Thursday, May 12, 2016

Corruption Summit in London – President to address the gathering


It will be a huge challenge today for President Sirisena in believing what he is going to say, and if his speechwriters have read it correctly, as they would have written the speech in English a language the President is NOT a natural at, I hope it is one of hope and expectation of being able to correct endemic corruption, which needs a government committed to a cultural change at the top.

The attached article appearing in today’s FT by Dharisha Bastians is well worth reading to appraise oneself of the internal dynamics that are at play in Sri Lanka vis a vis the people’s mandate to end corruption, and Govt.’s inability, incapacity or non-urgency to do anything about it!


Much has been said that the leaders of the most corrupt Countries on Earth will be in attendance,  which include Nigeria and Afghanistan. However I would like to see David Cameron the host, under whose initiative this takes place, will acknowledge that the London is the repository of a huge chunk of the ill gotten gains of corruption, mainly in the property sector, where illegal earnings have resulted in properties bought in Central London that since their acquisition, have even resulted in value increases of over ten-fold, which only encourage more flow into London, and not less. Surely this is better than putting your money in an offshore account, earning almost no interest!

As a rule of thumb if one were to identify which properties they maybe, it is to begin with by identifying ALL unoccupied properties, that are owned by those who are NOT British, companies, or individuals. However I am sure as the UK has benefited from this foreign funds flow into these properties, despite its huge housing shortage, Cameron WILL NOT be making any moves, to investigate how the purchasers funded the purchase, along with the Government of the purchasers Nationality.

Let us hope that the President is able to follow up on his words, and his place as a person elected on an anti-corruption front, with action and begin with reign in his prodigal son, by first paying all the bills sent to the SL High Commission in London for payment, and then take the moral high ground in cleaning up the mess by standing firm, and exposing the blaggards, who are currently using their influence within the present administration to evade prosecution.


If the article referred to above is reliable, then he has got his hands full, as his PM is not in any hurry to have his nemesis hauled up in Court, for personal political reasons, that are obvious, but NOT in the NATIONAL INTEREST!  

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You need a thief to catch a thief!