Rampant Corruption Puts the Country’s Future at Risk

After the July mass uprising, people hoped to build a state based on equality, merit and accountability. Despite its limited capacity, the interim government made some progress towards that goal. However, after the elected political government came to power on February 12, the old practice of political favouritism has returned on a large scale.

From the appointment of vice-chancellors and registrars at public universities to city corporations, district councils and government recruitment examinations, political affiliation has been given priority over merit in almost every sector. This amounts to suppressing the aspirations and expectations of the nation that emerged after the July uprising.

According to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025, published by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), Bangladesh scored 24 out of 100 among 182 countries. This is one of the lowest scores in the world and the second-lowest in South Asia, after Afghanistan.

TIB’s executive director commented that weaknesses in the post-July reform process and the continuation of corruption at the grassroots level had contributed to the country’s deteriorating position. As a result, a major opportunity has been lost. In other words, the reforms expected after the uprising have not materialised. Instead, the opposite has happened.

The government’s recent decisions on recruitment examinations reveal clear inconsistencies. To ensure transparency in the highly competitive Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations, the marks allocated for viva voce tests have been reduced. However, the government is moving in the opposite direction for the large number of posts in grades 11 to 20.

Under the proposed rules, the marks allocated for oral examinations for these positions could increase by up to 400 per cent, while the minimum passing mark in written examinations could be reduced from 50 per cent to 35 per cent. These changes could make recruitment irregularities and the buying and selling of government jobs easier.

The question is: the July uprising began with the goal of eliminating discrimination in favour of merit, so why is the same discrimination now returning in its previous form? The crisis is not limited to political favouritism in recruitment and appointments. Many government policy decisions are also being taken with little public discussion, and some could prove damaging in the long run.

At a time when the deteriorating law and order situation has raised widespread concern, fuel prices have been increased once again. This is the second increase following the price hike in May. Similarly, the government has issued a notification stating that the 2027 Dakhil and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations under the general and madrasa education boards will use identical question papers. The decision has drawn strong objections from experienced educators. This raises concerns that the previous government’s policy of undermining the importance of madrasa education will continue.

The government has also recently approved the Ninth National Pay Scale, under which basic salaries in different grades have increased by up to 142 per cent. Implementing the new pay scale will require an additional annual expenditure of approximately Tk 105,580 crore.

Although the decision may please around 1.45 million government employees, it is likely to push up prices across the market. As a result, inflationary pressure could disrupt the country’s broader economic stability. Meanwhile, costs for major infrastructure projects continue to rise. The estimated cost of Dhaka’s new MRT-5 North metro rail line has increased from Tk 41,238 crore to Tk 89,848 crore. Such massive cost increases could turn the project into another major source of corruption in the future.

Islam establishes trustworthiness and justice as fundamental principles of state governance (Surah An-Nisa 4:58). The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “When authority is given to those who are not qualified for it, then wait for the Hour.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6496; Mishkat al-Masabih, Hadith 5439). He also warned that earlier nations were destroyed because influential people escaped punishment when they committed crimes, while weaker people were punished for theirs (Bukhari and Muslim; Mishkat al-Masabih, Hadith 3610).

The lack of these ethical principles has become a major reason for the failures of governance today. We strongly urge the government to stop playing with the public’s trust and to learn from the experiences before July. It must now commit itself to building an exemplary nation.

To steer the country away from its position among the most corrupt and poorly governed nations, we propose the following measures:

1. The state must be governed at all costs on the basis of merit, integrity, justice and accountability.
2. Political favouritism must be ended everywhere. In particular, education, healthcare, public administration and the judiciary must be kept above partisan politics.
3. Merit-based recruitment, an impartial administration and a culture of accountability must be established at every level.
4. Government employees’ salaries and allowances must be determined with due consideration for the market economy.
5. The scope for large-scale corruption under the guise of mega projects must be eliminated.
6. Every decision that directly affects people’s lives must be taken after consulting relevant stakeholders and experts, rather than being imposed solely through official notifications.
7. Policies that undermine madrasa education in the name of integrating general and religious education must be stopped.

Above all, regardless of who holds state power, no reform will be sustainable without genuine accountability, integrity and a merit-based administration. May Allah (SWT) grant everyone entrusted with governing the country the ability to discharge their duties with justice and honesty, and protect the nation from the curse of corruption.

The writer is Amir of Ahle Hadith Andolan Bangladesh and a retired professor of the Department of Arabic at the University of Rajshahi.