An albatross around our neck
ACCORDING to the Transparency International reports, 2008 was corruption's worst on record. Worldwide, 54% now expect corruption to increase in the future; it is already up from 43% in 2003. As incidents of corruption grew more common, so did expectations of it.
Ironically, there is an alarming trend in many countries where voters are tending to embrace the accused. ANC leader, Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa, and Silvio Berlusconi, prime minister of Italy, were dogged by corruption charges and questionable social lives -- yet voters picked them in the recent polls. South African President Jacob Zuma is a great polygamist, having 6 wives at present.
Forbes estimated the worth of Prime Minister Berlusconi to be $14 billion, making him the richest man in Italy and the third richest man in the whole of Europe. Asif Ali Zadari, Pakistan's president, spent 11 years in prison on charges of corruption and extortion. He very shrewdly managed to wriggle himself free of a 2006 corruption trial at London Crown Court by pleading mental instability.
There may be several reasons why voters embrace the accused. Presumably, one disturbing possibility is that graft and bribery are so rampant in many developing countries that voters suspect all candidates are tainted, which naturally negates corruption as a main election issue. But such cynical action is dangerous for democracy and development.
Bangladesh has long been bedeviled by corruption and scandals. By now, Bangladeshis are accustomed to the corruption capers of their politicians. A corruption index compiled by Transparency International gives Bangladesh 2.1 out of 10 and still considers Bangladesh one of the most corrupt countries in the world, on par with Kenya. This has been a massive strain on our collective conscience. It's paramount that we ensure future generations do not have to carry a similar moral burden.
Far from being a taboo subject, corruption is discussed openly by politicians, businessmen and even by the media, but it makes no difference. Are we genetically susceptible to persistent corruption? Corruption has become so common that it is perceived as normal.
Our nouveau riche does not consider bribery a crime. They believe that offering rewards to bureaucrats always make business more lucrative and lives more rewarding. Because of our colonial legacy, law-enforcers think that to protect the interest of the state they have to fight against the people. Such cynicism encourages corruption and bribery in the society. Most businessmen reckon that corruption in Bangladesh has become a system of management to make smart money.
The moral majority was elated over the coherent and creative strategy of the ACC chief Hasan Mashud Chowdhury to fight corruption. Ironically, in a bizarre turn of events, he relinquished the post of ACC chairman. Ordinary people paid tribute to Mr. Chowdhury's passionate commitment to this institution and they believed that he had served the ACC with distinction. His resignation as a chairman of ACC was a great act of generosity, although some sleazy politicians might have expressed a sigh of relief that finally he had gone.
Surely, ordinary people will not approve of any misguided attempt to humiliate a man of such monumental principle and integrity. People are yearning for a strong leader to put this institution back on its feet. There is still a glimmer of hope.
Newly appointed chairman of the ACC, Mr. Gulam Rahman, has the basic scruples of leadership. Reading between the lines of his interview published in The Daily Star on May 28, one feels that that he will not compromise the dignity of his office. His no nonsense style of replying assured me that he is intellectually and morally capable of enforcing existing laws and upholding the uncorrupt norms that his predecessor tried to inject in this organisation.
What we need is not just a new chairman of the ACC, we need a chairman who can inspire the confidence not just of MPs but of the whole country. We need a chairman who respects the sovereignty of Parliament as well as the sovereign wishes of the people.
Sovereignty of parliament should not take precedence over rule of law, justice and fair play as the gap between MPs and the public has been widening in many democracies. Even in the UK, voters are now accusing some ministers and MPs of being more interested in the perks of the job rather than in the interests of the country. The fight against corruption is a fight for democracy and political dignity.
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