December 02, 2011
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On a scale from 1 to 10, the country has scored 2.7, only 0.3 points higher than last year. "The little improvement in the performance provides no scope for satisfaction as the country still falls into the list of the most corrupt countries," Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TI, Bangladesh (TIB), said as he unveiled the index at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club, on Thursday morning.
But he also said that the country would have performed better if relevant bodies like the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) were allowed to work independently.
Countries scoring below 3 on the scale represent existence of unbridled corruption in their societies. The global anti-corruption watchdog released the report in Dhaka as well as other countries simultaneously.
CPI is a composite index, a combination of polls, drawing on corruption-related data from experts and business surveys carried out by a variety of reputable independent institutions to assess the overall extent of graft in 182 nations.
New Zealand scored the highest, 9.5 out of 10, to top the 2011 list of least corrupt countries. Somalia and North Korea jointly became the worst scoring only 1.0 followed by Myanmar and Afghanistan that scored 1.5 each.
Among the South Asian countries, Bangladesh stands fourth following Sri Lanka (3.3) and India (3.1) after Bhutan. Bangladesh performed better than countries like Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives.
Bangladesh was included in nine surveys for this year's index, which covered the period between January 2010 and September 2011.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman expressed concern over eight points that are pulling back the country’s fight against corruption.
The points include controversial proposed amendment of the ACC law, culture of boycott and conflict of interest in Parliament, non-disclosure of assets by high-profile personalities, whitening of black money in the budget, amendments to public procurement and telecommunications laws, and partisan political influence on administration and other public services.
The report also pointed out seven points that helped
Bangladesh make the slight progress. These are: reaffirmation of strong electoral commitment, formulation of Right to Information Act and Whistleblower Protection Act, establishment of Information Commission and Human Rights Commission, citizens charter in service delivery institutions, anti-corruption training in government institutions and formulation of implementation strategy of UN convention against corruption.
Countries like the USA, the UK, France, Austria and Belgium have scored less than 8.0, indicating that corruption remains a serious global problem. The USA has done worse than Qatar, Chile, Bahamas and Barbados.
TIB trustee board chairman advocate Sultana Kamal hoped that the government would consider the report as an incentive in the fight against corruption.
TIB trustee board member M Hafizuddin Khan was also present at the press conference.
TI, a Berlin-based global civil society group campaigning against corruption, has been publishing the report every year since 1995. Bangladesh was at the bottom on the TI scale, from 2001 to 2005. In those five years, it was ranked third, seventh, tenth, thirteenth and twelfth.
US to strengthen democratic institutions in Bangladesh :US Ambassador
December 02, 2011
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"My government will support strengthening of these democratic institutions," he added when asked if he had discussed the country's political situation during his meeting with Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina earlier in the day.
The Ambassador also hoped that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would visit Bangladesh and during her visit a partnership agreement would be signed between the two countries.
"This is my goal. I hope that Secretary Clinton will visit, sit with Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, and conclude a partnership between our countries," he said.
"Such a partnership can create a regular forum to deal with a range of issues that both sides need to deal with. Counter-terrorism, food security, global climate change and energy could be the issues,” he added.
About the timeframe of Clinton’s visit, Mozena said, “I have some work to do. I will work hard and we will work with Bangladesh government and others in Bangladesh to make that happen.”
The US Ambassador also said that progress had been made on Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement and US needed to get the agreement signed.
“Yes there is progress and this is moving forward. Bangladesh government has given its latest view on the text. We need to get the agreement concluded because it creates a forum for discussing full range of trade and investment issues,” he said.
Asked if the US and European countries would once again mediate the political standoff in Bangladesh if necessary, he said, “That’s a hypothetical question. What the US will do is doing and will continue to support the democratic process and to strengthen democratic institutions.”
Asked how the US would react if the government tried to hold a one-sided election in 2014, Mozena said, “I am not going to go to 2014. But I will talk about today. Democratic process is an ongoing process and we will support it.”
“We urge all the political players to join the political process and we will work together to strengthen the democratic institutions. Democracy can strengthen the institutions that fight corruption and provide rule of law,” he said.
The envoy further said, “We are doing these things. We will continue to do these things. I have no magic wand. There is no magic wand.”
As a rejoinder, he uttered some Portuguese words, which, translated into English, meant “step by step. “I believe in the step-by-step process,” he added.
During his Senate hearing, Mozena talked about shrinking of political space both for media and civil society. Asked if he had mentioned this to Prime Minister, he said, “I underscored the importance of the democratic process and the role of all the political players to participate in that process. And, the Prime Minister agreed with me on
that.”
About the Grameen Bank, he said, “My hope is that the process would move forward expeditiously the selection of a managing director, one who will sustain Grameen Bank as an institution that brings hope to millions of the most vulnerable people.”
Replying to a question, the Ambassador said that his purpose was to deepen, broaden and expand the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the US to the benefit of the people of the two countries.
“That’s it. That’s a big job and I want to do that job,” he added.
Asked why Bangladesh was strategically important to the US, Mozena said, “Bangladesh is a huge country. It is a critical player in terms of global security. It is a moderate, secular and democratic country, an alternative to violent extremism. It is critical to food security, and important in terms of trade and investment.”
About corruption in Bangladesh, he said that corruption was a major challenge to every country on the planet including the US and his country was partnering with the government, the institutions and the civil society to help combat corruption.
“It’s not easy. There is no quick fix,” he added.
Bangladesh was rightly admired for the resilience, energy, dynamism and creativity of its people, and was surpassed by none, Mozena said, adding that Bangladesh truly mattered to the US.
“Bangladesh is keen on improving relationships with neighbours, is a rock of peace and stability in a troubled region.”