Combating graft
The dividends of
fighting corruption are many but given the situation Bangladesh finds itself in, this could literally be a matter of its survival
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Saturday said at an anti-graft human chain in the city, that the benefit of development will not reach the doorsteps of the countrys people unless corruption is prevented. Graft has become a cancer for the society as it is eating away the social fabric and putting stumbling blocks on Bangladeshs path for attaining development goals. Since fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, the transition and elected governments did little to discourage corruption. Thats why graft has become an acceptable culture in the governmental organizations and private firms. Officials working at important positions demand high amount of money as bribe. In Bangladesh the concept of under the table money is becoming rare as many government servants have become so daring that they demand bribes openly. It is not a secret but an issue of which everyone has knowledge.
Excuses are good weapons to turn face from responsibilities and realities. If corruption was nipped in the bud, the country would have been in a good position now. Moreover, the public would have trust in the democratic government and state institutions.
The sooner the top leaders deal with this evil force is better. Any blame-game will not help to save this system because everyone knows about the factors and causes. Bangladeshis have learned to accept corruption as something they cannot escape from. Many of us pay petty bribes to get our work done; when we do so we fall in with the system. Of course citizens cannot be blamed for this. Alone they cannot fight a monster that has grown and grown. But collectively we need more groups to come forward to tackle a sickness that has already destroyed much of our society. Other nations have found the will to fight back. Bangladesh must do the same.
The dividends of fighting corruption are many but given the situation Bangladesh finds itself in, this could literally be a matter of its survival. Corruption not just reflects the manner in which a state is run, but also shows the quality of governance, viability of the economy and perceptions of people.
In the past, the leaders claimed of fighting corruption but they failed to catch the big fish in the net and restore public trust over the system. Accountability must always start from top to bottom. Suspension, arrest and sentence of a few top officials would help a lot to discourage corrupt people and restore public trust.
