The victory of the National People’s Power (NPP) Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake at last month’s Presidential Election, came in the wake of a strong anti-establishment and anti-corruption wave that gripped the public psyche over the last two years. Now that the caretaker NPP government is finding its feet with the complex role of governance, the public are eager for action on the anti-corruption front.

With an election looming in the horizon, and tough choices to be made in governance, it is likely that the caretaker government will try to go for some low-hanging fruits, and theatrics in place of meaningful action against corruption, at least until the General Election is done and dusted. It is evident that the caretaker government will target ‘waste reduction’ and expose now opposition political figures in the run up to the polls to reinforce the message ‘the NPP is the new – clean face of Sri Lankan politics’. Nevertheless, more concrete action is needed to curb corruption and waste, and malpractice in the state sector. Since the NPP campaigned using an anti-corruption narrative and rode the wave to take up office, it is expected that an NPP government will not buckle at its knees when it comes to having the political will to act effectively against corruption.

Last week, speaking to The Sunday Morning, NPP Premier Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said: “There has already been an election (General) declared. So, in this brief period what we are trying to do is to signal and solidify the shift we want to make in governance and the political culture. A shift where governance becomes more accessible, more publicly responsible, not wasteful, not extravagant”. Amarasuriya added that they will continue with the anti-corruption agenda. “We will keep it going. We are planning an investigative unit, led by the President. We plan to set it up soon. We will investigate some of the cases we have raised in the past and ones which have come up recently. Just as importantly, we want to ensure that we curb corruption at present. We will steadfastly ensure that current laws on anti-corruption will be implemented. Other changes can follow. We will also move to establish systems which will make corruption difficult and give the political leadership to ensure the change in culture that will shun corruption”. While an investigative unit led by the President of a country would likely be frowned upon and its ethical basis is questionable, the NPP’s push to enforce existing laws is indicative that they are likely to have the political will to effect some meaningful change.

The culture of corruption which had long plagued Sri Lankan governance, like that of many South Asian nations, was once seen by many as unstoppable and even broadly accepted by some as the norm. However, the cumulative effect of long-term corruption and poor governance had by 2019-2021 begun to simmer in the minds of many, with some elements of that anguish pouring out through the ‘aragalaya’ protest movement.  Sri Lankans have had enough with a range of ‘show trials’, committees and commissions, and half-baked investigations, which have all resulted in little success in neither being an effective deterrent, nor convicting any ‘big fish’ of wrongdoing. Successive governments have had such measures enacted only to buy time, ‘catch and release’ highly-placed politicians and officials who are accused of corruption. Therefore, instead of theatrics, what Sri Lankans want is concrete action.

It is prudent for the Government to observe how Singapore recently dealt with a minister who was charged with obstructing justice and corruption.  A Singapore court sentenced a former minister to 12 months in prison for obstructing justice and receiving more than $ 300,000 worth of gifts, in the first jailing of an ex-cabinet member in a city-state famous for its clean governance. S. Iswaran, who was a cabinet member for 13 years and has held the trade, communications and transport portfolios, pleaded guilty last week to four counts of improperly receiving gifts and one of obstructing justice. The sentence handed down was more severe than the six to seven months sought by the prosecution, which presiding Judge Vincent Hoong said was “manifestly inadequate” given the gravity of Iswaran’s offences and their impact on public trust. “Trust and confidence in public institutions were the bedrock of effective governance, which could all too easily be undermined by the appearance that an individual public servant had fallen below the standards of integrity and accountability,” Judge Hoong said in sentencing Iswaran.