Rajapakse regime’s double standard on corruption exposed

By Vishvamithra

(April 05, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) At a time the people of Sri Lanka were particularly concerned with the massive scale corruption in the government business, President Rajapakse promised to the people in his presidential election campaign, that his priority concern during his second term in office, what he called ‘the second phase of Mahinda Chinthana,’ would be to govern the Nation sans bribery and corruption.

Yet, what he practices and condones since then, seems to be the completely opposite of what pledged to the people during the election campaign. The President’ election campaign website was full of news published by various agencies such as the Customs whistleblowers about the lawlessness and corruption in the government’s major revenue agencies such as Customs, Inland Revenue and Excise Department. Clear proof on this is provided by the information on government corruption provided in the President’s website -(Click here)

Yet, most recent news published in the public domain, such as the Customs Whistleblowers demonstrates the sheer ignorance and failure on the part of the government to take any tangible measures to arrest massive revenue losses incurred by the government.

Since independence people of Sri Lanka had suffered enough in the hands of two-faced politicos produced since independence and as the President Rajapakse presented himself to the people that he would be a strict ruler who would not condone any form of corruption in the government business, people honestly believed that he would deliver what he promised to the people and elected him with an overwhelming mandate to the office of the President.

Yet the character displayed by the Rajapakse after his re-election is clearly disturbing. Up until now he has fatally failed to take any action to deliver what he promised to the people that he would not be yet another Machiavellian politico like his predecessors, who are responsible for creating the background for social unrest by their dishonest and failed administration.