The World Bank claims (false) immunity

Afsan Chowdhury

Should we discuss the World Bank? It has actually gone from being powerful to the pathetic if it has to seek immunity after being scared of a disgruntled staff member. It's the Adamjee Jute Mills of the development-lending world. Hanging to countries like Bangladesh that mean nothing, it has already been overrun by the WTO. If they don't let you into the team you better stop dirtying the floor. You may have to wash it up yourself.

It was one of those meetings where I was present with my supervisor representing my former organisation. It was presided over by one Sudhakar, an Indian bureaucrat then working for the World Bank. He was so rude towards all matters Bangladeshi that others were feeling embarrassed. The only Bangladeshi present in the meeting, I raised my hands a number of times but he simply saw through me. It was so bad that when we left the meeting, my supervisor, a Canadian apologised to me.

"I am sorry for what happened. It's probably caller Donoritis." I have rarely seen such display of pure arrogance. That is unless you meet another World Bank official.

I understand they are now seeking "immunity" from being sued.

"I am going to pee on you but can't complain."

Right?

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A couple of weeks back I read in the papers that some hired hand of the Bank had written in the IMF website-- give us a break guys --that the ex-Chief Economist of the World Bank Steiglitz is a very arrogant man and had once asked if the US Federal Reserve Board Chief was as smart as "one of us."

I fully believe him. Having met some WB officials of the local variety I am in no doubt that Steiglitz is worse.

Steiglitz's more memorable assessment of World Bank staff runs in this general tone. World Bank staff are mostly first grade students from second rate universities. Or was it second grade students from the third?

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JOURNALISTS get sued all the time. That's how the system works. Most laws in spirit are meant to protect the indigent and if need be serve as the tool of the affected to seek justice in the court through suing. One of the great rules of modern society is that no one is above law. Unless it seems you work for the World Bank or the UN agencies.

If you are immune how will you be accountable? How do you protect people from decisions arising out of bad policies, errors, silliness, arrogance, stupidity and plain ignorance of development agencies and their partners?

It's society's check and balance. But the Word Bank is demanding that it be considered above all this. Even when it recommends that as a pre-condition for loans.

"Mama, I won't wash but you can't say I stink."

Is that it?

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LAST week a letter arrived on our desk. It was a press release from lawyer Md. Rezaul Islam.

It says: World Bank violates court order. The World Bank has violated a court order of injunction issued by the First Assistant Judge of the District Court against a case filed by a terminated staff. In this connection a violation case has been filed against the World Bank the same day to show cause by July 15 as to why the Bank or those involved will not be punished according to the provisions in law set for violation or contempt of court orders.

The World Bank earlier appeared in Court and filed an objection claiming immunity of the Bank from legal process. While a Court's decision on the matter is still pending after the hearing held on June 01, 2002, the WB violated the order of injunction by giving appointment to a staff member who was earlier holding the post.

It may be mentioned here that the legal opinions of two successive learned attorney Generals, former Advisor for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of the caretaker government and the Law Minister have provided that the World Bank does not enjoy immunity from legal process according to articles of agreement signed with Bangladesh.

(partly edited)

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I have very little sympathy for the position of the terminated and the new staff member now filling the post because they have wilfully gone to work for an organisation that has been documented as being involved with more economic crimes against humanity than any other.

It pays bloody well, does it? Conscience motivates neither of the local staff involved but lost opportunity. But they aren't even clogs in the wheel, they are dead grass willing to live on if paid mega bucks to sing along. It shows how easy manipulation is. One leaves and another comes in. Will the terminated staff refuse to join the Bank if given a chance again?

Most well educated -- read foreign university -- developing world kids join the Bank because it's the best paid job they can get by putting their conscience and brains to sleep. Most westerners join the Bank because they can't get a job in the Wall Street.

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THE arsenic crisis was generated partly by ignorance and partly by arrogance. Unicef had no idea what was what as it advised the government to go for tubewells and like the namby-pamby lot they are, were confident that this was good for children. They never bothered to check. But what it and others did terribly wrong was to systematically destroy the other alternative sources of safe water and spend money to change habits so that people would only use tubewells. Today, as traditional systems are destroyed they offer deep tube wells as solutions but it's already contaminated.

And people claim immunity.

The new arsenic mitigation programnme is stewarded by the Bank and when they were going around meeting various groups including activists like us they kept harping on one theme.

They had the answer and it was deep underground water. Everyone has parroted them because WB has the money.

Are they claiming immunity from this policy as well when they were warned that deep tubewells could also be contaminated?

Are they claiming immunity from mass poisoning?

They, did you know. "You can't sue the Bank."

And I suppose you can't sue God too.

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I hear that they have actual proof against corrupt journos. Please. Everyone knows how many and who are corrupt in the profession. It's only a silly WB twit who would think that this was going to be news. But come out with it and show you have courage.

But what about corrupt World Bank officials? Open your gates lad, and let us in. Stop talking about immunity and be transparent and we shall see how clean the lot is.

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GIVEN the salary that you get, that itself qualifies as corruption of sorts.

The Chief of Transparency International once told me in an interview that the main objective behind launching TI was to reduce corruption in WB procurement system.

And all this is a secret?

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THE only people who will never speak against the Bank are the bureaucrats and the consultancywallahs. Or are they the same? A senior bureaucrat's ultimate prize is a posting in the Bank. Developing the stake holding is so simple, just a job to the right or his cousin who thinks he must feel he owes himself a fancy car and a lot of excuses for raising his incompetence level. And governments who can't make two ends meet find the Bank a willing if not a smart lender.

And the people have to pay for the lending and borrowing of which they aren't even a part of. And then the bank becomes a kabuliwallah.

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WHEN I was working for the Panos Institute, the World Bank had sponsored a discussion on line jointly with Panos. A success for the Bank, it had become a debate inside PI though Panos made it clear that they had refused World Bank money. It was a shock to the Bank to find out that most people had joined because of the Panos name, which had more credibility than the Bank's.

So the WB proposed that Panos be part of its new web portal. This met with strong resistance from inside and I was part of it. Panos is a remarkably democratic organisation-- it insists on democracy- and after a long debate the idea to lend name was dropped because most thought that the Bank would never accept the demands for transparency.

Scant month later, it transpired that the Bank had actually refused to accept the transparency clauses. Thank God, Panos Institute was not sullied by the World Bank's name.

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SHOULD we discuss the World Bank? It has actually gone from being powerful to the pathetic if it has to seek immunity after being scared of a disgruntled staff member. It's the Adamjee Jute Mills of the development-lending world. Hanging to countries like Bangladesh that mean nothing, it has already been overrun by the WTO.

If they don't let you into the team you better stop dirtying the floor. You may have to wash it up yourself.

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IF the Bangladesh government wasn't sueable, just imagine what they would have done? Would you be safe if the authorities didn't know that there is such a thing as writ and stay order and so on? Imagine the parents of Rubel, the family of..., the Dhaka city itself which has bought some time from an assassinated Ashuliya?

Related Articles:

Silencing Joseph Stiglitz - Salon.com

35 Million Drinking Arsenic Water - NYTimes

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