By resolution 58/4 of 2003, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day. This decision was taken to raise awareness of corruption and emphasise the coordinating role of the UN in combating and preventing it. The UNGA urged all states and competent regional economic integration organisations to sign and ratify the UNCAC as soon as possible in order to ensure its rapid entry into force.

As per its in-built provision, the UNCAC entered into force from December 2005 following its ratification by 30 member states. Available information suggests that till date140 countries have signed the Convention and 67 countries have ratified it. The Convention is the first legally binding instrument on corruption and a comprehensive document that includes measures on prevention, criminalisation and international cooperation. The Convention has thus provided a unique opportunity to mount a global response to a global problem.

It hardly needs reiteration that the societies which have massive corruption suffer misery in a thousand ways. Both developing and developed countries suffer from this ignoble vice of corruption although corruption is rampant in most of the developing countries. Corruption in developed countries is sophisticated in nature and the common people normally cannot feel it. Corruption adversely affects a country politically, economically, administratively or otherwise.

Many political scientists are of the opinion that corruption in a country undermines the legitimacy of its political institutions and thus the government is less able to rely on the cooperation and support of the people. Consequently, the government is compelled to resort to force and coercive tactics to maintain order against the rising violence. Many of the military takeovers in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been justified by the need to stamp out corruption.

Corruption leads to economic inefficiency and wastage because of its effects on the allocation of funds, on consumption and on production. Available data show that every year, over $1 trillion is paid in bribes with devastating consequences, particularly in developing countries. Gains obtained through corruption are unlikely to be transferred to the investment sector. Ill-gotten money is either used up in conspicuous consumption or is transferred to foreign bank accounts. Such transfers represent a capital leakage to the domestic economy. Further, corruption discourages foreign direct investment (FDI) which is needed by a developing country.

Many analysts hold the opinion that corruption in developing countries generates administrative inefficiency and ineffectiveness at all levels of public administration. Recruitment of inept and incompetent individuals to various posts of civil service through nepotism and favouritism results in the lowering of productivity in public administration.

Let us now have a look at the Bangladesh situation. Corruption has seriously affected Bangladesh politically, economically, administratively or otherwise since her independence in 1971.

Immediately after independence, the rampant corruption worsening law and order situation and price hike of essential commodities led to the replacement of the multi-party parliamentary democracy with a one-party dictatorial presidential form of government in January, 1975. All these negative developments coupled with intrigues within the ruling party led to the assassination of the founding father of the nation and president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975. For the next 15 years, the country saw various dictatorial military and presidential regimes which justified taking over power to stamp out corruption. The country reintroduced parliamentary democracy in 1991. But the corrupt practices and confrontational politics of the two major political parties, the BNP and the AL, which ruled the country in succession for the last fifteen years, have created an unhealthy situation for the growth of the nascent democracy in general and parliamentary democracy in particular.

Corruption has eaten into the vitals of the economy. It has affected macro-level planning such as inclusion of development projects in the ADP, implementation of the ADP and non-ADP projects and inflow of desired FDI. Procurement of goods, local and foreign, for implementation of development activities in the public sector, has been the meeting point of the vested interest groups composed of corrupt political masters, senior bureaucrats and suppliers/contractors.

Admittedly, the GDP growth rate in the recent years has been reasonably satisfactory, but the highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem. Report of the Poverty Monitoring Survey-2004 published by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) shows that the income of the poor household reduced in 2004 from 1999. On the other hand, for the non-poor households it increased by 13. 8 percent during 1999 to 2004. Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) 2005 shows that 49.8 percent people of the country remained below the poverty line in 2000. Corruption has been identified as one of the important factors for the unequal distribution of income in the society.

Because of the unbridled corruption, Bangladesh was ranked by the TI as the most corrupt country in the world for five consecutive years beginning from 2001. In 2006, Bangladesh has occupied the third position in the list of the most corrupt nations. This means that there has practically been no change in our position.

As stated earlier, Bangladesh has not signed the UNCAC as yet. TIB and some other analysts are of the opinion that the signing of the Convention by Bangladesh would bring her, inter alia, the following benefits:

* By becoming a State Party to the Convention, Bangladesh will send a strong signal nationally and internationally about its recognition of importance of addressing corruption with a comprehensive framework and through coordination of national efforts with international community.

* By signing the Convention, Bangladesh will ensure for herself access to an extensive range of ways, means and standards for preventive measures for public sector and private sector corruption.

* The signing of the Convention will give Bangladesh access to a comprehensive international cooperation framework for mutual law enforcement assistance, notably extradition and investigations.

* By signing the Convention, Bangladesh will give greater recognition to the role of civil society and citizens at large in fighting corruption.

* The signing of the Convention will speak for the strong commitment of the government to combat corruption.

To conclude, available information reveals that among the South Asian and Southeast Asian countries namely Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, only Bangladesh is yet to sign the UNCAC. The next elected government should not only take a positive stand to sign the Convention, but also take all other necessary steps, including strengthening the ACC, to drastically reduce corruption in the country. That will considerably help regain the country's lost image both at home and abroad.

M. Abdul Latif Mondal is a former Secretary to the government.