Corruption and development cannot coexist

Recently, there has been a significant increase in public awareness against corruption in the country. The main driving forces behind this are local and foreign media. Both national and international newspapers, as well as social media, have extensively reported on several major corruption cases recently. Despite various limitations, mainstream newspapers in the country continue to play an anti-corruption role. Additionally, the internet and social media freely disseminate corruption news, contributing to a form of public awareness. Ordinary people are keenly reading these reports, thereby fostering an anti-corruption sentiment among them.

Several recent corruption cases have created a massive stir across the country. Notably, former police chief Benazir Ahmed has been accused of amassing unimaginable wealth through power abuse, and former army chief Aziz Ahmed has been accused of using his power to shield his brothers' crimes. Although the allegations against Aziz Ahmed are not directly related to financial corruption, his abuse of power to cover up his brothers' misdeeds is a grave offense. The U.S. has canceled his visa, acknowledging the allegations against him, which has caused a national and international uproar. Aziz Ahmed, in a press conference, claimed that minor corruption or abuse of power is common, suggesting that the allegations against him were minor. Other notable cases that have sparked controversy include the goat incident involving the son of a top National Revenue Board official, Syed Abed Ali's question leak scandal amassing hundreds of crores of taka, and a servant at the Prime Minister's residence acquiring assets worth 400 crores of taka.

The extensive corruption allegations against former police chief Benazir Ahmed are being discussed most within the country. The notion that a police chief could accumulate such vast property beyond his official salary is unfathomable. While a national daily was discussing his corruption and asset accumulation, several other significant corruption stories were also published, raising concerns about the internal governance and transparency of state institutions. It was known that some republic officials were amassing vast wealth through corruption, but the extent of such corruption was beyond many people's imagination. The revelation of significant corruption cases has also brought to light many previously concealed incidents.

Leftists have always asserted that the state is currently controlled by three forces: corrupt businessmen, corrupt politicians, and corrupt bureaucrats. Regardless of state policies, these groups manipulate policies to serve their interests, sometimes suspending or altering them. This is essentially an abuse of power. There is a mutual understanding among these groups. I am not talking about grassroots political workers but about high-level politicians, members of parliament, upazila chairmen, district council chairmen, and others in powerful political positions who accumulate wealth through corruption and illegal activities. Similarly, many powerful bureaucrats acquire illegal wealth in various ways. They seem to be above accountability. Many high-ranking officials have forgotten their accountability to the public as employees of the republic. Corruption is not confined to high-level officials; even drivers and lower-level employees engage in corruption to amass considerable wealth.

Officials serving as independent directors of various banks or holding high positions in the National Revenue Board wield significant power, which they can abuse to gain various advantages. How they use their entrusted power is crucial. Proper and impartial use of this power can maximize public welfare, while self-serving use harms the country and its people. Not all bureaucrats, politicians, and businessmen are corrupt. Many serve the country selflessly, but a large number of powerful individuals engage in corruption to amass wealth. We have yet to establish that with power comes responsibility and accountability.

In various state institutions, some officials and employees are politically active within the ruling party, and the government or authorities do not take action against them, compromising internal governance. Corrupt individuals tend to support each other, negatively impacting honest officials, politicians, and businessmen who are deprived of their rightful entitlements. The disenfranchised felt abandoned, believing that the state’s highest authorities protect the corrupt and aim only to stay in power by any means.

To maintain power, sometimes it is necessary to shelter some bad people, and this is how practical politics operates. For example, individuals like Joseph were needed to suppress the Freedom Party, or compromising with groups like Jamaat and Hefazat to weaken BNP and increase votes. However, using unethical methods inevitably leads to being controlled by these unethical elements, as they will seek illegal benefits in return. As Rabindranath Tagore said, "What initially is just a means to an end eventually becomes the end itself." The essential thing is to do good work correctly. Promoting a mindset of accepting "the lesser evil" to justify bad practices is prevalent.

The question is, what economic harm does widespread corruption cause to a country? Increased corruption leads to economic inequality. One of the primary goals of our liberation war was to establish an equitable economy and society. Corruption is exacerbating economic inequality in the country, with wealth being unevenly distributed, allowing one class to gain more than their fair share, while another class is deprived. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. In the early stages of capitalism, primitive accumulation occurs in this manner, but in our country, it is so excessive, ruthless, and continuous that there is no semblance of civilized capitalism.

Although it is claimed that Bangladesh has made significant economic progress recently, we cannot yet say that all citizens are benefiting equitably from this development. We need to ensure that the total production in the country does not decrease and that the distribution of produced wealth is not unequal. When corrupt individuals are protected, and if they are efficient, total production might increase despite corruption, but social inequality will also increase. If corrupt individuals are inefficient, total production decreases and inequality rises. It is essential to understand who the corrupt individuals are, what they do with their corrupt earnings, and how they use them.

If corrupt earnings are used within the country, they contribute to the country's overall economic development despite being illegal. However, if such wealth is smuggled abroad, the country suffers. Defaulted loans in the banking sector are a result of corruption, though not always. An entrepreneur or borrower may genuinely fail to repay a loan installment due to unavoidable circumstances without being labeled corrupt. However, diverting the loan amount to other purposes or smuggling it abroad is undoubtedly a crime, which cannot be justified as a phase of primitive accumulation. This may be true for advanced capitalist countries, but not for peripheral clientelistic capitalism like ours.

The widespread corruption has overall damaged the country's economy, undermined social justice, and created inequalities in the distribution system. We must eradicate corruption at any cost. Corruption and development cannot coexist. Therefore, forming alternative trustworthy groups and organizations with power is the real path forward.

M.M. Akash: Economist and retired professor of the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka
Transcription: M.A. Khalek