Editorial
Wealth statements of public servants
A step towards their accountability
IT is a good thing that the public servants are required to submit statement of their wealth periodically to the government. Had this requirement been complied with fully we would have been spared the sordid tales of corruption by government officials that have come to light following the anti-corruption drive.
Such a practice, as that of keeping up-to-date record of assets and property of public servants is a way of deterring them from misusing their official position for monetary gains. It might appear superfluous to those that work honestly and live within their means, and there are many that fall within this category; yet it is those that cannot purge their proclivity to illegal pecuniary benefits, that such procedures become necessary.
The recent revelation of rag to riches tales of low level employees in certain public establishments is too startling for our comprehension. The ACC directive to seek wealth report is therefore a welcome move, and one hopes that the directive will be complied with, both in letter and spirit.
While public sector corporations have been brought under the scrutiny of the ACC and the Special Task Force, government servants as such have so far been kept out of what we might call direct scrutiny of these agencies. That why the need arises for up-to-date wealth statements by government officials.
It is to be noted that most of those under trial on charges of corruption or are in custody waiting to be charged, are politicians and businessmen. And most of the alleged cases of dishonesty are related to public money and public projects. And we feel that most of the cases of corruption could have been prevented had the public servants not colluded with their political masters or influential businessmen in their dishonest pursuit.
Those public servants who are reluctant to provide their wealth statement must realise that merely being asked to provide wealth report, which is a universally practiced norm, does not in any way suggest that one's honesty is being automatically brought to question. We would like to believe that everyone is honest unless proven otherwise.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments