While addressing a jubilant party loyalists at Suhrawardy Uddyan, PM stressed that her new government would not tolerate corruption. A "zero tolerance" policy would soon be put in place. Despite the corruption scams that jolted the nation but failed to unsettle her government, many found some kind of optimism in her commitment to contain corruption. But many people will watch how far and at what length she could go to translate her words into action.
So far, only politicians, businessmen and former public servants having ties with opposition political parties have been tried on charges of corruption. No ruling party leader or public official has been tried.
However, PM's stance was greeted well across people from different creed.
In recent years, some FDIs are stemming from our big trading partners. Infrastructure and energy are two key sectors that witness the FDI boom. In addition, our trading partners are also happened to be major procurement source s of our ongoing development and investment projects. Some of the partners also sell arms to us.
With growing FDIs and development projects, the likelihood of corrupt act has also grown. Uncharted territory of corruption is also opening up in a developing country like us. For instance, none of us guessed that Bangladesh Bank heist would happen in Bangladesh.
Coincidentally, culprits of the crime are nationals of influential trading partner or of country with which we have special arrangements.
Last year , I read score of news reports on how Chinese importers cheated their Bangladeshi partners by sending container-load of sand instead of the agreed good. I don't know whether the importer got reimbursement or took any kind of legal action against the Chinese company.
Connectivity and greater involvement also invite unintended consequences. These stray incidents should not be seen as obstacles to forge greater ties. Rather, they create new alleys for cooperation.
Some of the investment proposals are coming from groups who have wide array of businesses spanning in several continents. With these diverse portfolio and aligned interest with their suppliers, they are likely to evade taxes or hide information that is crucial to calculate their earnings and tax.
Often many of the corrupt groups escape the the legal system or manage to do business in other countries due to their high political connection.
If we put in place a regional framework to contain corruption, we may be able to try corrupt individuals or groups who operate beyond borders and in multinational settings.
Any agreement between anti-corruption bodies of these countries will pave the path for anti-corruption cooperation and will significantly reduce incidence of corruption in the region.
Similarly, this kind of arrangement will help to check smuggling and narcotics activity across the border. It will wok as a catalyst to remove the political tutelage that this kind of clandestine trade enjoys.
Crony corrupt practices are prevalent in this part of the world. This kind of agreement will also thwart high level political corruption. So any corrupt act committed in one country will invoke punitive action in another country as per the agreement. Extradition may take place in light of such agreement.
One may argue that what good it will bring as influential political groups have greater leverage over this sort of constitutional bodies. In favorable time of the cronies the bodies may not try them, but they can keep a record and document the corrupt incident and open up investigation at a later date to try them.
The most important thing this kind of agreement will work as a scarecrow in a corrupt country to fend off evil motive of any transnational corporation.
Crux of the matter is today or tomorrow we have to go for this kind of arrangements. Before any eventuality spurs that kind of cooperation, it is better to devise an agreement right now. And the welfare benefits this cooperation agreement will generate is beyond to gauge.
So far, only politicians, businessmen and former public servants having ties with opposition political parties have been tried on charges of corruption. No ruling party leader or public official has been tried.
However, PM's stance was greeted well across people from different creed.
In recent years, some FDIs are stemming from our big trading partners. Infrastructure and energy are two key sectors that witness the FDI boom. In addition, our trading partners are also happened to be major procurement source s of our ongoing development and investment projects. Some of the partners also sell arms to us.
With growing FDIs and development projects, the likelihood of corrupt act has also grown. Uncharted territory of corruption is also opening up in a developing country like us. For instance, none of us guessed that Bangladesh Bank heist would happen in Bangladesh.
Coincidentally, culprits of the crime are nationals of influential trading partner or of country with which we have special arrangements.
Last year , I read score of news reports on how Chinese importers cheated their Bangladeshi partners by sending container-load of sand instead of the agreed good. I don't know whether the importer got reimbursement or took any kind of legal action against the Chinese company.
Connectivity and greater involvement also invite unintended consequences. These stray incidents should not be seen as obstacles to forge greater ties. Rather, they create new alleys for cooperation.
Some of the investment proposals are coming from groups who have wide array of businesses spanning in several continents. With these diverse portfolio and aligned interest with their suppliers, they are likely to evade taxes or hide information that is crucial to calculate their earnings and tax.
Often many of the corrupt groups escape the the legal system or manage to do business in other countries due to their high political connection.
If we put in place a regional framework to contain corruption, we may be able to try corrupt individuals or groups who operate beyond borders and in multinational settings.
Any agreement between anti-corruption bodies of these countries will pave the path for anti-corruption cooperation and will significantly reduce incidence of corruption in the region.
Similarly, this kind of arrangement will help to check smuggling and narcotics activity across the border. It will wok as a catalyst to remove the political tutelage that this kind of clandestine trade enjoys.
Crony corrupt practices are prevalent in this part of the world. This kind of agreement will also thwart high level political corruption. So any corrupt act committed in one country will invoke punitive action in another country as per the agreement. Extradition may take place in light of such agreement.
One may argue that what good it will bring as influential political groups have greater leverage over this sort of constitutional bodies. In favorable time of the cronies the bodies may not try them, but they can keep a record and document the corrupt incident and open up investigation at a later date to try them.
The most important thing this kind of agreement will work as a scarecrow in a corrupt country to fend off evil motive of any transnational corporation.
Crux of the matter is today or tomorrow we have to go for this kind of arrangements. Before any eventuality spurs that kind of cooperation, it is better to devise an agreement right now. And the welfare benefits this cooperation agreement will generate is beyond to gauge.
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