Iqbal Hossain

The ‘corruption’ is now a plentiful discussed and criticized word in Bangladesh of which inherent sentiment does not carry dignity for a person or a society or a country. But the identity of the word let whatever carries in that the corrupted people are not inconvenience. They are working dauntless surrounding that identity in their bodies. The scene is seen from grocer-shop to the highest place of the country.

We have heard or seen that the grocer-shopkeepers used to pay short in weight. But now they, in spite of remaining stored up huge goods which have been bought in cheap rate sell in high rate receiving news of price hike. The clerks of the offices used to take taka 5 or 10 from the clients as bribe in exchange of working. But now the offices, in concern of jobs do only not question-out they pay jobs to the candidates in fake-certificates in exchange of huge money.

There is no such office where the touch of corruption does not touch. In all sectors including Land, Education, Health, Social welfare, Customs, Bank and Administration the corruption and irregularity are now open secret. It is learnt from different newspapers, channels and victimized people that how deep corruption, irregularity and suffering are present in the land office. In the name of decreasing land-tax the employees of this office take plentiful money from land-lords of which are not given receipts. It is known that deed-writer in collision with sub-register makes fake-deeds in exchange of huge money. Many one, showing these fake-deeds takes hundreds or thousands crore taka from the Banks in collision with Bank-employees those are not returned. We have known the tales of sub-registers and deed-writers’ sky-scraping properties through different media.

The teachers are to appoint in the non-government school and college in exchange of taka 5 to 15 lakh. Many persons have got jobs losing their beloved lands and properties. What are the students learning from these teachers who are always thinking for money-earning? Besides, the teachers, in the name of coaching center collect excessive money from the students. They would now like to expend huge times in their own coaching center than in the classroom teaching. The police-administration’s picture is more terrible.

A candidate of the constable post is to pay the authority taka 10 to 20 lakh as the bribe. For that reason they are to be corrupted to collect that money which was given for the jobs. The pictures of police higher officers’ making property’s mountain are now open in front of the public. Their crimes are now discussed and criticized in everywhere of the world not only in Bangladesh. Recently the Court has ordered to seize the illegal properties of Sylhet Customs Commissioner Enamul Haque. The price his illegal properties is nearly taka 9 crore. He has bought flats, lands and commercial spaces in different places including Dhaka City. Farzana Yeshmin, deputy director of the Corruption Control Commission is investigating this case.

The Health Sector of Bangladesh is very neglected than others. The excessive patients of capacity are admitted in the government-hospitals. Many one takes place on the floor without beds. The patients are deprived from treatment in crisis of necessary doctors. It is learnt from different media that the doctors of government-hospitals would like to treat the patients in their own chamber in exchange of excessive money. Besides, many one earns huge money treating per-time in the non-government hospitals. But they take monthly salary from the government hospitals. There is complaint that those medicines are supplied in the government-hospitals which are sold out. There are severe crisis of expert doctors in the non-government-hospitals. Since they serve patients from the business viewpoint for that reason they appoint doctors in small salary and earn huge money. For this reason the poor-patients cannot to be admitted there.

The irregularities of the Banks have been discussing for some years. The dishonest people, in collision with the Bank-employees have been ditching abroad hundreds or thousands crore taka not to expenditure in the fixed works. The government is clamorous about it, but they did not bring back the ditched money. We have to think in what way the corruption is ruined entirely from this fearlessness-forest of corruption. It is not possible to control the corruption if the order is given or strict punishment is also given where the majority employees of the ministries and departments are involved in corruptions. The political leaders can control irregularities and corruptions. In this regard, they have to be pure, corruption-free and disciplined and have to stand beside people keeping back their avidities and sacrifice their own interests.

The political parties have also to be corruption-free and democratic. Now the question comes: How can the political parties to be corruption-free? All political parties have to close the habit of taking money from the candidates in the name of giving party’s ‘marka’ in the national and local polls. The leaders who are honest, educated, corruption-free, popular and devoted for the party are to pay nomination in all level- polls without money.

The people wouldn’t like to hear or honor the corrupted people’s orders and advices with pleasure. No man, being corrupted and dishonest should advise the people to do something. We know an event of our prophet Hazrat Muhammad (sm). One day a man with his son came to the prophet to get some advice. He said to the prophet, ‘My son would like to eat sweet, but I am a poor man and I have no capability to buy sweet for my son. You object to my son to eat sweet’. The prophet thought that he himself liked sweet. So how will he object to close the liking of other? The prophet said to that man, ‘I will tell you after some days’. He himself came down or omitted to eating sweet. Later the prophet said to that man’s son, ‘You do not eat sweet’.

So, they themselves who are appointed in country-conducting have to be sin-free and corruption-free first and then the people will respect if they advises. It is now open secret that the ruling political party uses different government-agencies including administration for wining in the polls illegally. After wining in the polls the ruling party pays various opportunities to them. They, getting opportunities make huge properties of hundreds crore taka involving in various illegal activities. The people are now suffering the results of political parties’ activities and are being upset.

The people’s immense faiths are on Bangabandhu-daughter Sheikh Hasina. But sometimes they who are faithful in the spirit of our liberation war and in the leadership of Bangabandhu, being let down think that how she tolerate the party’s illegal and hateful activities being Bangabandhu’s daughter. The people cannot compare accounts.

So, to have a corruption-free country the ruling party has to be corruption-free. “We will not make illegal properties and will not give to make other”, if the government, remaining strict in this policy pays orders and advices to different ministries and departments and if the investigation is done regularly then Bangladesh will gradually be appeared in the world as a corruption-free and democratic country.

The writer is a columnist & retired deputy director of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy