Why is it that SRILANKA is riddled with fraud from top to bottom? Why does the President not sack those guilty? It is thievery plain and simple!!!

Public purse, Private junkets

When the gold stocks of our country are proposed to be sold whose money is that? When the Weerawila Airport project is suspended after much money and hoop-la has been spent on it, whose money has been wasted? When the Southern Highway runs into trouble because of substandard building products, whose money has been frittered? When the present Minister of Foreign Affairs goes on his well documented junkets, has birthday bashes for family overseas, takes extended family on official tours etc. Whose money is he spending?
Let me tell you – it is your money, my money and the ordinary citizen’s money that has been spent. We will be paying for it through increased taxes to our bank accounts, our salaries, our services and our consumption.

When the fraudulent hedging deal was exposed the Minister of Tourism was implicated. Did he resign like he should have? No, instead the President merely transferred him to become Minister of Justice.

Why is it that our country is riddled with fraud from top to bottom? Why does the President not sack those guilty? It is thievery plain and simple. Nothing more to it. And yet these thieves are allowed to not only get away with what they have done, but to continue to steal, and perhaps are even rewarded by the superiors.

In this country, and to be fair, we have to say, whichever the government; Ministers and officials believe that even their personal expenses have to be borne by the State and that means you and I. Yes, it is we who pay for their overseas trips, most often accompanied by family members. It is you and I who pay for their refurbished offices, their cars and their suddenly inflated bank accounts.

The World Bank has approved a US$75 million credit to Sri Lanka to support a program that would make lives better for those living in the poorest villages. Where would this end up? Let me give you two options, why don’t you guess the answer - On new roads, schools, infrastructure, or making lives better for the ministers of the government?

You can call it what you may but Junction Talks calls it thievery. Why do the masses tolerate all this? Do people not have a conscience or care anymore? This is truly, unpatriotic behaviour.

Stop the waste of public money. Cut down the ministerial posts to 35 (after all we are only about 20 million people) Ministers traveling overseas on work should be barred from taking family.

That way they can concentrate on the job at hand, instead of which shop they would be meeting their wives in. Cut down on all travel and vehicle allowances. Maybe if they used public transport, the quality of transport would be vastly improved. And like they said in India, if they need bulletproof vehicles to travel, then stay at home. Better yet, start walking like ministers in Sweden. It could be good for their health.

I watched with great interest one of Africa’s best known statesman Graca Machel (now Nelson Mandela’s wife) being interviewed. She was asked why the rest of the African leaders did not speak up against their fellow despots in power, who totally misused public funds and power with tyranny.

She sighed deeply and said, “It’s the old boy network at hand, each one covering up for the other’s misuse of public monies, power and incompetence’s.” Needless to say that’s why there are so many banana republics in Africa. And needless to say we can apply the same title to ourselves. In fact we can call ourselves a banana bunch republic!

I am dumbfounded as to why the powers that be, and let me not beat about the bush, I do mean the powers that be, does not take a more serious attitude to such shameless and mindless misuse of the publics’ money. Junction Talk is amazed that despite all these reports in the media with cases even brought to Court, such waste and corruption is not stopped by the President.

If he allows this kind of misuse of public funds to continue and if he allows the alleged perpetrators to get away with it and if he does not sack them from whatever portfolio they hold, then doesn’t the government too not become culpable? That, comes with the office territory.

We ask the President to get rid of this behaviour in our country, after all he is answerable to the people who elected him to safeguard and manage this country. These monies could be used to truly better the lives of its citizens. Ultimately the President is responsible. Junction Talk is outraged and so should all the citizens of this country.

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