Blatant and rampant corruption and nepotism prevalent in Sri Lanka were highlights of a  keynote speech to the recently concluded conference, Sri Lanka – is war the only solution to the ethnic conflict organised by the International Network of the Sri Lankan Diaspora in Berlin, Germany. Well known Sri Lankan lawyer and Executive Director of Transparency International (Colombo), J.C.Weliamuna was addressing the three day conference on its second day.

Corruption, he said, became a subject of public discussion only during times of elections in Sri Lanka. Thereafter the Sri Lankan public left it in the hands and care of the politicians. But in a democracy unless there was public ‘demand’, politicians would let things be as they are at present. English language media pursued an anti corruption drive but the same could not be said of the mainstream Sinhala media. Strangely, while bribery was immediately seen as corruption, nepotism came to be almost accepted as something natural. India he said, given public awareness and the right to information in that country had been far more successful in dealing with all forms of  corruption in public life.

Highlights of the Weliamuna power point presentation:

Verena Harpe of Amnesty International spoke of the European Union’s trade relations with Sri Lanka and the trade concessions granted to the island and questioned the morality of doing so in the context of that country’s deplorable record on corruption and human rights.Trade and aid should not turn a blind eye to ethical and human concerns. Dr.Elke Lobel of BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation for Development) described bilateral German Sri Lankan developments and announced that aid had currently been frozen.

Ms.Inparani Bejach of the International Network of the Sri Lankan Diaspora bemoaned the loss of their home country that continued to haunt them in exile here in Germany – a human tragedy that had been hidden from the world.

The conference adopted the following resolutions:
*Stop the inhuman war immediately and resume peace talks. The parties to the conflict are earnestly urged to give high priority to safeguarding human rights.
*Stop harassment, arrests, disappearances and murders – particularly of those working in the media - and ensure that the ethnic minorities in the Island enjoy equal rights to live in peace and dignity.
*Stop indiscriminate attacks and the bombing of civilian targets.
*History and experience teach us that economic prosperity and social harmony can be attained for all in Sri Lanka only if there is a just political solution through power-sharing.

The conference determined to work towards these ends, with those Sri Lankans in the diaspora, concerned individuals and organizations joining forces with Sri Lankans within the Island. Organised by the International Network of the Sri Lankan Diaspora, the Protestant Academy Bad, Germany, and the Association for Conflict-prevention, Democracy and Human Rights, Munich, the conference was supported by the German Foreign Ministry, the German Centre for Political Study, the Institute for Foreign Relations, and by Medico International