Progress on investigations of 26 public enterprises: 

COPE quarterly report  in early June

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Parliamentary watchdog, COPE Chairman Sunil Hadunnetti said they would present a quarterly report to Parliament in the first week of June on the progress of the investigations on 26 public enterprises which come under the COPE purview.

COPE began investigations on 26 public enterprises from January 26 this year. We have decided to present a quarterly report by summarising the key problems faced by these 26 public institutions, COPE chairman told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

He said the COPE staff is now compiling the report and added that they hope to place it in Parliament in the first week of June.

Among the 26 public enterprises investigated by COPE are the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB), SriLankan Airlines, Lankaputhra Development Bank, Rakna Lanka, Jana Wasama and Elkaduwa Plantations.

Hadunnetti said COPE has already made its recommendations on preventing unwarranted appointments, recruitment and financial frauds. COPE can only make its recommendations, but taking legal action based on them is entirely up to the President, Prime Minister, Cabinet and the relevant Minister. If they fail to fulfil their responsibility, the COPE recommendations would be meaningless, he said. “People really want to make COPE “Another 119” for anti-corruption. The public has the potential to fulfil this task of national importance. If the public take a keen interest, we can prevent any form of corruption in public institutions.

The results of the last Presidential and General Elections are clear proof of what the people in a democracy could really do.”

We have already submitted proposals to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya stressing the need to open the COPE and Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) to the media to ensure transparency. This is a long-felt need and this should be done even amending the Standing Orders in Parliament. We have also made a request to the Attorney General to nominate a representative to COPE, he said.

The annual audit reports, financial statements, disbursement of profits and services rendered to the people are discussed by COPE so that people should be made aware of these things.

If they are denied the flow of such vital information, it is not in the national interest, he said.