Reviving values, fighting corruption

With the latest addition of Barapukuria coal scam to the series of corruption cases being unfolded in the country at regular intervals, the efficacy of the strategies to tackle corruption needs to come under intense scrutiny. Only a few days ago, gold kept in Bangladesh Bank was found to be adulterated, adding insult to injury for the already fragile banking sector of Bangladesh.

It seems that no sector in Bangladesh is now untouched from the clutches of corruption. As the anti-corruption drive is not bringing any results, we must devise newer strategies with a fresh look at the factors leading to unabated corruption in our society.

Bangladesh was ranked 143th out of 180 countries on the list of the most corrupt countries in the world in 2017, according to the Transparency International’s (TI) corruption perception index released early this year. Among the eight South Asian countries we continue to remain the second worst after Afghanistan.

As a nation we were humiliated when Bangladesh was branded as the most corrupt nation in the world for the five consecutive years (2001-2005) by Transparency International. Though the situation has improved to some extent since then, we will have miles to go even if we want a moderately corruption-free country.

A matter of grave concern is the increased acceptance and legitimacy of corrupt persons in society which was unprecedented in our history. For instance, a person accused of bribery or corrupt practices is no longer a social outcast nowadays. On the contrary, he is often revered in our existing societal structure.

Unfortunately, having reviewed the existing literature by different anti-corruption bodies at work in Bangladesh, government or non-government, I fail to find any philosophical explanation of our people’s resorting to corrupt means. At times corrupt practices are identified, laws are tightened, but such sporadic attempts are found to be futile and newer ones are unearthed.

In fact, the ideas of liberalisation, privatisation or free market economy are changing the social, political and cultural fabric across countries and Bangladesh is no exception. People’s aspirations have increased manifold, they now want to be the part of the globalised and connected world, where the values of commercialisation and commodification are now the order of the day.

As a spin off, we in Bangladesh also are witnessing unprecedented capital outflow and resource transfer to developed countries. Many people are transferring their assets to other developed countries. These are assets acquired by means of corruption for creating a safe haven outside. In effect, extreme modernity is contributing to the rapid erosion of moral values. People are trapped by selfish goals and parochial interests. Our previous social or religious values have been slipping into the ditch of immorality.

So, finding answer to the most pertinent question as to why people become corrupt, is very important. We should acknowledge that modernisation, coupled with neo-liberal economic values, are creating individualistic culture, isolating people from the larger communities where they used to take refuge in times of crises. This alienated social structure, where the crowd is in effect lonely, corruption is seen as means of social and personal security.

So, for tackling corruption we must recreate the communities where we used to live - respecting, listening, and helping each other for centuries. Through widening the social safety net and community building we will have to create a truly inclusive welfare state, where personal asset accumulation would become redundant in course of time. Creating more jobs, providing housing or treatment facilities for every citizen must be ensured so that the incentives of corruption lose their ground in the society.

The restoration of our moral values is also very important if we want to free our citizenry from extreme greed and corruption. Religious and moral values should be promoted in the society. Schools and educational institutes are the primary places to lay the foundations of responsible citizens in the country. The mission of education should be creating moral citizens; morality must be taught in a scientific way.

Equally important is the media’s role therein. Media content, nowadays, is made of events, programmes that heighten immoral activities among the youth. Their aspirations are raised, and at the end they become either corrupt or resort to drugs when these aspirations are not mitigated. Media should project and highlight honest persons of the society. If we do not instill morality in our younger generation, the price would be too high for the country.

The irony is that policy makers have not paid due attention to find the causes of rampant corruption and erosion of moral values in our society. Without understanding the psyche of the nation, introduction of mere laws or policies can prove futile in the long run. If we fail to find proper strategies to combat corruption, perhaps the day is not far off when we will see that our social and economic achievements have lost their way.

* Md. Shamsul Islam is a researcher and columnist. He can be contacted at: shamsulbkk@gmail.com