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THE
CASE OF BANGLADESH |
THE
CASE OF BANGLADESH
Parliamentary System
The Poorest Country – United Nations
On top of most corrupt countries—Transparency International
Bangladesh government has a parliamentary form of government
that is based on patronage. Benefits are handed out to a favoured
few. To build and maintain support government provide social
groups with tangible rewards. Corruption prevail in every sector
of national life and included petty corruption, project corruption
and programmatic corruption.
Bangladesh is on top of the most corrupt countries in the world
according to many international studies and surveys.
Petty corruption takes many forms. Payments are required simply
to obtain an application or or a signature, to secure a copy
of an approved sanction, to ensure proper services and billing
from telephone, natural gas, electric power and water employees.
Petty corruption is partly responsible for the high losses suffered
by public sector utilities. Public sector employees ignored
illegal utility connections, tampered with meters and manipulated
bills for a fee. As a result Bangladesh utility costs are among
the highest in the region and yet the system continues to lose
money and there is a continuing battle between the international
donor community and the government of Bangladesh over the issue
of cost recovery.
Project corruption permeates both public and private sector
contracting. A substantial commission must be paid to secure
large public sector contracts in Bangladesh. Donor countries
and agencies hire local lobbyists who clear their project through
the complex maze of project approvals in Bangladesh. No level
of bureaucracy will show any interest on the project unless
the officer is assured that he will receive some personal benefits.
Programmatic corruption is simply another dimension of the problem.
Food for Work Programme is one of the most corrupt programs
in Bangladesh. Relief programs are estimated to suffer losses
of 80 per cent. As a result donors prefer to channel their relief
efforts through NGOs rather than through the bureaucracy.
These three types of corruption in Bangladesh led to a massive
gap between policy and implementation. Pervasive corruption
continues to distort the entire economy and contributed to uncompetitive,
overpriced goods and sick industries.
Here corruption has been viewed as misuse of power. Political
patronage and corruption which plague the government in Bangladesh
have been taken into account in studies about Bangladesh. Corruption
has prevailed in every sector of Bangladesh’s national
life. |
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