President Ranil Wickremesinghe remains determined to pass in Parliament what he referred to as the “best anti-corruption act” in South Asia soon. Wickremesinghe revealed that Cabinet approval for the relevant Bill has already been granted, adding that he will discuss it with representatives of the Opposition before presenting it to the Parliament.

The President’s statement comes in a context where Sri Lanka is initiating a number of reforms, including those pertaining to public sector expenditure, reducing the waste of public funds, restructuring loss-making public institutions, and increasing revenue. However, at the core concerns is corruption in the public sector.

Widespread corruption, as well as a culture of impunity that aids it is a menace that has remained unchecked effectively for a long time. Corruption has been an obstacle for the country’s growth, not just economically, but in terms of crafting sound policies. It has cost Sri Lanka tax revenue, export earning, and affected overall economic stability. Corruption has also eroded the trust of the international community. Worst of all corruption has eroded the public’s trust in public institutions and in the Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature. It has also fostered a culture where many citizens now see corruption as part and parcel of state services. Corruption and its influence on policy making has undoubtedly contributed to the ongoing economic crisis and has infested the state and public services. Successive governments have been lethargic and unwilling to take effective measures to address corruption.

However, Sri Lanka has reached a juncture where the political and public authorities can no longer ignore the pressing need to curb corruption. In addition to civil society organisations’ continuous demands for stringent anti-corruption measures, with increased public awareness and discourse that emerged during the “aragalaya” (the struggle) movement, the public are more concerned about corruption than before. Above all, the IMF’s conditional and rather inflexible intervention in the country’s economic revival efforts has placed the country in a situation where long-ignored anti-corruption measures have to be taken, at least officially, as soon as possible.

In a recent statement on the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) that was provided to Sri Lanka, the IMF said that the ongoing efforts to tackle corruption should continue, including revamping anti-corruption legislation, and that a more comprehensive anti-corruption reform agenda should be guided by the ongoing IMF governance diagnostic mission that conducts an assessment of Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption and governance framework. One of IMF’s programme objectives under the EFF was “reducing corruption vulnerabilities”, under which it said that strengthening the country’s governance and anti-corruption framework is crucial to restore and sustain long-run economic, social, and political stability. Given governance weaknesses in several state functions and a high level of corruption, it further noted that, a reform agenda should be developed to combat corruption, improve State-owned Enterprise (SOE) governance, leverage e-government platforms for revenue collection and expenditure management, ensure public sector transparency, and strengthen the Anti-money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.

While it is normal for a country like Sri Lanka that is desperately seeking financial assistance to agree with whatever recommendations or conditions the IMF puts forward, current and future Governments should understand one simple reality. That is, the IMF’s assistance is merely a short-term, limited support, and that the country needs a future beyond the IMF’s assistance. In other words, the IMF’s assistance is meant to assist Sri Lanka while the country rectifies the factors that led the country to a situation where it had to seek the IMF’s assistance for the 17th time. That is why a plethora of conditions, recommendations and guidelines come with the EFF.

Neither the Government, nor the public should be complacent because of the IMF’s assistance. To build a future where Sri Lanka does not have to depend on external assistance, the Government must fulfil its anti-corruption related promises to the IMF, while the public should keep pushing for accountability, scientific decisions and transparency on the part of the Government and in the Government’s anti-corruption measures. If they fail to do that, the country will find itself in a similar situation in the foreseeable future. As such it is incumbent on all policy makers to support the implementation of robust anti-corruption measures, and to change the culture of impunity that comes with it.