Distinguished Professor and Thomas E. Eimermann Professor Ali Riaz has published a commentary in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. In the commentary, titled “The “Anti-Corruption Drive” in Bangladesh: Where is it Going?,” Riaz assessed the ongoing drive described by the government as anti-corruption drive and raises questions about whether it will make any dent in the widespread corruption in the country.
Riaz argues that one of the reasons for the drive is to restore the image of the ruling party. The drive also shows that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina felt she needed to focus on something that demonstrates that the governance issue is at the center of her third term without undermining the de facto system of one-party rule, Riaz writes.
Riaz concludes that corruption in Bangladesh is endemic. The institutionalized web of corruption cannot be addressed with stopgap populist measures designed to impress the public and gain political mileage, which is essentially all that the new anti-corruption drive has done thus far.
