Adverting to your commendable editorial today (25th June ’09) in The Island, the easiest way to win the battle against corruption is in my humble opinion, by the reduction of so called government in this country to the barest minimum. Though the easiest, it is by no means an easy task given the propensity of our politicians to make Constitutions and Laws to perpetuate themselves in office obviously for their private gain. The number of politicians that we have had since independence who thought of the welfare of their country, can easily be counted on the fingers of one hand. The myth that some of them are indispensable is like the myth that Prabhakaran was invincible.

Constitution making is far too sacred a task to be entrusted to a bunch of corrupt politicians. It must be done by a constituent assembly of common citizens who will have the real welfare of the country at heart. Does a small country like Sri Lanka need such a huge Parliament and the biggest Cabinet in the world? A small group of intelligent people (say about 100) and a cabinet of 10 and a smaller Upper Chamber is quite sufficient to govern this small island nation efficiently and with a sense of dignity. Politicians are generally corrupt all over the world and the only way to reduce corruption, both material and moral, is to reduce their numbers. Instead, we have situation in which they are multiplied like rats and rabbits.

Honestly speaking, we do not need all kinds of local authorities as well as the corrupt white elephant known as Provincial Councils. Most of these are in fact Garbage Councils which accumulate mountains of garbage here, there and every where instead of collecting them, not to mention the garbage these councils comprise of. An efficient Commissioner with a staff of garbage collectors can do the job without a mayor, deputy mayor and a host of councilors. The colonial British thought that these petty councils would train the local natives in higher forms of representative democracy. Instead, today they are just steps in a corrupt ladder that leads to the cabinet.

The American Constitution was drafted by a group of patriotic Americans who desired to rid themselves of the scourge of British colonialism and designed their Constitution to sustain the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and it has unbrokenly sustained them for more than 200 years. Let us imbibe what is good in it - an unchangeable date every four years in the month of November for the election of the President and the inauguration of the President on the 20th of January in the following year. Nobody, not even the President can play ducks and drakes with it like in the Westminster type constitutions.

Term limits for every politician from the President downwards a cabinet of ministers limited by number are called for. Above all, let those who yearn to serve their motherland, serve her free of charge. A modest allowance to sustain themselves is more than enough. No salaries, no pensions and no salaries etc for their kith and kin. No single politician must be above the law. The activities of the government, and all its agents and agencies must be transparent and accountable to the people.