SRI LANKA: WAITING FOR GODOT  

Dr. Jehan Perera says anti-corruption measures need to be followed by all

Undertaking economic reforms that will streamline the economy has been a long-term desire of President Ranil Wickremesinghe even during his past stints as prime minister. He has undertaken the challenge of taking up unpopular economic measures such as cutting subsidies, increasing taxes and privatising state owned enterprises (SOEs).

As part of the IMF recovery plan for the country and under his leadership, the government is putting in place anti-corruption legislation that’s required by the International Monetary Fund. However, it seems that it’s being pushed more by Wickremesinghe than the government.

This was evident when a civil society group led by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) held a meeting for all parliamentarians. Though the opposition participated in strength, attendance from the government side was limited.

The leadership of most of the opposition parties was also in attendance. This gives an ink-ling of the change of faces that needs to accompany any system change. The consensus of the discussion was that the draft legislation was a positive addition to the fight against corruption.

However, the situation on the ground in terms of implementation of the laws pertaining to good governance and accounta­bility continue to be highly unsatisfactory.

Both corruption and economic mismanagement were facilitated by the concentration of political power in the executive. One of Wickremesinghe’s first actions was to give astute political leadership to the passage of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, which sought to restore the independence of key state institutions, which are necessary as a function of checks and balances.

The most important aspect of it is to protect those in charge of oversight bodies from interference by political authority.

A notable feature of the present scenario is that the parliamentary majority has shown itself to be willing to follow Wickremesinghe’s lead when it comes to putting frameworks of good governance and accountability in place for the future. But when it comes to implementation in the present, the ruling party in particular works in its own self-interest and protects its own.

Unfortunately, there are a growing number of instances where the parliamentary majo­rity led by the ruling party continues to flout the spirit of the law and practices of good governance.

This was seen in the manner in which the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) was forced out through a majority vote in parliament. Regretta­bly, the protection afforded by the 21st Amendment couldn’t protect him when he opposed the electricity price hikes that led to the levy on the poorest being exorbitantly high – and low for the super-rich and businesses.

Wickremesinghe has won many plaudits for his willingness to take up the challenge of rescuing the country from the abyss when he accepted former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s offer to become prime minister. It has now become clear that the president is determined to set laws and frameworks for the future.

Unfortunately, it appears that the implementation of good governance practices and accountability is simply impossible when the parliamentary majority isn’t willing to follow them. As a result, the crackdown on corruption and abuse of power that was hoped for when Wickremesinghe took over has not manifested itself on the ground.

There is still little or no evidence that Wickremesinghe is able or willing to take action against those within his government who violate the laws and frameworks of good governance he is setting for the future of the country.

Up to now, he has only been able to use the security forces and parliamentary majority to crack down on protest movements, which demanded an end to corruption and accountability for the abuse of power.

If this situation continues, Wickremesinghe will lose both credibility and authority, while those who engage in corruption and abuse of power will once again entrench themselves – and become impossible to dislodge to the detriment of the national interest.

There is a need for all in the polity, both government and opposition, to strengthen the hand of the president to make a break with the past so that the resources of the country will be used for the common good rather than end up in the pockets of the corrupt.

The alternative would be to wait for elections that will bring about the change of faces and a system that’s needed. However, this may be like waiting for Godot… who never arrives.