In our country the standard of political leadership has gone down so low that even die-hard party members are not happy with the leadership. For quite a long time, people with self-respect and conscience generally do not like to join politics, considering their ethical standing.

But things look a bit better now. Not only the rise in share market index, a ray of hope could be seen as far as the country's overall economy is concerned. Hatchery owners are planning to produce more for increased fish production, garment owners are trying to produce more, but only one sector is not performing at all well-- politics.

However, the new caretaker government has put a stop on the politicians' flow of illegal earning. If this stoppage can be made permanent the country will be immensely benefited. And if the corrupt politicians are allowed to continue plundering our assets, the fate of the 14 crore people will become uncertain. These days it does not really take much time to achieve economic development of a country. The point will be made clear if we look at countries like Malaysia and Vietnam.

When President Iajuddin finally handed over power to Dr. Fakhuruddin Ahmed, people were happy. Some are considering it a divine blessing for Bangladesh. For an individual or a nation opportunity does not come on a regular basis. So we cannot afford to waste this opportunity. Thirty-five years is too long a time to comprehend how much damage corrupt leadership has done to this nation.

Once our politicians are in power their real face becomes visible for the next five years. They use the state machinery and the country as a whole for their own benefit and never miss any opportunity to make money or strengthen their position in politics through illegal means. They deploy mastans. In fact, the country becomes a private preserve of the ruling party. Now the biggest question is how to get an honest leadership for a potential country like ours.

To create a conducive environment, a number of suggestions can be offered.

1. Separate the judiciary from the executive.

2. Constitute a truly independent Anti Corruption Commission.

3. Make sure there is no breathing on the shoulders of local administration by political leadership. (This is a newly introduced undemocratic practice that breeds corruption at the grassroots level),

4. An independent and non-partisan Election Commission with an accurate voter list, ID- card and transparent ballot box must be ensured.

I take the opportunity to express my thanks and gratitude to the caretaker government under the leadership of Dr. Fakhurddin Ahmed for taking some bold steps to eradicate corruption which has entered into every sphere of our life.

The need of the hour is to have a strong and honest police/security force and a credible /independent Anti Corruption Commission. We are happy that the present government is trying hard to attain this quite difficult target. They have people's support and they will, God willing, succeed. I wish to put forward the following suggestions for the government to take into account.

1. The police department is known to be one of the most corrupt departments. But we strongly believe that we still have honest people in the department. We need to find them out and a commission in each district can be formed with retired army and civil officials with good service record to monitor the living standard of police personnel/officials and their sources of income. At present most of them live beyond their means.

Service rules should be revised, if necessary, to remove the corrupt personnel and make them face punishment. On the other hand, it must be ensured that the policemen and officers get enough to live a reasonably decent life.

To make sure that police and other intelligence personnel are not involved in corrupt practices, a counter intelligence bureau can be raised to overview the activities of the department.
Nurul Anwar, Chittagong

All this may be bad news for Bangladesh's policymakers and leaders who have yet to deal credibly and comprehensively with corruption. The Advisors of the caretaker government and the Army chief's frank appraisal of the situation in Bangladesh reflects the mind of the entire nation. They quite aptly felt the pulse of the toiling masses. Newspapers of the country have unearthed tales of corruption, unbridled corruption by most of our politicians holding the reins of power. It has simply sapped the vitals of the nation. Lashing out at dishonest politicians without naming anyone, it is not possible to count by calculator the enormous wealth they have accumulated. Their irresistible lust for wealth led them to gobble up the CI sheets allotted by the government for distribution as relief among the poor.

The nation today is plagued by rampant corruption, mired in the dominance of individual and group interests over the national interest, beset by unscrupulous competition for power, wealth and influence, stuck ever deeper in the cult of personality, and preyed upon by the indiscriminate use of black money and muscle power to achieve narrow interests. Despite repeated calls for caution from the honest and sincere segments of our society, their message has not been heeded. My personal appeal to the caretaker government, please consider the following recommendations:

The Anti-Corruption Commission must be made fully operational, independent and effective.

The Commission should develop its anti-corruption strategy and take specific exemplary measures to bring the corrupt to justice. The Commission should also monitor the newspaper reports on corruption and take appropriate legal action against the accused.

The government must attach due importance to the reports of corruption brought out by the media, and develop effective deterrence system without which the menace of corruption can never be controlled.

Each government ministry and department should open special units to monitor the newspaper reports and take appropriate policies and actions. There should also be a central corruption-monitoring unit at the office of the prime minister, to ensure that the individual ministerial/departmental monitoring units function effectively.

The ruling as well as opposition political parties must strictly realise their electoral commitments to prevent corruption. The most important prerequisite in this regard is to stop protecting and promoting the corrupt in respective party ranks.

Comprehensive and enforceable reforms are required for reducing corruption involving public officials and administration. The corrupt persons irrespective of their status, identity and political affiliation must be brought to justice.

Independence of the judiciary is sine qua non for enforcing effective anti-corruption policies and measures, with provisions for separate courts for the trial of corruption cases, so that they could be disposed of speedily.

Equally important is the enactment and enforcement of Freedom of Information Law with provisions for whistleblower protection.

Hence the time has now come when we must work together to pursue the goal of establishing a solid foundation for our country. For our efforts to succeed, it is essential for us to unite as a nation and work together with a common sense of patriotism.
Gopal Sengupta, Canada