Editorial
TIB impeding war crimes trial?
Government must not trivialise corruption issue
It is both surprising and deeply disturbing to note that of late the government has not been taking criticism in the spirit it should. Besides, even when significant public opinion surveys point to the many things which are going wrong in the country, the authorities have quickly adopted a posture that is truly disappointing for the nation. Last week, the government in general and the police administration in particular came down heavily on Transparency International Bangladesh over its findings that the police in the country conveyed an extremely corrupt image before the public. Where introspection and careful analysis of the TIB report was called for, the government simply went for a knee-jerk response and questioned the modalities upon which the report had been prepared. It left broad sections of society wondering why the government was displaying such thin skin when it came to a revelation of some harsh truths.
And now, with a fresh TIB revelation about corruption in the judiciary and other service sectors, government functionaries have, without delving into the report, come forth to term the survey as misleading. Law Minister Shafiq Ahmed does not understand how TIB prepared its report on, as he calls it, the entire judiciary. What is obvious here is that people in government are not ready to accept the fact that surveys and opinion polls are conducted on the basis of a certain framework, that indeed one does not have to take an entire population into consideration before one emerges with one's findings. If such an attitude on the part of the government is bad enough, worse is the statement of the minister of state for law to the effect that the TIB report is aimed at hindering the trial of war criminals in the country. Nothing could be more absurd than discovering a connect between the TIB which is a corruption watchdog body and the war crimes trial and insinuate that it is engaged in activities against the state. It is indeed a matter of sorrow that some of our political leaders, especially ministers and ministers of state, do not realize the ramifications of their public pronouncements. In this particular instance, we wish the law minister and his deputy had been discreet and judicious about their responses to the TIB report. The reactions they have already given out unfortunately put the government itself in a bad light in the sense that it is seen to be a body which does not accept criticism and which indeed smells conspiracy in places where it should not.
The government must understand that any survey or poll is a clear, unadulterated expression of popular views on subjects of public interest. Moreover, a survey or a poll ought to be an eye-opener for the government in that it points to wrongs that need to be righted. Unfortunately, by refusing to accept the findings of TIB, the authorities have only trivialized what is fundamentally an issue of national importance. Is one to suppose that a criticism of the police will mean encouraging criminals in a furtherance of their wicked schemes? Is a condemnation of bad governance a conspiracy to push the country into anarchy?
The government must find better ways of coming to terms with the truths that bodies like TIB often reveal. When the state goes into denial mode, there is a bad odour generated by a refusal to confront reality as it is and go for corrective action. Let the government demonstrate a change in attitude. It does not have to be defensive all the time.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
Related News
An alarming report on children’s exposure to climate risks
1 hour(s) ago
Editorial
Why is safe water inaccessible for millions despite rising spending?
19 June 2026, 08:00 AM
Editorial
BB must confront bad loans’ true scale
18 June 2026, 18:38 PM
Editorial
Dolphin deaths must be investigated
18 June 2026, 08:00 AM
Editorial
Weak policing fuelling rise in crimes
17 June 2026, 18:18 PM
Editorial
Comments