Millions Were Placed On My Table: CBK Makes Startling Revelation

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga spoke at the CA Sri Lanka President's Reflections program in Colombo on Wednesday (16), emphasizing the critical need for stronger anti-corruption laws and ethical governance in the country.

"They have to be completely unscrupulously honest," Kumaratunga stated, highlighting the necessity for integrity among public officials. She remarked, "We have all the rights; do you still need more? Well, I will be very happy; the more laws, the better."

Reflecting on her administration's efforts in 1994 to combat corruption, she noted, "We built the Bribery and Corruption Commission. There was something the government of President Wickremesinghe brought in new laws recently. The laws have to be there first; secondly, you need systems and procedures." Kumaratunga stressed that laws alone are insufficient without effective systems in place to control corruption, particularly in government tenders.

"The font of corruption in government are tenders," she explained. "There have to be clear tender processes for the first time." She recounted her involvement in drafting tender procedures in 1994, stating, "We sent in all the ministries saying you cannot carry out any tender side of this process given in this."

Kumaratunga also highlighted the importance of ethical leadership, stating, "You can have all the laws, and the systems that were thrown out from 2005 to 2015, but even if they are in name, people who implemented it have to have the right attitude." She shared a personal experience of resisting a bribe, recalling, "Five million dollars were brought to my table in Parliament, and I said, 'Take it and get out now.'"

She concluded by stressing the importance of instilling ethical values in future generations, stating, "You have to begin with the children's minds." Kumaratunga's call for stricter regulations and a focus on ethics resonated with attendees, underscoring the urgent need for systemic change in combating corruption in Sri Lanka.