Will irregularities, corruption during past regime really be unveiled?

After the July Uprising, many questions have been raised about what has happened in the information and telecommunications technology sector of Bangladesh in the past 15 years and how much corruption has occurred. As a journalist, I have reported the irregularities I found while performing my professional duties; but during the period of the ousted autocratic government, it was not easy for journalists to get information about irregularities and corruption. Perhaps, the officials of the current interim government are also facing the challenge of getting that information from the past. That is why, despite raising many allegations of irregularities and corruption, very little specific information has come to the public from the government so far. An investigation committee was formed during the current government's period. One or two committees have also submitted reports; but the reports of those committees have not come to the fore.

For example, while doing my research as part of my professional duties, I learned that an investigation committee led by an additional secretary was formed during the current government regarding irregularities in BTCL's 5G Readiness Project during the previous government's tenure. That committee submitted its report in the last week of December. The report found clear evidence of irregularities against a former secretary (who was the ex officio chairman of the board of directors of BTCL) of the Posts and Telecommunications Division. Evidence was found against several BTCL officials. There was information about influencing the tender process through irregularities against two foreign companies and about interfering in the process against a former minister. I expected that the investigation report would be released through a press conference and action would be taken against the guilty persons; but the investigation report did not come to light. Even the journalists or bloggers, who have become stars for ‘investigative reports(!)’ based on superficial information about irregularities in the telecommunications and information technology sector, have not reported on this investigation report.

However, during the tenure of the ousted Awami League (AL) government, three national dailies of the country had published detailed reports on serious irregularities in the tender for the 5G Readiness Project. The information on the irregularities revealed in the report of the investigation committee formed during the tenure of the current interim government is almost completely similar to the information in the reports of those national dailies. This proves that even during the tenure of the AL government, professional journalists, although in small numbers, did investigative journalism. They accurately portrayed the irregularities. It is unfortunate that even during the tenure of the fallen government, no action was taken against those involved in the irregularities of the 5G Readiness Project. The investigation report is being hidden even during the tenure of the current government. It means that those involved in the irregularities are getting off scot-free.

First of all, it is necessary to know how irregularities and corruption occur in the telecommunications and information technology sector. In my long professional experience, I have seen that irregularities occur in the telecommunications sector centring various projects of state-owned companies. Among them, the news of irregularities in BTCL, Teletalk and Submarine Cable Company has made headlines in the past. Mentionable, the secretaries to the Posts and Telecommunications Division become the ex-officio chairman of the board of each state-owned company. As a result, the secretary who becomes the chairman has more opportunities for irregularities and corruption regarding the projects of state-owned companies. The minister or political leadership in-charge of the division has opportunities if he is in accomplice with the secretary. However, in most cases in the past, the conflict between the minister and the secretary has been evident regarding these projects. The main reason for this was the establishment of control over the tender process of those projects. The investigation report on the 5G Readiness Project provides a clear idea about the conflict and irregularities regarding taking control of the tender process.

Allegations of irregularities have also been raised at various times over the activities of BTRC, the regulatory body in the telecommunications sector. BTRC was involved in the implementation of the Bangabandhu-1 Satellite Project. There were allegations of irregularities surrounding that project and an official in charge of the project was removed from his post. If an investigation surrounding this Bangabandhu-1 Satellite Project is conducted, it is possible to know who were involved in the irregularities during the AL regime and how. It is also possible to know where those officials are now posted. The second satellite project has stalled midway due to the tug-of-war over the tender process. If investigated, surprising information can also be found about why it stalled midway. If an investigation into why BTRC's NEIR (National Equipment Identity Register) server became ineffective after being installed at a cost of Tk 30 crore was also conducted, it would have been possible to know what happened around the BTRC project at that time and it would have been easier to plan to prevent such waste in the future.

The type of irregularities in the Information and Communication Technology Division is a little different. Here the minister or state minister in charge becomes the ultimate head of the division. That is why the political leadership has direct control over irregularities and corruption in this division. In the past, most of the complaints of irregularities in the ICT Division were raised over the projects for creating young entrepreneurs, training and setting up digital labs. Once, in a parliamentary standing committee meeting, a member of parliament complained that he did not know most of the people whose names were listed as trainees from his area under the 'Learning-Earning Project’. Although he raised his voice in the parliamentary committee meeting, later that MP did not want to give any details about his complaint to journalists. In the ICT Division, numerous such projects have been taken in the name of training and creating entrepreneurs, from which the nation has not actually benefited.

For example, a four-tier data centre was built under the ICT Division. At the time of the construction of this data centre, it was said that by setting it up, the collocated content delivery servers of large international platforms would be located in Bangladesh. The data of the country's institutions would be protected; but in reality, no international or regional institutions, apart from storing some data of domestic institutions, have come to this data centre. Because its security system could not satisfy them. There have also been allegations of hiring a large number of incompetent manpower through nepotism in this data centre. If properly investigated, it would have been known about the kind of irregularities and corruption that had taken place in the 'project implementation’ in ICT Division; but nothing has been known about such an investigation initiative so far.

In fact, be it the telecommunications sector or the information technology sector, a syndicate of bureaucrats and businessmen outside the political leadership is active all the time, during the tenure of all governments. Those who have been in journalism for a long time have seen before their eyes how the corrupt syndicate of the BNP era has become powerful during the Awami League era. Again, how the syndicate that benefited from the ousted AL government is now once again remaining in the role of beneficiary. And since the circle of beneficiaries is roughly the same, everyone wants to cover up the irregularities and corruption of the past as much as possible. That is why in most cases, proper investigations into irregularities and corruption are not carried out. And when investigations are carried out, the reports remain hidden.

In my professional experience, I have seen that this syndicate is adept at creating new and innovative project proposals. They know very well how to present old projects and old outlines in a new way. New projects mean new budget allocations which would pave the way to fill the pockets again. We hope that this will not happen again during the tenure of the current government; but the reality is that in this period too, the beneficiaries of the past are playing the old game again under the guise of being 'hardline anti-Awami'. They are trying to be active in various ways in the game of feeding new projects in the old way.

The reality is that it is not right that everything was very bad in the past. If proper telecommunication infrastructure had not been developed across the country in the past, then how is broadband internet and 4G services running across the country today? If everything was bad in the past, how would this huge usage and demand for internet bandwidth have been created? During the COVID-19 pandemic, even after bandwidth usage more than doubled at a time, there was no shortage in bandwidth supply. More than 3,000 internet service providers have been created from upazila to union level through the creation of a common transmission network. It is not reasonable to deny the achievements made in the past beside the irregularities and corruption. This is where the current government needs proper monitoring. Along with uncovering irregularities and corruption, it is necessary to assess how much benefit the people have received from any project in the past. Taking new projects considering the absolute need will ensure the transparency of the government. It will not only benefit the people, but also stop the wastage of state money.

Rased Mehedi: Telecommunications and information technology analyst and editor of Views Bangladesh.