Strengthening ACC
it is expected
that the ACC would be able to demonstrate its capability in performing its duties
We do appreciate the head of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Iqbal Mahmoods statement admitting that the corruption watchdog bodys performance is not up to the mark. However we must say that it is not enough. Definitely, admitting an organisations weakness is a beginning but it must be followed by corrective measures. On a related note we remember that the former commissioner of the ACC, Golam Rahman, just before his tenure was coming to an end described the ACC as a toothless tiger. We want the ACC chief to be more pro-active regarding remedying the ills that haunt the body.
People are hardly interested to hear inane platitudes from the head of a constitutional orgnisation with the sole aim of reducing corruption the country is so plagued with.
It is no secret that rampant corruption is one of the biggest barriers to the development of Bangladesh. The common people have a feeling that ACC is not always taking into cognizance the graft-related developments at high places or deliberately allowing the big fish to escape the net. At the same time, its reaction to the findings of various studies and surveys, undertaken by international and national organisations on graft-related issues have been rather muted.
Commission has not been totally successful in dealing with the petty and small-to-medium-scale graft cases for a variety of reasons, including the inefficient handling of such matters and weak investigation.
It must be admitted that ACC does have certain limitations. To minimise corruption, it is as important to have necessary political will against this unholy phenomenon as it is to let the ACC function independently equipping it properly with sufficient manpower. In the ACC Act 2004, ACC has been constituted as an independent and impartial organisation. No scope for interference of the government has been provisioned. With the power that has been provided under the present laws we believe that it is possible to go forward with the suppression drive of corruption effectively by their application.
Corruption is eating up the vitals of our society because the nation has, as yet, failed to say emphatically No to corruption. This has to be collective and forceful at the same time.
It is expected that the ACC would be able to demonstrate its strength and capability in performing its duties, overcoming the weaknesses in the ACC system itself, if there is any.
