Lost in the sand of denial

IT was so far thought that the inability to accept any criticism was the sole preserve of our politicians, be they in the government or in the opposition. Lately, administrative officials, too, have been coming forward to demonstrate that they are no less capable of making public statements and are not far behind in realising the 'usefulness' of the 'denial' culture. And as if to fortify the positions of their nay-saying political bosses, they have from time to time chimed in protesting reports by the  media or comments from various watchdog bodies, local or foreign, criticising any lapse or non-performance on the part of a the government department or the government as a whole.
While we are rounding on public leaders' unacceptable attitude of rejecting any criticism, one must at the same time admit that it is within their remit to make their views known about any issue of general interest public. But under normal circumstances, that is not true of government servants. Oddly enough, some government officials have, of late, grown the habit of going public in refuting criticism about any instance of lapse on their part from different local or foreign quarters. And in doing so such government servants often break service rules with impunity.  
One may recall how top police officials reacted vehemently to a TIB report in December 2010 that depicted Bangladesh police as the 'most corrupt institution.' Rejecting the report, Additional Inspector General of police A.K.M. Shahidul Haque said they were planning to take legal action against TIB as its portraying of police as corrupt was 'unlawful.' Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed, on the other hand, went so far as to term those behind the report as a 'vested quarter' who 'do not like 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and democracy.'
But how can highly placed police officials make such statements publicly so long as they are in service? No question of propriety would have arisen had such open reactions been expressed by the home minister or any other minister in the cabinet, even though we would still be critical of their rejectionist attitude.
It seems this unhealthy culture of denying responsibility or resisting criticism among public servants is spreading like an infectious disease. Worse still, without waiting for their political masters to speak for them, they often take it upon themselves to let the nation know their liking or disliking about issues that concern public leaders.
The recent incident of an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Commissioner Md. Shahabuddin's aggressive posture against the international anti-graft watchdog, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) is déjà vu all over again. What drew his wrath was that TIB had been critical of ACC's efficiency in combating corruption.
But to prove its point, TIB had shown that the ACC could successfully prosecute only 9% of the cases it had taken up in 2012. It further pointed out that the cases that could be prosecuted were political in nature. The implication of this assessment is very clear and, understandably, for obvious reasons the ACC commissioner in question found it hard to digest.  
Regrettably though, the ACC commissioner, who reacted so harshly to the TIB report was not forthcoming with arguments to support his own position about the overwhelming majority of unresolved ACC cases, the political nature of those resolved and thus disprove TIB's assertion.
We would appreciate it if the furious ACC commissioner could counter TIB by producing examples of its success stories in prosecuting corrupt persons or organisations in the public or private sectors.
But lacking the moral courage to face facts, the angry ACC commissioner went for a flank attack against TIB by choosing a subject that had no relevance to the issue under scrutiny. With a threat to 'unmask' TIB, he kicked up a row over the use of foreign fund by the organisation, as if the use of public fund in research or development work is an anathema to our culture. This is ridiculous. His approach to the TIB critique of ACC was not only unfair, but also unprincipled. Clearly, he was trying to defend himself by being offensive. This is the same way that politicians or even the aforementioned government officials bury their head in the sand of denial just to evade responsibility.
What is most worrying about this vociferous denial culture is that it is causing erosion of the sense of responsibility and accountability among people holding important public or private offices. And since in many cases they are being able to get away with their irresponsibility and unaccountability with impunity, the trend is rubbing off on every section of society. It is time we did something to stop the rot.
 

The writer is Editor, Science and Life, The Daily Star.
E-mail: [email protected]