TIB Questions Government’s Commitment to State Reform

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep frustration and anger after the government granted final approval to the amended Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Ordinance while excluding the recommended “Selection and Review Committee”, a provision viewed as strategically significant for ensuring accountability within the ACC. By keeping the ACC largely outside an effective oversight mechanism, TIB questions whether the government’s commitments to state reform are no more than empty political slogans.

In a statement issued on Friday, TIB noted that the ACC has long been accused of functioning as a political tool—often used at the behest of those in power to target opponents rather than curb corruption. The proposed Selection and Review Committee, TIB argues, was designed to help the institution break free from this reputation. The omission of this key recommendation, the organisation says, is not only disappointing but also indicative of a wider conspiracy within the administration by anti-reform elements who resist meaningful institutional change.

Despite consensus among all political parties that endorsed the July Charter, and despite the earlier agreement of relevant government authorities, the exclusion of the recommendation from the final ordinance reveals a lack of genuine political will, according to TIB. The organisation terms this a self-contradictory stance for a government tasked with advancing comprehensive state reforms.

TIB further criticised the Chief Adviser—who leads the Consensus Commission and approved the establishment of 11 reform commissions—questioning whether removing the ACC from an accountability framework is meant to send a message to the public and political parties that state reform is merely rhetorical.

Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman emphasised in the statement that two decades of experience, stakeholder feedback, international best practice and Bangladesh’s political context all point to the need for insulating the ACC from political influence. Since its inception, he said, the ACC has suffered from a severe crisis of public trust, having been turned into a tool for shielding ruling elites while harassing opponents. The proposed committee was therefore essential for restoring credibility.

Citing reliable sources, Iftekharuzzaman added that at least seven advisers opposed the recommendation—despite knowing that all political parties that signed the July Charter had agreed to it. This, he argued, sets a dangerous precedent of violating the Charter’s spirit and risks encouraging political forces to disregard it altogether.

Although TIB acknowledged that parts of the draft ordinance it reviewed were improvements on the existing law, the organisation warned that several other consensus-based recommendations had also been dropped from the final version. This, it said, reflects the influence of vested groups inside the government who benefit from weak anti-corruption frameworks and remain opposed to genuine reform.