Privatisation, a possible antidote to corruption
Monday, 29 October 2007
Shamsul Huq Zahid
IT is a welcome development that the taskforce of the national coordination committee on serious crimes has started investigation into corruption and other irregularities in Zia International Airport, Chittagong Port Authority and Customs, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA), National Housing Authority (NHA), Benapole Customs and Titas Gas, Transmission and Distribution Company Limited. There is hardly any government organisation that is immune from corruption. But the entities that the taskforce has chosen to probe into are among the highly corruption-infested public sector entities.
The Chittagong port and customs operation there and at Benapole land port are the organisations that mainly handles import and export goods and known for their high level of corruption. The businessmen who have to use the services of the port and the customs are subjected to all types of hassles. The highhandedness of the port workers who drew their strength from a prominent political figure of Chittagong used to take a heavy toll on the economy and the businesses. Corruption in procurement of equipment and awarding contracts had become almost a routine affair in the Chittagong Port Authority.
The DCC, DESA, Titas and NHA are the entities that concern the interests of the members of the public most. The first three are utility service providers and the NHA activities generally relate to real estate and housing issues. These are among the organisations that have become infamous for the high level corruption, irregularities and harassment that the people are often subjected to by the officials and employees there. Starting from the officials at the top down to linemen and meter readers, particularly in DESA, WASA and Titas, have amassed huge wealth through corruption in these organisations, depriving the government of its due.
The trade union leaders, in most cases, abused their authority to become rich individually and distribute favours among their followers. A few honest officials in these organisations had faced wrath of the trade union leaders for raising objection to irregularities.
The political leadership instead of siding with the honest officials had protected the dishonest trade union leaders who generally took no time to change their colour following the change of government. The interim administration has taken a number of top political leaders, businessmen, government servants into custody and filed a number of cases against them for their alleged involvement in corruption and other irregularities. Many have gone into hiding to avoid arrest. Besides, the government has recently published a new list containing the names of a number of corruption suspects.
The people have welcomed the anti-graft drive of the government in the initial months of its takeover. But pressed hard by the unabated hike in the prices of most essentials, the people, to be honest, are not that enthusiastic about government actions against heavyweights of political arena, bureaucracy and business circle. They are not in a mood to celebrate the handing down of the prison sentence by a special tribunal judge to a corrupt politician. However, the people would heartily welcome actions against the corrupt officials of DESA, DCC, Titas, NHA, Customs, WASA, land registration office, passport directorate, lower courts, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority etc. For, these are the offices that they have to go every now and then and face hassles. But will the taskforce be able to root out corruption from these entities permanently? Possibly, the taskforce members would not claim so.
They can at best create a sense of fear that might discourage many to indulge in irregularities in the future. Many people have a feeling that things may not as bad as it was before with a new political government at the helm of the state affairs following the next general election scheduled to be held before December 2008. But there are pessimists who predict a return of corruption at the lower level with full fury, if not at the top level of government hierarchy. But the fact remains that if the government leaders remain relatively clean, the level of corruption would also be far less at the mid and lower levels of the administration.
The best possible way of reducing the intensity of corruption in the service organisations that deal with the public is privatisation, full or partial. The government, reportedly, will soon partially privatise the Titas gas. That will be a move in the right direction. The officials and employees would find it hard to escape the queries of the general shareholders in annual general meetings. There will be both transparency and accountability. The government should immediately privatise DESA, WASA and similar other utility service organisations.
The DCC might consider involving private companies in conservancy, trade license issuance service, collection of holding tax etc., as it does in case of construction and repair of roads. Corruption has become systemic in this country with the indulgence of the rulers. But sporadic anti-graft drives for some days or some months would not help much in eliminating the vice or produce a lasting effect. Sealing off the scopes for corruption-privatisation is one-could be the best way of reducing the intensity of the same.
IT is a welcome development that the taskforce of the national coordination committee on serious crimes has started investigation into corruption and other irregularities in Zia International Airport, Chittagong Port Authority and Customs, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA), National Housing Authority (NHA), Benapole Customs and Titas Gas, Transmission and Distribution Company Limited. There is hardly any government organisation that is immune from corruption. But the entities that the taskforce has chosen to probe into are among the highly corruption-infested public sector entities.
The Chittagong port and customs operation there and at Benapole land port are the organisations that mainly handles import and export goods and known for their high level of corruption. The businessmen who have to use the services of the port and the customs are subjected to all types of hassles. The highhandedness of the port workers who drew their strength from a prominent political figure of Chittagong used to take a heavy toll on the economy and the businesses. Corruption in procurement of equipment and awarding contracts had become almost a routine affair in the Chittagong Port Authority.
The DCC, DESA, Titas and NHA are the entities that concern the interests of the members of the public most. The first three are utility service providers and the NHA activities generally relate to real estate and housing issues. These are among the organisations that have become infamous for the high level corruption, irregularities and harassment that the people are often subjected to by the officials and employees there. Starting from the officials at the top down to linemen and meter readers, particularly in DESA, WASA and Titas, have amassed huge wealth through corruption in these organisations, depriving the government of its due.
The trade union leaders, in most cases, abused their authority to become rich individually and distribute favours among their followers. A few honest officials in these organisations had faced wrath of the trade union leaders for raising objection to irregularities.
The political leadership instead of siding with the honest officials had protected the dishonest trade union leaders who generally took no time to change their colour following the change of government. The interim administration has taken a number of top political leaders, businessmen, government servants into custody and filed a number of cases against them for their alleged involvement in corruption and other irregularities. Many have gone into hiding to avoid arrest. Besides, the government has recently published a new list containing the names of a number of corruption suspects.
The people have welcomed the anti-graft drive of the government in the initial months of its takeover. But pressed hard by the unabated hike in the prices of most essentials, the people, to be honest, are not that enthusiastic about government actions against heavyweights of political arena, bureaucracy and business circle. They are not in a mood to celebrate the handing down of the prison sentence by a special tribunal judge to a corrupt politician. However, the people would heartily welcome actions against the corrupt officials of DESA, DCC, Titas, NHA, Customs, WASA, land registration office, passport directorate, lower courts, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority etc. For, these are the offices that they have to go every now and then and face hassles. But will the taskforce be able to root out corruption from these entities permanently? Possibly, the taskforce members would not claim so.
They can at best create a sense of fear that might discourage many to indulge in irregularities in the future. Many people have a feeling that things may not as bad as it was before with a new political government at the helm of the state affairs following the next general election scheduled to be held before December 2008. But there are pessimists who predict a return of corruption at the lower level with full fury, if not at the top level of government hierarchy. But the fact remains that if the government leaders remain relatively clean, the level of corruption would also be far less at the mid and lower levels of the administration.
The best possible way of reducing the intensity of corruption in the service organisations that deal with the public is privatisation, full or partial. The government, reportedly, will soon partially privatise the Titas gas. That will be a move in the right direction. The officials and employees would find it hard to escape the queries of the general shareholders in annual general meetings. There will be both transparency and accountability. The government should immediately privatise DESA, WASA and similar other utility service organisations.
The DCC might consider involving private companies in conservancy, trade license issuance service, collection of holding tax etc., as it does in case of construction and repair of roads. Corruption has become systemic in this country with the indulgence of the rulers. But sporadic anti-graft drives for some days or some months would not help much in eliminating the vice or produce a lasting effect. Sealing off the scopes for corruption-privatisation is one-could be the best way of reducing the intensity of the same.