When bribery becomes the price of public service

The recent remark by Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed that "most government officials are thieves" has once again brought an uncomfortable question to the centre of public debate: how deeply have bribery and corruption become embedded in Bangladesh's public service system? The Speaker accused officials of widespread bribery and plunder, saying such practices have made life unbearable for ordinary citizens.

The language is undoubtedly strong, and it would be unfair to label all government officials as corrupt. Thousands of public servants perform their responsibilities honestly and professionally. Yet the Speaker's statement has struck a nerve because it reflects an experience shared by a large section of the population. For too many citizens, obtaining a government service can still mean paying an unofficial fee.

This is not merely a perception. According to Transparency International Bangladesh's National Household Survey 2023, 70.9% of households experienced corruption while seeking services between May 2023 and April 2024, while 50.8% reported paying bribes or unauthorised money. Even more disturbing, 77.2% of those who paid said they did so because the service could not be obtained without paying a bribe.

The financial burden is enormous. TIB estimates that households paid approximately Tk 10,902 crore in bribes and unauthorised payments during that one year alone. Between 2009 and April 2024, the estimated amount reached approximately Tk 1,46,252 crore. These figures expose the scale of a problem that can no longer be dismissed as a collection of isolated incidents.

For a poor citizen travelling from a remote village to a government office, corruption can be particularly painful. A person may need a land document, passport, police clearance, licence, healthcare or a social safety net service. Instead of receiving the service as a right, the citizen may face delays, unnecessary complications or demands for unofficial payments. The same problem exists in cities, where people from all social and economic backgrounds can find themselves caught in bureaucratic systems that create opportunities for corruption.

The problem is not limited to government officials. A section of public representatives, politically connected individuals and intermediaries can also contribute to the culture of bribery and influence-peddling. When citizens need a powerful person to intervene to obtain a service to which they are already legally entitled, public service becomes dependent on connections rather than rules.

Virtually every political government in Bangladesh has promised to fight corruption and establish good governance. Anti-corruption laws have been enacted, institutions established and digital services introduced. Yet corruption has remained stubbornly persistent. Bangladesh was ranked among the world's worst performers in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index during the early 2000s and was placed at the bottom of the index for several consecutive years.

Although the country's position has changed since then, the persistence of corruption demonstrates that laws and institutions alone cannot solve the problem. Accountability must work in practice, not simply exist on paper.

Perhaps the most damaging consequence is the impact on the younger generation. When young people repeatedly see that money, political influence or personal connections can achieve what rules cannot, corruption gradually becomes normalised. A generation can grow up believing that bribery is simply part of everyday life. Once such a belief becomes deeply rooted, fighting corruption becomes considerably more difficult.

Corruption is also an economic problem. TIB's estimate of Tk 10,902 crore in annual bribes and unauthorised payments was equivalent to about 0.22% of Bangladesh's GDP and 1.44% of the revised national budget for 2023–24. But the true economic cost is undoubtedly broader than the money directly paid as bribes. Corruption wastes time, discourages entrepreneurship, increases business costs, distorts competition and diverts resources away from productive investment.

A 2025 United States Department of State investment climate assessment cited estimates that unofficial payments by firms could reduce Bangladesh's GDP by two to three percent. This should be understood as an estimate rather than an official measurement of the country's total corruption cost, but it demonstrates the potentially enormous economic consequences.

International assessments have repeatedly highlighted corruption as a significant obstacle to doing business in Bangladesh. The World Bank Group's Bangladesh Country Private Sector Diagnostic identified corruption among the top five constraints to doing business. It reported that 23% of firms had experienced at least one request for a bribe, while substantial proportions of businesses expected unofficial payments in connection with electricity connections, operating licences and import licences.

This matters greatly for Bangladesh's ambition to attract domestic and foreign investment. Investors look not only at wages, market size and infrastructure. They also look for predictable regulations, transparent decision-making, contract enforcement and fair competition. If obtaining licences, approvals or government services depends on personal connections or unofficial payments, investors face higher costs and greater uncertainty. A country cannot expect strong investment while allowing corruption to function as an unofficial business tax.

There is also a need to examine the perceived supply chain of corruption. A bribe allegedly collected by a lower-level employee may, in some cases, be shared through intermediaries or networks of influence. Such claims must be investigated individually rather than accepted as universal fact. But where corruption networks exist, punishing only the person who directly receives money will not be enough. The entire chain of responsibility must be exposed and held accountable.

Bangladesh therefore needs a much stronger and more systematic approach. Government services should have transparent fees, fixed deadlines, online applications, digital payments and systems that allow citizens to track their applications. Officials should have less discretionary power where such discretion creates opportunities for bribery. Complaints must be investigated independently, whistleblowers protected and corrupt officials, regardless of rank, position or political connection, held accountable.

Political parties must also accept responsibility. It is not enough to promise a corruption-free Bangladesh while tolerating corrupt practices within political and administrative networks. Public representatives must be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

The Speaker's statement may have been uncomfortable, but it has opened an important national conversation. The real question is not whether "most government officials are thieves". The real question is why, more than five decades after independence, so many citizens still feel that "no bribe, no service" is the practical rule.

Bangladesh cannot build a fair society, a competitive economy or a respected international image on such a foundation. Corruption must no longer be treated as an unavoidable fact of life. It must be confronted as a national crisis with political commitment, institutional independence, effective accountability and real consequences for those who abuse public trust.

A corruption-free Bangladesh will not be created by another slogan. It will be created when an ordinary citizen can enter a government office, receive a service on time, pay only the legally prescribed fee and leave without having to know anyone, please anyone, or bribe anyone.

Shahiduzzaman is the Editor and CEO of News Network

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.