A Study On Corruption In Bangladesh Politics Essay

Bangladesh, undoubtedly, is one of the worlds most populated countries, with minimal progress because of its relatively late independence in 1971, as well as its limited resources. Bangladesh’s struggle to become an independent and developed country has been difficult, thus making it one of the poorest countries in the world. It ranks 36th in the world for having the largest portion of the population below the poverty line. Since people do not have a sufficient amount of money, they start to look for options in which they can seek personal gain, while disregarding ethical questions. Corruption is a fester epidemic in Bangladeshi society, penetrating the very fabric of the people’s lives. This prevents rich countries from effectively administrating crucial aid to poverty-stricken Bangladesh because of concerns regarding the rampant poverty. Corruption not only cripples the economic development of a country, but it also damages capital accumulation, increases income inequality, poverty and reduces the effectiveness of development aid.[1] Due to its geographic location, Bangladesh is subjected to many natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and tsunamis. Bangladesh’s vulnerability to natural disasters unquestionably leaves more than half the nation dependent on water, which is now their means of living. People in Bangladesh are unable to meet the basic necessities of life and consequently, this triggers poverty. More than 45% of Bangladesh’s population is below the poverty line as of 2004. Therefore, the process of poverty leads to many people going into depression. Like many other developing nations, Bangladesh faces immense challenges. It will never have a viable future because factors like corruption, vulnerability to natural disasters and poverty hinder the nation’s progress.

Bangladesh is a country, where more than 40 percent of the population lives less than a dollar a day, and a factor like corruption is just keeping its economy from improving. Global watchdog Transparency International rated Bangladesh the world’s most corrupt nation for five consecutive years since 2001.[2] It has been estimated that nearly 75% more than $35 billion dollars received since independence has been lost for corruption.[3] Many politicians in Bangladesh attain private gain secretly and are never held accountable or accused for it because of their high ranks. Even the highest officers of politics and judiciary have been tainted by the evil of corruption. Money is always used to fill up the pockets of corrupted representatives.

The educated are elected through rigging, and once they have a huge say in the government, they misuse their power of authority. The increase in corruption is due to inappropriate and inadequate applications of law. There have been no effective steps or activities taken to protest crime. Evidently, it is not easy to take action against corrupt government officials hence this all encourages them towards greater corruption.[4] Corruption is also evident because of Bangladesh’s failure to practice proper democracy. When money is infested into Bangladesh’s economy, it is never used to abolish its weaknesses and rather used unethically. Since independence, most of those who ruled the country were corrupt. In all, the absence of trustworthy and honest leadership to guide a nation is the major cause of the increase in corruption.[5]

Many attempts have been taken to eliminate corruption in Bangladesh by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Continuously, they have tried to curb corruption and successfully combated 78 corrupted people however, it has not been successful in influencing the society. There are many more cases to go and it is an endless task. People are afraid to accuse their subordinates because they never know who might hold them accountable for something else. Corruption is like an ongoing cycle, which has deepened its roots, and it will take time to reform the society. Overall, this shows that there is little to no hope for Bangladesh’s prosperity because only a strongly motivated leadership and pressure from an agitating public can put an end to the menace of corruption. Corruption in a developing nation is hard to combat because malpractices are prevalent in every corner of the country. Getting rid of some corrupt people is a good start. However, quite obviously it is impossible to change some people’s immoral beliefs and views. Governments are usually the most crucial part of a nation’s triumph, but if the government to start with, is corrupted, they are unlikely to find solutions, which can eradicate Bangladesh’s vulnerability of natural disasters.