Orders have been issued to stop the operations of Sri Lanka Transport Board’s (SLTB) flying squad forthwith and to replace it with a new team within the week. These orders, issued by Transport and Highways Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena to SLTB Chairman S.M.D.L.K. De Alwis, are a response to alleged corruption and fraud on the part of some officers attached to the existing SLTB flying squads. Although allegations of corruption against the SLTB flying squad are not new, this is the first time, at least in recent memory; it found itself in a controversy that is serious enough to completely replace this team.
If the allegations against the SLTB flying squad officers in question have been proven beyond a doubt, we can as a country welcome the Minister’s orders. However, corruption is not a menace that is limited to the SLTB, and there are institutions that are believed to be losing and wasting more public funds than the SLTB. Therefore, such strict and swift actions should certainly be a part of Sri Lanka anti-corruption and law enforcement mechanisms. In a context where the country is going through an era of reforms, following an economic collapse, the Government is yet to look into the issues of corruption and waste seriously, honestly and practically.
The Government claims that it has taken some measures to combat corruption. However, how effective or genuine they are is a question, because the people do not see tangible, considerable actions or results of such actions. At the same time, there are serious questions about the Government’s approach to combating corruption and waste in public institutions, because the Government is clearly obsessed with increasing public sector revenue to cover the sector’s expenses instead of effectively reducing corruption and waste in public institutions which has a direct impact on public sector expenditure and the need of more funds. This is not a matter of a handful of public institutions, and the amount of public funds that it involves amounts to billions of Rupees. While some of the country’s leading public institutions, such as the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT), have been at the centre of these corruption and waste related controversies for decades, with the economic crisis, officials of other institutions have entered this racket.
Combating corruption is not an optional measure, and finding ways to boost revenue is not equal to reducing corruption and waste. While coming to terms with this reality, the Government should also take seriously the current socio-economic context, which is not a situation in which the economic burden on the people can be allowed to continue or exacerbate. Even if compensations, subsidies, and concessions were provided to the people to cover the economic burden that has exacerbated considerably by corruption and waste, which is money that comes from the public’s pocket as well, and therefore, is not a solution but a temporary relief that keeps the people in dark about the gravity of corruption and waste in public institutions.
The people are already doing the best that they can to support the economy, and the only approach that can protect them from the adverse results of corruption and waste is effective and genuine measures aimed at rooting out corruption and waste. Sri Lanka has adequate laws, policies and institutional frameworks that can deal with corruption and waste effectively. In most cases, what is lacking is a genuine will and support from the responsible authorities to implement those policies and institutional frameworks against the corrupt, and updating them to match modern day corruption is also a pressing need.
Economic recovery is not a target the Government can achieve alone, and pressuring the people to pay more taxes, endure high prices of goods and to consume less without eradicating corruption and waste are not sustainable measures. Therefore, the Government should take concrete measures to eradicate corruption. And ensure, bureaucrats are not helping to cover up corruption. When the Government’s efforts start to seem genuine and effective, the people will then come forward to make the kind of sacrifices the Government expects from them.