Beyond the projection-rejection syndrome

The recent survey of corruption by TIB that came heavily on some sensitive public service institutions has attracted large-scale attention. Doubts have been expressed about the intention of TIB and the methodology of the survey is being questioned by competent people. The matter has reached the apex court that has invited three top officials of TIB to a tea party for talks on matters relating to the alleged survey.
While one has to wait for the verdict on the issue of credibility of the survey, there is perhaps a need to have some idea on the ground reality and public perception of the pervasive phenomenon of corruption. The question is, did the enormity of corrupt practices that surfaced not long ago baffle and surprise many citizens? In the recent past, some website reportedly displayed explicit estimates of the ill-gotten wealth of the so-called billionaire ministers of Bangladesh. Nobody took any serious note of the malfeasance and misfeasance of the high and mighty.
It is interesting to re-collect that when the harried members of public had some glimpses of the shady deal and the plundering of State resources, they were bewildered by the recklessness and the gay abandon modus operandi of the predators and their associates. The informed and the knowledgeable were not upset for they were aware of the total lack of accountability in the corridors of power.
A former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh had impressed upon the creation of an anti-corruption ethos because he felt that the nation had failed to culturally internalize the positive social values. This deficiency, according to him, was not unexpected as insensitive men and women with a marginal sense of public duty were catapulted into positions of national importance. Such elements, it was suspected, did not care if corrective institutions were subjected to constant battering by the unscrupulous. No wonder, therefore, that in Bangladesh today the regulatory institutions do not have the required bite. Clearly we need to rebuild.
In venturing to look beyond we have to appreciate the socio-political environment of the immediate past. There is no denying that there was hardly any political will and determination to counter corruption as many Bangladeshis continued to hold the belief that political power was the means to become rich. Irregularities and indiscretions did not cause the raising of eyebrows in a milieu where corruption for many had become a way of life.
It would be worth remembering that no stigma was attached to black money in our society. Tax incentives were given to black marketers, tax evaders, smugglers etc. The corrupt had their promoters, supporters and partners everywhere in business, trade, industry, and agriculture and even in media.
Curiously enough, there was a belief that irregularities of all sorts may go on regardless until the malfeasance has attracted the attention of the regulatory authority. The situation was ludicrously akin to one in which all the erring and negligent headmasters are virtually motionless waiting for the School Inspector to pull them up. It amounted to a multiple crooks and the lone ranger scenario. No wonder, therefore, we have been witnessing a huge backlog of financial, legal and administrative irregularities and deviations in all areas of national activity. Preparing a work plan and deciding on the bare reducible minimum was an extremely difficult task in such an unsettling scenario.
To speak the truth, in Bangladesh, the really corrupt elements have been the ones who have condemned corruption in the strongest possible terms in public speeches and after dinner talks. Their constant hypocrisy and as such becoming a bundle of contradictions have not surprised any. The corrupt have been tolerated in all social gatherings. They never encountered ridicule and insult.
In fact, the corrupt amongst our midst found time to relax, to enjoy family life, to go on vacations, to take proper care of their health; they had no qualms in displaying their ill-gotten worldly possessions. Therefore, despite the hazards many had joined the ranks of the corrupt given the lack of accountability and general acceptance of corruption as a way of life in the country.
As imperatives, we have to ensure access to an extensive range of ways, means and standards for preventive measures for public and private sectors. In accordance with the fundamental principles of our own legal system, we should have the opportunity to collaborate with other State parties and relevant international and regional organizations in promoting and developing the preventive and curative measures against corruption. We need to participate in international programmes and projects aimed at prevention of corruption.
We should further take measure to facilitate mutual learning and experience sharing including latest knowledge and information about best practices of transparency and accountability in public finance and public procurement, and other critical areas of the public sector.
We should have access to a comprehensive international cooperation framework for mutual law enforcement assistance, notably extradition and investigation.
We have to give greater recognition to the role of the civil society and the citizens at large in fighting corruption. The government should be committed to ensure protection to witnesses, reporting persons and victims of corruption, and in particular the recognition of the right of bodies or persons who have suffered damages from corruption, to initiate legal proceedings for compensation.
Last but not the least, we have to ensure the establishment of the right of the public to access to information.
In the ultimate analysis, the test of our resolve will depend on how the collective will of our society guarantees that criminal acts, particularly of the elite, in both the private and public spheres, do not undercut government legitimacy and undermine rule of law. In the meantime, the burly predators need to be booked.

Muhammad Nurul Huda is a columnist for
The Daily Star.