Sri Lanka is placed in ‘critical’ risk band with Libya, Syria, Eretria, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, DRC and Yemen by Transparency International UK’s Defence and Security Programme (TI-DSP) new report.
Its new report ‘Watchdogs?’ measures legislative oversight of the defence sector in 82 countries worldwide, drawing on results from the 2013 Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index.
Each legislature was scored in seven distinct categories based on findings from the Government Index and placed in one of six risk bands based on their scores. By assessing transparency and oversight practices related to budget, policy, auditing and intelligence services, the report measures how well legislatures exercise their deliberative, legislative and oversight powers over the defence sector.
Of 82 legislatures, 52 were placed in ‘high’, ‘very high’, and ‘critical’ risk bands, while 14 were placed in the ‘moderate’ risk band and 12 placed into the ‘low’ risk band. Only four legislatures were placed in the ‘very low’ band, the lowest risk rating.
“Most legislatures are failing voters by not acting as proper watchdogs of this huge sector. Whether the problems are due to the political environment, poor legislation, or poor commitment by parliamentarians, the good practice examples in this study can help them improve.” says TI-DSP Director, Mark Pyman.
Ti says; “By exercising strong and effective oversight over defence policy, procurement and the intelligence services, legislatures can ensure that the government acts in the public interest and hold their state executives to account.”
Former South African MP Andrew Feinstein shares his thoughts about parliamentary oversight in the defence sector.
Punitham / September 19, 2013
No wonder the President is refusing to release the reports by Commissions that investigated corruption among the armed forces:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/85007346/A-List-of-Commissions-of-Inquiry-and-Committees-Appointed-by-the-Government-of-Sri-Lanka-2006-%E2%80%93-2012
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James Bond / September 19, 2013
The Rajpassas brothers and Son’s and relatives and cronies regime, fearful of a war crime trial in the Hague, is militarizing Sri Lanka and turning it into a MILITARY DICTATORSHIP with a FACADE OF DEMOCRACY – by holding staggered elections and using state machinery to ensure regime victory – Robert Mugabe style!
Gota the the White Van Goon has constructed a DEEP STATE or “state within a State” with select members of military intelligence, the judiciary and administration, while the military is being turned into a Uber-high caste with lots of perks and state-subsidized military business.. As the rest of the world trun away from Military dictatorship – from Indonesia to Burma to the Arab Spring nations, the DEBACLE of Asia is going backwards to consolidate a CORRUPT MILITARY DICTATORSHIP that spews racism against the minorities to DIVIDE, DISTRACT and RULE the majority Sinhala community that is blind and drunk on Sinhala Buddhist Racism.. with the help of Chinese Funding of White elephant infrastructure projects that is compounding the national DEBT and crashing the economy, while Rajapassa lives the KIGNSBURY LIFESTYLE at his casino crony Dhammika Perera’s hotel on the beach of Colombo.. Welcome to Banana Republic!
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Patriot / September 21, 2013
What democracy do ‘Arab Spring’ nations have now? They have bitter winters. When dictators were ruling them, at least vast majority of the populace had peace and stability.
In Libya, there is no rule of law now. Tribes run their areas as they like. Yankees deal with whomever they can cheat and run away with their oil. Yankee doodles are happy, so no reporting about HR violations.
Egypt is in a worse situation. Others are no better. You fellas want Sri Lanka to be like that.
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Punitham / September 19, 2013
1.”Sri Lanka’s corruption risk is exacerbated by centralised presidential control”:
http://government.defenceindex.org/analysis/regional/pacific-asia
2.No wonder the President is refusing to release the reports by Commissions that investigated corruption among the armed forces:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/85007346/A-List-of-Commissions-of-Inquiry-and-Committees-Appointed-by-the-Government-of-Sri-Lanka-2006-%E2%80%93-2012
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Punitham / September 19, 2013
http://government.defenceindex.org/results/countries/sri-lanka#more
Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index
Sri Lanka is placed in Band E. Political corruption vulnerability is high, with the strong presidential system centred on the President’s family creating an executive power that undermines the potential for effective scrutiny or transparency and limits debate considerably. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption is believed to be co-opted by the President, who also has strong control over the State Intelligence Service. There are believed to be links between the military and organised crime, particularly in relation to drugs, which have scarcely been investigated. Post-war arms controls are unclear─no international protocols are known to have been signed. The scrutiny of defence budgets and audits of defence expenditure are de-emphasised by the ruling regime. In short, evidence indicates low institutionalised political activity to stem corruption in national defence and security establishments.
In the field of finance corruption risk, there is no transparency on asset disposals or on information classification, the latter having strong risk of being overly centralised following a history of Emergency Regulations. There is no detail of money spent on secret items while the Financial Regulations of the Government enable ‘secret payments’ that are effectively only under presidential control. Meanwhile, the defence sector’s development of commercial business in the post-war has been extensive and faces negligible─if any─scrutiny.
In the field of personnel corruption risk, whistle-blowing is considered potentially treacherous. The president wields control over recruitment of personnel at the most senior levels, and there is a high risk of favouritism and politicisation in recruitment processes at other senior levels. While pay-rates of personnel are lacking in transparency, in other respects the pay system is evidently robust: there is no indication of ghost soldiers on the military payroll or of untimely pay. It is unclear if a Code of Conduct exists and prosecutions for disciplinary matters are vulnerable to politicisation. Finally, the problem of facilitation payments is reported to be widespread.
With regard to operations corruption risks, there is no codified military doctrine in which anti-corruption provisions are covered, and acts pertaining to the armed services do not include anti-corruption aspects either. There is no evidence of anti-corruption training, monitoring, or guidelines on contracting that relate to operations. There is a lack of transparency regarding the extent of the operations of Private Military Contractors (PMCs) and whether they are regulated or scrutinised.
Finally, in the field of procurement corruption risk, it is noted that the Joint Operations Headquarters under the Ministry of Defence is responsible for procurement, but legislation is not public and has limited application under the official remit of ‘national security’. There is little or no transparency on purchases, pre-bid standards for companies to meet, or on a strategy guiding procurement (if one exists). In terms of competition in defence procurement, the principle of open competition is assessed to be likely to be undermined in practice, while tender boards or anti-collusion efforts are lacking in effectiveness. There is no transparency at all regarding control of agents or sub-contractors, or financing packages. Finally, political factors are assessed to influence defence procurement.
Research finalised: July 2012
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Fathima Fukushima / September 19, 2013
Another stupid index to brand those who don’t agree with the west into villains.
Surprise surprise Saudi Arabia is also in the critical category!!
All this corruption to kill Tamil terrorists so it is OK. On one side SL kills Tamil terrorists. On the other they make money. The more Tamil terrorists killed the more money they make. Luvly!
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Luxmy Silva / September 20, 2013
Sri Lanka has been getting aid from the West for decades. Have you ever objected to it?
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nimal p.dunuhinga / September 19, 2013
A gloomy snapshot of an old Bachelor
When wild geese fly in the twilight sky
He lights his kerosene lantern
and close the tiny windows of his shack.
With peep of the darkness
Mosquitoes’ drone that annoys him?
He tastes his shot glass and crunch a peanut.
He scribbles in his memory book;
‘I am alone in this oblique World
which rotates faster than earlier
and if you don’t suck my blood
please let me open the window pane
to send this sooty smoke outside?’
To that greatest artist Vincent Van Gogh and I realized your sanity!
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Luxmy Silva / September 21, 2013
Poetry is good.
But listening to the former South African MP is for our good only.
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Punitham / September 19, 2013
http://government.defenceindex.org/parliaments
WATCHDOGS? LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT OF DEFENCE
If the countries analysed were parliamentarians, and the levels of corruption risk they displayed were political parties, the distribution of seats in this parliament would look like the image above. Our report ‘Watchdogs?’ shows how they can improve.
Parliaments and legislatures have a vital role in reducing the risk of corruption in defence and security. They can do this by legislating for laws to prevent it, putting issues of corruption in defence at the level of national debate, and exercising powers of oversight.
The study delves deeper into the results of our Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index (GI) specific to parliaments and legislatures. Countries were placed in corruption risk bands according to detailed assessments across seven areas in which parliaments play a vital anti-corruption role. Click the tabs to the right to read more about each area.
Our report has three main findings:
Parliaments and legislatures in two-thirds of the countries assessed have seriously insufficient controls that give rise to high or critical corruption risk in their Ministry of Defence and armed forces.
Eighty-five per cent of countries lack effective scrutiny of their defence policy.
More positively, 16 out of the 82 countries assessed have low or very low risk of corruption due to strong legislative mechanisms in place.
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Punitham / September 19, 2013
http://government.defenceindex.org/actions
Government Index – Recommended Actions for
1. Defence Ministries
2. Legislators
3. Civil Society
Watchdogs? – Recommended Actions
i.Parliamentarians
2.Executives
3.Audit Offices
4.Civil Society & Media
DOES SRI LANKA WISH TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF?
PLENTY OF HELP OUT THERE.
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D.Panabokke / September 19, 2013
Punitham and others
”WATCHDOGS? LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT OF DEFENCE” made easy:
Press release by Transparency International:
Two-thirds of parliaments fail to be watchdogs of defence corruption
http://government.defenceindex.org/sites/default/files/documents/Watchdogs-press-release.pdf
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C. Wijeyawickrema / September 19, 2013
How transparent is Sri Lanka T I? How much money they get?
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Medalankara de Choppe / September 19, 2013
Wijewickrama, did you also collect a stack at the time you were sucking the govt’s toes?
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Luxmy Silva / September 20, 2013
TI SriLanka can be checked as much as you want. But if your desire is getting rid of the huge corruption that is a block to the development of the country, you may look at the report.
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justice / July 21, 2015
President Sirisena, with all good intentions, is helpless in preventing and eradicating corruption in most sectors of government, due to entrenched practices of bureaucrats, both civilian and military, since independence.
Many examples of corruption are quoted above, and, are quoted daily in the media.
Good Governance – in every sense, remains a dream.
Let us see what the elections bring, for the citizens of Sri Lanka.
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