Envoy offers 'spending money' to two VIP politicians
One would have thought it was only the rich Arab sheikhs who distributed hundred dollar bills to the needy when in Sri Lanka. Much the same way political campaigners handed down handbills.
These scenes play out now and then when tourists from West Asia visit resorts in the south. Some visit mosques in the vicinity for prayers and are generous with what they have.
Now comes the news that the envoy of a Far East Asian nation, very much in the business scene here, is doing the same thing. Of course, the money he is offering is not from his wallet but comes from his masters in the fast developing capital.
He offered a US $ 100,000 to a leading politician in the country. To make it appear it was not a bribe, the man said it was for his Foundation so he may do what he wished with it. The politico snubbed the envoy. He said he was born to a reasonably comfortable family and did not have any Foundation. Then he went on to give him a lesson on Lord Buddha’s teach- ings about thanha or greed and that the purpose of life is to do good things and acquire merit for the after-life.
Not to be deterred, the same offer was made to a key minister. He also replied that he did not have a Foundation and thanked the envoy for the offer though he made clear he would not take it.
One wonders why the two senior ruling party politicians did not report the envoy to the Bribery Commission. Maybe he has diplomatic immunity. On the other hand, maybe the anti-corruption czar of his own coun- try is having a good laugh at what’s happening in Sri Lanka, what with the many projects that the country is undertaking.
Did the two who refused know another side of the story? It is not immediately clear. Whether it is altogether true or not is unclear. The same envoy told a Sri Lankan confidante that when a project is discussed with a Sri Lankan politician, the first question was how much he or she would get. The next was how much the party would receive. The country came only a poor third, he lamented.