Mirza Aziz sees declining corruption trend
Friday, 20 June 2008
Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam said Thursday the intensity of corruption in Bangladesh, mainly high-profile ones, has declined to some extent, reports UNB.
"It doesn't seem to me that the Advisers of the caretaker government are involved in corruption or one can bring allegations against them," he told reporters about his personal observation on, and analysis of, the findings of the Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) in its latest sample survey on the state of corruption in the country at the Planning Ministry.
The Adviser was replying to a question about the findings of the TIB survey that indicated that corruption in Bangladesh has not declined, despite the government's anti-graft drive.
'We've definitely made some progress in this regard,' he said, following a meeting with the visiting six-member delegation from the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The members of the delegation arrived in the city Wednesday night on a six-day visit to Bangladesh.
He, however, expressed satisfaction as the TIB report stated some improvement in the revenue department.
The Adviser apparently sought to downplay the findings in the TIB's survey.
ADB Executive Director (ED) Sebastian Paust, the delegation leader, said the government has made some improvements in reducing corruption, which is one of the major challenges to development and economic growth of the country. "Once the elected government takes office, they should continue the efforts," he said.
He also suggested pay-hike for the government employees to encourage them not to take the so-called speed money and for strengthening the public administration.
The objectives of the ADB delegation's visit to Bangladesh are to listen, learn and look at the country's development, economic achievements, prospects and challenges.
Paust said they assured Bangladesh of continuing their assistance to help tackle its difficult problems, including food security, climate change issues and infrastructure deficiencies in energy and power sector.
He also said the Finance Adviser apprised them of targeted measures to mitigate the price situation, particularly the food-price.
"If the price level goes up further, it would be difficult for Bangladesh to tackle the situation."
Replying to a question, the ADB ED said the major short-term challenge for Bangladesh is the prices of food, fuel oil and fertiliser that are driving up the inflation and people are paying high prices for that.
He noted the long-term challenges facing Bangladesh are energy and power, good governance and combatting corruption. He said the adviser apprised them that there had been improvements in energy and power sector in the past though the demand for electricity and gas had also gone up.
The Finance Adviser said they discussed the country's overall economic situation and the members of the visiting ADB delegation were happy in general over what Bangladesh was doing.
He said they came up with a positive view about Bangladesh for its achievements, despite having many challenges when it comes to growth, as most countries reduced their growth projections, and also with regard to containing the inflation relatively better than that of other regional countries.
He said the ADB would consider increasing the food security assistance from US$ 130 million that has already been committed for the next fiscal year.
"I don't think there will be a food crisis in the next fiscal year unless there is a disaster like the Sidr," Dr Aziz said, replying to a question.
Asked about stopping open market sale (OMS) operation, he said it is not practical to have procurement and OMS at the same time as the procurement price is higher than that of the OMS.
"We'll go back to the OMS, if necessary, on completion of the procurement drive," he added.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said it is not perturbed by the TIB report suggesting rise in corruption, especially petty graft, as the report reflected the scenario from mid-2006 to mid-2007, when the current purge did not get off.
The reconstituted anti-graft watchdog led by former Army Chief Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury assumed office at the end of February last year.
"The Commission is not startled by the TIB report as the duration reflected in the report was from mid-2006 to mid-2007," ACC Director General (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal, who is also the ACC spokesperson, told reporters at the Commission's regular briefing in response to the TIB report that was published Wednesday.
Responding to a volley of questions, he, however, did not disagree with the findings by the TIB about rising corruption in some sectors.
About increase in petty corruption, Hanif said, "The Commission is not saying that petty corruption did not increase."
The director general said the Commission, which has chased many top ruling politicians of the past into prison under the anti-corruption drive in the interim period would work after taking the practical recommendations made in the TIB report into consideration.
He said that in the next report on the corruption scenario after mid-2007 would be reflected and then, possibly, it would be clearer which way the situation was actually moving.
Hanif said the Commission does not believe at all that in an imaginative way like 'Aladin's Wonder Lamp', the state of corruption would be changed overnight.
Whatever the result of evaluation of the state of corruption, he said, the anti-graft body's efforts would continue to eradicate corruption, or bring corruption to a tolerable level.
Asked how along it would take to do that, he said no one would be able to give any timeline in this regard.
He said the ACC would try to make things better by working to the best of its ability after detecting the sectors where rampant corruption takes place.
The ACC spokesperson reminded all concerned that it would not be possible for the Commission alone to combat corruption. Concerted efforts are required to achieve the end, he added.
Responding to a remark made by TIB Chairman Prof Mozaffar Ahmed that the ACC was only concerned with corruption of the yester years, he said it is the comment of the TIB chairman and the Commission "works in its own way".
On media reports about submission of a final report on the Barapukuria graft case against detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and 15 others and letting the accused go off the hook, Hanif said no such matter was even discussed in the Commission meeting.
"The final report may be given in future," he said, adding that no such decision has yet been made.
"It doesn't seem to me that the Advisers of the caretaker government are involved in corruption or one can bring allegations against them," he told reporters about his personal observation on, and analysis of, the findings of the Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) in its latest sample survey on the state of corruption in the country at the Planning Ministry.
The Adviser was replying to a question about the findings of the TIB survey that indicated that corruption in Bangladesh has not declined, despite the government's anti-graft drive.
'We've definitely made some progress in this regard,' he said, following a meeting with the visiting six-member delegation from the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The members of the delegation arrived in the city Wednesday night on a six-day visit to Bangladesh.
He, however, expressed satisfaction as the TIB report stated some improvement in the revenue department.
The Adviser apparently sought to downplay the findings in the TIB's survey.
ADB Executive Director (ED) Sebastian Paust, the delegation leader, said the government has made some improvements in reducing corruption, which is one of the major challenges to development and economic growth of the country. "Once the elected government takes office, they should continue the efforts," he said.
He also suggested pay-hike for the government employees to encourage them not to take the so-called speed money and for strengthening the public administration.
The objectives of the ADB delegation's visit to Bangladesh are to listen, learn and look at the country's development, economic achievements, prospects and challenges.
Paust said they assured Bangladesh of continuing their assistance to help tackle its difficult problems, including food security, climate change issues and infrastructure deficiencies in energy and power sector.
He also said the Finance Adviser apprised them of targeted measures to mitigate the price situation, particularly the food-price.
"If the price level goes up further, it would be difficult for Bangladesh to tackle the situation."
Replying to a question, the ADB ED said the major short-term challenge for Bangladesh is the prices of food, fuel oil and fertiliser that are driving up the inflation and people are paying high prices for that.
He noted the long-term challenges facing Bangladesh are energy and power, good governance and combatting corruption. He said the adviser apprised them that there had been improvements in energy and power sector in the past though the demand for electricity and gas had also gone up.
The Finance Adviser said they discussed the country's overall economic situation and the members of the visiting ADB delegation were happy in general over what Bangladesh was doing.
He said they came up with a positive view about Bangladesh for its achievements, despite having many challenges when it comes to growth, as most countries reduced their growth projections, and also with regard to containing the inflation relatively better than that of other regional countries.
He said the ADB would consider increasing the food security assistance from US$ 130 million that has already been committed for the next fiscal year.
"I don't think there will be a food crisis in the next fiscal year unless there is a disaster like the Sidr," Dr Aziz said, replying to a question.
Asked about stopping open market sale (OMS) operation, he said it is not practical to have procurement and OMS at the same time as the procurement price is higher than that of the OMS.
"We'll go back to the OMS, if necessary, on completion of the procurement drive," he added.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said it is not perturbed by the TIB report suggesting rise in corruption, especially petty graft, as the report reflected the scenario from mid-2006 to mid-2007, when the current purge did not get off.
The reconstituted anti-graft watchdog led by former Army Chief Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury assumed office at the end of February last year.
"The Commission is not startled by the TIB report as the duration reflected in the report was from mid-2006 to mid-2007," ACC Director General (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal, who is also the ACC spokesperson, told reporters at the Commission's regular briefing in response to the TIB report that was published Wednesday.
Responding to a volley of questions, he, however, did not disagree with the findings by the TIB about rising corruption in some sectors.
About increase in petty corruption, Hanif said, "The Commission is not saying that petty corruption did not increase."
The director general said the Commission, which has chased many top ruling politicians of the past into prison under the anti-corruption drive in the interim period would work after taking the practical recommendations made in the TIB report into consideration.
He said that in the next report on the corruption scenario after mid-2007 would be reflected and then, possibly, it would be clearer which way the situation was actually moving.
Hanif said the Commission does not believe at all that in an imaginative way like 'Aladin's Wonder Lamp', the state of corruption would be changed overnight.
Whatever the result of evaluation of the state of corruption, he said, the anti-graft body's efforts would continue to eradicate corruption, or bring corruption to a tolerable level.
Asked how along it would take to do that, he said no one would be able to give any timeline in this regard.
He said the ACC would try to make things better by working to the best of its ability after detecting the sectors where rampant corruption takes place.
The ACC spokesperson reminded all concerned that it would not be possible for the Commission alone to combat corruption. Concerted efforts are required to achieve the end, he added.
Responding to a remark made by TIB Chairman Prof Mozaffar Ahmed that the ACC was only concerned with corruption of the yester years, he said it is the comment of the TIB chairman and the Commission "works in its own way".
On media reports about submission of a final report on the Barapukuria graft case against detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and 15 others and letting the accused go off the hook, Hanif said no such matter was even discussed in the Commission meeting.
"The final report may be given in future," he said, adding that no such decision has yet been made.