BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday outlined the party’s plan to wage a stronger fight against corruption in the coming days.
He came up with the observations in a post from his verified Facebook page on Tuesday morning, marking International Anti-Corruption Day and outlining BNP’s plan to fight graft.
Tarique said the day serves as a reminder of Bangladesh’s long struggle against graft and the periods when the country made real progress, especially under BNP governments.
He highlighted that early governance reforms under former president Ziaur Rahman focused on administrative discipline, clean public service and economic reforms that reduced gatekeeping and discretionary power.
Tarique said the administrations of former prime minister Khaleda Zia modernised state institutions through procurement rules, financial administration laws, strengthened audits and clearer oversight mechanisms.
A key milestone, he said, was the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2004 as an independent statutory body, replacing the Bureau of Anti-Corruption.
The move – recognised by the World Bank and ADB – aligned Bangladesh with global standards by granting the ACC independent investigative and prosecutorial authority.
Despite reservations about the methodology used at the time, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) reported improvements during the BNP era, with Bangladesh’s CPI score rising from 1.2 in 2002 to 1.7 in 2005.
Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (2003) also found that 66 per cent of citizens felt corruption had decreased.
Tarique mentioned that BNP takes pride in achievements such as stronger financial governance, early procurement reforms, market liberalisation, decentralisation and civil service improvement, arguing that BNP remains the only party to have made sustained progress in reducing corruption.
Looking ahead, he outlined BNP’s plan to restore integrity in public institutions: ensuring the independence of the judiciary, ACC, election bodies and law enforcement; transparent procurement and real-time audits; judicial and policing reforms; large-scale digitisation of services; whistleblower protection; integrity-focused education; and stronger financial oversight with empowered parliamentary scrutiny.
He warned that fighting corruption will be an uphill battle after years of systemic abuse but said Bangladesh’s history proves that progress is achievable.
“With commitment, discipline, and public support, meaningful reform can return,” he said, adding that BNP is prepared to lead that fight again if entrusted by the people.
