Imagine a system where you couldn’t trust whether justice was being served fairly, where the outcome of an investigation might depend not on the facts, but on who you know or which political side you support. That’s the concern many Sri Lankans are grappling with right now as questions swirl around two institutions meant to protect us all: the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and the National Police Commission (NPC).
These aren’t just bureaucratic bodies. They’re the guardians of our faith in the system, the institutions we turn to when corruption needs investigating and when police power needs checking. When they work properly, they give us reason to believe in the rule of law. But when doubts creep in, they shake something fundamental.
The appointment of CIABOC’s new Director General has sparked real concern. Here’s why it matters: the person leading an anti-corruption agency shouldn’t be chosen because of political connections, they should be chosen because they’re the right person for the job. Yet whispers of political pressure surrounding this appointment have left many wondering whether that standard was met. And when people start questioning how someone was appointed to fight corruption, you’ve got a credibility problem.
The NPC faces similar challenges that hit closer to home for everyday Sri Lankans. This body decides who becomes a police officer, who gets promoted, and who faces discipline. In other words, it shapes the police force we interact with every day.
When you’re left wondering whether the badge on someone’s chest represents the law or a political agenda, that’s when communities start pulling away from the very institutions meant to protect them.
The NPC’s job is to prevent exactly this. It’s supposed to be the buffer between police power and political power. But in recent years, many Sri Lankans have begun to question whether that buffer still exists.
This isn’t about pointing fingers at individuals; it’s about what these institutions must become to earn back public trust.
Why This Matters for All of Us
When these institutions work properly, they give ordinary people a reason to believe in justice. They’re why we can report a crime and hope it’s investigated fairly. They’re why corruption can be exposed regardless of who’s involved. They’re the scaffolding that holds up the entire rule of law.
Without them, or with compromised versions of them, we don’t just have weak institutions. We have a society where power becomes unaccountable, where fairness becomes a luxury, and where people start believing the system is rigged.
Sri Lanka’s democracy depends on institutions that operate independently, fairly, and with genuine accountability. That’s not idealism, it’s the bare minimum for a functioning society. When CIABOC and the NPC operate free from political pressure, they don’t just serve their mandates, they serve all of us. They remind us that the rule of law still means something.
That’s the independence Sri Lankans deserve. And that’s what these institutions must protect.