The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) report on Thursday, February 07, 2013, once again raised concerns regarding corruption in Afghanistan. The report revealed that Afghan citizens paid as much as US$3.9 billion in bribes to officials in 2012. Underscoring the immensity of the estimated amount, the UNODC said it is about double the government's revenue gained for its services in 2010 and 2011, and about one-fourth the amount pledged at the Tokyo conference in July by the international community to support Afghanistan's development.
The bribes are primarily paid to officials in the police, local government, judiciary, and education sectors, it added.
"Nobody in this country or interested in this country would deny the fact that corruption is a major problem, plaguing the government services and the way overall, the government is being perceived," UNODC regional representative Jean-Luc Lemahieu said at a press conference in Kabul.
Afghan society has been influenced by corruption so much that it would be really a Herculean task to extract it out. Unfortunately, the most important factors of society that should be dealt with, with complete sincerity and devotion, are also influenced by this menace. And no one is ready to realize it. From the most responsible authorities to the common man, everyone, intentionally or unintentionally has a part in it. Nobody realizes that it is time for Afghanistan to bring about real changes in all the spheres of life. Time is really short for us and unfortunately it is cruel. It will never wait for us so that we can mend ourselves.
After the end of Taliban regime, there were hopes that Afghanistan would be able to move towards betterment. The extremist and repressive government of Taliban would be replaced with a modern and welfare-seeking one. The war torn country would be able to have some time in reconstruction process and the people of Afghanistan would be able to have a life wherein they would be able to have a sigh of relief and definitely their basic rights. The opportunity was great as well, as the international community started assisting the country militarily, technically and above all financially.
Billions of Dollars poured in the country for both military support and development projects. But if we analyze the socio-political and socio-economic scenario in the country the development does not seem as great as it should have been. Most of these aids were devoured by corruption instead of being spent for the intended purposes. Either the money that was to be spent through government or the NGO sector, both the ways corruption had the largest share.
However, the UNODC report revealed that some achievements in the battle against graft have been made. According to the study in which 6,700 citizens were interviewed – 42 percent of whom were women – there has been a nine percent decrease in the number of people who pay bribes, although the average bribe amount has increased a massive 40 percent to $214, up from $158 in 2009. This really shows that still the battle has to be continued with zeal and determination so as to bring about real changes. It also revealed that the menace of corruption has spread through different parts of the country. The study showed that bribes were paid by 71 percent of the population in the west, 60 percent in the north-east, 40 percent in the south, and 39 percent in central areas. It also noted that in the south of the country, most of the bribes were provided by non-government organizations and individuals especially the elders, mullahs, and those within the Taliban.
It is believed that corruption is one of the severest injustices done to a society. Corruption is an injustice in the sense that when justice demands that a person should be given what he\she deserves, corruption does the exact opposite. It is corruption that makes systems and institutions suffer and even collapse. Therefore, corruption should be handled appropriately if a society intends to develop and strengthen the foundations of a just system. Unfortunately our country Afghanistan has been a victim of this nuisance for a long period of time. And it is because of the same reason that Afghanistan has been limping while striving to stand on its feet regarding political and economic development.
Today, corruption has penetrated into our social behavior. It is now a part of routine life to be corrupt. From a very minor to the most major matter, we find corruption ruling the roost. One of the most unfortunate facts is that the people do not consider it evil to be a part of corruption some way or the other. They readily become part of it and do not seem to revolt much against it, because they know that ultimately the corrupt have to be rewarded.
One of the major problems in tackling with corruption in our country is that the controlling mechanism itself is involved in it. The authorities that should be on the forefront to curb this menace, themselves have been a major contributor in this regard. There have been many major occasions of corruption when government authorities have been blamed for being directly involved in the matter. However, the government has blamed the Western supporters to be generating corruption in the country. The U.S. aid money, as well, has been claimed to be fueling corruption in the country because of the inability of the U.S. to closely follow the tracks of the funds generated.
Corruption in Afghanistan is now a complex phenomenon that requires extensive efforts from both national and international authorities to be comprehended and resolved. Definitely, the anti-corruption institutions, equipped with authority and facilities can be major contributors in curbing it, but above all the honest efforts on individual level can be helpful to a great extent. The realization, on individual level, that a person commits the biggest injustice and violates the right of fellow-being while being involved in corruption is the crying need of time.
Moreover, if Afghanistan and international community are really serious about making tangible changes in Afghan society and in the lives of common Afghans, the menace of corruption must not be tolerated and it must be curbed with the severest means. The law and order system must be made very much strong and must ensure justice. It should treat both the weak and powerful alike and must not become the servant of the elite. Both the national and international institutions should be made accountable for the funds they utilize and the policies they carry out.