Ceylon Today Editorial

THE RISE OF CORRUPT LOCAL POLITICOS… 

Thursday 05th November 2015

 
The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils, Karunaratne Paranavithana in an interview with Ceylon Today published yesterday (3) has claimed that local bodies are full of corrupt SLFP politicians. He had stressed the need to introduce young blood into local bodies, while claiming it is the UNP which is capable of performing that task.

The Deputy Minister's statement is correct. Over the years, both the UNP and SLFP have nurtured corrupt politicians, from as far back as 1977. After the resounding victory of the UNP in July 1977, anti-social elements that supported the party entered the local bodies. The UNP only wanted strength at grass roots level to suppress political opponents. In the process the SLFP also fielded such characters to counter the UNP style. And, these members also entered local bodies thus eroding discipline in those institutions.

When any government stays in power for too long, these anti-social elements from local bodies climb the political ladder. They contest provincial elections and get elected as they are ably backed by their political party which is in power. The Provincial Councils get polluted with their entry. Then they contest parliamentary elections and get elected, as political parties do not screen these persons properly when nominations are given. Finally, they enter Parliament and conduct themselves in the same obnoxious manner as they'd done in Local Bodies and Provincial Councils. That is why Parliament has become a mockery today. When they climb the political ladder, they bring in their kith and kin to the Local Bodies and Provincial Councils to fill their vacuum. And, these corrupt politicians amass money and have the resources to expend to contest elections.

Corruption in Sri Lankan politics has rooted deep over the four-and-a-half decades. Every government that assumed office pledged to wipe out fraud and corruption and rid the country of corrupt politicos. They set up Commissions of Inquiry and reports are submitted. Finally, those reports are swept under the carpet and the culprits are given nominations at successive elections. Hence, political corruption continues to rein in this island nation. Election pledges to wipe out the menace and rid corrupt politicos become distant dreams once elected to office.

Though Deputy Minister Paranavithana has unfolded the truth about corrupt politicos at grass roots level administration, he cannot point his finger only at the SLFP. Both the SLFP and the UNP have introduced such politicians to local institutions. If one recalls the corrupt and criminal incidents reported over the past decade involving grass roots level politicians, men from both sides have been arrested and charged for fraud and crime. Corruption and criminality at political level had been nurtured by both parties.

When the SLFP is in power they point the finger at the previous regime alleging that the UNP politicos were corrupt. When the UNP is in power they practice the same method for popularity. After Independence, both parties got together to accuse individuals of the previous regime. Whilst making such charges, the government represented by both parties has accommodated some of those politicians whom they claimed corrupt back into the fold offering ministerial posts. How does Deputy Minister Paranavithana who is a new entrant to Parliament view such a development? The reality is that neither party had attempted to nip political corruption in the bud and had let it grow, grow and grow. Today neither party could do without corrupt politicos if they are to win elections because the corrupt are popular in their electoral districts and many of them poll the highest preferences.

Some of these corrupt politicians do not possess basic educational qualifications even to be considered for posts like office aides (Karyala Karya Sahayaka) in the State and Private Sector. They even do not know to fill in nominations papers on their own leaving alone filling documents pertaining to declaration of Assets and Liabilities when they get elected to public office. There were parliamentarians who do not know the meaning of BOO and BOT when debates are taken up on investment issues. They have only heard of the abbreviation BOI (Board of Investment) as the abbreviation 'BOI' is frequently used in Parliament during debates.

Deputy Minister Paranavithana's proposal is good if both the UNP and SLFP could clean local bodies of corrupt politicos at the next mini-elections. But how far it would be successful is the question, as both parties ignore educational qualifications of aspirants when giving nominations.