Corruption, nepotism, graft, bribery and embezzlement are all various forms and shapes of a single evil that have grasped almost all sectors of Afghanistan, like never before. It is simply the greatest injustice to the rights of people of Afghanistan that billions of dollars of international aids that are poured for the development and reconstruction of the country are just allowed to go futile and merely fill the pockets of certain groups of people that include land and drug mafias, government officials and insurgents. Afghanistan stands in the list of most corrupt countries of the world according to 2012 corruption index of Transparency International.
Amidst that bothersome status, the UN has come up with another disappointing report on the level corruption in Afghanistan. The UN report on corruption once again reveals shocking statistics. Although comparatively a positive development has been reported in progress on reducing corruption in public sector, it still remains plague causing endemic issues from negative perception of people about governance on which Taliban militants pay important attention in propaganda war, to serious impact through violent resentment.
The report by UNODC says total corruption cost increased to US$ 3.9 billion, with half of Afghan citizens paying a bribe while requesting a public service in 2012. “The bribes that Afghan citizens paid in 2012, equals double Afghanistan’s domestic revenue or one fourth of the Tokyo pledge. Nearly 30 per cent of Afghan citizens paid a bribe when requesting a service from individuals not employed in the public sector of Afghanistan in 2012, as opposed to the 50 per cent who paid bribes to public officials. The national economic impact of non governmental bribery is also lower, with an estimated total cost of US$ 600 million, some 15 per cent of the total cost of bribes paid to the public sector.
The public sector is most affected by bribery in the Western (where 71 per cent of the population accessing public services experienced bribery) and North Eastern Regions (60 per cent), while it is least affected in the Southern (40 per cent) and Central (39 per cent) Regions. On the other hand, local individuals and entities not employed in the public sector of Afghanistan, such as village elders, Mullahs and Taliban groups, are more involved in bribery in the Southern region (nearly 60 per cent of those who had contact with such individuals).”
The report further says 68 per cent of citizens interviewed in 2012 considered it acceptable for a civil servant to top up a low salary by accepting small bribes from service users (as opposed to 42 per cent in 2009). Similarly, 67 per cent of citizens considered it sometimes acceptable for a civil servant to be recruited on the basis of family ties and friendship networks (up from 42 per cent in 2009).
Another disappointing point revealed in the recent UN report is growth of corruption in Afghanistan’s educational sector. That is a sector in which sincerity, transparency and accountability should be model for the rest of the country. Nonetheless, the agency’s report says that number of Afghans bribing a teacher jumped from 16 percent in 2009 to 51 percent in 2012. Corruption in Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, schools, university and other education institutes will produce the biggest harm to the future of Afghanistan.
High Office of Oversight (HOO), Anti-corruption Unit in Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Ministry of Anti-corruption and other government and international organizations are all pursuing cases of corruption. Nonetheless, no significant improvement has yet taken place to alleviate the rampant corruption in Afghanistan as big fishes involved in the crime continue to roam freely inside and outside the country.
Afghanistan where insecurity, corruption, poppy cultivation and other similar and serious issues exist is not the Afghanistan that its people want and desire for. The international community and the Afghan government must now take some serious and urgent measures to counter the root causes of corruption or else this evil might bring catastrophic results for this country.
With three decades of war, destruction of social infrastructure, governance institutions and extreme poverty, corruption is a deep-rooted curse in our society not limited to state institutions and government departments. The government needs to launch a more radical anti-corruption campaign in public sector. They should establish special mobile courts with complaint-lines where citizens asked for bribery can directly call and registered complaints against officials. There should be swift justice and punishment to fight this cancer. Unfortunately the Government has only made some symbolic moves.