A staggering percentage of the people of Nepal, 98.2 per cent to be precise, said in a poll there is corruption at every level. Story by Krishna Shrestha
The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) released a black list of allegedly corrupt politicians recently. The list totally sighed away from pointing a finger to the party’s own corrupt leaders. Now an independent pollster says corruption has permeated every layer of Nepali society, not just politicians or the executive branch of government.
According to a survey conducted by Media Services International (MSI), a communication agency committed to participatory democracy, Nepali people say there is rampant corruption in the country. Government employees, followed by parliamentarian and leaders of the political parties, were considered to be most corrupt.
“A staggering percentage of the people of Nepal, 98.2 per cent to be precise, said there is corruption at every level and it is rising both in intensity and impact, whereas only one per cent did not express any opinion and 0.3 per cent denied the existence of corruption,” a report released by MSI said.
Early this year, with support from the London-based Westminster Foundation for Democracy, MSI conducted an opinion survey covering 12 districts in the Kingdom. Altogether 1,197 people, which comprised 75 per cent male and 25 per cent female, were sampled for the purpose.
These figures may mean very little in a country where public opinion is generally considered to be easily swayed and inconsistent and not fully developed or rock-solid, but Aditya Man Shrestha, the person behind the survey, said the opinion poll clearly conveys the message that corruption scenario is quite severe in the country.
"People are saying that there exists massive corruption in the country. In the democratic system, the government should be run with support from the people. The government should take the people’s saying seriously,” Shrestha added.
The effort, however politically motivated it is, on the part of CPN (UML) towards creating awareness about corruption, is an indication that this menacing social plague is no longer a backbencher in the Himalayan Kingdom. The civil society in Nepal, which bears a stunted history until multiparty democracy was restored in 1990, is only gradually playing the role of a civic catalyst. This still leaves room for a media savvy party like CPM (UML) to make political displays of various sorts.
Experts are quick to point that consciousness raising is only the first step towards understanding the workings of mass opinion. Consciousness raising about the problem is one thing and working through the problem and arriving a resolution is another. For instance, Dr. Devendra Raj Panday, former Minister of Finance and member of the Board of Transparency International, a global coalition against corruption, thinks it is important that anti-corruption stance should be reflected not only in our words but also in our attitude and work culture.
Blaming Poverty, Among Others
It may be well that as one of the poorest countries on earth, Nepal may not figure out as an unlikely candidate with massive implications to corruption. This only leaves us with the usual question: Does Nepal have a corruption problem or a poverty problem?
There is no denying that the Nepali bureaucracy is yet to emerge as a professional and efficient organ of the government. Also, no denying that corruption has been exacerbated by, among others, discretionary power vested upon decision-makers with little sense of accountability, lack of transparency, no provision for public hearings and low salary structure in the civil services. However, corruption is not typical of poorer countries.
Cases of corruption have emerged even in the developed world; the recent and seemingly a devastating one being in Germany where former Chancellor Helmut Kohl continues to be in the whirlwind of controversy. The Salt Lake City Olympic incident last year in the United States, too, points to this phenomenon.
Yet, poverty in Nepal is seen as having a symbiotic relationship with corruption. Nepal’s major donors’ meet in Paris during the week of April 17 this year expressed concern about the rising corruption in Nepal and pondered on the best way to ensure that their money is used efficiently to reach the 46 percent of Nepal's 22.4 million people living below the poverty line and achieve the government's aim of reducing the poverty level to 10 percent within a decade.
The fact that the government is bent on fighting inefficiencies was also reflected in what Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya told reporters before departing to Paris. "Unlike in the past the agenda of the Paris meeting will not be to ask for an aid package, rather we will explain to our donors the administrative and economic reforms we have prepared," Acharya said. However, it is still unclear if those reforms are anything new.
Reforms are inevitable given that economic growth has been snail-paced. According to the World Bank figures, the Nepali economy grew by an average 5.5 percent in 191-94, but this had fallen to 3.4 percent in the 1998 financial year. The government’s forecast of a strong gross domestic product growth of six percent for the current financial year ending mid-July appears rather unrealistic, analysts claim.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said this week that financial reforms programmes in Nepal should be given continuity in order to achieve economic growth. The ADB’s projection is similar to that of the government: “Nepal’s economy should achieve an economic growth rate of 5 to 6 per cent in 2000", an ADB annual report released this week said.
International Image
The 1999 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) mentions Cameroon as the most corrupt nation, followed by Nigeria, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Honduras, Tanzania, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Albania, Russia, Armenia, Ukraine, Croatia, Argentina, India, Thailand etc.
Top 5 countries that fare well in the CPI include: Denmark, Finland, New Zealand/Sweden, Canada/Iceland and Singapore. Nepal is not mentioned in the Index.
Dr Pandey suggests the exclusion of Nepal in the TI index does not mean Nepal has a clean image as far as corruption is concerned. “It does not mean that Nepal is a corruption free country only because it is not listed in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. It is because of the lack of reliable data, Nepal has not been included in the list. Once they get the data, which they themselves gather, Nepal will be listed in the index.” he said.
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Some Highlights
Levels of CorruptionA majority of the respondents (51.3%) in MSI survey viewed corruption exists at every high level. Some believed it exists at low level (5.4%), or at a very low level (0.6%). Female (65%) respondents thought corruption took place at high level whereas fewer mles (48%) believed it existed at this level. Among those thinking corruption existed at very high level, 53 per cent were businessmen and industrialists.
Work done without bribing? When asked if the subjects thought work could be done in Nepal without bribing, 51 per cent said ‘no’, 38 per cent said ‘yes’ and 10 per cent said nothing. While 54 per cent of the males were of the view that no work could be done in Nepal without bribing, 42 per cent females thought so. Only 3.2 per cent had not faced a situation where bribing was involved to have their work done.
When asked if their work had been done without resorting to bribing, the answers were as follows: ‘sometime’(44%), ‘never’ (23%), ‘most of the time’(16%), ‘always’ (11.4%) and ‘not faced with a situation where bribing was involved (3.2%).Two per cent out of the total respondents said their works were not done even after giving bribe.
Out of the total respondents, 35.3% had offered bribes of Rs. 100 to Rs. 1000, 19% had offered below Rs. 100, 15% had offered Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 10,000, 4.0% had offered Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 50,000 and 0.4% had offered Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 100,000. And, 0.5% of the respondents had offered Rs. 100,000 and above.
Compulsion or willingness?According to the opinion survey, 61 per cent said the bribe was offered out of compulsion but 11.2 per cent said it was offered willingly and two per cent said it was offered by force.
How to stop corruption?The respondensts said legal instruments should be reinforced and applied vigorously, no political protection should be given to corrupt people, salary of employees should be raised and corrupt people should be socially boycotted to check corruption.
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A Tough Battle
A senior member of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), a governmental organ established to fight corruption, among other ills in the kingdom, said if the country wants to control corruption, this social menace should be cleaned from the top level not from the bottom level.
The official, who does not want to be named for obvious reasons, added that one of the major causes for the increase in corruption is the existing electoral system. “Presently, it is popular voting system. Persons who are good at physical threats or at offering illegal money can win the election. From them we cannot expect clean system.” The official clams that if the electoral system is reformed, corruption will be automatically curtailed by 75 per cent.
Lately, the electoral process in Nepal has seen some of the most undemocratic practices, especially with the increase in the influence of money, muscle and public media in elections. Political parties and candidates are often reported to be taking graft and donation from businessmen for election funding.
CIAA is the constitutional body, and as stated in the constitution, the CIAA “may, in accordance with law, conduct or cause to be conducted inquiries into, and investigations of, improper conduct or corruption by a person holding any public office.” But, even for the CIIA fighting corruption on the top level of the government has always proven a tough job. The government-appointed chief and other officials of this constitutional body cannot afford to risk their jobs by investigating their political bosses. There have already been several cases when such initiatives were rewarded quite ferocisouly.
Commissioner of CIIA Indra Bahadur Sherchan blames socio-political and economic conditions for corruption, and adds such factors should be improved. “There should be a culture of not tolerating corruption, and corruption controlling bodies should be made efficient and capable.”
Radheshyam Adhikary, a member of Corruption Prevention Committee, agrees with Sherchan. He feels that politicians and bureaucrats are major responsible factors for corruption. “If the politicians and bureaucrats are made clean, corruption will dramatically decline.” he said.
Politicians and bureaucrats may not be able to change their corrupt habits overnight, even if they decide do so. Also, it looks an uphill task to make the corruption controlling bodies efficient and capable given that they lack not only resources but also independence and broad mandates.
According to Dr. Pandey, there exist enough rules and regulations in the country. But they need to be implemented strictly.
Personal integrity and work ethics may lead to cleaner environments.
“Only blaming the government will not solve the problem. Each and every sector of the society should seriously think and try to make the sector or professionals clean, if we really want to check corruption,” added Dr. Pandey.
Meanwhile, the government is doing its part in its commitment to stop corruption from the country and give good governance to the people. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, speaking to a press meet recently categorically said that checking corruption would be one of the government’s prioritised issues. He had further informed that a Bill would be passed demanding transparency in the activities of public offices and political parties.
Premier Koirala has already received a report on elimination of corruption presented by a committee formed by His Majesty’s Government on December 16, 1999 to recommend the measures to control corruption. He has assured the recommendations given in the report would be “considered seriously and implemented gradually.” The indication is it may take some time before anything significant could be achieved in eliminating or even controlling corruption.
Although Koirala was reported by the media recently that he would be compelled to take strict action against his own colleagues if he found them committing corruption, it may be hard for him to keep his words. His cabinet already includes tainted faces, and perhaps he may never personally find his colleagues committing corruption.
The CPN (UML)’s campaign against corruption-- expressed in various forms such as arranging a hot line, fax and mail box for complaint related to corruption, or stopping government owned vehicles plying on holidays-- would go a long way in curbing corruption, or checking those in power, if it involved personal integrity and work ethics more than the party’s political image. But the main opposition’s fascination with popular means and not with the balancing acts has further aggravated the situation.
The question lingers on: Will corruption be controlled? If MSI poll is an indication, a majority of the people do not seem optimistic for the time being.
Write us your opinion about this article at feedback@newslookmag.com
Shrestha is a Kathmandu-based journalist.
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