I have given bribe hence I am also corrupted

Let me start with a story, once I somehow lost my university identity card and as a rule I had to make a general diary in order to get new identification card from my university. I was actually supposed to give the general diary slip to my university and in return they would make a note and give me my new identity card. 

The area where I thought I lost my ID, I immediately ran to the nearest police station and to my surprise I saw a bizarre scene. A school boy was yelled very badly by a police ASI for losing his ID card. That boy stood there for few seconds while I stored some courage. Then I told the ASI that even I came here to make a report on my lost ID card. I wasn't even finished and he instantly started shouting at me.

Moreover he blamed me for losing my ID card. After shouting, he then told me to write an application and submit it to the police officer. I asked for a paper and pen, and he again shouted at me for asking these things. I was then told to bring paper and pen from outside. But as far as I knew, it was government’s duty to provide me paper and pen. After I wrote my general diary by myself, I went outside to photocopy it and soon return with the photocopy but I was astonished by the police officer’s behavior. 

The police officer asked me for bride directly and despite I was a student I had to give 200tk as a bribe. Once I went out of the police station, I was wondering how the police officer would behave with rest of the people. I was getting really upset thinking this.

I am telling this story because when I am writing this piece, few minutes ago Transparency International Bangladesh- TIB a famous anti-corruption organization released a survey report where they made a statement that the law enforcement sector of Bangladesh were the most corrupted sector and the second most corrupted sector was the passport office.

Then I thought, this is evidently true. When I was processing my emergency passport back in 2013, I was supposed to give 6900 taka whereas I gave 3100 taka extra as a bribe. I had to give another 2000 taka to SB officer for my passport verification. I was bound to give this money because I heard people saying that if I don't give bribe then they would create hassle processing my passport. Bribe has indeed become an unofficial establishment in the country. 

I once saw in news that high court judge MD Saifur Rahman was asked directly to give bribe to a police ASI Sadekul Islam, for passport verification of his two daughters. Can you image how courageous the police ASI be? According to TIB, the survey report says that about 75.3% individual has to give bribe to the SB office which is illegal. In this situation, an average of 757 taka has to be given as a bribe to the passport office for passport verification. I think the rest 24.7% people don't need to give bribe because they have so called special relatives like ministers, journalists or police officers.

I believe if they were ordinary people just like me then they would have also needed to give bribe. If not so then why police ASI Sadekul Islam was arrested for asking bribe to the high court judge MD. Saifur Rahman. My question is not to the court rather it is for the society. I think if the court knew about me giving the bribe then the court would have also sent an arrest warrant considering me as his daughter. But the problem is nobody raises their voice regarding this issue. If done so then we would have realized that by the end of the day, this court is our guardian.

47 years back when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave us our first green passport then why there is such a disastrous situation now in Bangladesh. A person like me can never find out the reason behind this. But it is also true that few days back people younger than me showed us how to run a country without law enforcement system. 

I know my writing won’t make any difference. Moreover it won’t make people aware of the present state. Everyone is busy going to their dream country but nobody takes the initiative to make this country a dream city. We have considered bribe as part our daily life. But I still dream that maybe someday Barlin based Transparency International survey report will publish saying Bangladesh as the least corrupted country.

             -Writer Maria Zaman is a student of University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.