(From the pen of a Sri Lankan crying for good governance in his country)
(January, 14, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Unprecedented events since December 2007 involving political figures has exposed misconduct and abhorring governance in Sri Lanka. All the major reported events reflects scandals after scandals and it is time that substantial international pressure is imposed on Sri Lankan state to change its style of governance and politicians made accountable to the people and the international community.
The constitution of Sri Lanka facilitates the government machinery to hide truths from the people and the high level of human rights violations carried out by the government and its agents is further contributing towards highhanded and underhand practices of the politicians to avoid being coming under public scrutiny.
Appalling parliamentary standards is permitting ruffians and blood thirsty goons to enter the parliament by unacceptable means. The people are not told about the benefits the so called parliamentarians and ministers are receiving for serving their people. There is no procedure to disclose benefits derived from holding public offices and the parliamentarians are not scrutinised for conflict of interests in their dealings. Many of them are allowed to involve in corrupt practices and are making hidden gains at the expense of the suffering people. Some are knowingly involved in malpractices, which are in direct conflict with their holding office as parliamentarians and ministers.
Unless there is serious incidences involving parliamentarians, people do not know the scandalous acts they had committed.
When looking at three important and serious incidences involving the government figures since December 2007, one could easily establish the endemic corruption, malpractices and unaccountable culture embedded in the Sri Lankan politics and to the extent it is rotting the country day by day.
President Mahinda Rajapakse.
The dominant story involving the President was when the President rescinded the Sri Lankan Airline CEO Peter Hill’s work permit for not providing seats for his private entourage involving about 35 people to return to Sri Lanka from London. It is acknowledged, as the leader of the nation, even during private visits some officials and security personnel are needed to accompany him. What is incomprehensible is 35 persons including officials have travelled with the President, when he only attended his son’s private function in the UK. It is now knowledge that the President did not have any official engagement with the British government ministers or officials during his visit.
No one knows how wealthy the President is to pay for some of the bandwagon that went on private visit with him. No one knows from where the funds were obtained to pay for their tickets, accommodation and upkeep. Further, it was reported that the President has chartered Mihin Airline (his own founded airline) plane to follow his fight without passengers from Colombo to Japan and Japan to London and then to Colombo with his cohorts. There was no report filed anywhere about the cost involved in the whole saga.
The Sri Lankan Airline CEO Peter Hill was forced to leave his job and under any standard employment law, it amounts to constructive dismissal and President was party to the decision to annul his work permit to frustrate his employment in Sri Lanka. Though Peter Hill’s position is secured in Dubai, it is unacceptable that the President had acted in a highhanded manner. The President is able carryon with his style of dictatorial management without coming under effective serious public scrutiny to ensure he listen and correct his abhorring path of governance of the country.
Mervin Silva MP
The whole episode involving Mervin Silva forcefully entering the state Rupavahini TV station without prior appointment and manhandling the senior employee and then being beaten by Rupavahini staff has exposed the type of parliamentarians involved in the governance of Sri Lanka.
Mervin Silva who secured only 1,500 votes in the general election four years ago, entered the parliament as appointed member by registering his wife’s name for the post. His back door entry to the parliament saw him even being appointed as Minister of Labour of the country. It is still not clear how he was able to use is wife’s name to enter the parliament. He has been further accused of involvement with the notorious Colombo underworld.
When the so-called Labour Minister who is expected to know the employment law of the country had taken the law into his hands and assaulted a senior employee at Rupavahini, the President or his direct superior - the Prime Minister did nothing except for attempting to procrastinate the matter to eventually sweep it under the carpet. Despite compelling evidence were available against Mervin Silva, he is still been retained as a trusted Labour Minister.
In a mature democracy, where rule of law takes precedent, persons like Mervin Silva would have been arrested by the police and put behind the bars until justice is meted out to him. He would have been considered a threat to the civil society. The government too would have come under public pressure to the extent of the Prime Minister or President resigning from the post or even it would have paved way for the downfall of the government.
D M Dassanayake MP
D M Dassanayake MP was assassinated few days ago. With his death, his personal details have come to public domain. He has been accused of involvement with the Colombo underworld and said to have preyed vulnerable women by using his authority. A man with unscrupulous record has served as Minister of Nation Building of the government. It is nauseating to hear how such unscrupulous person could function as Minister of Nation Building when the nation itself bleeding to death without proper governance and leadership and when people like him are made governors of the country.
It is important that all those involved in the governance of Sri Lanka are made accountable to their conduct. Rigorous systems and procedures must be introduced and if necessary rapidly improved to make whole governance of the country become accountable. The country that cannot live without the handout from the donor countries must be made to rigorously follow standards and good governance conduct by the donor countries.
The Sri Lankan government must reveal its financial dealing more transparently. For instance, the President and the parliamentarians must make public disclosure of their own financial dealings and must allow themselves to be scrutinised and publicly criticised for their unethical conduct.
How many Sri Lankan’s know details of salaries, allowances and benefits the President, Ministers and individuals in the whole government machinery are receiving? What kind of scrutiny in place to have check and balance on their earnings and spending?
What donor countries dish out to Sri Lanka are the funds they generate from their respective countries taxation systems. When such countries follow rigorous procedures in their own countries, they must ensure to put pressure on countries like Sri Lanka to be accountable as well.
The international community cannot be sympathetic to Sri Lanka, claiming that it is a weaker democracy and it needs time to improve. Sri Lanka has not improved and is progressively declining to the worse to be an abhorring nation in the global village. With the progressive rot prevalent in the country, its governors without fear are challenging the will of the international community.
Whilst the UN has started to play its role to create effective mechanisms to maintain human rights standards in Sri Lanka, it is also essential that the international donor nations do not give blank cheques without demanding in return good and accountable governance in the country.
(January, 14, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Unprecedented events since December 2007 involving political figures has exposed misconduct and abhorring governance in Sri Lanka. All the major reported events reflects scandals after scandals and it is time that substantial international pressure is imposed on Sri Lankan state to change its style of governance and politicians made accountable to the people and the international community.
The constitution of Sri Lanka facilitates the government machinery to hide truths from the people and the high level of human rights violations carried out by the government and its agents is further contributing towards highhanded and underhand practices of the politicians to avoid being coming under public scrutiny.
Appalling parliamentary standards is permitting ruffians and blood thirsty goons to enter the parliament by unacceptable means. The people are not told about the benefits the so called parliamentarians and ministers are receiving for serving their people. There is no procedure to disclose benefits derived from holding public offices and the parliamentarians are not scrutinised for conflict of interests in their dealings. Many of them are allowed to involve in corrupt practices and are making hidden gains at the expense of the suffering people. Some are knowingly involved in malpractices, which are in direct conflict with their holding office as parliamentarians and ministers.
Unless there is serious incidences involving parliamentarians, people do not know the scandalous acts they had committed.
When looking at three important and serious incidences involving the government figures since December 2007, one could easily establish the endemic corruption, malpractices and unaccountable culture embedded in the Sri Lankan politics and to the extent it is rotting the country day by day.
President Mahinda Rajapakse.
The dominant story involving the President was when the President rescinded the Sri Lankan Airline CEO Peter Hill’s work permit for not providing seats for his private entourage involving about 35 people to return to Sri Lanka from London. It is acknowledged, as the leader of the nation, even during private visits some officials and security personnel are needed to accompany him. What is incomprehensible is 35 persons including officials have travelled with the President, when he only attended his son’s private function in the UK. It is now knowledge that the President did not have any official engagement with the British government ministers or officials during his visit.
No one knows how wealthy the President is to pay for some of the bandwagon that went on private visit with him. No one knows from where the funds were obtained to pay for their tickets, accommodation and upkeep. Further, it was reported that the President has chartered Mihin Airline (his own founded airline) plane to follow his fight without passengers from Colombo to Japan and Japan to London and then to Colombo with his cohorts. There was no report filed anywhere about the cost involved in the whole saga.
The Sri Lankan Airline CEO Peter Hill was forced to leave his job and under any standard employment law, it amounts to constructive dismissal and President was party to the decision to annul his work permit to frustrate his employment in Sri Lanka. Though Peter Hill’s position is secured in Dubai, it is unacceptable that the President had acted in a highhanded manner. The President is able carryon with his style of dictatorial management without coming under effective serious public scrutiny to ensure he listen and correct his abhorring path of governance of the country.
Mervin Silva MP
The whole episode involving Mervin Silva forcefully entering the state Rupavahini TV station without prior appointment and manhandling the senior employee and then being beaten by Rupavahini staff has exposed the type of parliamentarians involved in the governance of Sri Lanka.
Mervin Silva who secured only 1,500 votes in the general election four years ago, entered the parliament as appointed member by registering his wife’s name for the post. His back door entry to the parliament saw him even being appointed as Minister of Labour of the country. It is still not clear how he was able to use is wife’s name to enter the parliament. He has been further accused of involvement with the notorious Colombo underworld.
When the so-called Labour Minister who is expected to know the employment law of the country had taken the law into his hands and assaulted a senior employee at Rupavahini, the President or his direct superior - the Prime Minister did nothing except for attempting to procrastinate the matter to eventually sweep it under the carpet. Despite compelling evidence were available against Mervin Silva, he is still been retained as a trusted Labour Minister.
In a mature democracy, where rule of law takes precedent, persons like Mervin Silva would have been arrested by the police and put behind the bars until justice is meted out to him. He would have been considered a threat to the civil society. The government too would have come under public pressure to the extent of the Prime Minister or President resigning from the post or even it would have paved way for the downfall of the government.
D M Dassanayake MP
D M Dassanayake MP was assassinated few days ago. With his death, his personal details have come to public domain. He has been accused of involvement with the Colombo underworld and said to have preyed vulnerable women by using his authority. A man with unscrupulous record has served as Minister of Nation Building of the government. It is nauseating to hear how such unscrupulous person could function as Minister of Nation Building when the nation itself bleeding to death without proper governance and leadership and when people like him are made governors of the country.
It is important that all those involved in the governance of Sri Lanka are made accountable to their conduct. Rigorous systems and procedures must be introduced and if necessary rapidly improved to make whole governance of the country become accountable. The country that cannot live without the handout from the donor countries must be made to rigorously follow standards and good governance conduct by the donor countries.
The Sri Lankan government must reveal its financial dealing more transparently. For instance, the President and the parliamentarians must make public disclosure of their own financial dealings and must allow themselves to be scrutinised and publicly criticised for their unethical conduct.
How many Sri Lankan’s know details of salaries, allowances and benefits the President, Ministers and individuals in the whole government machinery are receiving? What kind of scrutiny in place to have check and balance on their earnings and spending?
What donor countries dish out to Sri Lanka are the funds they generate from their respective countries taxation systems. When such countries follow rigorous procedures in their own countries, they must ensure to put pressure on countries like Sri Lanka to be accountable as well.
The international community cannot be sympathetic to Sri Lanka, claiming that it is a weaker democracy and it needs time to improve. Sri Lanka has not improved and is progressively declining to the worse to be an abhorring nation in the global village. With the progressive rot prevalent in the country, its governors without fear are challenging the will of the international community.
Whilst the UN has started to play its role to create effective mechanisms to maintain human rights standards in Sri Lanka, it is also essential that the international donor nations do not give blank cheques without demanding in return good and accountable governance in the country.
 (January, 14, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Unprecedented events sin...){kind=link}
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