Corruption culture lives on

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has recently published its Citizen Perception Survey, which demonstrated no let-up in the pervasiveness of corruption faced by service-seekers in government offices. It's a disheartening reality that public servants, paid by the very people they're meant to serve, are instead compelling them to pay bribes for services. According to the survey, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has been identified as the most corrupt public office, with 63.29 per cent of respondents reporting that they were forced to pay bribes to receive services. BRTA handles essential tasks such as issuing driving and vehicle licenses and route permits. This rampant graft directly contributes to the alarming frequency of fatal road accidents, as the focus appears to be more on who can pay rather than who is qualified. Law enforcement agencies ranked second with 61.94 per cent of service-seekers reporting bribery and corruption, an indictment that undermines public trust and signals a serious breach of duty. This is a classic case of fox guarding the henhouse where those meant to protect incite fear and anxiety. Passport offices, which are supposed to facilitate services for expatriates whose remittances are vital to the economy, came in a close third. Furthermore, over 50 per cent of survey participants reported encountering corruption when dealing with land-registry offices, courts and land records offices.

The latest survey reveals that the same government offices previously notorious for corruption and bribery continue to perform poorly, demonstrating little improvement despite public outcry. Even the ousting of a fascist government in mass uprising and subsequent reform measures aimed at curbing corruption by the interim government failed to change their behaviour. Their corrupt ways persist, seemingly immune to accountability measures. Many public servants seem to believe that passing a civil service exam grants them unchecked authority over the public rather than an obligation to serve. At the survey report launch, planning adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud observed that wealthier citizens today are increasingly offering bribes to receive quicker or better public services. This turns what should be fair and equal services into a system where money buys privilege. He noted that when the rich use bribes to skip ahead, they create an alternative service stream that runs parallel to the official one that makes corruption worse. In doing so, they share responsibility for perpetuating the very corruption they would later decry.

Public perceptions of law and order were also measured in the survey by asking how secure respondents feel in daily life. It found that 84.81?per cent of citizens feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhoods after dark, while 92.54?per cent feel safe inside their homes after sundown. In what should be a civilized society, it is shocking that nearly one in ten individuals don't feel safe in their own homes and two in ten feel vulnerable in their neighbourhoods. In principle, diligent policing should curb crime and strengthen the sense of safety both indoors and outdoors. Yet when 61.94?per cent respondents report being victims of law enforcement corruption, behaviour that is itself criminal, it is hardly surprising that genuine offenders grow more brazen. 

Overall picture painted by the survey is undeniably gloomy. Without strict surveillance and exemplary punishment for wrongdoing, corruption in government offices has apparently become institutionalised. This is the reason why reports like this must not be dismissed as routine data collection. Instead, it should serve as a wake-up call for the authorities to prosecute corrupt officials and ensure that accountability structures function without fear or favour. In the current political context, shaped by the fall of authoritarian Awami League government, achieving this should not be difficult, provided there is sufficient will.