TIB says 'shoot the messenger' practice set

The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has condemned the removal of Dhaka WASA (DWASA) chairman Golam Mostafa who brought allegations against managing director Taqsem A Khan of arbitrariness.
Earlier on May 19 in a statement, the TIB called upon the government to consider the allegations of arbitrariness levelled against Mr Khan.
On Monday, the local government ministry made DWASA board member Sujit Kumar Bala the new chairman of the water-supply entity.
The TIB said the removal of Mr Mostafa is an example of the "shoot the messenger" practice that utterly conflicts with the government's declared zero tolerance to corruption. It is a legal obligation to protect whistleblowers against abuse of power and corruption.
In the statement, the anti-graft watchdog also called for a fair and transparent investigation into the accusations made by the former chairman.
According to media reports, the DWASA chairman wrote to the LGRD and cooperatives ministry, accusing Mr Khan of corruption, financial mismanagement and arbitrary actions that have undermined the board's functionality.
This is totally unacceptable that the WASA board chairman has been removed only for raising formal complaints against the DWASA MD, said TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman in the statement.
The accusation made by the board chairman of turning DWASA into a sanctuary of arbitrariness, irregularities and corruption is a reflection of the results of the study report styled 'Dhaka WASA: Challenges of Good Governance and Ways of Transition' published by the TIB in 2019, he added.

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