For a long time now the Afghan people and politicians have had heated discussions on the issue of corruption in Afghanistan. There is no doubt that it is the main problem before all of us and that it menaces our future.
For a long time now the Afghan people and politicians have had heated discussions on the issue of corruption in Afghanistan. There is no doubt that it is the main problem before all of us and that it menaces our future.Most of the discussions are about how it affects our everyday experience.
For instance when we go to a government office, hospital, school or when we face a judge or attorney general our main fear is how much money should we pay to get our work done?
The abuse of foreign aid and shameless looting of public properties and siphoning off of the money to accounts in banks abroad are problems that we all complain about. But discussions on how to counter corruption and how to find solutions to the phenomenon of corruption are spoken about less.
Public participation and the involvement of people and civil society in the effort to counter corruption are both the key and solution to the elimination of corruption.
The role of people and civil society would be effective only when the government deals with the affairs of people in a transparent way and the people know better about the performance of the government.
As a result, making sure people have access to information is the main step in reducing the scope of corruption. Naturally, to make a government accountable, first the people should know what it is the government should be held responsible for.
To achieve this, a law that gives people the right to information is needed; the government should draft a new law and put into practice. To prevent confusion and abuse by government officials, public offices should deliver timely and adequate information about services delivered to the people. The government also should continuously publish information regarding contracts for mining and development projects; its programmes, budget, revenues and expenses.
To prevent embezzlement of public funds, civil society and the people should use the information that they get and seek responsible governance. Corruption can be countered only when there is complete transparency in the functioning of the government. People’s access to information is the key step on the long road to elimination of corruption.
(*) Director, Integrity Watch Afghanistan Follow TKG on Twitter & Facebook