Searching for Honesty and Integrity in a “Rogue” Society

Here, if you make it ‘idiot proof’, someone will make a better idiot” goes a one-liner, in a book of jokes. But that wouldn’t sound a joke here: seems much like a pay-off line for a government project, instead.

That, in fact, is how this government and its polity works with each other. That, in fact, is how some try to explain the continued popularity of this government, despite its inability to answer any of the issues it has to, and its arrogance in taking decisions. This government without a doubt, is the most corrupt and arrogant government since independence in 1948. Yet this regime takes pride in pretending it is honest, ethical and credible.

Check this long list of heavy looting, plundering, bungling and waste committed, while this Rajapaksa government was only elected and mandated to democratically govern the country and lead society into a modern, developed future.

A Chinese grant of USD 9 million, and USD half a million given to President Rajapaksa and son Namal, as reported in The Sunday Leader.

The petroleum hedging deal cost to the people: USD 163 million.

Sri Lanka Cricket losses due to corruption, waste and mismanagement according to the Auditor General’s report surmounts Rs. 3 billion.
Mihin Air established as a private company is being pumped with public funds and the loss during one year ending March, 2008, is said to be Rs. 3 billion.
A massive dollar loan obtained from the private sector bank by the Treasury in October 2007, that was USD 500 million.
The Shangri La hotel chain that runs from Colombo to Hambantota, with different government sources revealing different acres of state land sold/leased at varying prices.
The CATIC sale involving 20 acres of prime land entered into by the government to the value of USD 136 million, also with confusing numbers stated by ministers.
The privatisation of SL Insurance Corporation as decided by the SC.
The privatisation of LMSL as decided by the SC – where Secretary to the Treasury at that time was found complicit in the fraud and was decided as not worthy of holding high office in public service.
Numerous accusations on funds released for Northern and Eastern reconstruction of infrastructure and rehabilitation, including 50,000 houses to be built on Indian funds.
That in fact is not the whole list, as most would know. As most would also know, such mega fraud and corruption cannot be designed and carried out by politicians alone. As was determined in the LMSL case, there is always tacit support by the decently dressed, gentleman-type, top bureaucrats in all frauds and corruption, whether in the public sector or in public–private partnerships. There is also greedy support by highly qualified, accountants and legal consultants in making books and drafts to allow syphoning off of funds (political strength no doubt providing the succour it all needs).
Thus the question is, who should take them to task, if not the very associations that stand for ethics and rights? The Institute of Charted Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL), is one that binds itself with the Code of Ethics of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). In its own Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants, it says, “The Code is mandatory for all members of ICASL to observe in respect of the performance of professional services in Sri Lanka after January 1, 2010.”
If this Code is mandatory and if this Code is adhered to, then in Sri Lanka, there can not be fraud and corruption at this high level of governance that professional Accountants work at. Or, with such heavy corruption and fraud, ICASL should have by now publicly de-listed a whole lot of its Chartered Accountants for unethical behaviour in respect of “performance of professional services.” But neither happens and these professional associations also survive as professional bodies.
Sri Lanka’s only umbrella organisation of professional associations and unions, the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) does not even think it necessary to discuss this issue of corruption and fraud among its members. It has never taken upon itself in the recent past, the responsibility to question any of the government’s decisions in getting into contracts and deals with the private sector, both local and foreign. It is, therefore, a major question, why there should be an OPA for, if it is not prepared to check and establish professional conduct in its membership and stand for transparency and accountability in governance.
So is the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association, a shameless body that has all its senior members, currying political favours to have their retired life more profitable than their working life. It is said, over 97 senior positions in the administrative service are being held by retired persons, who have worked themselves politically to live on cabinet decisions with extended contracts. This is a profession that doesn’t even question the downgrading of their own service.
While the only positive thing that happened among university academics is that they got mobilised as a group of employees to ask for salary increases, neither the FUTA nor these academics have ever addressed the issue of their universities in finding answers. And there are many. They do not ask how the University Act could be violated and they don’t take clear positions on any socially important issue. They did not even say where they stand on the controversial pre admission “personality development training” under the military, while some in FUTA, was talked of as having played a consultancy role in designing the military training. Nothing other than money rarely wakes them up.
Leaving the so called “artistes” to themselves and their “patriotism” to run behind this regime like lap dogs, the Colombo-based media which takes pride in doling out awards at annual gala events, proves no different to these artistes. Awards are handed out to “best” journalists in almost all categories that one could think of in the print media, but only to those who feel they are of “award quality” and apply asking for an award. Awards are decided according to applications received by The Editors’ Guild (that do not even know they have adopted a Code of Ethics they have to adhere to).
All of it proves, this regime is not alone in such mega corruptions and frauds. It has all professional bodies and associations tolerating corruption and fraud, with their members working with the regime to rake in some share of the loot. This Rajapaksa regime, therefore, has perceptional approval from this society that does not want to question such conduct of a government it elected. It has within that perceptional approval, managed to drive a feeling of fear into people by maintaining its military presence, though there are individual disapprovals now and then, here and there.
With this Rajapaksa regime, it’s the Sinhala approval that allows them such arrogance in corruption as proved at the Local Government elections, just concluded. It’s the Tamil society in the North that has reservations in how this government rules them. Despite all the power, all persuasions, all violations and threats, the North voted against this regime, almost whole. If the results at this July 23, Local Government (LG) elections are a reflection of how people politically perceive governance, democracy and development, the Sinhala South has no qualms and reservations in how this Rajapaksa regime robs and loots their own money. They gave all the 42 Southern LG bodies en bloc to this regime.
That is the symptom of this social malady, and it does not deny the fact that the society which has to be led by the professionals and the intellectuals in setting ethics straight and high, in creating social values and establishing responsibility, in creating a social dialogue on democracy, development and dignity of life, have failed the society and the future generations, almost in whole.
Some would say it’s the social psyche of a neo-liberal rule. Neo-liberal economies by virtue of their exploitative markets, do break up societies leaving no collective thinking and ethics, is the argument. Yet there are Anna Hazares and Binayak Sens in India, the fastest growing market economy in Asia, next to China. There, the civil society has a conscience and it lives to collectively question their government on corruption and governance. Why not in Sri Lanka, is the question that now needs to be answered.