The Daily Star: Bangladesh: Wednesday,
June 15, 2016.
Rezia Khatun,
a 36-year-old woman, became destitute after her husband suddenly died. With
three children to look after, she resorted to begging for a living.
One day,
Rezia met Sabikunnahar, a Right to Information activist trained by D.Net, a
reputed Bangladeshi NGO. Rezia learnt from Sabikunnahar how to access various
government services and decided to apply for a Vulnerable Group Development
(VGD) card, under the government's social safety-net programme. Together they
went to see the chairman of the local Union Parishad (UP) in Netrokona
district, and described her situation to him. The chairman agreed to provide
her a card but failed to deliver. Subsequently, Sabikunnahar learnt that the
government was allocating more VGD cards and asked Rezia to apply for one. But
her application was denied on the plea that no additional allotment of VGD
cards were available.
Later on,
Rezia and Sabikunnahar came to know that their local MP was distributing VGD
cards through party members instead of going through the Union Parishad.
Together, they decided to submit an RTI application to the UP Secretary,
wherein Rezia asked to know how many VGD cards had been allotted to their Union
that year, whether she was eligible for one and how the cards were distributed.
The UP
Secretary provided Rezia the desired information which revealed that she was in
fact eligible for one. As a result, the UP Chairman was compelled to allot a
VGD card for her. Since then, Rezia gave up begging.
Rezia's is
just one story among millions. Bangladesh's socio-economic development is now
widely acclaimed. By many metrics, the development trajectory of Bangladesh is
very impressive. The fall of poverty incidence to around 30 percent from 60
percent not very long ago has confounded critics who had predicted the country
to be a perennial “basket case” at the time of its birth.
A key factor
for success is the government's social safety-net programmes under the National
Social Security Strategy (NSSS). These are aimed at helping the most vulnerable
to cope with specific hardships. Popular among the programmes are Vulnerable
Group Feeding (VGF), Vulnerable Group Development (VGD), hundred days' work,
old age benefits, maternity benefits, benefits for widows, oppressed, and
destitute women, etc.
The
importance of NSSS to the government was underlined by the Finance Minister in
his budget proposal earlier this month. He announced that the programmes would
be made more targeted and focused, with increased coverage and allocation. Tk.
452.30 billion, which is, 13.28 percent of the total budget of the country and
2.31 percent of GDP, has been budgeted for FY 2016-17. It is 16.98 percent
higher than the previous year.
While the
government's commitment to the programmes and their positive outcomes are
well-established, circumstantial and anecdotal evidences reveal that the
benefits of the programmes do not always reach the rightful claimants. In fact,
a widely held view is that about 30 percent of the benefits go to non-deserving
claimants through corrupt practices of officials concerned. Whatever the
slippage, it is obvious that the government's objectives would be better served
if they were eliminated or at least reduced.
Some hope was
generated in this regard by the adoption of the Right to Information Act, 2009.
A number of NGOs and social activists in the country immediately saw the
tremendous power of the Act to promote transparency and accountability in the
work of public officials and thereby to combat corrupt practices that have
accrued over the years in the delivery of safety-net benefits.
The NGOs went
about spreading awareness of the Act to people, particularly at the grassroots
level. In many cases they helped them, literally by holding their hands, to
make RTI applications to concerned authorities. By asking to see, for example,
the lists of safety-net beneficiaries and how they were compiled, the
applicants were able to make the authorities realise, though in a very limited
scale, that their days of abuse of the system and arbitrary decision-making
were over. Citizens are now empowered to probe how government decisions are
made.
Initially,
the authorities were able to skirt the problem by offering the desired benefits
to the applicants in order to avoid providing written responses. They feared
that such responses could expose their wrong-doings. Over time, however, the
applicants came to understand that apart from getting the benefits, they must
also insist on written responses to promote systemic change. But alas, such
interventions are very few and far between. There are not enough NGOs or
activists in the country who have the means or interest to help such people. It
is strange that a politically and socially alert nation like Bangladesh is
still to discover the power of RTI.
On the other
hand, members of a landless group of women in Meherpur district, organised by
Nijera Kori, a reputed NGO of Bangladesh, learnt about irregularities in the
allocation of cards under the Maternal Health Voucher Scheme of the government.
Through it, impoverished pregnant women are entitled to many free health
services.
The members
met with expectant mothers who claimed that the cards were being distributed to
women from wealthier families. Moreover, health officials had taken bribes of
Tk. 200 per card from each of the 20 pregnant women who had received the cards
in their area. Bribes were asked from four other families who were denied the
cards for not paying the bribes. So the members decided to use RTI to obtain
the correct information.
The President
of the Gangni Landless Committee and three other members, who were trained by
Nijera Kori on RTI, jointly submitted a RTI request to the Upazila Health
Officer seeking information on the maternal health voucher scheme. They asked
in particular how many cards were distributed monthly in the concerned UPs and
Municipal Corporation under the scheme; the criteria for selection of families
for distribution of cards; who selected the beneficiaries and distributed the
cards, etc.
In response,
they only received some quantitative data on the number of cards distributed in
the respective areas. Upon discussing the matter among themselves, the group
decided to file a formal RTI appeal with the appellate authority and to collect
specific evidences of irregularities. On July 29, 2010, more than 200 men and
women staged a demonstration against irregularities in the project and handed
over a memorandum with signatures of community members to the civil surgeon,
copied to relevant government offices.
Upon probing,
the civil surgeon found that in the areas concerned, the cards were indeed
given to relatively wealthier families and there was corruption in project
implementation. As more than 300 members of the landless committee had gathered
in the village during his visit, demanding justice, the civil surgeon had to
provide them with particulars about the programme, including beneficiary
profiles, selection criteria and procedures.
Armed with
these, the group gathered in the village, identified local beneficiaries, and
proposed the names of 20 impoverished and pregnant women for benefits under the
scheme. All 20 were given the cards and benefits under the scheme. The health
officer was transferred out of his post after alleged irregularities and
corruption were proven. He was also forced to return the money he had collected
as bribes.
Such is
indeed the power of RTI. And yet the Act is hardly known for being put to use
in significant numbers. It has so far worked mainly with the marginalised and
disadvantaged communities because of the help of NGOs and activists. The
educated and the middle classes are yet to be fired by the powerful reach of
the law. If only they extended a helping hand to the needy to obtain their
rightful claims under various programmes of the government, the RTI ball will
keep rolling till others begin to pick it up. Additionally, it will quicken the
pace of reducing poverty and achieving middle-income-country status for
Bangladesh sooner than later.
If, however,
the law is not put to use by citizens in significant numbers, there is a danger
that it may slowly wither away. That will be a great loss indeed for the
nation. Citizens will lose the only law of the land that allows them to monitor
the work of the government. And the government will be deprived of people's
support to advance its reform and development programmes.
(The
writers are Chairman, Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB) and Project
Coordinator (RTI section) of RIB respectively. Their email is:
rib@citech-bd.com.)
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