B8217;desh economists question TI8217;s corruption perception

8220;I question the very methodology followed by Transparency International in judging the corruption of the country8217;s elite,8221; Abul Barakat, economics professor of Dhaka University, told the New Age.

He said 8220;If all factors relating to corruption were taken into consideration in comparison to other countries, Bangladesh8217;s position would have been better in the index.8221;

Another economist Hossein Zillur Rahman, the executive chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre, said the report was a 8220;mere perception8221; and the method followed in preparing the index could not measure institutional corruption.

8220;It is more important to look into the causes of corruption, to look at whole perspective,8221; he said.

Rahman, also regretted that Bangladesh was the only country where a 8220;hue and cry8221; was being raised about the findings of such a report that is based on 8220;perception only8221;.

Berlin-based TI on Wednesday released the corruption perception index ranking Bangladesh as the seventh most corrupt nation or the 162nd out of 180 countries this year.

According to the index, Bangladesh remains at the bottom of the South Asian scorecard with India ranking as the 72nd, Pakistan 138th, Sri Lanka 94th, and Nepal the 131st least corrupt countries.