It's a matter of abject pity. Instead of appreciating the good work that Transparency International (Bangladesh) is doing some are bent upon involving it in a senseless controversy. The day before, three defamation cases were filed in Comilla and Chittagong against TIB, for "demeaning the judiciary." The case filed in Comilla was dismissed on technical grounds in the evening hours after the court issued arrest warrants against the three. However, the two Chittagong courts have summoned the three TIB officials against whom the cases were filed there in connection with the recent TIB survey report which showed that the judiciary was the most corrupt service sector in Bangladesh.
Let's look at what the survey is all about. The TIB visited 6,000 households and spoke to inmates on one-to-one basis asking them about their experience in receiving services including their encounter with corruption, if any. Based on their findings, the report is a public opinion survey. Public opinion is regarded as a valuable tool for good governance in the modern-day world and is extensively utilised in many countries as a matter of normal practice. It is a barometer whereby the government of the day gauges the effectiveness or otherwise of its policies, where its governance meets public expectations and where it does not.
We wonder why that which is an instrument of good governance is sought to be undermined. It is to be noted that as soon as the report came out some ministers came down heavily on it inputing strange motives. It is in the wake of the ministers' comments that a series of cases have been moved in the court. If this were to raise suspicion in the public mind that the cases may have been politically motivated would that be too wrong a statement?
The modality adopted by the TIB is one that is adopted by all those that conduct such survey, and public survey, or opinion poll, is an accepted means of determining the public pulse, opinion, views, judgment about a particular issue, person or institution - which the TIB has done in this instance. The people have every right to express their views and the TIB has equal right to collect, collate and make public the views for the public to make their own opinion. What is wrong in people recording their experience about graft in the service sectors, about the hassles they encounter in their daily life, and what is wrong in TIB making it known to the public?
We believe that the report was not designed to malign any one, least of all the government, and in any case graft did not appear during the last two years only. It has been there and has grown, unfortunately, over time. And it is in that spirit that the government and all concerned should take the report and make good use of it. If need be, the government can employ its agencies to verify the findings.
So we urge all concerned to desist from any knee-jack reaction to the report signaling intolerance of public opinion survey, a standard practice in democracies around the world to help themselves perfect their policies and actions midway for the good of the people.