Iftekharuzzaman Bangladesh has slipped four notches from the bottom to rank the 13th most corrupt country of the world in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2018, prepared by Berlin-based global watchdog Transparency International (TI).
On a scale of 0-100, Bangladesh scored only 26, reflecting its poor performance in combating corruption.
It shares the position with the Central African Republic and Uganda having the same score.
The country's position from the top of the list in preventing graft stood at 149th among 180 countries.
In the previous edition of the index (CPI 2017), Bangladesh's standing was 143rd from the top or 17th from the bottom with 28 points.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the local chapter of TI, released the findings of this year's CPI at its Dhanmondi office in the capital on Tuesday. The report was simultaneously made public elsewhere across the world.
In South Asia, Bangladesh did better than only Afghanistan (16 points), and it is the 4th lowest scorer among 31 Asia-Pacific countries, according to the latest CPI.
Top five performers in the index are -- Denmark (88 points), followed by New Zealand (87), Finland, Singapore and Switzerland (85), while the worst scorers are Somalia (10), Syria and South Sudan (13), Yemen and North Korea (14).
According to CPI 2018, no country could score 100, while 59 per cent (107 countries) scored less than the global average of 43, and only 29 per cent (nine countries) scored more than 50.
Pointing out that the global average of corruption control is 43, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said the country scored only 26, and this performance portrays prevalence of worrying level of corruption.
Against this backdrop, he called upon the government to take a stricter position and effective measures in realising its political commitment to prevent corruption.
Mentioning Bangladesh's performance as embarrassing, Dr. Zaman termed it 'steepest fall in a single year since 2008' (same in 2014 when the score fell to 25 from 27 in 2013).
Bangladesh is positioned among more than two-thirds of 180 countries, which scored below 50, and secured 4th lowest position among 31 Asia-Pacific countries.
Dr Zaman said Bangladesh could have performed better, as it has ability and efficiency enough to do so.
"One of the factors which might have contributed to Bangladesh's poor performance in the global index is lack of effective implementation of anti-corruption commitment or political will, although we do have such declarations," he said.
Other factors include rarely-addressed high-profile corruption, pervasive conflict of interest - political and government position perceived as means of enrichment, and unabated financial and banking sector crisis including loan default and bank fraud, the TIB executive director said.
Besides, he said, political control of contracting and recruitment business, unabated capital flight, weakening of institutions of accountability, deficit in effectiveness and independence of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and shrinking of media and civil society space might also have contributed to the recent performance.
Dr. Zaman said the recent statement of the Prime Minister announcing her government's 'zero tolerance' against corruption is a reflection of her political will. But effective implementation of this declaration should be ensured through applying it irrespective of status or identity.
For this, he suggested formulation of a national anti-corruption strategy in consultation with relevant experts and stakeholders.
"If such a versatile and time-bound strategy can be applied in short, medium and long terms with fair monitoring, Bangladesh will surely perform well in the global ranking."
CPI scores and ranks countries/territories based on how corrupt a country's public sector is perceived to be. For assessing Bangladesh's corruption scenario, TI evaluated data of eight international surveys from November 2016 to September 2018.
The surveys were - Economist Intelligence Unit Country Risk Ratings, Global Insight Country Risk Ratings, Political Risk Services International Country Risk Guide, World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey, World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index, and Varieties of Democracy Project.
No nationally-generated data, including those of TI or TIB's research or that of any other national chapter of TI, is considered for CPI.
TIB's adviser (executive management) Professor Dr. Sumaiya Khair, its director (research and policy) Mohammad Rafiqul Hassan, and director (outreach and communication) Sheikh Manjur-E-Alam were also present at the press briefing.
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