Corruption is a scourge in most countries. Indeed, a recent World Economic Forum survey on ‘trust-in-government’ has revealed that 75% of the world's population does not trust their governments - the reason? Corruption.

Asian best practices

Notwithstanding the global upward trend in corruption, the good news is that several countries and territories, including those in Bangladesh’s Asian neighbourhood, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea, have introduced measures that have successfully combatted corruption.

  1. Hong Kong: Civic engagement in corruption control

In the late seventies, during the British colonial period, Hong Kong had one of the most centralised administrations and the most corrupt police in the region. 

In 1997, after Hong Kong was decolonised and the island was handed over to mainland China as an autonomous entity, the new Hong Kong government carried out several governance reforms, such as decentralisation and democratisation and devolution of authorities to the local councils, where police were put under the supervision of the local councils which are elected bodies where police was made accountable to public scrutiny through citizen groups attached to the councils.

 

Over the years, these measures, decentralisation and devolution of authority at the local councils and introduction of citizen-based oversight measures not only reduced corruption among the police but also improved their performance in delivering services efficiently and fairly.

  1. Singapore: A multi-pronged civil service reform

Similarly, in the early seventies, Singapore had one of the most corrupt customs services and a very inept civil service.

Then, within a span of a few years, a combination of measures such as decentralisation of public services, merit-based recruitment, salary increases, downsizing and corporatisation of ministries and departments, performance-based remuneration and harsh punitive measures for malfeasance, transformed Singapore’s public administration from being the most corrupt and inept public administration to one of the most efficient and leading corruption-free countries in the world.

  1. South Korea: The Personnel Verification System (PVS)

Among the countries that were once regarded as highly corrupt but have since become the least corrupt is the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Indeed, South Korea’s example in corruption control is both unique and exemplary.

South Korea’s aspirations for a corruption-free society began with the April Revolution, also called the April 19 Revolution of 1960, when a student-led mass uprising rose against the autocratic and kleptocratic government of President Syngman Rhee and toppled it, ushering in a cycle of reforms that, over the years, drastically reduced corruption in the country.

The unique aspect of Korea’s march to a corruption-free society was not achieved through one revolution, the April 19 Revolution. The April 19 Revolution of 1960 was the trigger that followed a series of uprisings and innovations until the revolution’s aspirations – a corruption-free democratic Korea - were realised fully.

South Korea’s corruption control measures included both systemic reforms and integrity tracking of senior public officials. These measures included, inter alia, improvements in the checks and balances in the decision-making processes of the government, including budgets, award of contracts, etc. and secondly, through the introduction of a unique system called Personnel Verification System (PVS) that involves integrity tracking, is based on the premise that governance reforms, improved checks and balances would have limited success if the quality and integrity of the public officials are not at par.

These days in Korea, all senior-level government appointments must go through the PVS integrity-tracking and approval such that a few years ago when the newly elected government nominated one of their leaders to take up a position of a minister, the PVS tracking found out that way back the nominated leader used his influence to get his son admitted in an elite school for which the son have had the required grades. These revelations of influence-peddling disqualified this individual from being appointed to the position of minister. Such is the effectiveness of the PVS that it is a proven deterrent to men and women of doubtful integrity from taking on important positions in government.

In sum, control of corruption in Korea was achieved through two intertwining arrangements: first, strengthened transparency and accountability in the government's decision-making processes; and second, the PVS, which prevents people of doubtful character from running the government.

Lessons for the BNP government

Bangladesh is no stranger to corruption. On the contrary, corruption in Bangladesh is rampant and consistent, such that Transparency International ranks Bangladesh among the 10 most corrupt countries in the world.

In Bangladesh, corruption has gone through several phases: initially, it was tolerated; then the scourge became institutionalised; then it gained respectability; and since 2009, corruption has become an entitlement, such that bribes – “speed money” – are regarded as required payments.

Interim Government’s Corruption Commission recommendations

The post-July 2024 Uprising Interim Government (IG), headed by Prof. Yunus, commissioned a White Paper to assess the magnitude of corruption and the institutional loopholes that create opportunities for corruption in the government, especially those that were widespread and occurred with impunity during the recently deposed decades-long Hasina regime.

The White Paper successfully revealed institutional loopholes that enable corruption and offered useful recommendations to address the malady.

The BNP Government and corruption control

In February this year, the Interim Government held a free and fair election in which the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won with an overwhelming majority and has since formed the government.

BNP’s overwhelming majority in the Parliament has positioned the BNP government well to initiate reforms, including those related to corruption control.

In fact, before the election, one of BNP’s key pledges was to control corruption.

However, and sadly so, as they say, morning shows the day; it does not appear that the BNP government is paying much attention to any of the reform issues, including those related to corruption control. So far, they don’t seem to have taken on board the corruption control recommendations of the Interim Government’s Corruption Investigation Commission. 

Moving forward, the newly elected BNP government must take on board the IG Corruption Commission’s revelations of corruption loopholes and follow through the recommendations that have the potential to combat corruption, and, at the same time, draw lessons from the Asia’s successful corruption control initiatives that are both curative and preventive such as South Korea’s Personnel Verification System (PVS), - the integrity checking system - that helps barring crooks taking up important positions in the government.

In this regard, it is also important to remind the newly elected BNP government that the July Uprising did not take place to invoke more of the same, nor did people sacrifice their lives to pave the way for the rotation of plundering governments.

The July Uprising was about revolting against a corrupt, arrogant, and self-preserving system, a system that eroded people's rights and dented their dignity and made abuse normal.

Indeed, the time is ripe for the BNP government to reflect, to make democracy work for people, to build a just society, and, more importantly, to draw lessons from successful models of corruption control and to help Bangladesh journey toward a corruption-free, fair society.

The article appeared in the thedailystar