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Download PDF The government must ensure transparency and due process of law in the ongoing crackdown on corruption to make certain its success while political will of the future governments is required to guarantee its sustenance, said discussants at a roundtable on corruption yesterday.
The caretaker government should also review its policies as public confidence in the crackdown on corruption dipped recently, said the speakers who were participating in daily Prothom Alo roundtable titled “Effective steps to curb corruption” at Hotel Sheraton in the capital.
Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury said the anti-corruption drive will not be sustainable without the political will of the next elected government.
“The opportunity of this period has to be taken so that another person, party or government cannot destroy or corrupt the system when an opportunity arises,” he said, adding, “We have to block the way to the past.”
He also said despite some “grey” areas in the relationship between the ACC and the National Coordination Committee against corruption and crime, there are no legal ambiguities in their operational boundaries.
“Some errors may occur as this is an experiment but it is serving the purpose so, I do not think there should be a problem in future,” he added.
He said a government that lacks people’s trust and ownership breeds corruption and it would take time to get rid of corruption.
Mashhud said he would not take corruption suspects to court without proper evidence given that there is a chance they might allege that their confessions were taken under duress, the ACC is looking to ensure that all relevant documents are collected for foolproof prosecution.
Muzaffar Ahmed, chairman of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Trustee Board, said it is impossible to curb corruption without addressing the basic need and salary issues of public servants. He said a permanent commission should be created or a meticulous examination of the costs of living must be undertaken to address the issue.
He also identified the creation of “islands of integrity” where unions (a group of villages) could be turned into models for being corruption free. He said these islands would comprise not only of corruption-free government agencies but also non-government organisations, and businesses.
Muzaffar, also a noted economist, said the steps being taken by the government are good but should be more transparent in their approach. He said the “root causes” of corruption must be eradicated as well as tangible cases.
Former adviser to a caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan proposed the creation of “truth and reconciliation commission” and mass dismissals in the public service as the only way towards cleaning up “the mess”.
He said it would be close to impossible to individually try each corruption case and the truth and reconciliation commission could ensure that each corrupt politician could pay a nominal fine and say they would not run for any elections for 10 years. If they do not, then they can be tried in court, he added.
Akbar said, “This society is ready for a revolution. This mess cannot be swept aside by reforms; the mess needs to be burned by the fires of a revolution.”
He said the current public service administration is working beyond its capacity and should reduce its workload to ensure efficiency and there needs to be mass dismissals to remove the corrupt public servants otherwise they would continue to plague the system.
The former adviser and cabinet secretary also said the judiciary should be made corruption-free, while administration reforms should ensure internal checks and balances for ministers and top executives.
Public Service Commission Chairman Sadaat Hossain observed that he has noted a significant negative change in tone of the media and the public regarding the government and that the government should pay close attention to it.
He also hoped that problems with prosecution procedures do not hinder the prosecution of “substantive” issues such as large-scale corruption. Minor discrepancies should be ignored in favour of more significant offences. Sadaat also said the ACC should demonstrate that it is an autonomous organisation.
National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Badiur Rahman said if civil servants cannot support their families with their salaries then corruption would not be curbed, as civil servants would veer towards extra-legal ways to provide for their families.
He said if the minimum demands are met, then corruption would also go down. The salary structures need to be re-examined and improved for the civil servants, he added.
Badiur said the NBR is reducing the chances of tax evasion by simplifying tax return procedures, separating business and individual tax return forms, and making it self-assessed.
He also said that the NBR has started a reward system for its employees by committing 10 percent of above-target revenues to employee bonuses.
Former adviser to a caretaker government and Ain O Shalish Kendra Executive Director Sultana Kamal said the government’s survival depends on greater coordination, as the people would not stand for a disorganised and inefficient government.
Outlining the human effects of corruption, ranging from its effects on education and health to broad public service delivery systems, the former adviser said the government must ensure that it remains engaged with the people.
She also expressed her fears saying a number of corruption cases are being trivialised and hoped that the judiciary will be cleaned up in time to prosecute the corrupt people.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the ongoing anti-corruption drive is unprecedented, being high profile and high speed, which involves some risks such as circumventing laws.
He said failure in following due process of law may raise question among the people and “We cannot make it (anti-corruption drive) successful unless it is owned by the people.”
“The government has to make sure that to prevent the abuse of power, they do not abuse it themselves,” he said adding the current crackdown and institutional reforms would have a positive effect on Bangladesh’s ranking in the corruption perceptions index.
But an improvement in the indexed ranking would depend on the perception of corruption by the Bangladeshi business community, Iftekhar added.
Manzoor Hassan, Director of Brac University’s Centre for Governance Studies, said given the extraordinary circumstances, some “established rules have to be broken” as negative fallouts are experienced elsewhere in the world during anti-corruption drives.
Manzoor also mentioned the myths that prevented people from fighting corruption in Bangladesh and said that the events, after the state of emergency declaration on January 11, are debunking them by demonstrating that corruption can be reduced significantly here.
Legal expert and academic Shahdeen Malik said exemplary punishment must be meted out to corrupt judiciary members to ensure greater discipline and efficiency in the judiciary.
Malik also cited the law enforcement agencies’ lack of experience in finding evidence for the corruption cases, as they are more accustomed to gun or narcotic-related crimes.
But, he said, given the description of the corruption in the papers, the charges would be very difficult to defend in court.
Dhaka University Public Administration Professor Salauddin M Aminur Rahman said that people have to be made aware of “rights-based” approach to public service delivery.
Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, who presided over the roundtable, said though the recent arrest of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has split political opinions, it has proven that no one charged with corruption is above the law in the country.
Prothom Alo Joint Editor Abdul Quaiyum also spoke on the occasion.
July 22nd, 2007 at 6:52 pm
No law will ever eradicate corruption from Bangladesh.
We need honest ALLAH fearing people who are never
enticed or motivated by corruption.
Therefore people the of Anti Corruptin head
must be a person/persons who are not only honest but also of sound financial background. They must have whale like strength so that not devoured by small fishes.
A light of honesty will kindle other lights
without being putingoff itself,
provided the light is fume & ardourless!
Thank you.