Dhaka Bureau: According to Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index, the corruption situation in Bangladesh has deteriorated in the last year. Bangladesh’s position in their global index has dropped two steps. According to TI’s Corruption Perceptions Report 2023, Bangladesh ranks 149 among 180 countries and regions in the world (from best to worst). Bangladesh was at number 147 on this list last time. Considering again, according to the hierarchy (good to bad), Bangladesh is now 10th out of 180 countries, where earlier it was in the 12th position.
It showed that Bangladesh got 24 out of 100 scores, which is one point less than the previous time. Then the Bangladesh score was 25. The report was published in conjunction with Berlin through a press conference at the office of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) in Dhanmondi, the capital, on Tuesday morning.
Executive Director of TIB at the press conference. Iftekharuzzaman explained the low position of Bangladesh and said that the last few years were the most discussed period of ‘zero tolerance against corruption’ announced by the highest level of the government. But during this period, concrete strategy-based activities to translate this declaration into practice were not visible. Furthermore, the prevalence of corruption has intensified and expanded during this period. Numerous facts of corruption have been revealed in various activities, including government procurement and distribution systems. During this period, despite the alarming picture of money laundering abroad, exemplary steps were not taken to prevent and remedy it. Effective steps have not been taken to deal with the risky situation of the banking sector, which is plagued by defaults, fraud, and money laundering. Rather, an atmosphere of impunity has been created for those responsible for it. The Anti-Corruption Commission and other related institutions have not been able to demonstrate effectiveness in ensuring effective punishment in the fight against corruption. Positions of power acquired in various ways, including political, administrative, and financial, have been normalized by increasing the prevalence of abuse as a license to develop resources. In addition, political and bureaucratic influence has increased in various accountability institutions, including the Anti-Corruption Commission.
According to the press conference, Denmark is at the top of the list of the least corrupt countries, with a maximum score of 90 according to the 2023 CPI. Finland is second with a score of 87, and New Zealand is third with a score of 85. Somalia will be at the bottom of the list in 2023 with a score of 11. South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela are joint second on the list with a score of 13, and Yemen is the third lowest with a score of 16.
The press conference also informed us that out of 180 countries included in the CPI, 105 countries scored below the global average of 43. In other words, 80 percent of the world’s population is living in extremely worrisome corruption, according to the index’s classification, with an average score of less than 43. And more than two-thirds of the 122 countries included in the index score below 50, meaning the level of corruption in these countries is alarming.
According to the 2023 CPI, among eight countries in South Asia, Bhutan maintained its score of 68 last year, but five countries in the region scored lower this time than in 2022. And the scores of the remaining two countries increased slightly. Among them, Afghanistan got four points, Sri Lanka got two points, and Bangladesh, the Maldives, and India got one point each. Pakistan’s two points and Nepal’s score increased by one point. However, in South Asia, all but seven countries, except Bhutan, received an average score of less than 43 on the index. In other words, the people of South Asia as a whole are forced to live in a very alarming state of corruption.
In view of this, TIB has recommended five points in the press conference. The recommendations are: 1. Transparency in disclosure of corruption by those in power to ensure effective punishment of all types of corruption offenses and balance of power. 2. Depoliticizing and decentralizing state institutions to ensure professional integrity, particularly the ACC, bureaucracy, law enforcement, and judiciary. 3. To keep institutions important to the public interest, especially the judiciary, banking, commerce, power and energy, health education, land, and infrastructure projects, free from political influence. 4. Ensuring unfettered freedom of the media, civil society, and the public at large. 5. Bringing about a paradigm shift to a political culture free from political behavior that is used as a license for personal gain by political figures.
