THE remark by the chief of Transparency International Bangladesh that the interim government has failed to put checks on corruption, land grabbing and extortion is worrying. The executive director of the anti-corruption agency has also said that various groups are engaged in partisan activities, land grabbing and extortion by abusing political and administrative powers, noting that corruption has occurred even within the government, which is concerning. The situation calls on the government authorities to put in greater efforts to deal with such issues that harm democratic governance and stand as a barrier to a society free of corruption. The agency chief has said that there was an opportunity during the tenure of the interim government to take a strong stand against corruption and there is no denying that the government has failed in this regard. The chief, who headed the anti-corruption reforms commission set up on October 3, 2024, which submitted its recommendations to the government on January 15, made the remarks at a press conference at which he recommended the inclusion of a set of 52 issues in the manifestos of political parties aimed at ensuring steps against corruption.
Transparency International Bangladesh also called on political parties to make public their positions on the use of money, muscle and religion in politics and to spell out their commitments in their manifestos in view of the next general election, scheduled for February. He made the call, noting that the debris of corruption that has accumulated over 54 years, especially during the past decade and a half when the authoritarian Awami League governed the country, cannot be cleared overnight. He has hoped that political parties would seize the opportunity that arose after the overthrow of the Awami League government, which changed the political landscape and would largely shape future outcomes. The issues will ultimately fall on political parties after the general elections. But the interim government has failed to show the will to stop menaces such as corruption, extortion and land grabbing. Leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have largely been blamed, and rightly so, for such incidents. The BNP leadership has punished many of its leaders and activists and asked the police to arrest anyone involved in such incidents. Yet the situation has not improved much because of the lack of will on part of the government. Leaders and activists of some other political parties are also reported to have been engaged in such menaces, but the finger has almost always been pointed at the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which has, rightly, made the headlines time and again for such misdeeds.
It is, therefore, time that the interim government acted decisively to stop corruption, extortion, land grabbing and the abuse of political and administrative powers without regard to the political affiliation of the offenders.
