THE Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has called upon the development partners of the country to ensure maximum support in its efforts to fight the Covid-19 crises. At the same time, the organisation urged the partners to ensure the highest standards of anti-corruption, transparency and accountability at all levels in Bangladesh, according to a press release issued on Sunday. The organisation urged development partners to see to it that anti-corruption principles and practices are specifically ensured in all initiatives or projects at all levels of decisions, designs and implementation. In management and recovery from mega crises like this, funding decisions and project implementation process may often genuinely need to be fast-tracked. Of course all kinds of procurement risks like collusion, political bias, conflict of interest and overpricing must be prevented by ensuring compliance and accountability without favour or fear. Also improved transparency and accountability will boost public trust. But is our current administration capable of doing so?
We don’t have a coherent policy as of yet—lockdowns are slowly being extended without anyone having any real idea of when it will end. The government seems indifferent to run an investigation into the supply of fake N95 masks to government hospitals by a Bangladeshi company though physician leaders and experts concerned think that the matter calls for a thorough investigation. The Central Medical Stores Depot in its newspaper advertisement said that reports of the involvement of a collaborative scam between the Health Minister, his son, Health Secretary and Health Services Director General behind the supply of the fake N95 masks were baseless and politically motivated. So if it is politically motivated, why is there not a thorough investigation? It is a sign of something rotten in our Health Ministry. While our doctors and nurses are fighting for the nation the government can’t provide them with proper masks–instead giving them defective ones which will render no protection against the virus at all.
If they die, who will replace our brave doctors and nurses? Who will protect the nation? Doctors don’t grow in trees—they need years of experience. Due to a corrupt few the nation will have to suffer.
