THE Berlin-based Transparency International has just announced the findings of its annual survey on perception of corrupt practices for 2006. It has presented its report to the press. Transparency International obtains data on corruption from their counterpart agencies in countries concerned. A sort of global approach is adopted for finding causes and effects of corruption and encouraging concerned quarters in the countries to adopt corrective measures.
The survey conducted by the Transparency International covered all countries in the world. Out of 163 countries, nearly a half have been stated to remain engulfed by unbridled corruption. Corrupt practices are adopted by the members of the upper echelon of the society, mainly politicians and bureaucrats. They do so to augment their earnings through misappropriation of public resources and thereby depriving the people at large. The burden of corrupt practices falls upon the people, who cannot take corrective measures against corrupt elements.
As reported, Haiti has replaced Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world. In the years since 2001 the blemish of being the number one corrupt country fell upon Bangladesh. Transparency International Bangladesh under the leadership of Prof Muzaffar Ahmed collected data on corrupt actions in government agencies for TI and presented its findings before the press.
It is worth noting that a Minister of the immediate past government asserted that the report of the Transparency International is not based upon correct facts and objective data. As against that, a leader of the opposition alliance stated that the previous government paid money to the global agency to project Bangladesh as one that has come out of the position of the most corrupt country in the world.
As it is, corrupt practices have global dimensions and are there in developed countries, which optimise their benefits from deals with other countries. The members of the bureaucracy and political leaders have, over the decades, had exposure to different institutions in developed countries. They turned quite ambitious for earning more to become richer. These powerful quarters opt for underhand deals while in office and join political parties after retirement. The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should be made effective to take punitive action against corrupt elements to check corruption and help restore the image of the nation.
