Award-winning Sri Lankan journalist calls for fair bidding to ease debt burden

An award-winning Sri Lankan journalist on Apr.1 called for a level playing field on procurement and project implementation in the island nation so that every country can bid for projects at a fair price and its repayment of debt doesn’t suffer.

“I have constantly highlighted that there must be a level playing field when it comes to procurement and when it comes to project implementation so that every country can bid for projects at a fair price and it doesn’t affect our repayment of debt because we are heavily indebted,” Namini Wijedasa, the award-winning investigative journalist from Sri Lanka said in an interview.

“This is part of the reason for white elephant projects that we went for a high price or into corruption,” Wijedasa said.

On Apr.1, she received the prestigious International Women of Courage (IWOC) award from First Lady Melania Trump.

Established by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the annual award celebrates women leaders worldwide who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership, often at great personal risk or sacrifice.

“Her [Wijedasa] work not only aims to hold the most powerful accountable but also fosters dialogue on reconciliation, paving the way for a new generation of reporters,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during the awards ceremony held at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.

Wijedasa said Sri Lanka had a spate of post-war road construction projects, high-priced large-scale infrastructure projects such as ports and airports. “We have an airport in the south near Hambantota, which is not used at all. So, these are all projects for which we took heavy loans … well, the port is not doing too badly, but the airport is not used at all. Even the road infrastructure in some parts of the country we have massive road projects with absolutely no traffic but buffaloes. So those were the kind of things that I highlighted at the time that the projects were being given out,” she said.

On China and corruption

Responding to a question, the Sri Lankan journalist did not blame China for the debt crisis that her country is now facing. She said corruption among political leadership and bureaucracy is responsible for this. “I blame local decision makers. I do not blame external parties,” she clarified.

“To be frank, China has lent a lot to Sri Lanka, but I don’t blame China or any external party for the kind of projects they implemented. The decisions were made locally by Sri Lankan politicians based on what they thought was good for the country. China stepped in because Sri Lanka decided that they want to take these loans to build infrastructure, which in the short and medium term had very little returns for the country,” she said.

“Technically on paper, every election they [politicians] promise that there will be better implementation, better governance. We have had a lot of laws passed that are supposed to make things better for us in terms of solving corruption. But at the moment, as far as I can see as a journalist, it’s restricted to paper,” she said. Reduction in corruption, she said would require a fair procurement process, open competitive bidding, proper evaluation not based on nepotism and who you know the agents are and what the commissions are, she said.

She alleged that the politicians or the bureaucracy across the board have benefited from this large-scale corruption. “We have a serious issue of corruption and it would be wrong to blame politicians because they change every few years. But corruption is entrenched in the bureaucracy,” she added.

Wijedasa said the Trump administration could make things easier for smaller countries like Sri Lanka by exempting them from reciprocal tariffs.

“I think that these reciprocal tariffs that are taking place, I think the Trump administration might look at smaller countries, very small countries, especially countries like Sri Lanka that are coming out of a serious crisis and making a very deliberate effort not to be a burden on the rest of the world. Perhaps the Trump administration could focus on how they could go easy on countries like that when it comes to reciprocal tariffs,” she said.

With over 30 years of experience in journalism, Wijedasa began her career chronicling the human toll of Sri Lanka’s civil conflict and giving voice to those affected by its aftermath. Over time, her focus shifted to combating corruption through investigative reporting, bringing critical accountability issues to the forefront and inspiring the next generation of journalists.

“Through her work, Ms. Wijedasa has consistently championed accountability, emphasizing that meaningful change can only be achieved when the people demand transparency from those in power, urging them to address the nation’s long-standing challenges. Despite restrictive legislation that had a chilling effect on many reporters and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, she remains undeterred in her pursuit of positive change,” the State Department said.

“Her work not only aims to hold the most powerful accountable but also fosters dialogue on economic prosperity and transparent governance, paving the way for a new generation of reporters and ensuring a legacy of courageous, impactful journalism,” it said.