The Kandy News Online Edition
Febuary / March 2006
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EDITORIAL

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Corruption in KMC in Perspective In this edition of The Kandy News we have reported on some corrupt practices that have come to light in the KMC.

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They range from a rent scam in the Kandy Central Market to stealing from the Municipal storeroom. Of course nobody will be surprised. Most people view local authorities in Sri Lanka, KMC included, to be dens of corruption.

Before we go any further it is useful to place corruption in KMC and for that matter in Sri Lanka in perspective. Those who follow US political news would know that in the last two months Washington has been rocked by a huge corruption scandal involving bribery and kickbacks to some of the most powerful politicians in the country. It has caused the resignation of the Republican Leader of the House who is a close Bush ally and one of the most powerful men in Washington. President George W. Bush is desperately trying to distance himself from the scandal. One might say that where there is power there is corruption. Race, culture, income level, status, and many other differences are no bar.

The global corruption watch dog Transparency International every year publishes something called the “Corruption Perception Index.” It is a barometer that attempts to measure how corrupt a country is. In the last four years Sri Lanka has been included in that index. In the 2005 index we were 78th out of 158 countries (US was 17th way below countries such New Zealand, Singapore, and Sweden who were among the least corrupt). The good news is that we were better than our South Asian neighbours India (88th), Nepal (117th), Pakistan (144th) and Bangladesh (last place at 158th). The bad news is that since Transparency started including Sri Lanka in their index we have slipped down from 52 in 2002, 66 in 2003, 67 in 2004 to 78 in 2005. Cynics might say that the surprise is not that we have slipped but that it has not been more precipitous. But note that we have held on to the middle rank in that index if that is any consolation.

The reality is that corruption is found in every country albeit in varying degree. The real issue is what do we do about it? The strength of the US is not that there is no corruption in the country. There is plenty of it. But the US media has the freedom and strength to expose it and the country usually does something about it. Not only has the Republican Congressman lost his top position in the leadership, but the indications are that the voters in his Congressional district in Texas would probably reject him in the next Congressional election due in November. The Republicans are worried that the scandal might cause voters nationwide to throw them out of power in Washington.

That is where Sri Lanka fails. The sprats such as the KMC storekeeper are caught and punished occasionally for show. But the sharks of corruption escape. Our corrupt politicians are usually rewarded with election to high office. Religious rituals are performed routinely to bless them. Corrupt businessmen continue to hold top positions in the largest and most prestigious of companies. Powerful appointed public officials who take commission in millions of rupees if not dollars are repeatedly recruited by successive governments. Naturally the small guys think that what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. We don't want to condone corruption at any level. But when we live in a culture of corruption we have to admit a sneaking sympathy for the little guys who are caught.