Recently there was a news report stating that a mayoral candidate who had crossed over from the UNP to the government party had claimed that he had given Rs. two billion to an opposition party for one of its earlier election campaigns. Many of us ordinary mortals often scratching our heads trying to find at least a few rupees extra to buy our children a box of crayons could not visualize two billion cents let alone two billion rupees! In a country which has little or no transparency and accountability in the political and bureaucratic arena wonder how a person could have obtained two billion rupees and how many in our country which boasts of a per capita income of over 2000 dollars tend to wonder who these billionaires are and how they achieved their billions .espeailly the politicians and the bureaucrats!
We have a very profound article in our constitution states that all politicians and bureaucrats must declare their assets and liabilities . First passed in 1975 the article was later amended by the declaration of assets and liabilities Amendment Act No 74 of 1988 and the scope of it extends to all politicians, bureaucrats ,chairmen and members of boards etc etc. It is a very impressive piece of legislation but one wonders how far it is really complied with . Section 3 states that A… a person to whom this Law applies referred to in paragraph (dc) of sub-section (1) of Section 2 shall be deemed to have complied with the provisions of this sub-section if he makes a declaration of his assets and liabilities as at the date of his nomination as a candidate for election under any of the Acts referred to in that paragraph on the date of such nomination or before he functions, or sits or votes, as President, a Member of Parliament. Despite its legal implication one does not actually see it happening especially since executive power is supreme and no mere bureaucrat or speaker would especially in recent times functions at the pleasure of the executive (given the rather poor and ineffective opposition we have ) would have the audacity to question whether this law has been complied . It would be more beneficial for those concerned to ignore the actuality that risk losing all the wonderful perks and privleges they themselves enjoy.!
In fact despite the impressive scope, this Law has proved to be of virtually no use at all in helping identify those who are both powerful and corrupt., and corruption is rampant . From almost every lowly KKS and the Grama Niladhari who has to get a form attested or a residence verified to often a traffic constable who appears to think that giving a little something will earn him the eternal gratitude of an errant motorist corruption has entrenched its tentacles in almost every strata of bureaucratic and political behaviour.
About three years ago the Ministry of Public Administration tried to implement a programme titled Clean Hands and all public servants ere requested to take an oath of complying with proper AR and FR reugalations which certainly had no place for corruption . I was at Badulla Kachcheri when this matter was discussed and the amusement the officers felt the naivety of the Ministry of Public Affairs regarding taking an oath to maintain ‘Clean hands’ was tangible . After all if politicians could, get land at almost no cost, build luxurious houses and send their children for studies and accept commission with regular ease why should not a bureaucrat emulate such examples! After all when low quality petroleum was imported and often land given without following correct tender procedure why should a public servant draw attention to such a detail and suffer the wrath of a Minister or Deputy who will certainly transfer him out, and the poor man will have to take his begging bowl and go around looking for another posting while his wife will complain that his folly has cost them to lose the vehicle they had and the perks they enjoyed!, And so he keeps his mouth shut and his hands clean eh?
Perhaps we would need an Anna Hazare but to find a person like him maybe as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack given the violence that prevails against any individuals who question or highlight instances of corruption.
Perhaps at some point of time we may find the Department of Income Tax awakening to its essential functions and question those who seem to have suddenly obtained unbelievable wealth like someone who could apparently offer two billion rupees to cover a fraction of another political party’s election costs!
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