One may hate TIB - many GOB officials and pro-GOB politicians do - but its prestige and credibility matches any government institution. Most official ones unfortunately lack it. TIB's reputation has been built over the years and looks positive to most people except those who are criticized by the reports they make. TIB also has been careful about not getting partisan.

AL thinks TIB is pro-BNP. Its survey after the elections has made the AL feel worse but the electoral criticism is rising now. Though the AL has trashed TIB, it has been far less severe than expected. That is good and shows the attackers of the party are on some leash probably held by the PM.

AL has been in power for so long that all of TIB's observations and findings seem anti-AL. But actually they are anti-incumbent rather anti partisan. The problem for the AL is that most people have confidence in what TIB says never mind some methodological limitations of its information gathering methods. However, they have done much better than other sort of similar organizations who deal directly with political governance.

TIB deals with transparency not corruption

TIB basically deals with what it calls 'transparency' issues but itsit almost thought of synonymously with anti-corruption. Now given the high level of corruption - both incidental and structural - its meaning is much wider now. The very well-known episode when TIB criticized MPs for failing to perform duties or organizations that don't deliver services as stated in their mandate are all part of the wider meaning of corruption.

However, TIB is an advocacy organization and has little power beyond creating public opinion. It's not meant to do more than that either. However, in doing what it does, it also generates hostility too. The savage attacks that TIB has to face over its reports do show that the arrows do hit home. So its objective which is creating a general environment against sleaze and corruption is obviously working. That far, so good. But TIB can do little beyond creating public opinion and if one goes by collective experience and even government admissions and reports, corruption has not declined. So TIB, in terms of being a body that can reduce corruption is very low. That is because it doesn't have the state political will as a private organization. That belongs only to the government and the government alone can change the scenery of corruption.

Does it mean the Government should have its own TIB?

If the Government is serious about anti-corruption, it must have a wide ranging action body with the credibility of TIB and the energy of the police when tracking criminals that it has been told by the higher authorities to do so. The law enforcers work seriously only when they are told to do so. Crime management has many angles and connections. Not everyone can be caught and there are many untouchable areas as well. But as a force they are very good and efficient if asked to be effective.

In case of pacifying the Jongis, the police have shown how well they can do their job. Even the swift recovery of the biker lady's stolen bike shows that they can trace any criminal they want. So again, it's an issue of political will and the ensuing order they get from above.

Most sponsored and even constitutional bodies of the state have failed to earn either the credibility level of the TIB or the efficiency level of the police. So we are looking for an agency which has both which the government will sponsor. A TIB with teeth if you will.

But isn't the ACC something like a TIB with magistrate power?

ACC deals only with economic crimes and is an energetic body but it again is considered to be slim in terms of resources and capacity not to mention political will. The fact that no government official of any seniority or politician of the ruling party under any regime is rarely caught shows the limits of the ACC. But the current ACC is very active and has gone after many powerful.

There are a few such agencies including the food safety and consumer protection agencies who all have limited powers which are augmented by linking up with the mobile courts and such other outfits. It shows that a host of bodies do exist within the government who are supposed to be doing what TIB does and can do much more than TIB ever can. That is the good news.

The sobering news is that whether the political will exists to have a ACC + type of outfit which can also nail the bad apple.

Actually, the ACC has already gone some space ahead and are now looking into whether services are being delivered are not and not just chasing corrupt GOB officials which are usually futile. The Government can't say that it has been very serious about anti-corruption which was indirectly admitted by the PM when she said that there would be zero tolerance for it in this edition of her government.

However, most recognize that, that's a long way to go. But as corruption bites into economic development, the very class which is the biggest beneficiary will complain and many already are as after a point it hurts. Open corruption works for a while but after a while it becomes counter-productive as access to power is not enough and the scale becomes a free for all which attacks the very nature of corruption that is based on connections.

So, the powers that be need to do several things. It has to accept that while its necessary to have Election Commission type bodies in town, they don't add much credibility value. All the denials of the EC about election rigging was loud but people tend to believe TIB a bit more. So some space needs to be given to create a multi-sectorial body that fights corruption and supervises poor public services as well. This competition with TIB plus with punitive powers can make such an official body a great achievement and advertisement for the regime.

The government already has various trying bodies so all it needs to do is co-ordinate their work and make sure they function as a unit that will have more impact.

Finally, it needs to recognize that nobody expects corruption to reduce let alone vanish overnight. They just need a bit of reduction and some sense that the authorities are on their side once in a while not even every month.

There is an opportunity and benefits in letting corruption happen in the cause of high growth but also in fighting it as well.

No one thinks the political will to do much exists or can exist given the situation and system we all have. People are reasonable and so just want a little bit. Instead of abusing TIB every time they publish something, it's also possible to do just a little bit and get a lot of mileage. Let the Government have its own TIB.