Dr Sarath Obeysekera

I had my education in  Moscow State University affiliated Institute of Petroleum with specialization in Exploration of Oil and Gas Fields and the exposure to Russian way of life has given me an insight of the Russian culture and thinking .

There was corruption among the police ,but I do not call it a corruption as the reason for  a policeman to earn a few bucks is to buy some luxury clothes or better pound of meat in supermarket ( Those days they had groceries) .

When We go out in the evening and return home late ,we used to hail a private car to take us to our hostel  .Once we get home an amount of 10 roubles was paid to the owner of the private car as the fee.

Once I hailed a car and found that the driver was a policeman in his uniform who had his cap between the seats of the driver and the passenger.

Though I thought that this policeman has given  a free lift ,I had the courtesy of telling him I usually pay  10 roubles for this trip and he looked at me with a smile and said Dorogoi ( means my loving friend) do you think I did it for free ?

I did not consider it as a bribe and willingly dropped 10 roubles into his opened cap and said Spacibo Bolshoi Thawarish Militioneer in a light vein  and walked back !!

After perestroika Russia has become part of the capitalist world and the few rouble deal has become mega deals .Today it is highly corrupted despite Mr Putin’s much hyped talk of eradication of corruption.

Before I left for Russia, only mode of corruption in Sri Lanka was within the Police service and may be a few rupee santhosam to a pion in an office .Corruption became more and more rampant after 1977 ,when J R came to power and the development of Mahaweli was the center of purported corruption deal .

You may have  heard about a corruption involving minister importing dry fish and many did not believe it .That was before J R came to power .

This is the extent of corruption we have heard of in Sri Lanka

Since then corruption has become the order of the day and people talk about mega deals and Mr 10% , , Mr Bond etc yet they walk around and boast that government has not caught any culprit .

My honest opinion is corruption makes development moving fast despite the fact that few people have a higher benefit than the rest .

God save corruption which essential is for development ,