Corruption capsule and National anti-corruption initiatives

January 17, 2006
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By Dilep K. Paudel

Corruption in the governmental and non governmental sector has been a candidly addressed matter in the international arena. Despite the economic and development rapids of the nation, it has been considered as the single major challenge to all the countries and mostly it is a critical development threat to the developing countries.

Corruption is a behavioral practice and has been flourishing in the developing countries with poor economic structure where corruption people get social prestige for their economic wellbeing. In fact, corruption is an attitude of molding personal gain, economic wellbeing and earnings in an illegal and unmannered way by misusing one’s power and authorities. In a lay-man’s term corruption is the transaction of the fiscal or non fiscal wealth in an illegal way by misusing the power for personal profit or in other word, activities of gaining and claming profit for public work by misusing the power of oneself. Here, power indicates privilege and status being held by an individual due to his official position.

Culturally developed corrupt behavior has strong social root in Nepalese context to a great extent. Unless we bring about transformation on social perception towards corruptly gained wealth in our society, we are feeding corruption and multiplying our moral loss of honest citizen. Corruption is a dangerous social capsule once we inspired or feed one to be corrupt and indulged in corruption, it inspires hundreds others. The corrupt officials only are not guilty but the societies who inspire and encourage them for corruption are equally guilty. There is always give and take in corruption, therefore the taker and giver are both guilty and both need to be addressed equally.

Corruption capsule contaminate economic, social and administrative system of the nation. Not only bribery is a corruption capsule it also includes fraud, misuse of power and authority, unsolicited personal gains, misappropriation of public finance, theft, robbery, and money laundering, among others.

Corruption culture

“A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives”

—Former U.S. President James Madison, 1822

Pervasive corruption in Nepal poses alarming danger for the economic development of the country. Intuitionally developed corruption damages social purity and administrative functioning of the nation. Nepal has very slow and steady economic development process and that too is constrained by the socio-economic, geo-political and corrupt phenomenon of the territory. Rapidly spreading corruption is the by-product of failure of the government and weakening rule of law in the country. In the history of Nepal, corruption was a limited phenomena in the pre democratic tenure where certain authorities and administrative bodies indulged in corrupt activities. But in recent years it has been a borderless practice in the governmental and non governmental authorities.

The sum total of fertilized corruption is weak national policies, non transparent rule and regulation and failure of the state authority that are support to combat corruption in the current era. The feeble anti-corruption laws provide corrupt authorities and individuals an easy and comfortable escape. Very poor initiative and meager commitment of the government to combat corruption is another factor for existing corruption in the nation.

Corruption breeds corruption

We have seen in our daily lives that corruption breeds more corruption. Corrupt activities have to be addressed by the state authority strongly and bring national consensus to combat it from all levels. The nation has identified corruption as the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development. It undermines entire development process by distorting the rule of law and weakening institutional foundation on which economic growth depends. A proven anti-corruption initiative is the essence of the nation where all efforts to combat corruption is framed holistically.

People are always the first subject of the cause and effect of corruption. Harmful effects of corruption are especially severe on the poor, who are hardest hit by economic decline, are most reliant on the provision of public services, and are least capable of paying extra costs associated with bribery, fraud, and misappropriation of economic privileges. Corruption sabotages policies and programs that aim to reduce poverty, so attacking corruption is critical to the achievement of the nation’s overarching mission of poverty reduction.

Existing frequency of corruption invites more misery in the development process of the nation. Uncontrolled corruption in the administrative sector, that has been in practice as administrative legacy is the welcoming sign for breeding more corruption. Therefore the country has to be more attentive to bring combined efforts to uproot corruption.

National anti-corruption initiatives

Corruption in these days is an omnipotent and omnipresent aspect in Nepali context. It is on rise in such a frequency that it seems to be a legally approved transaction for all administrative affairs.

Although Nepal has the history of constituting several forum, commissions and offices in different names in order to combat corruption; all these have gone in vain so the public expectation is very low on the productivities of such efforts resulted from past experience.

In the recent years little hope was candled by the government. The almost sleeping organization to work against corruption has wake up and come up with propagandist approach although it is better than nothing. The CIAA exposed several major corruption scandals in the past, took popular action against them and some of them are still under process to finalize. Another recently formed Royal Commission on Corruption Control (RCCC)– a so-called politically unconstitutional body– has invited more controversy by sending former premier Sher Bahadur Deuba to jail than take any concrete steps to combat corruption.

An effective anti-corruption strategy builds on five key elements:

· Focus on increasing Political Accountability

· Encouraging and Strengthening Civil Society Participation for anti-corruption

· Developing a Competitive Private Sector as the Substitute and Making Them Transparent.

· Intuitional Restraints on Power Applied by the State Authorities

· Improving and Reforming Public Sector Management

If the government makes some effective and strong policies and strategies to combat corruption on the basis of above elements, we can hope the corruption trend and tendency will certainly decline. To reduce the corrosive impact of corruption in a sustainable way, it is important to go beyond the symptoms to tackle the causes of corruption.

(Poudel writes on contemporary issues. Please send your comments/suggestions to [email protected])

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