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Wednesday, May 30, 2018
TISL calls for MP Interest Register
MAY 30 2018
In the aftermath of the revelations about Parliamentarian Dayasiri
Jayasekera receiving money from a Company controlled by primary dealer
Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) Owner Arjun Aloysius, Transparency
International Sri Lanka (TISL) reiterated the call for the need to
introduce and maintain a register or registry containing the interests
of MPs and other public representatives as an important step towards
preventing corruption.
The TISL highlighted the existence of a nexus between business and politics and this has been exposed yet again by the revelation before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court, that Jayasekara had received a cheque of Rs 1 million as a campaign donation from Walt and Row Associates, a Company closely associated to the PTL. The revelation before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, on the Treasury Bond issuances, of the relationship between then Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake, and the alleged perpetrators of the Bond scam, underscores the fact that this nexus knows no Party boundaries.
Speaking on the subject, TISL Executive Director Asoka Obeyesekere noted, “A Cabinet decision has already been taken on the need to limit election campaign spending and the Government has rhetorically stated its commitment to amending the Assets and Liabilities Declaration Law, to ensure that information regarding the wealth owned by people’s representatives can be shared publicly.
Public oversight is an essential component in tackling opaque financial dealings. However, at every turn, we have found lethargy among the leadership both in the Executive and the Legislature, when it comes to taking steps that will ensure greater accountability of public representatives. At this stage it is clear that lethargy is tantamount to complicity and urgent action to introduce interest registers/registries need to be taken”.
An interest register/registry allows both monetary and donations of the kind to be publicly recorded. This not only assists in holding MPs accountable, but also provides a standardized mechanism for public representatives to legitimately receive contributions from donors. This importantly can protect MPs from sinister aspersions being cast over seemingly clandestine donations. This can also allow for potential conflicts of interest to be proactively disclosed.
The TISL highlighted the existence of a nexus between business and politics and this has been exposed yet again by the revelation before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court, that Jayasekara had received a cheque of Rs 1 million as a campaign donation from Walt and Row Associates, a Company closely associated to the PTL. The revelation before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, on the Treasury Bond issuances, of the relationship between then Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake, and the alleged perpetrators of the Bond scam, underscores the fact that this nexus knows no Party boundaries.
Speaking on the subject, TISL Executive Director Asoka Obeyesekere noted, “A Cabinet decision has already been taken on the need to limit election campaign spending and the Government has rhetorically stated its commitment to amending the Assets and Liabilities Declaration Law, to ensure that information regarding the wealth owned by people’s representatives can be shared publicly.
Public oversight is an essential component in tackling opaque financial dealings. However, at every turn, we have found lethargy among the leadership both in the Executive and the Legislature, when it comes to taking steps that will ensure greater accountability of public representatives. At this stage it is clear that lethargy is tantamount to complicity and urgent action to introduce interest registers/registries need to be taken”.
An interest register/registry allows both monetary and donations of the kind to be publicly recorded. This not only assists in holding MPs accountable, but also provides a standardized mechanism for public representatives to legitimately receive contributions from donors. This importantly can protect MPs from sinister aspersions being cast over seemingly clandestine donations. This can also allow for potential conflicts of interest to be proactively disclosed.
