Bribery And Corruption: effects Corruption is the misuse of power, office or authority for private profit which could

occur in the public and private domain. In Sri Lanka, corruption has becom e so widespread that its harmful consequences are felt either directly or indire ctly by every person in our country. However, it is a fact that the effects of t his menace are felt more by the poor and underprivileged. It has the effect of e ntrapping the poor in poverty. On the other hand, most often, the rich and power ful benefit from corruption. According to retired Judge Ameer Ismail, who was the Chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in Sri Lanka, any form of be havior which departs from ethics, morality, tradition and civic virtue could be labeled as corruption and corruption slowly but steadily destroys the fabric of society. Corruption involves the improper and unlawful behavior of public-servic e officials, both politicians and civil servants, whose positions create opportu nities for the diversion of money and assets from government to themselves and t heir accomplices. Public Sector Predicament It is a fact that corruption has been for decades, one of the primary precursors of economic retardation and social underdevelopment of our country. Corruption of various forms appears to be the fundamental predicament with our public servi ces. This is an endemic problem and is one of the greatest obstacles to developm ent of our country. Pervasive corruption reduces the efficiency of government an d gives it a hopeless image. This results in the public losing confidence in the government and its leaders. Reforms in our public service establishment is absolutely necessary if we are to implement effectively what is stipulated in the Mahinda Chintanaya and to be as sured of the beneficial effects of other elaborate development initiatives highl ighted from time to time by our national leadership. However sound and desirable our development policies and programmes may be, their success in terms of socia lly beneficial consequences depends much on the attitudes towards such policies and programmes on the part of those responsible to implement them. Objectives set out in development initiatives including social welfare programme s are not attained as planned, when the bureaucracy responsible for implementati on of such ventures is wanting or slack in terms of its commitment, knowledge, c ompetency, efficiency and responsibility. The situation is further aggravated in situations where public officials are prone to corruption, lethargy, indifferen ce and disinterest in their work and are being subject to undue and unwarranted political maneuvering and influence. What is essential as a priority requirement for success in development initiativ es in our country is a committed and enlightened public service. Here, the quali ty of public officials at higher levels is of fundamental importance. They need to be people with integrity. They should possess leadership qualities with a hig h degree of professionalism, competency and democratic character. They should be professionals who are committed to efficiency, accountability, transparency and equity in service delivery and are receptive to issues and problems encountered by the general public, especially in their dealings with the public service. Impacts And Implications Of Combating Corruption Corruption is a global phenomenon, but it has a greater impact on developing nat ions. The nature of corruption is extremely destructive in the Third World where it occurs upstream. According to retired Judge Ameer Ismail, most of the money

gained through corrupt means in the Third World is smuggled out to safe havens a broad. He says that in the Third World corruption is not effectively confronted, but it is sometimes overlooked and not punished. Because corruption reaches the very top in so many societies, a bottoms-up strategy for weeding it is unlikely to work. Instead a top-down approach is needed. The reality is that while some make a fortune through corruption in the Third Wo rld, the majority of the population cannot meet even their basic needs while nat ional budgets have yawning gaps. Corruption in such a scenario, if unabated, wil l inevitably lead to massive human deprivation and this trend is evident in many poor countries in the world. Combating corruption in the Third World is not jus t about punishing corrupt politicians and bureaucrats but about saving life and preserving the right to life. Transparency International Transparency International raises awareness of the damaging effects of corruptio n and works with partners in government, business and civil society to develop a nd implement effective measures to tackle it. According to Transparency Internat ional, corruption is notoriously difficult to measure. The complexity and secrec y that shroud corrupt deals mean that it is virtually impossible to quantify the financial cost of corruption. The human expense is clear to see though, and it is the poorest that are most vulnerable. Transparency International advocates stricter implementation of the UN Conventio n against Corruption, the only global initiative that provides a framework for p utting an end to corruption. Across the globe, transparency and accountability a re critical to restoring trust and turning back the tide of corruption. Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) is a National Chapter of Transparenc y International formed functioning for about eight years, as a self financing, a utonomous Chapter of Transparency International with its own strategic direction s and priorities. Its mission is to lead and support the collective effort to en hance integrity and eradicate corruption by generating knowledge and stimulating action. Corruption Perceptions Index Since 1995 Transparency International has published each year the Corruption Per ceptions Index (CPI). The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that nearly th ree quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). These results indicate a serious corru ption problem in the world as a whole. No region or country in the world is immu ne to the damages of corruption, the vast majority of them score below 5. Singap ore, Denmark and New Zealand are tied at the top of the list with a score of 9.3 , followed closely by Finland and Sweden at 9.2. As far as CPI of Asian countrie s are concerned, Sri Lanka ranks below Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Bhutan, Brunei, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Thailand and India. The Indian Experience And Implications For Sri Lanka What the Indian Prime Minister has said in a conference in August 2009 at New De lhi, on the menace of corruption in India appears to apply closely to Sri Lanka as well. He points out that corruption distorts the rule of law and weakens inst itutions of governance and hurts economic growth in a variety of ways, apart fro m hindering efforts to build a just, fair and equitable society. He stated that the world respects India s democracy, her plural and secular values, her independe nt judiciary and the free press, her commitment to freedom and peace and her pur suit of equitable and inclusive growth, but pervasive corruption in India marked ly tarnishes India s image. He shows how it discourages investors, who expect fair

treatment and transparent dealings and how corruption has become an impediment to harnessing the best of technology and investable resources. He continues that important projects, which have huge externalities for growth, do not get implemented in time, and when they do get finished, they are often of a poor quality. Inflated project costs consume scarce national resources which could have been better used in other important areas in the service of the peopl e. India has some of the most ambitious and wide ranging programmes in place tod ay to help the poor and the marginalized sections of society. But, there is a co nstant refrain in public discourse that much of what the government provides nev er reaches the intended beneficiaries. The PM stated that there is no single remedy for fighting the menace of corrupti on and that the battle has to be fought at many levels. The design of developmen t programmes should provide for more transparency and accountability. Systems an d procedures which are opaque, complicated, centralized and discretionary are a fertile breeding ground for the evil of corruption. They should be made more tra nsparent, simpler, decentralized and less discretionary. The PM said that High-level corruption should be pursued aggressively. There is a pervasive feeling in India that while petty cases get tackled quickly, the big fish often escape punishment. Rapid, fair and accurate investigation of allegat ions of corruption in high places should receive utmost priority. The ever evolv ing levels of sophistication and complexity in different cases of corruption pre sent no doubt special challenges for the law enforcement agencies. It is necessa ry to upgrade capabilities by learning from the best global practices and sharin g the best practices with all those involved in the anti-corruption effort. It must be ensured that the innocent among public officials are not harassed for bonafide mistakes, even while the corrupt are relentlessly pursued and brought to book. Officials have to be encouraged to take decisions, to accept responsibi lity, to show initiative and, whenever required, to take risks if the bureaucrac y is to shed its slothful and lethargic image. Very often, the fear of harassmen t and damage to reputation makes public officials unduly timid and slow and the whole government machinery becomes ineffectual. The PM insisted that anti-corrup tion personnel have therefore to develop a system of investigation that factors this element into their thinking processes. The Example Of Singapore Singapore, Denmark and New Zealand are countries with the lowest levels of corru ption. Singapore is a role model in the fight against bribery and corruption. Pr ime- Minister Lee Kuan Yew brought the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau un der his authority and took a ruthless approach to enforcing the law. This approa ch paid rich dividends. The incidence of bribery and corruption came down dramat ically, and Singapore became virtually free of bribery and corruption. Transpare ncy International has ranked Singapore as among the three least corrupt countrie s in the world. It is widely acknowledged that the critical factor that helped S ingapore achieve this status is strong political will. Like Singapore, Sri Lanka has the legal and institutional mechanisms to fight br ibery and corruption. It is said that Sri Lanka can legitimately boast of the be st anti-corruption laws in the entire Third World. However, this has not helped us to check bribery and corruption, which is rampant. Having anti-corruption law s and regulations in the statute book alone serves little purpose, unless these laws are implemented without fear or favour and with ruthless efficiency and ind omitable political will, something we have not seen so far under successive gove rnments. We have the Independent Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corr

uption (CIABOC) in accordance with the provisions underlined in the Constitution . It ended its term in March 2010, but a new commission is yet to be appointed. For this to happen it is necessary that a Constitutional Council which is the le gal body authorized to appoint the CIABOC is established which is still pending. The appointment of suitable persons to the CIABOC is the responsibility of the President. If our government is genuinely concerned about arresting bribery and corruption, then the big fish should fry, whether they are in Opposition or on the Governme nt side. Political leaders in all branches of government, legislative and judici ary must necessarily be required to have transparency in their own financial dea lings through asset disclosure for themselves and their family members. This sho uld also apply to the bureaucracy especially at the higher levels. Here is a valuable quote from a speech of the late Lakshman Kadiragamar immediat ely following a parliamentary election in the early 2000 s. Corruption is the scour ge of our country. It is a plague in our country. The ramifications of corruptio n run deep in our society. I do not know what we can do about it. If the new Gov ernment can summon up the political will and courage to launch, and sustain to c onviction, a few spectacular prosecutions against high level offenders, it would have a salutary deterrent effect that might help to haul us out of the mire int o which we have fallen. If the new Government also fails to do so, I dread to co ntemplate the future of the country . Declaration Of Minister Of Public Administration It was an encouraging to note that our Minister of Public Administration and Hom e Affairs declared in June 2010, that bribery and corruption and delay in attend ing to public matters will soon be eliminated. The Minister told a media confere nce that bribery was rampant in government departments and in some departments, bribes were sought by high ranking officials and laborers to attend to the legit imate requirements of the general public. He said an effective awareness programme to educate the public officials to refr ain from bribery for favors would be launched island-wide. The Deputy Public Adm inistration and Home Affairs Minister said that one of the root causes for the c ollapse of government services had been inefficiency and lack of interest on the part of public officials serving the public. He said that a constructive employ ee appraisal system would be introduced while department and sectional heads wou ld have to ensure their subordinates fulfill their responsibilities. In spite of such bold utterances, the government is yet to put in place a solid set of preventive tools. Codes of Conduct and strong independent oversight bodie s can help ensure that the acceptable standards of behavior are respected in bot h the public and private sectors. It is necessary to establish a sound code of c onduct for government officials certain grades of public officers, should be req uired to declare their assets. Corruption must at least be substantially minimized if we are to build a society based on sound institutional foundations. This is a necessary prerequisite if w e are to build our nation to be the Miracle or Wonder of Asia . For their part, gov ernment leaders, politicians and bureaucrats must provide the political will to address all forms of corruption. Governments need to introduce appropriate legis lation to reduce corruption and provide whatever means are necessary to ensure t hat appropriate steps are taken to build systems of integrity and rule of law. Judiciary, Police Force And Other Sectors The basic institution of good governance needs to be strengthened. At the head o f this list is the judiciary, which is itself the guardian of laws and integrity

. But if the judiciary is itself corrupt, the problem is compounded and the publ ic at large without rule of law. The capacity and integrity of law enforcement n eed to be enhanced. The best law has no value if it is not enforced. The best ju dges and magistrates are wasted if cases are never brought to them. Good investi gations are wasted effort if the judge or magistrate is corrupt. Widespread corr uption in the Police force is a well known fact. It is ironical that the profess ionals who have as their occupation the maintenance of law and order in the coun try are the ones who are most prone to corruption. The media has often highlighted bribery and corruption in the country s Education and Public Health sectors. It is widely alleged that most principals, vice princ ipals and other key personnel of well known schools take bribes when admitting s tudents to their schools or in the form of various building construction funds. On the basis of the number of corruption-related experiences found within each s ector, it appears that corruption exists not only due to flawed procedures withi n institutions, but also due to the encouragement of corruption by service recip ients. Responsibility Of General Public The public needs to be repeatedly made aware of the advantages of good governanc e and the need for them to participate in promoting it. The public itself bears a large share of responsibility for insisting on honesty and integrity in govern ment and business. The public needs to learn (a) not to let anybody buy their vo te (b) not to pay bribes themselves (c) to report incidents of corruption to the authorities; and (d) to teach their children the right values e.g. that integri ty is good and corruption is bad. Ultimately, all parts of society must share the responsibility for containing co rruption because almost all are willing or unwilling participants. Each corrupt transaction requires a buyer and a seller. The government is responsible for dealing with civil servants who engage in extortion and bribery but it is businesses an d individuals who offer bribes to civil servants to obtain certain advantages. A n active, involved and empowered citizenry is indeed essential to any anti-corru ption campaign. Reformers can only achieve real gains when a society changes its expectations and understanding of its entitlement to a government that is not c orrupt. Critical Role Of The Media Retired Judge Ameer Ismail notes that the Media is a public trust and its functi ons in the form of reporting and influencing public opinion ought to reflect pub lic interest, societal sensitivity and democratic governance. It has a social re sponsibility to expose acts of corruption. Effective functioning of the press is dependent upon the public legitimacy of its existence. Educating and involving the public in building integrity is the key to preventing corruption. Public edu cation and awareness campaigns (radio, news papers, TV. Beyond government, membe rs of the media play a critical role in raising public awareness. A free and ind ependent media with professional investigative capabilities can be a nation build er. By drawing attention to corruption, journalists can turn corruption from a se emingly low risk, high profit activity for those involved to one that is high ri sk and low profit. It can be a key player in fostering democratic elections by e ducating the public as to each political candidate s philosophies, values and goal s. By Dr. Daya Hewapathirane ( http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/01/07/briberyand-corruption-bane-our-country ) year- 2011-01-08