Corruption-free society, the need of the hour

By Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

The business community has called for a corruption-free society to facilitate the overall development of Sri Lanka.

“It is a perception that the private sector is the corruption creator and this is a common phenomenon in society.

This is because, the private sector is the value creator and in this process there are possibilities for corruption," Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Secretary General Mangala Yapa told Sunday Observer Business.

Corruption exists because there is no prudent and transparent system in place to control it.The problem is that the prevailing system is not necessarily prudent and transparent enough to eliminate corruption. This is why people overwhelmingly voted for Yahapalanaya, he said.The majority wanted a corruption-free society and in business too there can be a majority on the same wave-length beside a few who enjoy a corrupt system.

However, the media has a role to play as in most instances only the bad is highlighted ignoring the good things in society.

This is not a healthy situation as in the bigger picture only the negative impact is disseminated where as many worthy incidents are not reported.

There should be a holistic approach as the business sector is an integral and important part of society, Yapa said."As a responsible Chamber, we support the creation of a corruption-free society through a multiple approach.

We work closely with the business community motivating to be corruption-free," he said.

"We are reviewing the Code of Ethics and will be further improving it to make our members abide by them and even go beyond it," he said.The Chamber will at no point be a stumbling block for any legal process regarding our members and will look at long-term stability and sustainability in adopting a prudent approach, Yapa said.

"We engage with the government during the policy-making stage on the prevention of corruption and make suggestions to improve the present system.

The Chamber will also be ready to engage with the government in any mechanism to minimise corruption and support a corruption-free environment to facilitate business growth," he said.

There must be a constant dialogue among all the stakeholders and commitment to reduce corruption. There are positive signs that the government is willing to continuously engage with the private sector to address the issue of corruption.

"We have the opportunity and freedom to discuss and improve the business climate. The business community as a responsible segment of society is deeply committed to a corruption-free society," he said.

Listed corporates and export oriented industries are governed by strict rules and regulations. Businesses should be transparent creating an eco system where they can do business without resorting illegal means, Yapa said.

"We support the government to bring reforms to improve the Ease of Doing Business Index. New legislation such as the Right to Information Act will also improve transparency of the government," he said.