
Part two of the act deals on and performing a job or service offering any
gratification as an inducement, solicits or agreements in a large and small scale
every second somewhere in the country Bribery, Corruption, Wastage ,
inefficiency is in the highest ebb, has become a consolidated effort of all parties
presumably headed by the Bribery Commission to arrest and eradicate Bribery
and corruption. Lacille de Silva the able and honest secretary of "PRECIFAC" and
Dilrukshi Wickramasinghe DG / BC,
Citizens had high hopes on the learned and pleasant new Briber Commissioner
who still did not appear to have started his job in sweeping the dirt. Is it
incompetency or lack of interest of the governance of the civilized sandwiched
between the state's corrupt officials and incompetence of the
governance. Churchill said what worries him is inaction and not necessarily action
in the right direction reminding us of the quote by "Wangars Mathis" a Kenyan
Activist that "When you have bad governance the resources are destroyed-there
is illegal logging, and soil erosion. I got pulled deeper and deeper and saw how
there's issues became linked to governance corruption and dictatorship ".
Some Corrupt Institutions and "BOND SCAM" - the highest scandal of the
decade
Police, Court Administration, Customs, Port, Electricity / Energy, Water, Motor
Traffic, Immigration, and the highest echelons of the legislature are among the
most corrupt institutions the Bribery Commission can deal with any given
moment with no notice. This is the order of the day in Sri Lanka with no plans for
short or permanent solutions. Small sprats are caught by the inefficient network
of bribery net which is fast enough to control the rapidly growing cancer at a
rapid rate. Recently a lady teacher was sentenced to 8 years for attempting to
demand a bribe of Rs 25000.00 and government servant was fined 20,000 for
seeking a gratification of 10,
It is Mr. Laxman Yapa who made number of pronouncements that the amount
involved in the bond scam may lead to a trillions rupees / dollars for 30 years
which is the highest of alleged scams of the decade in Asia by purchasing EPF
funds of the employees provident fund sweat of the working class in Sri Lanka -
managed and protected by the Central Bank at a cheaper / low rate and selling it
again to CBC in a few hours later with maximum profits of trillions running to 30
years using an unusual and unprecedented process orchestrated directly and
indirectly by visible and invisible forces and individuals of a political party for the
political party and the perpetrators of the scam are enjoying freely in the broad
daylight with no restrictions whatsoever investing national wealth robbed in
businesses with a spending spree.
Scams and crimes revealed in the process so the media revelations are in the
public domain. The scam on the face of his wife's head was taken by his wife's
company headed by Kanthan another controversial British businessman with the
initial funding of Arjun Aloyaisious - the head of perpetual treasuries and son-in -
law of Aurjan Mahandrian the former Governor of Central Bank - a Singaporean
appointed with direct intervention and personal guarantees of a powerful
personality in the highest echelons of power in Sri Lanka, who has been in charge
of the misuse of the assassination of his son in law who has been on the brink of
the trinions of the national economy to shutters! The case against Honorable
controversial MP in the High Court (before hearing the last case before retirement
of the lady judge) On charges of money laundering and exchange control offenses
of millions of dollars belong to the jailed USA billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, alleged
allegedly fined LTTE It was not a matter of materialization, but it was not the
subject matter of the case that the activist's attorney's attorney had written to
comply with the AG to take immediate steps to revise and activate the case still
pending.
Despite a strong protest from the Bar Association, an unexploded burden of the
wheels going viral in the system against clamping down the Bribery and
Corruption. Three senior officers in the customs were caught accepting 125
million as the largest ever detection known as the Vat Scam of the Decade are
happily enjoying in Dubai - another safe haven for the corrupt, apart from Sri
Lanka!
Rajitha Senaratna alleges the hidden sum of 18 billion in extra income said to be
swindled by MR and hidden in Dubai for which the Bribery Department has taken
no steps though the amount is too excessive to leave alone when in delay in
inquiring into is questionable. There are allegations that 100% members of the
legislature including the vociferous Honor Ranjan Ramanayaka, an activist lawyer
Kodituwakku has obtained a judgment The Bribery Commissioner said to have
pledged to take action to proceed and not taken so far.
Some corrupt members in the cabinet are supposed to be shielded by the
ministerial and political powers allegedly involved in massive corruptions
including swallowing ships, deforestation, and massive frauds accusing that the
kettle is black. Last rulers were accused of corruption on now on the cost of
economic downfall, and the latest revelations with regard to 36 billion scam on
the extension of the way with no parliamentary approval must be taken serious
consideration now in the limelight. Apparently only four members of the
legislature submitted the declaration of assets under the act indicating how
honest our legislature is on matters subject to a criminal precaution.
Who do we complain to if the legislatures which is supreme and who is entrusted
with our wealth and future as trustees are misusing the trust and the national
wealth including our family silver. While the Big Sharks are free to exploit the
scam, the small time bribe takers are busy exploiting the masses in the absence of
a consolidated disciplined and forceful mechanism nationwide with the network
of peace officers. President's speeches are fine and attempts to curb corruption
are in a way that will not be found. It is the time the professionals and the
genuine activist groups take to as part of the governance not leaving politics to
the politicalicians alone.
When it gets enough enough when the bribe and corruption appear to be in the
hands of the governance with the protection of politicians giving cover and
protection for political benefits shows that the origin and thriving of the menace
are pure origin and groomed by dirty politics and politicians for their own
benefit. Bribery and corruption is the oldest and most prevalent crime. In 1931/47
the seven members of the legislature were found guilty and 1959/60 six
parliamentarians were found guilty for bribery and corruption by "Talgodipitiya"
Commission. Since then there are no attempts of any of the attempts of the
menace when the worst corruption nation in 1952 has reached the 4th position
on clean bill of health in world standards.
This shows that there is a genuine desire from above and the top of the pyramid
must be straight and clean. Parliament should be a honoureble shrine and the
conduct must be serious, educative, and vision based. It is unfair to ridicule
colleges and supress the genuine grievances. When the economy is tough
measures, one wonders what avenues are left of the civilian helplessly waiting for
the rulers entrusted the nation as trustees for a short period of time. It is noted
with regret that only 4 members of the legislature has provided the declaration of
asserts in which the declaration is a criminal offense!
Way forward
Obviously the corruption and bribery can not be completely eradicated and the
attempts should be made to minimize it as far as possible. If the system is not
effective short and long effective methods are to be adopted and implemented to
curb it. It is difficult to combat bribery and corruption as corruption is linked to
drug, underworld, politics, money politics and government machinery on contract
and development projects. A genuine desire and need from the highest in the
echelons of power is the prime to fight this menace. Political corruptions
committed by politicians are rampant with no concern to the nation and
economy. Before elections and changing political affiliations they travel to
Singapore obviously to deposit the bribe safe in foreign banks.
Corruptions in the Transparency International - One of the biggest money making
NGO's have disassociated a lawyer who has been charged 3.5 million for an
insignificant inquiry and submitting an obstandard report which will have taken
few hours / days as an indirect remuneration for regime change for most most
lawyers including the former Bar Association President in the forefront of the
campaign were amply remunerated. It is alleged that no receipts were issued and
the breakdown was not given in Sri Lanka Airline inquiry by the controversial
lawyer as required by the rules of profession. Political intervention and excessive
media circus are to be avoided.
Modern IT developments must be used for citizen participation when the citizens
are armed with mobile phones and knowledge on Tech and communication
skills. Witness Protection, remuneration, inducements, offers, to be streamlined
and modified and modernized. Officers should be given incentives and proper
training should be given to civic minded citizens in the campaign against
corruption.
Imprisonment and fine should be increased and incentives to be offered to the
activist citizens. Government servants are privileged with lot of perks and future
stability with other employees in the private sector. They must be educated and
trained to live within a simple and contended life devoid of extravagance to
repulse bribe and corruption. No lenience must be shown to those responsible for
bribery corruption inefficiency and inaction on their duties. Citizens Social
workers NGOs Civil Society Organizations Main article: National activism programs
and activism in the bribery and corruption.
Posted by Tavam