| 85pc NGOs lack financial transparency, says TIB | ||||||
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Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) made the suggestion in its research report titled `Problem of Good Governance in NGO Sector: The Way Out'. TIB arranged a roundtable at the CIRDAP auditorium marking the release of its report Thursday. TIB chairman Muzaffer Ahmad and executive director Iftekharuzzaman spoke on the occasion. The TIB report observed that the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were formed after the independence of Bangladesh with the aim to meet humane demands, but now many NGOs got involved in corruption and irregularities. "Though the condition of the service-recipients did not change, changes in socioeconomic condition of the NGO founders are recognisable," it said. The TIB completed the research conducting survey on 20 NGOs --one international, eight national and 11 local -- where it found that 85 per cent of the national and local NGOs do not have financial transparency as their audit and financial reports are usually prepared with exaggeration. The report said the executives of 70 per cent NGOs enjoy illegal financial and other facilities while employees of 35 per cent NGOs do not get salaries regularly. It said 65 per cent of the national and local NGOs used bribes to get projects from the government departments. Ineffectiveness of the NGO governing bodies, plundering salaries of the employees, bribing the NGO Affairs Bureau for releasing donations, tax dodging by the NGO executives and officials, and corruption in appointing manpower are the other findings of the TIB research. TIB in its report identified lack of accountability of the NGOs to the government and the donors as the main reason for corruption in the sector. It said many donor agencies and countries could not monitor implementation of the projects, as they have no offices in Bangladesh. Though some donors have offices in Dhaka, their agents don't play an honest role. Often an NGO procure several donations from different donors for the same project taking advantage of lack of coordination among the donors, the report said. The TIB report recommended immediate formation of an independent NGO Commission as an umbrella body to supervise the NGO activities in the country. It further suggested making the NGO laws time befitting and taking initiatives for social audit under the NGO Commission. Speaking at the roundtable, the TIB chairman said voluntarism was the main concept of NGO activities, but now the NGOs have lost the practice of voluntarism. "Because of high unemployment in the country, NGOs have also become a job sector. Hence, voluntarism is lost," he said. | ||||||
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