Peer Reviewer 1:
Disinformation marks the Reporters Notebook in the first paragraph: it refers to the popular television game-show called Koun Banega Crorepati on Indian Zee Television, but in fact that program was aired on Star Plus TV station instead.
It is true that corruption has been rooted in every sphere of life in Bangladesh over the last few decades, and that it is difficult to get anything done in a public office without bribing the officials and politicians to some extent. Corruption is pervasive everywhere, from vote-buying to car import industry, and an atmosphere of impunity with political connivance has made it more endemic.
The report talks about the interim administrations crackdown on corruption and arrests of big fish in politics and businesses, but it does not mention how many have been convicted until now. Media reports show that as many as 220 politicians from both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Awami League -- the two major parties which have been in power struggles for more than two decades-- were convicted in cases related to amassing illegal wealth, dodging tax, bribery, extortion, cheating, patronizing militants, possessing illegal weapons, and setting fire and ransacking houses. On the other hand, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zias two sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahamn, who amassed huge wealth and reportedly siphoned money off to foreign banks, are not yet prosecuted on any corruption charge.
Corruption is still there in almost every public office, and some people even charge extra bribes as risk fee, following the crackdown led by the military. The Reporters Notebook seems to be generally fair as it mentions that the anti-corruption drive is not on the right track. A handful of people, mostly politicians perceived as corrupt, have not even been interrogated. There has been a public perception that the drive is tilted towards politicians, although bureaucrats are similarly responsible for the spread of corruption at all levels.
Peer Reviewer 2:
The Reporters Notebook has to be rewritten. Without any substantiation, it has given a superficial idea of the whole picture of the rampant corruption and the ongoing anti-graft drive launched by the military-backed interim government. Some of his information is not correct.
It begins with an Indian TV show mixing up rupee, taka and US dollars. In the Indian TV show it deals with rupee, which has higher value compared to taka. So, the conversion of one crore rupee into dollars is not the same as the value of one crore taka. Its not an important point, but it reflects the carelessness of the reporter.
In paragraph 3, it refers to public opinion survey. In fact, Bangladesh was branded as one of the most corrupt countries in this period by the Berlin-based global corruption watchdog Transparency International in its corruption perception index. It quoted a senior journalist Golam Haider. The reporter should have mentioned Mr. Haiders position and the name of the organization. I checked with many journalists in Dhaka, but nobody could recognize any senior journalist named Golam Haider.
He mentioned the corruption of Sheikh Hasina Wajed and Begum Khaleda Zia who ruled the country as prime ministers in alternative terms during the last one-and-a-half decades. In fact, it was not the beginning of corruption in Bangladesh. Former military dictator Lt. Gen. HM Ershad, who had served as president of the country for about nine years and was ousted by a peoples movement in 1990, is still facing corruption charges.
The report concentrated particularly on the corruption acts perpetrated by Khaleda Zia, her sons and her cabinet members. But, apart from the two ladies who are now in jail on corruption charges (although the charges are yet to be proved), many of the ministers of their cabinets and senior leaders from both the parties of the two women are now in jail on corruption charges. So the report has to be balanced.
The report has dealt with too many figures which are probably quoted from different newspapers and were not always correct.
The report says, An investigation of Warid Telecom, a cell phone company that entered the Bangladesh market, revealed that Arafat Rahman purchased property in Dubai and put US$2 million in two Hong Kong banks, his kickbacks for assisting Warid Telecom in obtaining a licenses, newspaper reports say . Warid Telecom did not conduct such investigation and when the report was published, the telecom company sent a rejoinder. Finally, Justice Sayem was appointed president of Bangladesh and chief martial law administrator by the military dictator Gen. Ziaur Rahman. Justice Sayem relinquished the role of chief martial law administrator on Nov. 29, 1976 to General Zia and resigned from the presidency on April 21, 1977 after citing concerns of ill-health. So, Justice Sayem was not an elected president who has been overthrown by Zia.
Any incorrect information in the report might cast blight on the total findings on a particular country.
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