More than 160 Complaints have been received by Transparency International Sri Lanka’s Program for Protection of Public Resources (PPPR) against the misuse of public resources by certain candidates and their party members as of 10th January 2010.
The complaints include treating at state expense, use of state buildings as political offices, misuse of state owned vehicles, erecting hoardings at the expense of public institutions, using of public officials for campaign work.
The PPPR is currently investigating the complaints and the verified complaints will be released to the public within next two days as the second report. First report of the PPPR was issued on the 31st December 2009.You can access the first report at www.tisrilanka.org/pppr
We have received complaints from all over the country. Using of public officials for campaign work has extended to even diplomats of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service and secretaries of the ministries addressing political gatherings.
A large amount of money has been spent on advertisements by candidates although sources of such funding remains opaque to the public.
The PPPR appeals to the public to report every activity of misuse of Public Resources with reliable information. This information can be passed on to the PPPR on (011) 5769 769, (011) 5654 654, fax 5627432, or write to Program for Protection of Public Resources, Transparency International Sri Lanka, 28/1 Bullers Lane Colombo 7 or email pppr2010@gmail.com.
Misuse of on state resource (State building, vehicle, helicopter, airplane or any mode of public transport, or any employee of any Government –Semi Government institution, the airtime or printing facilities) by any political party, Presidential Candidate or any other person is a punishable offence.