Sunday, July 12th, 2009The government can investigate the activities of Transparency International Bangladesh and graft allegations, if any, against its officials, Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said yesterday.“TIB's latest report “Parliament Watch 2009” that became the talk of the town in the past week didn't have any ill intention,” said the former chairman of TIB.The words “quorum crisis” used in the newspaper report was not right, but it is a fact that most of the parliament sessions commenced late,” Muzaffer, trustee board member of TIB, said.Muzaffer, however, welcomed Hasina'a eagerness to investigate TIB's activities and corruption allegations against its officials.“I don't have the information about ...
(read more) Friday, July 10th, 2009Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday came down heavily on Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) for its recent report saying that it was ill motivated and a machination to undermine the parliament.“Conspiracy is going on against the parliament. TIB's report is very much biased and ill-motivated,” Hasina, also leader of the House, said at the windup of the second session of the ninth parliament.Hasina, also Awami League chief, called upon the opposition to return to parliament and make it effective in the greater interest of the nation and democracy so that any unconstitutional clique cannot usurp the state power.TIB in its report ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) came under fire in the House yesterday for its report titled 'Parliament Watch 2009' that says Tk 5.41 crore got wasted due to quorum crisis in the inaugural session of the ninth parliament.Taking the floor on a point of order, Chief Whip Abdus Shahid blasted TIB for giving 'false information' on quorum crisis. Treasury bench lawmakers supported his views thumping desks.Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina was present in the sitting.“TIB undermined the parliament and the nation as well as by giving false information on quorum crisis and wastage of money,” Shahid said.Speaker ...
(read more) Sunday, October 26th, 2008Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Chairman Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said the strong feudal mentality of policymakers of the country's political parties would make the task of bringing democracy in party management difficult.“Political parties have changed their constitutions and we have read in newspapers that the Awami League and the BNP chiefs' powers have not been reduced much. If that is the case, I would say democracy in the parties has not come to the extent it should have," Prof Muzaffer said in an interview with The Daily Star."Since the feudal mentality in our politics is very strong, I do not think ...
(read more) Thursday, June 19th, 2008Corruption in education, health, land administration, local government and in different utility services sectors increased in the first half of 2007 despite the caretaker government's anti-corruption drives, a survey by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) found.In terms of magnitude, law enforcing agencies including the joint forces, police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) were found to be the most corrupt while land administration was found the most corrupt in terms of the amount of bribe that went into any sector, according to the National Household Survey on Corruption 2007.Bribery claimed 3.84 percent of per capita income of the country during the period.The ...
(read more) Monday, March 19th, 2007The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) does not wish to rush in without adequate appreciation of the situation while netting graft suspects."We shall have to proceed with a moderate pace, because there are issues of public predicament and proper investigation," ACC Chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury told journalists during a seminar at a hotel in the capital yesterday.The Academy for Educational Development (AED)/ Bangladesh Human Rights Advocacy Program (BHRAP), a USAID-funded initiative, organised the seminar on "UN Convention Against Corruption: Implications for Bangladesh".Asked if the ACC will make a single list of the corrupt and make it public as was requested by the ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 13th, 2007Around Tk 20 crore went down the drain as members of the 8th parliament did not attend the sessions in time leading to quorum crisis while the House failed to resolve audit objections involving over Tk 12,500 crore.The findings came out in a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) research into the activities of the 8th Jatiya Sangsad.Of Tk 13,154 crore audit objections concerning 15 ministries, the communications ministry alone had Tk 12,775 crore. The Public Accounts Committee (Pac) could realise only Tk 12 crore from it and left the rest for the government to deal with.TIB Research Officer Tanvir ...
(read more) Friday, January 26th, 2007Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday urged a thorough reformation of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that has remained ineffective for over two years since its inception.The ACC, which was formed to make the donor agencies happy, was not allowed to work as the hands and legs of the ACC commissioners were tied up, the speakers said at a press conference of TIB.They said the caretaker government should appoint personnel who can really work to stop corruption.They criticised the past government for not ratifying the UN Convention Against Corruption in spite of the fact that the country was branded as the ...
(read more) Sunday, December 10th, 2006Elimination of the use of black money and muscle power in general elections is the most crucial instrument for establishing an effective parliament that can ensure transparency and accountability of the government, said politicians and civil society members at a seminar in the capital yesterday.Once their use is stopped, honest and competent people can be elected to make parliament and its committees active, which can contribute to combating corruption in the ministries and other wings of the government, they noted.The speakers sought pledges from the political parties in their manifestos that they will form parliamentary committees on the first day ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 7th, 2006Bangladesh graduated to the third place from below on the corruption perception index (CPI) 2006 prepared by Berlin-based international anti-corruption organisation -- Transparency International (TI)."It does not mean that corruption in Bangladesh has gone down," said Professor Muzaffer Ahmad, chairman of the board of trustees of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), releasing the report at a news briefing in the National Press Club in Dhaka yesterday.Bangladesh no longer occupies the last place on the index, which is attributable more to poorer performance of several other countries than to a drop in corruption in Bangladesh, TI explained."My personal experience is ...
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