Editorial
Investigating corruption in the military
ACC move should be welcomed by armed forces
THE chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission has clearly expressed the readiness of the ACC to inquire into corruption in the military. The reiteration of such an intent by General Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury points to the purposefulness of the campaign against overall wrongdoing the ACC is engaged in. It is certainly a commendable move, one that citizens in general and the armed forces in particular should welcome in the larger national interest. One reason why such a step is to be appreciated is the fact that it promises to add substance to the on-going drive against corruption in government, indeed in all areas that relate to the public weal.
It is our belief, one we think will be shared by those who serve in Bangladesh's armed services, that the military should cheer the move to investigate wrongdoing within its ranks and branches. There are a couple of reasons that make the thought of such inquiries significant. In the first place, the ACC's investigation will be aimed at the general corruption that may be perceived to have been committed in the military over the years. In the second, there is also a need for the forces to ensure that any and all instances of waste relating to military purchases and the like are thoroughly investigated and indeed that the ACC is given an unequivocal, free hand to delve into such happenings. In an era where accountability in the military is of fundamental importance (one can note the determined manner in which functions in the military are regularly brought under scrutiny by lawmakers in such countries as the United States, Britain and India), it clearly makes sense for our armed forces to match such a standard here in Bangladesh. One need hardly point out that Bangladesh's military as it exists and operates today is a fully homegrown one, meaning that it was built and came of age in the post-liberation period. It thus remains aware of perspectives in a modern sense of the meaning.
Beginning now, the process of transparency and accountability of the armed forces can surely be initiated through the annual military budget being placed before the nation, of course through an elected parliament, in the interest of a full, meaningful public scrutiny. However, it has also to be acknowledged that matters which clearly fall within the purview of sensitive national security considerations will need to remain within the bounds of classified information whose accountability will be assured through special oversight mechanism as is done in other democracies. Outside that, let all other aspects of administrative operations in the armed services be studied in the open. The ACC move will add meat to the democratic body politic we mean to build for ourselves. It will also greatly strengthen civil-military relations.
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