reporting mechanism key to fighting graft, says TISL

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) yesterday revealed that while efforts are being taken to curb corruption in Sri Lanka, the lack of awareness on the mechanism to report the same remains a major obstacle to development and requires urgent attention.

“The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) must strengthen and expedite the implementation of its ambitious two-year 
National Action Plan.

Whilst it is encouraging that the public is overwhelmingly aware of the Bribery Commission, the lack of awareness on the existence of a mechanism to report corruption underscores the challenges in fighting corruption,” TISL Executive Director Asoka Obeyesekere said. 

Obeyesekere made these observations while addressing the media on International Anti-Corruption Day 2019, a global campaign initiated by the United Nations in 2005 that focuses on corruption as one of the biggest obstacles to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Having facilitated the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) across the island, TISL revealed that results showed that one-quarter of the local population found it acceptable to pay a bribe to public officials to fulfil their requirements. 

The GCB, which is the world’s largest public opinion survey on views and experiences of corruption and in Sri Lanka, carried out under the guidance of TISL, had also revealed that almost half of all respondents (46 percent) believed that ‘sextortion’, a form of corruption, which occurs when a public official indicates the willingness to provide a government benefit in exchange for sexual favours, happened either occasionally, often or frequently.

While urban dwellers felt it to be more frequent than rural dwellers, it was highlighted that within the rural sector, a greater vulnerability amongst those within the estate sector was prevalent.

The survey also found that 86 percent of the public had some awareness of the existence of the CIABOC but 72 percent were unaware of the existence of a mechanism to report incidents of bribery or corruption.

In terms of confidence in the system for justice, the survey found that the public trusted the judiciary the most with 73 percent of the respondents stating they had a reasonable amount of trust in the courts. Meanwhile, only 47 percent of the public expressed any trust in the government while 57 percent expressed faith in the police.

Obeyesekere asserted that the above findings provide key opportunities for the state to refocus its efforts to combat corruption.

“The government and the police should also strive to foster greater trust in themselves. The alarming prevalence of sexual bribery must also be directly addressed, especially given the multiple challenges in supporting victims,” he added.

Obeyesekere elaborated that whilst stronger enforcement of the law could address the ongoing corruption, there must be an honest review of the resources and skills required to effectively fight corruption and the government should allocate resources accordingly.

Newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his manifesto expressed his keenness and commitment to fight corruption in the country.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his statement for Anti-Corruption Day 2019 urged people across the globe to continue to work on innovative solutions to win the battle against corruption and to ensure that precious resources serve the peoples of the world.

As per the data from the UN, every year, around US $ 1 trillion is paid in bribes while an estimated US $ 2.6 trillion are stolen annually through corruption – a sum equivalent to more than 5 percent of the global GDP.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in developing countries, funds lost to corruption are estimated at 10 times the amount of official development assistance.