Corruption Perception Index 2014

Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2014 released by Transparency International  Bangladesh (TIB) on December 3 shows that Bangladesh's position has worsened in both score and ranking. The country has scored 25 on a scale of 0-100 this year, two points lower than its score in 2013.
Globally, Bangladesh's ranking fell nine steps from the top. It is ranked 145th in 2014 from 136th in 2013 among 175 countries surveyed this year. Bangladesh is the second worst performer in South Asia, better than only Afghanistan. All other South Asian countries --- Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Pakistan --- are placed higher than Bangladesh.
The TIB Executive Director said Bangladesh's profile was overshadowed by the government's failure to fight corruption, curtailment of Anti-Corruption Commission's independence and lack of the agency's professionalism and moral courage; and grabbing of land, rivers and wetlands. Hall-Mark, Destiny and share market scams, the Padma bridge corruption conspiracy and graft in railway recruitment contributed to Bangladesh's poor ranking.
Besides, the Rana Plaza collapse, and cases of loan defaulters having political links were among the deciding factors.
He added that the highest deposit of ill-gotten money with the Swiss Bank had been from Bangladesh last year, while the second-highest number of houses owned in Malaysia under the 'second home scheme' was also from Bangladesh.
The TIB Chairperson said that the government's sweeping denial of corruption and a culture of impunity and protection of those accused of corruption have contributed to Bangladesh's downslide. Corruption in Bangladesh goes unchecked as constitutional bodies like parliament and judiciary as well as statutory bodies such as the Human Rights Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Information Commission cannot assert power and play due role for the executive branch's overriding influence everywhere, he has said.
Countries perceived to be least affected by corruption are Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Singapore, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Canada.
Launched in 1995, CPI provides annual international comparison of countries by perceived prevalence of political and administrative corruption. It is a global survey on governance and corruption related indicators conducted by reputed international organisations. It is based on assessment by country experts and analysts, business people, investors and investment analysts within or outside the country concerned.
Information used in the index relate to perception of corruption in the public sector, particularly political and administrative; conflict of interest, unauthorised payments in the delivery of government functions, justice, executive, law enforcement and tax collection. The government's capacity to control corruption is also considered.
No nationally generated data is included in CPI. At least three international surveys on the country concerned are needed for a country to be included in the index. CPI is produced by the research department of TI Secretariat in Berlin. Scores are reviewed and validated by the German Institute of Economic Research, while methodological excellence is ensured by a panel of international experts. CPI 2014 is based on data from 12 international surveys.
Factors that may have prevented Bangladesh from better performance include persistent deficit in delivery matching pronouncements against corruption. Political and government interventions, direct or indirect, have continued to undermine the independence and effectiveness of the Anti-Corruption Commission. On the other hand, the ACC is also not known to have demonstrated professionalism, vibrancy and courage to act effectively enough within its legal mandate and institutional capacity to send a signal that corruption is indeed a punishable offence. The same is true for the nationalised banking sector. The denial syndrome has prevented the prospect of accountability which has fed into a culture of impunity.
People with direct or indirect links with power have continued unauthorised capture of land, forest, river and water bodies, and the practice of loan default. The capture of tenders has continued. Powerful people including public representatives give the impression that being in power means a mandate to accumulate wealth.
Nothing has happened against alleged accumulation of massive wealth disproportionate to legitimate income. Abuse of power was demonstrated when the crests of honour presented to foreign friends of the Liberation War were found to be adulterated. The Prime Minister commented that another set of crests would be presented to the guests.
The practice of rewarding black money has continued. Bangladesh is a leading customer of Malaysian 'second home' project, a popular conduit of illicit money transfer. One opposition politician has remarked that corruption has always gone up during the tenure of Awami League government.
Doing better in CPI will depend on the ability of the government and political leadership to ensure that power is not captured by those who benefit from corruption. For example, chairmen and directors of state-owned banks must not be appointed from pro-govt elements. Institutions of accountability such as ACC, law enforcement agencies, administration and justice must be allowed to function independently and neutrally.
Transparency International Bangladesh does not play any role in preparing the CPI. No analysis is sent to CPI by TIB. The same is true with other countries. In his reaction, the ACC Commissioner said the report did not reflect the actual situation.
The Prime Minister said her government would verify the report. She added that the source of income of those who speak about corruption and how they spend the money would also be investigated. She said military dictators brought about corruption in the country. TIB should disclose the names of the sectors where corruption was taking place.
Despite pledges made by successive governments to rid the country of the scourge of corruption, it continues to rise. It is our hope that Bangladesh's CPI will not be worse next year.

The writer is an economist and columnist.
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