Contain corruption

By Md. Masum Billah, BRAC Head Office, Dhaka
16 November 2005, 18:00 PM
Enough is enough. My country has again been ranked the most corrupt in the world among 159 countries. We don't have any scope and place to hide our face. We cannot digest this consecutive national disgrace.

It is corruption, which has brought this bad name for the country. It is corruption that has destroyed the glory of the nation. We created a bright and unique example in the whole world by sacrificing our lives for the mother tongue. This nation achieved independence within nine months. This nation has united the people of different religions under the umbrella of peaceful co-existence. This nation sends its brilliant sons to different parts of the globe where they invent and discover many new things. All these glories and fame have faded due to the corruption prevailing in the country in various forms, though all the people are not related and concerned with it. Now we must not let time pass any more. We must label the corrupt officials, corrupt staff both in the government and private sectors, and give due punishment to them. We must start hating the corrupt people.

Everybody is not corrupt. Every department is not fully corrupt. In every organisation some people are corrupt and they bring bad name for all. Can't we identify and teach them a good lesson?

Police, customs and education are known to be the most corrupt sectors of the country. Policing the police is a must. Now we don't have any plea to overlook this issue. We have overlooked the corruption of the police department, which has pushed us to this disgraceful position. A strong watchdog body must be established to oversee the corruption of the police department. If the corruption and malpractice of the police can be curbed, corruption in many other sectors will automatically disappear.

To curb corruption, it is not possible to transform all the people into angels. But there must be certain set of rules which should be known to the common people. If it is done, people will be aware enough not to give extra money to any person or agency.

Now corruption has emerged as the number one problem of the nation. Let us come together to resist it, irrespective of our ideals and party affiliations.