FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2006
AS-051-2006
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
SRI LANKA: Fear syndrome may also extend to Auditor General’s department
Reports following the attack by Sri Lanka’s Treasury Secretary on the Auditor General indicate there is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and undermine the Auditor General’s Department. On March 26, 2006 Lanka Business Online reported that according to the Auditor’s Union, the entire system of checks and balances to ensure transparency within government accounts is being weakened. The Union further remarked that angry auditors may go on strike to show their displeasure and prod the authorities to act on their findings.
In response to the initial criticism of the Treasury Secretary–that independent reports published by the Auditor General could be discouraging to the public sector–a member of the Audit Service Association noted,
“When a senior government officer says something like this, it reflects badly on the independence of auditors. The message that comes through is that we should not audit. The Auditor General S.C. Mayadunne is himself quoted as saying my staff are restless, it is a problem for me. My staff complain that they would find it difficult to go into state institutions and do their jobs. They are accusing me of staying silent.”
The reluctance of the Auditor General’s staff to enter government departments and do their job as professionally required, indicates that fear may be taking hold amongst them as well; it is well known throughout the country that the carrying out of normal duties can cost someone his life or employment. Incidents of persons facing severe repercussions for carrying out custom duties, policing duties, judicial duties and even simple citizen’s duties such as giving evidence in court, are commonplace. Many persons have even lost their lives. Fear has become so widespread that even two Supreme Court judges are not willing to elaborate on the ‘matters of conscience’ that led to their recent resignation, despite many expressions of public sympathy. Fearing for their security, many lawyers do not want to take up controversial issues. In this way, the entire society has been paralysed by a fear syndrome.
The Treasury Secretary’s criticism of the Auditor General may have been meant to reinforce such fears. The intimidation of auditors poses considerable threats to the whole society. In many countries, such as Cambodia, serious auditing is not socially encouraged and it is therefore quite difficult to find reliable auditors. As a result, neither the public nor the private sector can function effectively. Sri Lanka is at present close to facing such a situation.
In recent times various sectors of Sri Lankan society, including the business community, have realised the need for resistance to such fear, which is spreading rapidly. Among civil servants, there has always been support for attempts to resist fear. The support shown by Sri Lankan citizens during the last three years to the institutions under the 17th Amendment is clear proof that they want change.
The Asian Human Rights Commission urges all concerned groups and individuals to rally around the Auditor General and his department and to defend their right to do their duty. The loss of this last foothold of accountability will result in the significant increase of corruption, which is already at disastrous levels. It will affect all areas of life, including healthcare, education and taxation. Even in areas such as disease and disaster control, proper accounting and transparency are necessary for effective management, as indicated by Sri Lanka’s failure to deal with the aftermath of the tsunami. There is a real danger of this failure spreading to other areas, including the recent increase in cases of HIV. If this state of affairs is not addressed, not only will the lives of many innocent people be at risk, but Sri Lanka will reach a point of complete societal collapse from which recovery may never occur.
