TIB(BANGLADESH) ON CORRUPTION

If graft alone eats away a country's 3.84 per cent of per capita income, the pervasiveness of corruption can only be imagined. One wonders what would be the percentage of GDP growth if the country could get rid of such massive corruption. Earlier the World Bank estimated that Bangladesh lost 2 per cent GDP growth to corruption. What is however so disconcerting is that contrary to a general feeling, corruption in some sectors in fact increased in the first half of 2007. The overall corruption picture remains almost same as before despite the Caretaker government's much vaunted anti-corruption drive, the regular biennial survey and fourth of its kind, conducted by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) concludes. Sector-wise, education, health, land administration, local government and different utility services sector recorded increased corruption and the law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, power, banking and tax sectors registered a slight decline in the magnitude of corruption compared to the previous six months. So, the sectors on which was the spotlight recorded a decline in corruption, albeit in a small measure because in terms of magnitude the law enforcement agencies together with land administration are still massively corrupt. Admittedly much of the country's fight against corruption depends on getting corruption curbed particularly in the law enforcement agencies because they are the tools for fighting this socio-economic vice at the grass-roots level. We have often heard that the police are no longer under any political influence and therefore can take independent decisions. Also there is perceptible attempt to turn the agency more accountable than it ever was and the best measure of this was the punishment meted out to members of various law enforcement agencies, the number of whom has been all-time high. Turning small gains into triumphYet it needs to be realised that endemic corruption cannot be rooted out overnight. It is a continuous process and the small gains made have to be turned into bigger triumphs in the long run. It is impractical to change the administration and the public service sectors lock, stock and barrel. But given the political will and people's active participation in the process through creation of public awareness, reforms can indeed be brought about in the functioning of public offices. When corruption rises even in the education sector, it surely is a cause for serious concern. The TIB report has found increase in petty corruption as also higher rates of bribery in sectors where corruption has recorded a decline. So we suggest a long-term plan, say a 10-year one, for bringing corruption down to a tolerable level from where a final onslaught will be launched to eliminate this vice once for all.