Marginal improvement in graft situation

Bangladesh has slightly bettered its ranking this year than that of the previous year in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), prepared by the global anti-graft watchdog, the Transparency International (TI). However, the country, which was adjudged as the most corrupt nation in a row for three years in the early part of 2000, still remains in the block of most corrupt nations as its score remains below 3.0 in the index. In fact, the Bangladesh score has been based on the scale of graft-related events in 2010 and it has not taken into account graft allegations about the much-talked-about Padma Bridge that surfaced during the current calendar year. Besides, inclusion of five more nations in the index might have also impacted this year's ranking. So, there should be no reason for becoming complacent over a very marginal improvement in the ranking this year, for the situation might be entirely different in 2012. This may sound pessimistic. But it is really hard to ignore the ground realities. The parties across the divide prior to the elections on December 29, 2008, had promised strong actions against graft by strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) as a truly independent body. But the people have hardly witnessed any notable change in the situation since a democratic government took over the reins of the country's administration almost three years back. Rather, some legal and administrative actions that have been taken during this period do not conform to the basic spirit of fighting graft. A case in point is the opportunity granted to invest black or undeclared income in different sectors of the economy, ignoring protests from economists and members of the civil society. Even a stern warning issued by a global anti-money laundering agency could not deter the government from rescinding the money-whitening provision. This kind of action, no doubt, encourages graft-taking and financial crimes at all levels. Similarly, a couple of laws adopted recently to help bypass the tough procurement rules in some areas of bidding in the telecommunications and power sectors have only promoted non-transparency, though some of those are understandably meant for expediting implementation of some priority projects. There are other actions of the government that run counter to its public pledge of rooting out corruption. However, the incumbent government deserves appreciation for enacting the Right to Information Act and approving the strategy paper for implementation of the goals of the UN convention on anti-corruption. These steps do otherwise highlight the government's seriousness in combating graft. Corruption is a global problem and no country, rich or poor, is immune to it. The difference is only in the scale of graft. But one particular factor -- the quality of governance -- does play the most important role in promoting or reducing graft in any country. Countries with track records of good governance in place have a lower rate of graft-taking. A good and clean government can only help combat corruption. There is no denying that tackling a problem like that of graft in a country like Bangladesh, where need-based rather than greed-based corruption is widespread, remains a daunting task. But a government determined to tackle this social malaise, which has the potential of unleashing severe growth-stunting blows to the economy, can surely make progress if it only allows bodies such as the ACC and other investigating agencies to work independently and without any bias.