Indeed, the abuse of public position in our society for some private gain is quite likely a growing problem and has become the ultimate hurdle towards progress and sustainability. Corruption is one of the old driving factors in every society of the world particularly in Afghanistan and it is not a new growing problem as long as humans are trapped in illegal activities and impunity, like corruption. Perhaps, corruption has become the ultimate principle of the people working in government departments; ignoring the people wildly for delivering a single pace of service for what they are already paid. Indeed, corruption has become the best source of income in their daily routine by looting the system and the country.
The corruption process has several adverse effects on Afghanistan, political stability and economic welfare. In addition to the direct financial costs of corruption (higher costs of contracts and public services, loss of public funds due to theft or abuse of government facilities and assets) there are substantial costs related to time devoted to corrupt practices, especially in the case of security sector, the human costs (e.g. of threats, intimidation, victimization by security forces). Widespread corruption deters and distorts private investment. Perhaps are the adverse implications of corruption, and popular perceptions of widespread corruption for the effective functioning, credibility, and legitimacy of the state.
However, it is growing to paralyze the government and damaging the legitimacy and political stability. According to a perception of corruption conducted by the Integrity Watch, Afghanistan found that corruption is perceived to be widespread and becoming more risky for the government of Afghanistan and it has larger impact on the daily lives of lower class people who can't pay to buy the government's service delivery.
For example, half of the respondents in the survey indicated that they had paid bribes within the last six months, and the majority felt that corruption erodes the moral fabric of society and undermines the legitimacy of the state. Corruption is perceived to be prevalent in justice, security, customs, and municipalities, as well as service delivery agencies (health, education, electricity and every field of live). In the government departments, the officials only postpone the people's work for tomorrow and the next days while it takes not more than 2-3 minutes, which is an absolute violation of government's system and the rule of law.
Today Afghanistan is steeping in corruption which needs to come under the consideration of Afghan government, and the international community must also drop a note of concern over the extreme growth of corruption dominating Afghanistan. And thus, it is believed to be one of the core hurdles towards a stable and sustainable Afghanistan. In this regard, the claim must not be only on the government and the international community alone, rather the people themselves also need to show an active commitment towards helping the government in fighting corruptions. Some traditional attitudes of acceptance may well have been eroding with wider exposure through mass media etc. Clearly, more understanding of the context in Afghanistan and of people's attitudes toward different forms of corruption is needed, and to a large extent must come from Afghans themselves.
For this reason, there must be a clear and strategic vision on how to get rid of entrenched corruption, and for the high-level management of anti-corruption efforts. The government must also apply targeted and practical approaches, including a commitment on specific sectors, agencies and functions that can yield better results than very ambitious and broad-based strategies lacking in implementation and staying power. It is touchy that a country's political leadership be seen as seriously committed party to combating corruption and that such high-level political effort is sustained. Today's political crisis and corruption have the claims of more destruction and backwardness rather than Taliban the "Worst Killer" in Afghanistan if the government doesn't join hand together and show a comprehensive commitment on ending corruption.
Objectively speaking, the political dimension of anti-corruption should not be overlooked and ignored. Corruption is not only a failure of state institutions but also the means for enrichment and empowerment of political elites. Reading the very existed structure and networks of political and economic power is essential for designing an effective anti-corruption strategy, which must include a sober assessment of the political constraints and areas of opportunity, options for mitigating political opposition, and the true degree of actual and potential political commitment behind reforms.
We see today, that our political system is not as developed as it was supposed to be; there seems a serious risk of political corruption even in the political elites in the future further. There are important contextual issues about the definition and scope of corruption in Afghanistan, and Afghan perceptions must be taken into account in designing and implementing an effective anti-corruption strategy that is suited to the country and rule of the law.
In the absence of good governance and a better political order, the country is getting deeper into corruption; most of the problems that today our country is facing are coming from the lack of good governance and loyalty. Right from the top to the bottom rules are flouted with impunity. This will enhance further fuels for corruption and this can be the reason why it has steeped so deeply in our country's fabric.
The worst of all, the current course of impunity and disorder in the government system will obviously show a gateway for developing terrorisms which will likely affect the security situation and financial system of our country as the people are well aware of it. The persistent root of corruption and impunity among the government elites has created critical mass of anger and frustration and hence the general outcry that you presently hear. Most of us sometimes have experienced corruption which mostly includes the poor class and powerless people who have no recommendation inside the government. The government always gives priority to those who come up with strong recommendation or show them their balance.
Today the corruption has developed deep rooted connection with each one of us which cannot be tackled that easy alone. For that I believe, the world must show a commitment with the Afghan government in order to reduce it and help in a sustainable development. Likewise, today media also plays a crucial role in rebuilding the system of law and order in a society, so media here will play the best role in tackling today's dominated crisis. In a modern democratic society, the mass media can play a vital role in educating people to live sustainably and highlight the corrupt practices of various agencies and individuals. It is trying to do so but in a limited way and much more needs to be done.
In the course of today's crisis, a sensitive mind also becomes empathetic to its surroundings and this gives rise to the desire to give back something to the society and help less fortunate fellow beings. All around us are examples of poverty. Around 60% of our rural population lives in primitive conditions. They have no electricity, no safe drinking water and cook on primitive biomass stoves. Their lives are stuck in the dark ages. So the government must put a glance on their condition by ending corruption from the society. In fact, the core aim of human's existence must be to work on their country's welfare and stability by helping and supporting the people to improve their quality of lives.
Finally, corruption is the root causes of all evils indeed in a society and in the world at large and will set back country decades back. So in order to get rid of this evil, we must all start to fight against corruption for a better tomorrow and for a stable Afghanistan.