Youths Speak to Global Shapers Survey: Corruption, instability affect country most
The government's lack of accountability and transparency or corruption is the most serious issue affecting Bangladesh right now, according to World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Annual Survey 2016.
Lack of political freedom and political instability, and safety and security are the two next serious issues affecting the country, says the survey published on Wednesday.
A total of 672 Bangladeshi youths responded to the survey on five issues --economy, politics, values, technology and business. Asked which three most serious issues were affecting the country today, majority of the respondents picked the issues.
“I think the issues that came up in the survey reflected the reality,” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh.
About the three most serious issues affecting the world today, the Bangladeshi youths pointed at climate change or destruction of natural resources, religious conflicts and a large-scale conflict or war.
Over 26,600 youths aged between 18 and 35 from 187 countries took part in the survey.
Asked about picking the top three important factors contributing to inequality in Bangladesh, more than 68 percent respondents pointed out corruption and lack of transparency, while 47 percent referred to lack of access to quality education and 40 percent to political ideologies.
The majority of Bangladeshi youths said abuse of power or corruption by the government leaders -- like the president, prime minister, ministers and mayors -- frustrated them most. They were also disappointed with lack of accountability, dishonesty and administrative barriers.
Start-up ecosystem and entrepreneurship, access to internet, free media or social media, globalisation and transparency in governance are the most important factors contributing to youth empowerment in Bangladesh, according to the survey.
About the top three important ways for the Bangladesh government to demonstrate transparency and accountability, some 62 percent respondents said visible penalties should be imposed for poor governance by officials, 47 percent said protecting the independence of judiciary must be ensured and 38 percent said the authorities should accept criticism or be open to protest.
Over one-fourth of the respondents said regular updates on public works and regular dialogue with citizens could help ensuring transparency of the government.
Asked what part of their life would change significantly because of technological developments in the next 10 years, majority of the youths mentioned job, study and travelling.
They noted that healthcare, education, agriculture, government and infrastructure development sectors would be benefited the most from the adoption of latest technologies.
The majority of the respondents considered salary, growth and impact on the society as three most important criteria for job opportunities. They said creating jobs, improving economy and livelihoods were the important contributions that businesses make to the society.
Asked whether there should be no religious expression in public spaces, 47 percent people said they disagreed with the view while 28 percent agreed.
Seventy-one percent respondents said they would welcome refugees to Bangladesh while 39 percent said they would welcome refugees to their neighborhoods. Over 47 and 43 percent people said the government should apply selective migration measures to refugees and try to include them in the national workforce.
Iftekharuzzaman said the youths identified the issues based on their experience and what they saw in the society. There is no scope for denying the issues, he added.
He called upon the government to look into the issues, taking the report positively.