That Bangladesh has slipped one notch below the position, 146th that is it held in 2021 in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of the Berlin-based Transparency International (TIB), as such is not highly concerning. What is viscerally concerning is its score of 25 out of 100 and its ranking as the 12th most corrupt country among the 180 countries in the world considered for the list. A country can occupy a lower slot even without losing any point if other countries improve their scores.
Seen from the point of the cleanest countries in the world, with the top scores of 90 for Denmark and 87 for Finland and New Zealand, 84 for Norway and Singapore, 83 for Sweden, 82 for Switzerland and 80 for the Netherlands, Bangladesh's score of 25 hardly makes the country proud. Clearly, the Nordic nations have led the pack as they always do in most global rankings. Surprisingly, Singapore has emerged as the joint second cleanest nation with Finland. Surprise of all surprises is Hong Kong's and Uruguay's enviable higher ranking with Hong Kong collecting a score of 76 and Uruguay 74 --- higher than Japan and UK. The US is way behind with a score of 69.
Bangladesh has a greater reason to be particularly disappointed because when war-torn Afghanistan improved its score by 8 points to be placed right behind it with a score of 24 that catapulted the Taliban-ruled country to 150th position from 174th, the country's loss of one point also makes an unease reading. It is galling on yet another count which is that the administration in Bangladesh was supposed to adopt and follow its avowed zero tolerance policy against corruption. What happened in reality is clear from the perception index the TIB prepares annually on graft primarily in the public sector. Although, there is a reference to the collusion between the public sector and the private sector actors, much of the latter's irregularities such as tax evasion, black money and hundi remains out of focus.
So it is impudent to ask why Bangladesh cannot become a Singapore in terms of placement in the CPI? Well, Singapore is an island nation that under its visionary leader Le Kuan Yew has been transformed into a highly advanced one comparable to the developed countries in the West. Its scarcity of land could not stop it from setting the pace of development at a break-neck speed. Therefore let alone Singapore, why is Bangladesh and other South Asian nations way behind their small neighbour Bhutan which occupies the 25th cleanest or least corrupt position in the CPI with a score of 68. It holds the position it had in 2021. Isn't it pathetic enough to see that the land-locked country is striving to be on the scale of the least corrupt nations at the top echelon while Bangladesh is struggling to hold on to its mired position at the bottom of the heavily corrupt band?
One irritating question here is the incompatibility between the level of development and prevalence of corruption. Take the case of Switzerland which has a score of 82 to hold the 7th position in the list of the least corrupt nations. This actually defies the fundamental question of corruption. Not only does it encourage corruption on its own shore but also exports it to nations abroad. How? It is simple. The Swiss banks are notorious in maintaining fabulous amount of reserves of money laundered by foreign nationals and inviting more. What is aghast, the issue is an open secret but governments of the countries from where the huge amounts have been siphoned off are not informed of the deposits and the names of the depositors. Corruption is thus bred on both ends. If this is so, how can that country be one of the toppers in the list of the cleanest countries?
Then Switzerland is not alone! There are other tax havens around the world, some of which such as Panama are looked down upon. This is double standard. The fact is that the so-called advanced countries have diabolic political agendas which can make and unmake small and poor countries. At times the more equal of the nations pursue heinous foreign policies in order to sell weapons of destruction and even expand their commercial interests. In a bipolar world, at least some countries could save themselves because of their protection provided by one or the other parties of the cold war rivalry. The leeway has shrunk and countries in this region are now finding themselves in a tight position as a result of cold-war-like rivalry in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea areas.
The Russo-Ukraine war can be a good example of how armed conflicts fuelled by external political intrigues drag down human values and all other international norms in trade and commercial transactions. No wonder, more countries have slipped to lower positions than better performers. Only 49 countries have improved their scores compared with 65 in 2021 and 73 saw their scores going down compared with 66. Crisis time brings the best and the worst out of people but unfortunately, the number of the virtuous is always a tiny proportion of their opposite lot.
It is certainly not easy to come out of the mess of corruption unless the present system of education for advancing self interests is changed for a social system based on balanced utilitarian and humanitarian considerations. Even with less national wealth, a people can be happy by ensuring rational distribution of the same and keeping filthy consumerism at bay.
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