That combating corruption involves a process -- and is not certainly an event -- is admitted by all. But things in the country have hardly moved forward to deal with this menacing problem, in a hard and determined way. There is also a lot of controversy whether the cases, involving graft and corruption, are being pursued or 'withdrawn' with any pre-set goal or objective. That makes the need quite pressing for tackling this vice in a transparent way. Voices that are raised for combating corruption without having any bias or tilt for reasons of overt or covert connections with the power-that-be, must not be muffled.
Against this backdrop, the efforts by some vested interests to malign or harass or humiliate private sector think-tanks and organisations that are involved in anti-corruption campaigns are quite unsavoury, to say the least. One such anti-graft watchdog body -- the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) - has, thus, urged the government to ensure proper environment for the people working against corruption to help rid the country of this menace. This is quite unfortunate that sometimes the government high-ups publicly criticise those people who are working voluntarily to help combat corruption that hampers scope for work of the civil society in this area of some critical consequence for the country as a whole.
Viewed in this context, it is therefore no surprise that the country is yet to see meaningful and credible actions by the statutory body - the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) - that can arouse people's real confidence in it as an authority performing its assigned job to combat corruption, despite the oft-repeated commitment of the government to showing zero tolerance for any form of graft. A real drive against the hydra-headed monster - corruption - does thus continue to delude the people.
While there have been some positive initiatives at national and international levels to deal with the problem, much yet remains undone to demonstrate, what is termed, 'zero tolerance' of the drive against graft. A hydra-headed monster, corruption remains the worst enemy of development and good governance. Both the government and the people at large must come together to get rid of it. The situation becomes all the more precarious when some vested interests publicly try to undermine the institutions that are engaged in unmasking graft takers. And, then a hell simply breaks loose with all elements of good governance running afoul. Corruption does not only sap development prospects but also undermine democracy depriving the people of fundamental human rights. Pervasive corruption erodes trust in leadership and democratic institutions. It continues to make access of the poor and disadvantaged to the whole range of basic services and entitlements.
This will be pertinent to note here that the Right to Information Act could be an effective tool to curb corruption if the law is rigorously enforced. But the reality is otherwise. A good number of ministries, as reported in the media, do give a damn to complying with the provisions of the Act. They do not reply to emails although the use of information technology (IT) has, according to official claims, widened in government agencies. They only respond -- that too, not always -- to letters. It is high time for the government and all its relevant agencies to plug the holes through which corruption is bred. One way of doing so is ensuring people's access to information and disclosure to the extent permissible within the bounds of law and not by denying this. Otherwise, corruption will devour all gains that the country seeks to make through its development programmes.
Making substance of anti-corruption drive
FE Team | Published: December 11, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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