Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern and condemnation over Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam’s remarks that appear to justify road extortion by referring to it as a transaction based on mutual understanding.
The organization also urged Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to give the highest priority to purging his own party to prevent the growth of such corruption-facilitating practices.
In a statement on Thursday, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the minister’s definition of extortion is “completely contrary” to the firm anti-corruption stance declared by him and nearly every member of the Cabinet after assuming office.
He added that the comments came less than 48 hours after the ruling party’s election manifesto and the prime minister’s address to the nation, both of which pledged effective corruption control and prevention.
“Through this statement, the Transport Minister has embarrassingly undermined his party’s electoral commitments and the prime minister’s anti-corruption position,” Iftekharuzzaman said.
He also criticized the minister for interpreting and defending the existing culture of road extortion as acceptable, calling it “an attempt to legitimize an unethical and collusive form of corruption.” He noted that the direct victims are transport professionals and ordinary citizens who bear the burden of such illegality, while the minister’s argument of protecting owners’ and workers’ welfare is misleading and risks perpetuating long-standing disorder in the sector.
The TIB ED warned that if road extortion is normalized, the same principle could extend to other sectors, including BRTA, health, education, social protection, law enforcement, judiciary, passport and land services, public procurement, development projects, banking, electricity, and more. He called for the immediate rejection of the minister’s remarks at the highest government level and insisted on exemplary accountability.
He also recalled that in February 2012, a road minister in the then-authoritarian government attempted a similar move to legalize road extortion, which TIB had strongly protested. “It is worrying that the newly formed government appears to be following the same path,” he said.
Addressing the prime minister, Iftekharuzzaman urged him to give top priority to party purification and reform to prevent any self-destructive actions by party leaders and activists. He warned that failure to act could disappoint citizens and empower forces whose ideology and objectives conflict with Bangladesh’s fundamental spirit and identity, cultivated through decades of struggle from 1952 to 1971 and beyond.
“Honorable prime minister, now is the time to determine the right priorities,” he said.
