Political parties, as well as the police and the judiciary, are among the most corrupt sectors in Bangladesh, according to a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report. The report, released on Tuesday, stated that 60 per cent of the country’s population said corruption
has increased in Bangladesh, during the last two years.The respondents said petty corruption had reduced slightly during the same period.
The anti-graft watchdog revealed the report—”The Global Corruption Barometer-2012″—at a press conference at the BRAC Centre in Dhaka.
According to the report, 93 per cent of the respondents thought that political parties and the police department were the most corrupt in Bangladesh, while 89 per cent termed the judiciary as the third most corrupt sector.
The TIB survey report added that 76 per cent of the respondents marked corruption in the government sector as a serious concern. But 92 per cent of the participants said that common people had played a role in curbing corruption and that they wanted to play their role in reducing graft.
TIB director (research and policy) Rafiqul Hassan and programme officer Shahnur Rahman, made a PowerPoint presentation on the survey.
Responding to reporters, TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said the report did not intend to single out specific political parties for provoking corruption, but only described the general state of politics in Bangladesh.
He also said that political parties must take the responsibility for such alarming levels of corruption in society.
He observed that politicians often manipulate corruption by using their power. He described such tendencies as serious concerns, for democratic values in politics. “Political leaders often create pressure on government officials for taking particular decisions. People have lost their faith in political parties,” he added.
According to the survey report, corruption has increased 53 per cent all over the globe, in the last two years. In South Asia, Pakistan and Nepal tops the corruption list, while Afghanistan is at the bottom. Bangladesh occupies the third position in the corruption list.
About 93 per cent respondents think that political parties and the police are most corrupt, followed by the judiciary (89 per cent), Parliament (88 per cent), administration (84 per cent), private sector (83 per cent), media (60 per cent), education (55 per cent), NGOs (39 per cent), Army (32 per cent) and religious institutions (32 per cent).
The survey revealed that corruption in government offices has become alarming. The report said 76 per cent of the respondents in Bangladesh thought corruption as a severe problem in government offices.
On the other hand, the respondents said personal relations were very important for having something done in
government offices, 40 per cent of them termed it as very important.
In the last year, at least 39 per cent of people had bribed government officials to get their work done in government offices. In Bangladesh, 72 per cent of people had to pay bribes to police, 63 per cent to judiciary, 44 per cent to land officials, 33 per cent to officials responsible for meting out licences and permits, 16 per cent to health officials, 12 per cent to the educations sector, 10 per cent to the service sector (gas, power, water), and 8 per cent to tax officials. However, the trend of bribery have slightly came down in the service sector in 2012, compared to 2010.
Also, 32 per cent of Bangladeshi population feel that the government’s efforts fend off corruption as inadequate.
The TIB suggested that the government should involve people in the corrupt sectors, to eliminate corruption and ensure transparency and accountability. It also suggested that technology and the Right to Information Act, 2009, should be introduced in the service sector. It also stressed the use of Information Disclosure (Protection) Act, 2011, as well as the practice of democracy in political parties.
TIB further recommended that the Anti-corruption Commission should be made independent and effective, along with similarly accountable institutions.
Meanwhile, commenting on the Transparency International Bangladesh’s (TIB) report that found politicians as the most corrupt, the ruling Awami League joint general secretary Mahbub-Ul-Alam Hanif alleged that TIB published such report on corruption only to assassinate characters of politicians.
“What is the basis of TIB report; which method they did follow to prepare such report? It’s a baseless report. Actually this global organization published such report aiming at tarnishing the country’s politicians’ image,” Hanif, also a special assistant to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told The Independent.
Hanif said, “We have to think whether the TIB published such report with an aim to bringing non-political and unelected persons in power.”
On the other hand BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed has claimed that the report published by Transparency International of Bangladesh (TIB) proved BNP’s allegation was correct.
“We have been claiming the Awami League-led grand alliance government as corrupt and that has been proved correct through the TIB report. The government did not take any measure to curb corruption in the society,” he said.
Referring to the report, Moudud Ahmed said finger has pointed at the ruling Awami League for indulging in corruption through the report as we are not in power, for the last seven years.
Eminent jurist and president of Ganaforum Dr Kamal Hossain said that people want to see a society free from corruption in politics and black money.
“TIB has rightly presented the matter clearly in its report. If you ask every citizen of country, they would give you the same reply,” he said.
“The politicians with whom we did politics in the past were not busy in money making for themselves or their family members. But the politicians in the present are amassing huge among of black money through corruption,” he added.
However, he opined that everyone has to come out of the vicious circle to build up a corruption-free Bangladesh.
-With The Independent input
