The government move to ensure “self-purification and integrity in all activities of the state and politics” through formation of the National Integration Strategy has brought some positive changes in some government institutions, says the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
The TIB now suggested that law enforcing agencies, armed forces and madrasas should also be brought under the scheme.
While presenting its findings on progress of the strategy adopted in October 2012 the TIB thanked the government for its efforts to ensure transparency in the state organs through some commendable measures in the executive, legislature and judiciary.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina heads the National Integrity Advisory Council while Finance Minister AMA Muhith is the chief of the executive committee of the council.
The National Integrity Implementation Unit is headed by an additional secretary of the cabinet division and supervised by the cabinet secretary.
“We have many reasons to be satisfied with the short-term gains. In the short term (one and a half years), opportunities have been created to ensure integrity and transparency,” Iftekharuzzaman, the TIB executive director, said at a press conference in Mahakhali.
The TIB findings praised the government for instituting the national web portal and national e-service system and introducing the alternative dispute resolution.
“Regular meetings of parliamentary standing committees, installing servers of the election commission in most of the districts, the initiative to introduce social performance audit and setting up a cell to look into corruption of the anti-corruption commission were some of the achievements.”
Institutions such as political parties, private industrial and commercial units, NGOs and civil society organisations, family, educational institutes and media have no focal point, according to the report.
While detecting inadequacy of strategy, the report pointed out that many of the challenges such as political influence, internal corruption, non-cooperation of the opposition parties, and poor implementation of the laws and the absence of a separate secretariat for the judiciary were not included in the strategy.
Public administration, legislature, judiciary, election commission, attorney general’s office, public service commission, comptroller and auditor general’s office, anti-corruption commission, local government bodies, political parties, private sector industry and commercial bodies, NGOs and civil society organisations, family, educational institutes and media have come under the national integrity strategy.
“Challenges, recommendations and planning of police and armed forces have not been included in the strategy. Besides, religious and social institutes that can hugely influence integrity have not also been included,” said the report.
“Police, armed forces, the national human rights commission, the national board of revenue and madrasas should be brought under the programme,” said Iftekharuzzaman.
