BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said that his party is ready to fight against against corruption if voted to power.
''How does corruption cripple Bangladesh-- from graduates seeking jobs on merit, to farmers waiting for services, young families struggling for healthcare and education, and entrepreneurs paying extra just to keep their businesses running,'' he wrote on his verified Facebook page.
"From food prices to school quality to road safety, corruption cripple's daily life for millions.''
Tarique Rahman said, ''The fight against corruption in Bangladesh is not new, it has been a topic of discussion for centuries. International Anti-Corruption Day reminds us of that long struggle and of moments when Bangladesh made real progress.''
A key milestone, he noted, was the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2004 as an independent statutory body, replacing the Bureau of Anti-Corruption. The move — recognised by the World Bank and ADB — aligned Bangladesh with global standards by granting the ACC independent investigative and prosecutorial authority.
Despite reservations about the methodology used at the time, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) reported improvements during the BNP era, with Bangladesh’s CPI score rising from 1.2 in 2002 to 1.7 in 2005. Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (2003) also found that 66% of citizens felt corruption had decreased.
Tarique Rahman added, BNP plans to ensure complete institutional independence for the judiciary, ACC, election bodies, public service and law enforcement, introduce open procurement and real-time audits, modernise policing, prosecution and case management, expand e-governance, protect whistleblowers, strengthen ethics and civic education, and closely monitor public spending through independent audits and stronger parliamentary oversight.
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