Editorial
Fighting graft is our urgent task
CA's call must entail institutional reforms
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed's emphasis on the creation of a graft-free society is, we believe, a clarion call to the country. The whole nation is in agreement with him on the question of a crusade against corruption. The efforts that the caretaker administration has so far expended in tackling crime and corruption have been laudable and the media in particular have remained supportive of the government in this regard. It is because of such reasons that we think the CA's address at the Bangla Academy only complements and reinforces the principled stand he and his government have adopted about tackling head-on the problems which have kept the country in their vise-like grip.Lest the CA's words be construed as a mere mouthing of platitudes, it becomes important to bear in mind the difficult job the caretaker government has before itself. We do understand that the caretakers are not angels who can fix things through using magic wands. Even so, the business of building a corruption free society depends on how and to what extent the caretaker administration can bring about some very necessary institutional reforms in the areas that matter. Obviously, a significant priority concerns the expenditure sector. The fact is that in Bangladesh the government remains the biggest spender, which therefore implies that all the spending going on in its name must be made fully accountable as well as transparent. It is a job the caretaker government can do through empowering the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General to investigate the financial wrong doings of the various departments of the executive branch. But empowerment of the CAG's office presupposes an appointment of competent individuals to it and ensuring their full and unequivocal freedom to do their work. A strengthening of the CAG's office necessarily calls for an inquiry into the performance of individual ministries of the government. Since there is a system of individual ministry accounting in place, all that the caretaker administration needs to do is to go resolutely into bringing such accounting out in the open. The secrecy and red tape surrounding the work of the ministries have traditionally contributed to a lengthening of the shadows of corruption. Unless such problems are handled in a decisive manner, graft will continue to eat away at the vitals of our society. The CA's statement must also be applied in projects and procurement and the degree of implementation achieved here. The public procurement procedure, at the insistence of the World Bank, is already in place. But the last government did not implement if seriously. The caretakers would do well to crack the whip on those who have been mishandling projects. Overall, a tough handling of graft by the caretaker administration can create an enabling condition for a future political government to build on our collective vision of a healthy, corruption free society.
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