Let’s Raise Awareness Against Bribery
For the people of this country, encountering bribes, harassment, and administrative red tape while seeking government services is an everyday reality.
From obtaining official documents to securing public contracts, allegations of corruption have repeatedly surfaced in political debates; say media reports and assessments by national and international organizations.
Despite widespread public concern, Bangladesh has rarely witnessed sustained nationwide mass movements focused exclusively on bribery and corruption. Instead, protests have generally emerged around broader political, economic, or social issues, with corruption serving as one of several grievances rather than the sole cause.
However, when the younger generation transforms the narrative of this suffering-moving beyond mere expressions of grievance-into organized statistical data, it raises serious questions about the entire administrative system.
A digital platform named ‘Ghus.site’-launched recently by a teenager from Mymensingh-has revealed shocking data regarding bribe demands totaling Tk 552 crore, based on complaints accumulated over a single month.
According to platform site, key public service departments, such as the Land and Passport offices, top this list. Needless to say, an initiative that began with personal experiences of harassment has now evolved into an unofficial record of the country’s overall corruption.
The message conveyed by this initiative is crystal clear: today’s young generation is unwilling to silently tolerate injustice. Instead, they seek to leverage technology to expose systemic flaws to the public. The website has explicitly stated that it is not an investigative agency, nor do the complaints submitted it constitute legally proven facts.
However, it sought to highlight the prevalence of bribery in accessing government services without singling out any specific individual or official.
Yet, even in the absence of legal evidence, the sheer volume of these allegations reflects the stark reality of civic life. These revelations serve as a tangible record of how ordinary people across the country are forced to confront bribery when trying to obtain services.
We believe that instead of viewing such civic initiatives merely through the lens of debate or criticism, the government should embrace them as a positive opportunity.
Ensuring the safety of these initiators is a primary responsibility of the state; if a citizen faces threats while raising awareness against irregularities, it runs counter to the principles of freedom of speech and good governance.
Government policymakers should treat the data from this platform as an early warning and implement special monitoring systems in sectors such as land administration, passport services, and education.
If technology is leveraged to make service delivery more transparent and eliminate the need for in-person visits, it is possible to significantly curb the menace of bribery.
