The Kandy News Online Edition
November 2006
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EDITORIAL

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From KMC Corruption to Media Freedom and Good Governance

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This newspaper, now in its 13th year of existence, tries to be politically non-partisan and treat everybody equitably. This is not easy in a relatively small community such as Kandy where everybody knows everybody else. The Kandy News is also very political in the sense that we are uncompromisingly committed to promote good governance. We report both the good deeds as well as the bad deeds of public officials in the public interest.

In the lead story of this issue we highlight several cases of possible corruption in the Kandy Municipal Council (KMC). Some of these cases are apparently still under investigation.
One case involves import of sub-standard equipment worth Rs 19 million for the Kandy water purification plant. This is not a trivial amount. The JVP's Mr. Anura Gonawela raised this issue in the Council in May 2005. An internal inquiry headed by the municipal commissioner reported to the mayor that there were sufficient grounds for a criminal investigation. The then mayor Kesera Senanayake handed over the case to the CID. The latter has reported back that there is not enough evidence to indict anybody. Mayor L B Aluvihare has accepted the CID report. But Mr. Gonawela, in our view quite rightly, is skeptical. Nobody denies that somebody has imported subs-standard equipment at the expense of the Kandy taxpayers. Even if evidence is lacking to press criminal charges somebody in the KMC should be held accountable at least for gross administrative negligence. If not the Kandy voters will find Mayor Aluviahre's often repeated promises to clean up the administration just empty words.

Mr. Gonawela, hopefully, will be pleased that this newspaper is with him in his campaign to fight corruption in the KMC. We are able to do so because as a newspaper we are free to publish what we believe serves the interest of the Kandy public. Having said that it behooves us to note a disturbing resolution that two of Mr. Gonawela's JVP colleagues in the Central Provincial Council Messrs G B Dassanayake and O Nimal Piyatissa have tabled. They accuse the private media of destroying the national culture, divulging information that undermines national security and supporting terrorism.

The JVP claims to stand for democracy, freedom and good governance. May be the two Provincial Councilors are not aware that media freedom is a part of any genuine democracy. We note that the JVP uses the media to the fullest extent possible to further its political agenda and rightly so. But what is disturbing is that they arrogate to themselves the role of judge and jury to decide what is right and what is wrong for everybody and deny the right of free speech to others who may have different views. Just as much as we congratulate Mr. Gonawela for his crusade against corruption in the KMC we totally and unreservedly condemn the anti-democratic proposal of his two JVP colleagues to get the government to regulate the media. In this context it is useful to remind ourselves of the saying attributed to the 198h century English author Samuel Johnson “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

Intolerance for a contrary viewpoint is increasingly becoming a part of our political culture. The violent disruption of a small anti-war meeting in Kandy last month is an example. Many of these people who propose government regulation of the media and disrupt the meetings of their opponents also claim that they are for preserving the unity of the nation. They also condemn the LTTE for not being democratic. But they fail to see the contradiction in their own anti democratic thinking and behaviour. Why should the Tamils in the north and east look forward to better governance from the South if these are the people who want to rule Sri Lanka?

Finally, we are a little more skeptical than most others of the MOU that the PA and the UNP have signed. Political expediency appears to be the underlying basis for the sudden friendship between these two traditional political enemies. Note that there is not one word in the MOU on the economy because the two parties probably could not agree on a common economic strategy. The MOU promises good governance. If that actually happens two things will follow. The south will get some accountability and transparency in administration. The Tamils in the north and east might, but only just, think that there is a superior alternative to LTTE authoritarianism. But don't be too sure of that. Good governance will require our politicians to change some nasty habits they have got used to over the last fifty years.