Ipaidabribe.lk to fight corruption in Sri Lanka

10 December 2015 06:30 pm Views - 1584

The Sri Lankan government along with I Paid A Bribe (IPAB) Sri Lanka is launching the first of its kind anti-corruption website: www.ipaidabribe.lk to crowd source reports on corruption from across the country.

The Sri Lankan site was launched on December 9, by the Chairman and Director General Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe of CIABOC with the presence of President Maithripala Sirisena and other distinguished guests at UN anticorruption day event in Colombo. 

“We went live for the first time on November 9, 2013. The site was appreciated by few back then, late Ven.Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero supported our initiative. The motto of the new Sri Lankan Government this year was fight against corruption and to usher in good governance. Tools such as I Paid a Bribe Sri Lanka will definitely go a long way in achieving that goal. We are in the 85th position on Corruption Perception Index, and initiatives like I Paid A Bribe will help in improving our rating,” said Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Chairman of Diri Saviya Foundation who introduced I Paid a Bribe(IPAB) to Sri Lanka.   

The site could be accessed in Sinhalese, Tamil and English and every citizen of Sri Lanka can access the site very easily and report incidents of bribery which the CIABOC could take necessary steps to fight corruption and Media can report on these incidents. Since the launch in India, Pakistan, Greece and many other nations the site has contributed immensely to identify areas of corruption in Government sector, police departments and many other areas. The site will quantify the data and the public will be able to see the most corrupt district, department or police station etc. 

Its success prompted international partners to start a similar initiatives in their countries. As of July 2015, IPAB has partnered with non-profits and transparency organisations in 25 other countries to create similar IPaidabribe.com sites and has initiated an international coalition named - Crowdsourcing Against Corruption Coalition.