Md. Arafat Rahman :
The present society is plagued by a destructive social menace namely corruption. Corruption means unprincipled and immoral misconduct. It can be said that corruption occurs when people act arbitrarily by violating the principles by showing arbitrariness. In fact, corruption is a widespread and complex suffix. Corruption is a special type of criminal behavior that is contrary to the prevailing principles, norms and values of the society. It involves the misuse of profession, power, privileges, titles, etc.
Billions of taka is smuggled out of Bangladesh every year due to corruption in politics and economy. If this huge amount of money could be saved by preventing corruption, it would go a long way in alleviating poverty through child and maternity care, repairing financially damaged educational institutions and spending on public welfare, as well as reducing our reliance on donors. There is no clear direction to solve such a deeply rooted national problem.
Development experts have identified corruption as one of the biggest obstacles to Bangladesh’s development. The rampant spread of corruption and the enormous economic damage it has caused is quite frustrating. Yet corruption is not diminishing. It is creating extreme instability in the society. The administrative control system is also weakening due to the loss of social balance due to corruption. Besides, corruption has created permanent evil wounds in the economy of Bangladesh.
According to information from various sources, electricity worth about 400 crore taka is stolen every year. In addition to the theft, the loss in the power sector due to system loss has been found to be more than 500 crore. More damage is caused by power outages. The need for electricity, especially in the industrial sector, is immense. But due to the inadequacy of power facilities i.e. load shedding, irregular power supply, the loss in the manufacturing industry is about 6 thousand crore taka. Besides electricity, there is also huge loss in the gas sector. According to the data, the system loss in the gas sector is 500 crore taka per year. In the petroleum sector, the loss due to smuggling alone is 400 crore taka per year.
It is not a new thing to move a file without paying a bribe. Development analysts say that at one time there was so much reluctance to bribe that there was a reluctance to socialize with those who had that type of job opportunity. Now, instead of reluctance, it can be seen that many people are moving forward in the field of kinship thinking of additional income. People’s sincerity towards morality seems to be gone. As a result, the transaction of bribe in Bangladesh is now around 8,000 crore taka. According to the World Bank’s 1995 Aid Memorandum, Bangladeshis pays a bribe of 7 per cent of the total import-export transactions.
Corruption can occur in different criteria. If the coverage is small and involves a small number of people, it is referred to as petty corruption and if it is affected on a large scale, it is generally referred to as widespread corruption. Small gifts or personal connections are used in this type of corruption to ensure a favorable environment. This type of corruption is more prevalent in the developing world.
Corruption causes impediment to the development of the country and its people in various ways such as reducing administrative efficiency, increasing people’s embarrassment, delaying government decision making, depriving people of their fair share, severely tarnishing the country’s international reputation, and it hinders investment in the productive sector, increases social anarchy, various types of crime and terrorism.
Corruption cannot be solved by the government alone without cooperation of the people. Therefore, the joint efforts of the government and the civil society are essential in this regard. The judiciary has to play an active role, the rule of law has to be established, the independent Anti-Corruption Commission has to play an active role, the basic human rights must be guaranteed and religious beliefs must be encouraged. All that is needed is to take well-thought-out and coordinated steps. Let the first step of our thousand-mile walk begin with a pledge and declaration to build a society free from bribery and corruption.
(Mr. Rahman is Asst. Officer, Career & Professional Development Services Department, Southeast University. E-mail: [email protected])
