Friday 10th November, 2023

Parliament yesterday unanimously resolved to remove the current office-bearers of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). It was a rare moment of unity among the warring MPs. A section of the government, however, argued that if the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to impose a ban on SLC by any chance due to the resolution in question, all 225 MPs should take responsibility for such an eventuality.

This line of reasoning is puzzling. Sri Lanka has had several interim committees to run SLC, and cricket gained under all of them; the ICC did not impose bans. Other countries such as South Africa and Pakistan have appointed interim committees, but the ICC has not banned their membership. It was under an interim committee that Sri Lanka won the cricket Parliament .

The aforesaid argument could be considered an affront to the ICC in that it implies that the international governing body for cricket is against action being taken to rid SLC of corruption. There is no reason why the ICC, which is also combating corruption, should oppose such a course of action, which will benefit cricket. Above all, neither SLC nor any other institution should be allowed to leverage its international connections to place itself above the law of the land. The Constitution of the Republic has been amended several times to curtail the powers of the executive presidency, and therefore SLC cannot be allowed to enjoy unbridled powers.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena, taking part in yesterday’s parliamentary debate, said corruption in cricket administration was not of recent origin. His argument is tenable, but the situation has taken a turn for the worse with the cricket administrators going so far as to undermine the State in furthering their own interests. Drastic action therefore had to be taken to control them.

New anti-corruption laws that the government is flaunting provide for legal action against corruption in the private sector as well. So, there is no way even those who maintain that SLC is not a public entity can claim that Parliament is not empowered to take action to tackle corruption in the cricket administration.

Such laws are in keeping with international best practices. One may recall that the Council of the European Union has, through a Framework Decision, made both active and passive corruption in the private sector criminal offences in all member states.

The vast majority of legislators representing both the government and the Opposition have unwaveringly rallied behind Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, who has courageously taken on the corrupt responsible for ruining cricket, but the sympathies of some of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s close allies seem to lie elsewhere.

President Wickremesinghe has proved that he can take care of his enemies, but he is in need of divine help to save himself from some of his friends!

The MPs of both sides of the House have demonstrated their responsiveness to public opinion and willingness to join forces to serve the interests of the country. It is hoped that they will cooperate similarly in respect of other national issues as well. One can only hope that what one has just witnessed in Parliament is a harbinger of a new beginning, and it will not turn out to be another false dawn.