By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

The judgement by the High Court, Colombo on the “Sil Redi” issue, apart from the sentence of imprisonment on the former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeeratunga and the former Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Pelpita, is showing signs of moving to a major encounter between the forces of politics and the powers of the judiciary.

The fact that this was the first case involving alleged fraud and corruption under the previous Rajapaksa Regime, has certainly made it an issue with important political impact in the context of the pledge given by the Yahapalana campaigners to make the fight against corruption a key aspect of its policies. It is important to recall that the pledge in that campaign was to fight, expose and bring to book the politicians in that government who were carrying a repulsive image of their involvement in fraud and corruption.

What has happened is that two public officers, have been the first to be found guilty. The question now arises as to when the politicians, whatever rank they may have held, and the members of their families and other players in that carnival of corruption would be exposed and brought to book.

Weeratunga and Pelpita have now filed their appeals against the High Court judgement in the Court of Appeal, and have thus gone back to the judiciary in the hope of obtaining acquittals, or a reduction in the convictions, in keeping with the process of law. It is important to bear in mind that the High Court in making its order in this trial was very clear that neither Weeratunga nor Pelpita had personally benefited in any way with the huge sum of Rs. 600 million involved in this exercise of the buying and distribution of Sil Redi, during the campaign of the last presidential election.

While the due process of law would take its course, very clearly demonstrating a major shift towards the independence of the judiciary in the present policies of government, the politics of Sil Redi is showing a new factor for consideration, where the Rajapaksa image, with its known buttress for corruption, is drawing both Weeratunga and Pelpita into the vortex of a crooked political cavalcade, which seeks to hide the strong image of corruption in the Rajapaksa Regime that has come out with this judgement, and carry out a mix of crooked religious with the loud politics of chicanery.

Mahinda Rajapaksa is very loud in his statements about the honesty of Weeratunga in “implementing” the “Sil Redi” policy on which he had given directions as the President, with the interest of supporting Buddhist religious activities in the country. He says publicly that he is responsible for the order, and that he has not been queried on the matter.

Religious veil

What he considers a superb tactic, in distorting the administrative realities, and supposedly trying to take the blame away from, especially Weeratunga and also Pelpita, is in fact a contemptible attitude of twisted political manipulation, that appears to shield the two persons convicted for allegedly following his instructions, but is in fact using the “Sil Redi” as a religious veil to cover his corruption, with little regard, in any, for the situation that he has pushed these two persons into, about whom he is so gladly shedding crocodile tears.

What stands out here is why he and his lawyers had to wait till the trial of the “Sil Redi” case was over, and the verdict delivered, to come out shouting that it was his order they were implementing; and carrying out a huge political-cum-religious circus to expose what he sees to be the fault of the judiciary, and show his own commitment to serve the religious needs of the Buddhist community through the powers and rights of the Executive Presidency.

It will certainly take much more of this promenade of religio-politics to make the people accept this “I am the guilty…if at all” crooked yarn. But, there is certainly the danger of this dishonest and corrupt political strategy, leading to some arousal of politically directed and manipulated Buddhist feeling, which has to be met with proper exposure of the truth with regard to the corruption of the Rajapaksa Regime.

This masquerading of honesty in government certainly calls for a stronger approach to the fight against the fraud and corruption of the Rajapaksa Regime. The veil of the Sil cloth should not be allowed to hide any more of the corruption that prevailed at the time Mahinda Rajapaksa says he issued so many orders that had to be implemented by the administration, with no fear of corruption or misdemeanor. The twisted logic of MR even goes to compare the annual distribution of school uniform material to children, with the Sil cloth project or “Sil Redi Vyapruthiya” as he calls it. He asks if the school uniform distribution would be stopped if an election is held at the end of a year, when that distribution usually takes place.

The simple answer would be that such distribution will have to be stopped if; the uniform package includes a photograph and/or message (even education concerned) by a presidential candidate or any other candidate in an election being held at the time. That is the simple reality.

The political noise that MR and his JO backers may make on this issue, including arousal of religious feelings, moving away from the realities of religion and, the possibility of Sil Redi being used as political bribes, and the various religio-political strategies that will be used with some of the yellow robe, seeks new strategies.

The call now is for a more determined fight against corruption. The exposure of the corrupt forces of the past, and those who have moved towards corruption at present is the call of the day; with the advantage that honest public servants will now feel stronger to fight the forces of corruption seeking to use them for their dirty politics and filthy business.

Courtesy:Daily News