Economic Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said if the politicians have good intentions, society will not decay and corruption will decrease.
Mr. Salehuddin also laid emphasis on ensuring transparency and accountability in the financial sectors.
He made the observations on Tuesday at a discussion meeting organised by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) at the Shilpakala Academy in the city on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day.
The finance adviser said corruption eats up a huge amount of money.
"Through corrupt people are jailed for life, the damage caused to the country cannot be fully repaired," he said.
Corruption will decrease only when society rejects the corrupt people, not just through punishment, Mr. Salehuddin, said, adding that society must learn to hate corruption.
Today, corrupt people are rewarded instead of being shamed, he observed.
Information about corruption should come from everyone in society, he noted.
He, however, said though enforcement is difficult, the ACC is now more visible and active than before.
Calling for a social movement against corruption, Salehuddin said in the past corrupt people were socially avoided and looked down upon. They could not even marry off their children. But now, people rush to honour them, he mentioned.
ACC Chairman Dr. Mohammad Abdul Momen said corruption has entered every part of society, but it can be removed slowly.
He said over the past 15 years, a lot of money has been smuggled out from the country. But, neither Bangladesh has proper communication with those countries, nor it has the required manpower to recover the money. That money is now treated as "dirty money" abroad, he added.
The ACC chairman said earlier money used to come from the Middle East and America to Bangladesh, but now money goes from Bangladesh to those countries and returns through different channels, often with "incentives."
He said such a big corrupt system cannot be changed in a day, a month, or even a year.
Mr. Momen said after August 5 last year, many people, including the Chief Justice and the Khatib of Baitul Mukarram, fled the country, which indicates how deep corruption had gone. If strong action had been taken early, Bangladesh would not have suffered for 15-16 years, he added.
He also mentioned that during the 2008 elections, a former prime minister submitted a wealth statement that showed 5.21 acres of agricultural land.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
