For all the endless talk about curbing or even doing away with corruption in the country, not much appears to be happening. Of course, there are people who will point to the conviction of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia as an instance where the rule of law has been upheld.
That is all right, up to a point. Beyond the point comes the very important question of what the government means to do about people who, being close to the ruling party, have indulged in activities which clearly violate the law. We refer to the recent instances of the disaster that has overtaken the Farmers Bank. There is too the scandal involving the governing body of Janata Bank which, under individuals known for their loyalty to the ruling Awami League, did the unthinkable through doling out hefty loans to a single individual. The surprise is in knowing that no inquiry or investigation has been launched into these scams. Or if there are any inquiries going on, citizens have not been informed about them.
We have grown used, over the decades, to hearing politicians vowing to crack down on corruption without mercy. But now we have news that despite all the reports of Bangladeshis being talked about in the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers regarding stashing away money in the name of companies overseas, the authorities in Dhaka have done absolutely nothing about dealing with these individuals.
As many as 87 Bangladeshis have been named in these papers. Any government serious about upholding accountability, its own and that of citizens who must abide by the law, would have moved fast in launching inquiries into such questionable activities. Unfortunately, the authorities here in Dhaka have, like any newspaper reader or observer, simply come to know about such transgressions and then have looked away. A senior official of Bangladesh Bank has averred that a list containing the details of the individuals named in the Panama and Paradise Papers has been sent to the Anti-Corruption Commission for follow-up action. The ACC, for its part, has done next to nothing.
That is shocking. An organization like the ACC is expected to go to work, on its own and without delay, the moment it receives reports on corrupt doings by people or hears of corruption. That the ACC has sat on the issue leads us to question its methods of work. If, as those associated with the ACC and also those in important positions in the government have never failed to let us know, the objective is to come down hard on corrupt people, why has no action been taken here?
As for the government, why has it kept its silence on the Farmers Bank and Janata Bank issues rather than taking swift and harsh action against those involved in such wrongdoing?Are there people in the corridors of power to answer these questions, if they are inclined to answer them at all?
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