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Role of civil society a must for change

WB review points at polls funding for corruption

Rejaul Karim Byron
The World Bank (WB) believes the civil society and the media will have to play a major role in forcing a change in institutions of political governance like parliament as development of Bangladesh is impeded by poor governance and confrontational politics.
Reviewing the government’s performance over two years, the WB says although the government tried to pursue options for addressing concerns about poor governance, it was not looking into the roots of the problems, which went deeper.
To overcome this situation, die government needs "a clear long- ’ term vision, a determination to overcome entrenched vested interests, and a willingness to be engaged over the longhaul," the WB feels.
It found fault with the funding of elections, saying, "Funding elections has made corruption an unavoidable consequence."
In its latest report titled "Bangladesh Development Policy Review’’, the WB said, "Where patronage is needed to win marginal voters and the cost of elections is high, incumbents use their time in office to recover their costs, and losers seek to destabilise them throughout, to have another chance at the spoils. The problems of election financing must be addressed if Bangladesh is to secure long-lasting progress in lowering corruption."
The report observes that in each of the last two elections, the electorate rejected the party in power and brought about change through democratic means. "The prospect of electoral defeat could bring a mea-sure of accountability and strengthen the political institutions of governance, but this may not necessarily happen," it noted.
"The authorities had to develop a better understanding of the political
incentives at work to help nudge the system toward constructive checks and balances as opposed to unproductive confrontation."
The WB appreciated the government's reform measures but said crime, corruption and lack of governance have increased cost of business and discouraged investment and stood as major impediments to development.
Stressing importance of good governance and responsive administration, the WB report says, "The capacity of civil service has been declining for want of good recruits, effective leadership and proper training. This is compounded by the politicisation of the civil service, inadequate attention to following the rules of business, and a reluctance to impose discipline for fear of retaliation from powerful staff association."
On law and order, it says, "The army's deployment under Operation Clean Heart demonstrated that crime can be curbed but the effects appear to have been only temporary. A longer-term strategy to reform and strengthen the police and the judiciary is essential for sustainable improvement in the law and order situation."
The WB also placed stress on 'home-grown strategies' tailored to the circumstances of Bangladesh and strong political commitment.
It mentioned four risks for the government to consider. The first one is the political risk arising out of the government's reform measures. Since it came to power, it has retrenched thousands of workers without any resistance. But this can become a tool of the confrontational nature of politics. To face this, the WB suggested creation of sufficient new jobs.
Describing external risks, the WB noted the government should try to address the nosedive of remittance, lack of export diversification and lack of preparations to handle post-M FA export market.