Misplaced expectation

When the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) had filed cases against two former ministers and a lawmaker of the ruling Awami League in the third week of last month, most people were surprised for the action did not match the public image of the anti-graft body.
The move had made some people to change their attitude towards the ACC. They tended to think that the anti-graft watchdog had finally started to show its teeth.
The change in people's evaluation of the ACC was reflected in the opinion poll carried out by a leading Bengali daily on August 22 last. The daily wanted to know from its readers whether the action against three leaders of the ruling party would help raise the level of people's confidence in the ACC. Nearly 65 per cent respondents had answered in the affirmative.
But it did not take too long a time for the ACC to prove those respondents wrong.  A couple of its actions taken in the first week of the current month would surely again compel the people to go back to the old impression about the commission, an impression that is disliked by the top brass of the commission or the government leaders.
The ACC's dropping of charges against the suspects of much-talked-about Padma Bridge corruption case and exonerating a ruling party lawmaker of charges for owning assets beyond his means have made people to think that nothing has changed really and the ACC continues to remain a 'toothless tiger'.  
The large majority of the respondents to separate opinion polls carried out by the same Bengali daily did not approve of both the actions of the ACC.
It is however difficult to pass any judgment on the ACC decisions on both the issues.  Those could be right or wrong. But the fact remains that the actions are not in line with the popular perception.
Sceptics do fear that the ACC would ultimately come up with identical decision on the issues involving two former ministers and a lawmaker belonging to the ruling Awami League.
The performance of most national institutions has never been up to the desired level in this country. Unfortunately, it is found to be worse now than before and the reasons are known to all, including the powers that be.
When the country returned to so-called democratic rule in 1991 following the collapse of the authoritarian rule of General Ershad, many had expected a positive change in the performance of the important national institutions. But such hopes have been largely dashed and the 'democratic' rulers in succession instead of strengthening have contributed to the weakening of those institutions with a view to using them to serve their own purposes, political or otherwise.
The first and foremost actions of the rulers have been the appointment of incompetent and 'yes-man' type individuals to the top positions of these institutions. The main reason behind such appointments is to maintain a grip over the activities of the important national bodies.
However, the propensity to exercise control over the institutions that are supposed to work independently in a free and fair manner is the manifestation of poor or malgovernance, a problem that is held responsible for many unwanted developments both on administrative and economic fronts of the country.
One does not need to speak volumes about corruption, a problem that is more of a systemic nature. It has been eroding a large part of the economic gains and creating a host of social and economic problems. Dealing with this particular problem has always been considered a top most task for any government. But the task, unfortunately, has remained unaccomplished until now.
For nearly three and a half decades since independence, the successive governments ignored demands for setting up an independent and powerful anti-graft body and allowed a subservient department, named, the Bureau of Anti-Corruption to operate. However, following relentless pressure from the multilateral donors, the government in 2004 formed an 'independent' anti-graft commission through an act of parliament.
But that was it. The individuals chosen by the then government for top positions of the ACC did fail to perform. However, the ACC became unfairly hyperactive during the two-year rule of the military-backed caretaker government that had adopted a 'pick and choose' policy against its rivals.
But the real test for the anti-graft body came when the World Bank (WB) had come forward with corruption allegations in the Padma Bridge bidding process. The ACC's frequent shift in its stance on the suspects of the case had only earned bad name for it. The common people could see that it was playing to the tune of the behind-the-scene people. The latest decision to exonerate all the local suspects from all charges in the Padma Bridge graft case has only strengthened such a suspicion.
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