Politicians should be held to account

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera- 2021/04/13

Norway’s Prime Minister (PM), Erna Solberg, was fined 20,000 kroner ($2,350) for breaking her own government’s Covid restrictions in connection with a party celebrating her 60th birthday. The circumstances would not usually trigger a fine, but police suggested that the PM be held to a higher standard.

“Even though the law is the same for everyone, not everyone is the same; it is therefore correct to issue a fine to uphold the general public’s trust in the rules on social restrictions,” said Ole Saeverud of the south-east district police force.

Solberg admitted and apologized for breaching national guidelines when she took part in a family gathering of 13 at a ski resort in February. The rule permitted a maximum of 10. While Solberg’s misstep hasn’t triggered calls for her resignation, it may well dent her popularity.

In August 2020, the European Union’s trade chief, Phil Hogan, was forced to resign after attending a dinner at which over 80 people were present. In neighbouring Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven saw his approval ratings slump after being caught on a shopping expedition, without a face mask.

Whenever I visit Australia, I am reminded by Sri Lankans living there that in June 1991 the Australian, PM Bob Hawke, pleaded guilty to not wearing a seat belt and was fined $80. Hawke was being filmed in a live television interview while cruising the streets of Brisbane, capital of Queensland State, at the time of the offence. Hawke, who normally buckles up in his official car’s front seat, moved into the back seat of his car so the cameraman could film him from the front.

It was reported that switchboards at the Queensland Police Department, newspaper offices, radio and television stations lit up with calls from viewers who saw that Hawke was not using his seat belt. It is compulsory to wear a seat belt in both front and back seats of vehicles in Australia.

Following the complaints, Hawke called the Queensland Commissioner of Police Noel Newnan and asked that he be treated like any other citizen.

‘The Prime Minister will be fined $80 and will lose one point on his driving license,’ a police spokesman said.

These are just two examples of the highest political officer in a country being held to account for breaking the rules. Neither of the transgressions was severe breaches of the law. However, both Solberg and Hawke accepted the violations and paid the fine. No attempt was made to evade their guilt.

For me, the most striking aspect of what took place in Norway was the statement made by Ole Saeverud of the south-east district police force. His comment that the PM should be held to a higher standard was truly courageous and a reflection of the independence with which public officials can discharge their duties, which contrasts with what happens in Sri Lanka and South-East Asia.

Unfortunately, for many decades our public servants have been servile to politicians. I recall my father, who served in the Foreign Ministry until the end of the 1980s, bristling with anger about how certain ministry officials posted overseas would even carry the foreign minister’s suitcases. This was done to seek promotions and postings to countries they desired.

There is video footage in social media of a former Inspector General of Police (IGP) subserviently taking instructions over the phone from a politician not to arrest a particular individual.

In the recently published book “Perils of a Profession” by retired SDIG Merril Gunaratne, he recounts with regret the Police’s decline after 1977. He has attributed the decline mainly to police officers seeking promotions by stooping to politicians.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith needs to be applauded for his demand that former President Maithripla Sirisena (MS) be legally prosecuted for his culpability to prevent the murder of over 250 innocent lives during the Easter Sunday bombings. He has been a consistent voice seeking justice for those who suffered. The inference that his recent statement is politically motivated is absolute nonsense.

The commencement of legal proceedings against those responsible for the Central Bank Bond scam is to be welcomed.

I believe a quick prosecution of MS and those guilty of the “Bond Scam “would, in some small way, go towards establishing public confidence that our politicians will be held to account for the transgression of the law and dereliction of duty.

I hope that the example of the police chief Ole Saeverud in Norway will act as a catalyst for at least a few police officers in Sri Lanka to enforce the law irrespective of the person breaking the law. I know it seems like a long shot, but we need to live in hope.

“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” – Jonas Salk