Political parties, police most graft-ridden : TI

---

FE Report Political parties and police department have been identified as the two most corruption-ridden areas in Bangladesh, according to a survey of Berlin-based Transparency International. Local chapter of the anti-graft organisation -- Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) unveiled the results of the survey, titled 'Global Corruption Barometer-2012', at a press conference at BRAC Centre Inn in the capital. Country's judiciary was listed the second most corruption-plagued area in the TI survey findings. The latest edition of corruption barometer is based on a survey of 114,270 respondents in 107 countries, including 1822 in Bangladesh. It addresses people's direct experience with bribery and details their views on corruption in the main institutions in those countries. Showing Bangladesh's current situation in the global survey, TIB Director (Research and Policy) Rafique Hasan said 93 per cent of the surveyed respondents consider political parties and police department as the most corrupt while 89 per cent respondents think judiciary is the second most corrupt institution. He said the report was based on the questionnaire. "So, we did not make the questionnaire," he said, adding that only 58 per cent respondents termed the political parties as most corrupt here in 2010. Citing the report findings, Mr Hasan said 60 per cent people who responded to the TI survey think the rate of corruption has increased during the last two years (2011-2012) while the rate of paying bribe in eight public service sectors came down slightly in 2011-12 compared to its previous report, which was released in 2010. The eight sectors are police, judiciary, land, registration and permit services, health, education and tax. As per experience-based data collected during the survey, the top corrupt sectors that take bribe are police (72 per cent), judiciary (63 per cent) and land service (44 per cent). The survey says about 58 per cent people think that paying bribe is the only way of getting government services. About 76 percent identified graft as a serious problem in the matters of receiving services from official agencies. Around 40 per cent respondents opine that personal relation is very important in receiving public services while 90 per cent say the government is frequently influenced by political elements or activists and business groups. About 92 per cent say people can play an effective role in checking graft as many want to take part in anti-corruption activities. TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said it is a matter of optimism that most people want to take part in the anti-corruption campaign but they do not get enough response from the government to this effect. "We think it is possible to root out corruption from the country through active participation of common people, government and politicians," he said. He said 32 per cent people consider the government measures in curbing graft is ineffective while only 26 per cent respondents have trust in the government's anti-corruption initiatives.