Bangladeshs ranking on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023, unveiled by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday, witnessed a decline, as the country dropped two positions from both the bottom and the top compared to the previous year.
With a one-point decrease in the score from 25 in 2022 to 24 in the 0-100-point scale, Bangladesh is now positioned at 10th from the bottom and 149th from the top among the 180 countries evaluated, compared to 12th and 147th, respectively, in the previous year.
At press conference held at its Dhanmondi office on Tuesday, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman announced that Bangladesh received a score of 24 out of 100 in the CPI 2023.
TIB Director (Outreach and Communication) Sheikh Manjur-E-Alam moderated the press conference, where TIB Chairperson Sultana Kamal and Adviser (Executive Management) Prof Dr Sumaiya Khair were present, among others.
TIB has unveiled the CPI 2023, which has also been unveiled worldwide simultaneously on the day.
While presenting the index and its key insights, Iftekharuzzaman said that according to the CPI, Bangladeshs score this year has decreased by one point to 24 compared to 2022. Bangladesh is jointly ranked 10th among 180 countries and 149th according to the ascending order.
According to the report, Denmark topped the list as the least corrupt country with a score of 90 out of 100. Finland is in second place with 87 and New Zealand is third with a score of 85.
Meanwhile, Somalia topped the list of corrupt countries with the lowest score of 11. South Sudan, Syria and Venezuela are tied for second place with a score of 13. Yemen is third on the list with a score of 16.
The TIB, citing the decline in the countrys score and position, has expressed utter disappointment and said this highlights ineffectiveness of the governments various anti-corruption initiatives and failure to uphold the zero tolerance against corruption policy.
TIB has attributed the deterioration to inadequate law implementation and structural weaknesses.
To address this, the organisation has proposed five recommendations for curbing corruption and ensuring societal checks and balances. TIB ED Iftekharuzzaman highlighted the alarming trends revealed in the CPI 2023.
He stated, "Bangladeshs score, which has fluctuated between 25 and 28 from 2012 to 2022, has now dropped to 24, the lowest in 12 years. This marks a significant regression, placing Bangladesh at the 10th position from the bottom and the 149th from the top. Besides, by analysing the TI CPI trends from 2012 to 2023, it can be seen that Bangladeshs score this time is two points lower than the overall 12-year average score of 26 and is the lowest during this period." According to the global picture of the CPI, Denmark is at the top of the list of least corrupt countries with a maximum score of 90, while Finland is second with a score of 87, and New Zealand is third with a score of 85. At the bottom of CPI is Somalia with a score of 11. South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela are jointly second from the bottom on the list with a score of 13, and Yemen is third with an overall score of 16.
Out of the 180 countries listed in the CPI, 105 countries scored below the average mark of 43, and 80 per cent of the worlds population reside in those parts of the world. Furthermore, scores below 50 are recorded in 122 countries, representing more than two-thirds of the countries included in the index. This indicates that the level of corruption in these countries is alarming.
According to the CPI, among the eight countries in South Asia, Bhutan retained last years score of 68, while the remaining five countries in the region scored lower this time than in 2022, and the scores of two countries increased slightly.
Among the countries, Afghanistans score declined by 4 points, Sri Lankas by 2 points, and the scores of Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Indias by 1 point each. Pakistans score has increased by 2 points and Nepal by one point.
However, in South Asia, except for Bhutan, seven other countries scored an average index score of less than 43 points. In other words, the extent and depth of corruption in South Asia as a whole are very worrying, according to a press release.
The TIB ED, mentioning the CPIs theme of Corruption and Injustice, said, "According to the research of the Economic Intelligence Unit - mentioned in the CPI, average scores of 24 states with full democracy, 48 with flawed democracy, 36 with hybrid democracy, and 59 with authoritarian regimes are 73, 48, 36, and 29 respectively." "On the other hand, the score of Bangladesh is only 24. Even as per the Freedom House research, where the average score of the 93 states with electoral democracy is 53 and the average score of the non-electoral democratic states is 31, Bangladeshs score of 24 proves that the crisis of democracy and impunity in Bangladesh has become more pronounced," he added.
Explaining the downtrend, Dr Zaman said, "The last few years were the high time considering the much-talked-about zero tolerance against corruption policy, declared from the top level of the government. But no specific and action-based activities were visible for implementation of the policy. Rather, the intensity of corruption heightened and spread further during the tenure. A huge volume of information surfaced regarding corruption in the public procurement and distribution system as well as other government activities. But no exemplary and effective steps were taken." "Besides, no initiative was seen to handle the perilous situation in the countrys banking system, reeling from the burden of loan default, scams and money laundering. On the contrary, a conducive environment or even sanctuary was created for the people involved. The power achieved through political, administrative and financial means was used as a licence to make and flourish illicit wealth - and the phenomenon was transformed into normalcy. Meantime, political and bureaucratic influence intensified in the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and other such institutions," he noted.
The CPI index measures the perceived level of corruption on a scale of 0-100. A score of is considered to be the most affected by corruption, and a score of 100 is considered to be the least affected by corruption or most well-governed. No country included in the index has received a 100 per cent score so far.
