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Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Dr. Mohammad Moinul Momen on Sunday said that expecting the ACC to completely eradicate corruption from Bangladesh at this moment would be unrealistic, though it is certainly possible to reduce it significantly.
“It would be a bit too much to expect that the Anti-Corruption Commission can entirely eliminate corruption from Bangladesh right away. But we must acknowledge that if we want to, corruption can be reduced,” he said.
He made the remarks while addressing the 187th public hearing (Gonoshunani) organized by the ACC at the Jashore District Shilpakala Academy auditorium. The event aimed to promote social awareness, improve service delivery in government and autonomous institutions, prevent harassment of service recipients, and strengthen anti-corruption measures.
ACC Commissioner (Investigation) Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi attended the event as special guest.
In his speech, Dr. Momen said, “Among those who are present today, there are two groups — service providers, who are sustained by public money, and service recipients, who rarely receive the government’s support. They work hard to earn their living, and a portion of their hard-earned money is collected as tax, which pays our salaries.”
Speaking about the purpose of the public hearing, the ACC chief said, “We are not setting the public and officials against each other; rather, we are connecting them. This engagement creates access — access between the public and the service providers. When my service in Jashore ends, if I see tears in people’s eyes, I will feel that I have truly connected with them and served them. But if people applaud as I leave, that means they were just happy to see me go.”
He also reminded government employees of their moral accountability: “We work, we report to the state, we fulfill our ACR (Annual Confidential Report) — but we must also remember that we are answerable to our own conscience.”
Addressing journalists, Dr. Momen said, “Pressmen are whistleblowers. More than 50 percent of our investigations and cases begin with reports from journalists. Whether those reports are accurate is something we later verify through investigation.”
Special guest Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi said, “The law of the jungle cannot be the law of civilization. Some people are deprived of their rightful entitlements — that is why we are here today, to discuss why this happens and how to prevent it in the future.”
He added, “We see that in many cases, depriving others of their rightful share is treated as a form of pride — this must not continue. Wherever we serve, we must ensure that we neither engage in corruption nor tolerate it in others.”
He also urged everyone to refrain from taking valuable gifts, announcing a new ‘No Gift Policy’. “We are moving toward a culture of ‘No Gift.’ While hospitality for guests is a part of our culture, in cases where there is a conflict of interest, we must exercise caution. We should not accept any gift that could influence our decision-making.”
During the public hearing, citizens who had faced harassment or were deprived of services from various government offices presented their grievances before the ACC in the presence of the heads of all government departments in Jashore.
Of the 104 complaints received, 75 fell under the ACC’s jurisdiction. The Commission decided to investigate 10 of these cases immediately, while the rest will be resolved after submission of detailed reports.
Before the event, the ACC carried out extensive campaigns throughout Jashore — including loudspeaker announcements, posters, leaflet distribution, setting up complaint booths and boxes, and media outreach — to encourage public participation.
The hearing received a strong public response and was attended by government officials, citizens from all professions, journalists from electronic and print media, as well as members of the Scouts and BNCC.