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Many a political issue, some of them cause for great public discontent notwithstanding, President Maithripala Sirisena appears to have shifted focus to fight bribery and corruption during the local polls campaign.
Needless to say, the move has revived public memories of assurances given during both the presidential and parliamentary elections to bring to book top personalities of the previous Government for such acts. Barring just one or two, others have fallen by the way side. Sirisena accused UNP leaders of stalling them. The UNP in turn blamed it on other state agencies.
“I am not sure who will be axed with my sword in my mission to have clean politicians,” he told a gathering of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and other smaller groups on Thursday. The event at the BMICH saw them taking a pledge to protect Nidhahase Sammuthiya or “nation and the people to empower freedom.” Taking part in the event were leaders of 31 registered political parties and representatives. They come under the umbrella of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the SLFP backed front, which is contesting the polls countrywide.
The participants jointly read out a pledge. It said “The parties will dedicate themselves to elect educated representatives with high integrity, free of fraud and corruption to work in accordance with the conscience of the public for the protection of the motherland and for self-reliance.” As it happens often in Sri Lankan politics, among those taking the oath were those facing bribery and corruption allegations. Some of them flanked President Sirisena while reading – or pretending to read the oath.
One need hardly say that the selection of “educated representatives with high integrity,” if that is what the need was, should have been done ahead of the parties handing in their nominations. It is a closed matter now though one could argue it is such persons who have been picked. The question then is why say it now? That leaves emphasis on the second part of the sentence which calls for an environment “free of fraud and corruption…”
That Sirisena got all of them to swear such a pledge assumes greater significance for another reason. The three-member Commission of Inquiry to probe the Central Bank bond scam handed over its report to him last afternoon at his Paget Road residence in Colombo. During a nine month period, the Commission held 117 days of sittings into what is easily the biggest, single financial scam in Sri Lankan history. It was headed by Supreme Court Justice Kankanithanthri T. Chitrasiri and includes Supreme Court Justice Prasanna Sujeewa Jayawardena, and retired Deputy Auditor General Vellupillai Kandasamy.
With local polls due on February 10, the contents of the report will be the cynosure of the public – if it is made public. More so when the proceedings of the Commission where startling disclosures surfaced, sharply contrasted with what transpired before a parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). This has drawn greater public attention. Questions were raised on the veracity of many assertions. Similarly, it also brought into question the findings of an official committee and the remarks UNP MPs made in Parliament based on them. In essence, the overarching question at issue is how much the Commission’s findings would contrast with the UNP claim that there was ‘no wrong doing.’
The Commission’s report, finalised after Chairman Chitrasiri returned from a visit to London, is being held a closely guarded secret for now. Yet, speculation is rife that at least nine politicians have been named for their role in the scam. However, this could not be independently verified. Sources associated with the Commission said strong indictments have been made against the Central Bank’s former Governor Arjuna Mahendran. He is now in Singapore, of which country he is a citizen. It is no secret that the Cabinet of Ministers decided on his appointment as Governor despite objections at the time from some senior ministers over his nationality.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, under whom the Central Bank was assigned, pressed for his appointment. Mahendran told close friends recently that he had no plans to visit Sri Lanka since testifying before the Commission. That will set a poser when investigations into the Commission findings begin. Similarly, these sources said, strong indictments have also been made against Mahendran’s son-in-law Arjun Aloysius who’s Perpetual Treasuries Ltd., it is alleged, drew unlawful financial benefits running into billions of rupees. References have also been made to former Foreign Minister, Ravi Karunanayake. The same sources said that included the need to probe further his acquisition of an apartment of Monarch Residencies in Kollupitiya.
In the light of Commission’s findings reaching President Sirisena, the vital question is whether he would approve the public release of the report before February 10 polls. Some senior SLFP ministers strongly believe he would. They argue that the President wants to tell voters that “he was unwavering when it comes to bribery or corruption” and “he won’t condone it wherever it comes from.” Those remarks assume significance in the light of the recent utterances by SLFP cabinet ministers. President Sirisena also declared at a meeting of SLFP organisers at Janadipathi Mandiraya on December 22 (Friday) that he would appoint a Commission of Inquiry to probe both SriLankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka.
Three different SLFP politicians went public with the same remarks. First was Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva followed by Minister Susil Premjayantha. Both alleged corrupt activity at these two state concerns which came under State Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim, a UNP Minister and General Secretary of the party. The latter was to add to the dilemma after the Sunday Times reported last week that the Board of Directors, with the exception of one, had offered to resign. Hashim, who has been complaining earlier that he was being sidelined by the Board said he was “unaware” of the “offer’ by board members to resign. The worse part came when Hashim’s deputy, the State Minister for Public Enterprise Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene from the SLFP told a news conference that Credit Suisse would grant a short term loan of US$ 50 million and a long-term loan of US$ 175 million for SriLankan. He declared that the money would be given to a newly appointed Board of Directors.
And on Friday, Minister S.B. Dissanayake, who addressed both SLFP and UPFA candidates at a meeting at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium declared, “Why did the President take over the responsibility to stand as the Common candidate, despite death threats? He did so to create a Government free of corruption and fraud. Therefore, President Sirisena has the responsibility to get rid of rogues, if they were in the Government. It is well known who is responsible for the great robbery in the Central Bank. Therefore strengthen the hands of the President to get rid of rogues in the government.”
Increasingly, more SLFP ministers have become vocal about bribery and corruption. Many of them have bribery and corruption charges against them as well. Even if the others did not take a direct swipe at the UNP that Dissanayake did so on Friday is significant. It highlights that there is a positive anti-UNP thrust in the SLFP albeit UPFA campaign and portends what is to come. Other key issues like the cost of living and an acute shortage of fertilizer for farmers have not received any mention. Thus, the SLFP campaign has already assumed an aggressive character against the UNP. It is clear that public agitation at continuing bribery and corruption under the present government is going to be placed at the door-step of the UNP. That raises the all-important question – how long more can the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government continue with the bickering reaching new levels? It comes at a time when President Sirisena has failed in his