Focus on alleviating poverty to eradicate corruption, says Matia

Agricultural Minister Matia Chowdhury says poverty is the main cause of corruption in Bangladesh.

She stressed the need to alleviate poverty to eradicate corruption. 

“The state has a major role to play in this matter,” she said while speaking at a programme organised by the Anti Corruption Commission on Saturday.
 
The programme was held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
 
“After 1975, BNP founder and late president Ziaur Rahman planted the seed of corruption with his statement ‘money is no problem’,” the Awami League presidium member alleged.
 
“We cannot get rid of corruption if the state itself has an unhealthy environment or if it does not take responsibility. The state has to take responsibility to reduce extreme poverty.”
 
The agricultural minister criticised many donor countries and international organisations for their positions against corruption.
 
She said the conditions of the foreign donors were not ethical. “They can only advise us after they have succeeded in rooting out corruption themselves.”
 
Praising the ACC’s efforts in battling corruption, Matia Chowdhury said, “We were the champion of corruption once, but the situation has improved.”
 
She, however, added that the nation still had a long way to go.
 
Addressing the event, ACC Chairman Md Badiuzzaman said Bangladesh would only be corruption-free if the youngsters and students start to develop an anti-corruption mentality.
 
Inculcating right values in children at a young age would help fight corruption, he said.
 
The ACC organised the programme as a part of its ‘Corruption Prevention Week’ from Mar 26 to Apr 1.