Laws are now in place to root out corruption: President

• Says need a cat with teeth to catch mice 

By Yohan Perera   

Whilst highlighting that eradicating corruption during the  Yahapalana government was a success to some extent while there were  failures at the same time, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said over the  weekend that laws are now in place to rectify the shortcomings.   President Wickremesinghe who met lawyers during the weekend  compared tackling corruption to catching mice, stating that a toothless  cat cannot catch mice.  “You need a cat with sharp teeth to catch mice.  Criticizing me for inadequacies beyond my control is useless,” he said  while emphasising that effective action against corruption requires not  just criticism but the right tools and capabilities.   

 “I should also address the ongoing discussions about  tackling corruption. Back in 2015, various parties united to support  former President Maithripala Sirisena’s candidacy. After his victory,  although all parties were invited to join the government, the Janatha  Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was designated to stay in the opposition. The  Tamil parties pushed for political solutions, while the JVP was given  the responsibility of addressing corruption. J.C. Weliamuna strongly  advocated for taking action, while the JVP also expressed their  commitment to the cause. Weliamuna led these efforts from the  Presidential Secretariat, and Ravi Seneviratne and Ravi Waidyalankara  were appointed by the police. The Bribery Commission and an  Anti-Corruption Secretariat were established, with funding provided by  the Prime Minister’s Office. Ananda Wijepala from the JVP was appointed  to lead the initiative, despite not being a police officer or lawyer. He  managed 400 cases—some met with success, others did not,” he said.   

“My role was simply to ensure the necessary funding was in  place. To catch mice, you need a cat with teeth. If the cat is  toothless, that’s not my concern. I stand firmly against corruption, but  our legal framework had significant shortcomings that were not  adequately addressed. However, since I became President, we have worked  with the International Monetary Fund to draft both an anti-corruption  law and legislation targeting property acquired through criminal  activity. 

These laws are now being implemented, with support from the  World Bank for training the necessary human resources. Once fully  enforced, Sri Lanka will have the strongest anti-corruption laws in  South Asia. This is why we must focus on the future of our country. To  that end, we have introduced the Economic Transformation Act. After the  election, we need to reassess and continue moving forward,” he added.