Arjuna Ranawana

Columnist

Q: How would you define ‘good governance’ – and how does Sri Lanka measure up to it, in your view?

A: Good governance is the political and institutional process that achieves the goals of development in a transparent and accountable manner.

The key factor is that the process should stand the scrutiny of elected democratic institutions such as parliament and regional assemblies, as well as stakeholders and the public media.

It must deliver on the promise of human rights, as well as civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Mostly due to endemic corruption and a partisan unprincipled media, successive Sri Lankan governments have been able to strike deals ranging from public financing to allocation of tenders in an opaque manner, which has not served the country at large.

Q: In terms of governance, what are the most critical issues facing our country?

A: Corruption and the lack of accountability is the most critical issue. The action taken against a former health minister for importing alleged substandard drugs is a rare occurrence; and it was taken in the face of intense public pressure.

Punishing those in power for egregious acts of corruption is a rarity in Sri Lanka where political leaders and senior officials apparently function with impunity.

Oversight bodies such as the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) and Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) are a step in the right direction – but they need more teeth to punish officials and hold them accountable.

Q: What role does citizen participation play in promoting good governance? And how can we encourage the public to play a part in this?

A: The ordinary citizen who wants to build a house, bid for a contract or apply for a state sector job is resigned to the fact that without greasing the palms of either the official concerned or a politician, the work will never get done.

This is unfortunate and Sri Lankans have taken this situation as a fact of life.

To buck this trend, it’s important that accountability is top-down. Complaints from the public must be taken seriously and the culprits punished. How this can be achieved when former health ministers reportedly own mansions in Switzerland by virtue of ill-gotten gains is an issue that needs to be addressed.