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The end of corruption?
The ultimate success of the current anti-corruption drive depends entirely on the make-up of the next parliament, argues Rehman Sobhan
If such "clean" candidates, many if not most of whom may not be particularly wealthy people, are to contest elections, they will need a level playing field where the power of money and muscle will have been neutralized. It is here that the agenda of the CTG to attack corruption will become congruent with the interests of those parties and candidates who need to neutralize the power of money in the next election. It will not be enough for such a candidate to contest a one-off election where money power is not to be a variable. If elected to office such parties will have to build a political consensus derived from an electoral victory, to strike at the roots of corruption. It is only through securing such a democratic mandate that we may expect that black money will no longer be a lubricant for the electoral process and will cease to serve as a primary motivation for participation in politics.The CTG should undoubtedly persist with their drive to make the corrupt accountable for their misdeeds. However they should recognize that striking at the sources of corruption will be a longer term affair involving structural reforms which will require more time and a strong political mandate. CTGs do not have such a mandate nor would it be in their interest to overstay their welcome.
A more realistic goal for the CTG should therefore be to ensure that in the forthcoming election those with a record of corruption would be disbarred from contesting the election and the power of money and muscle will not be a factor in influencing the outcome of the election. Hopefully such a strategy, if sincerely and effectively carried out by the CTG and implemented by the Election Commission, will ensure the election of "clean" candidates to the next parliament.
Such a new generation of parliamentarians may be expected to invest their support behind a regime which can set about eradicating corruption and transforming Bangladesh from one of the most corrupt to one of the less corrupt countries in the global community.
The ultimate challenge to end corruption will thus become intimately linked to the outcome of the next election. Unless the election can bring to power, new or regenerated political parties committed to honouring their promises to the electorate for sustaining democracy, revolutionizing the governance of the country, and sharing the fruits of development, the events leading up to 1/11 may yet again be repeated this time with more fatal consequences for our democratic process.
Rehman Sobhan is Chairman, Editorial Board, Forum.
