Hi again,
Corruption is an epidemic in the government of Afghanistan.
Residents of the country complain that they cannot pay a simple electricity
bill without giving bribes. International community is also complaining that
they do not see the impact of the aid due to the vast corruption in the
government. Meanwhile, government is doing its best, at least they claim, to
stop corruption but all is in vain.
One of the areas that is heavily affected by corruption is
procurement. Few people dealing with procurement would be considered innocent. The
common notion among people is that anyone working in the procurement, misuses
the procedures and earns extra money. It is not proved but the reality is that
many of the guys working in the procurement get richer than normal.
The disturbing fact is that even the agencies that are
created to tackle with corruption are involved in corruption. Police, attorneys
and other anti-corruption agencies are as much accused as any other agencies.
Recently, a new agency called the High Office of Oversight was created for this
purpose but it has not helped so far.
I am not sure if this is the case in other post-war
countries as well. We are kind of out of the war but not out of the corruption.
Regards,
Javid
Hi Javid. Are you safe? Afghanistan sounds much like America did in the early 1900s before public servant reforms, only much more violent. It must be very hard working for or with persons whom you suspect are corrupt. When will you be done with your internship and coming back to the U.S.? My internship experience is so much different than yours as it is in a very pastoral setting and the city is professionally managed by ethical, caring people. I wonder how much you are able to change the situation there without endangering yourself. Also perhaps you are learning as much of what not to do as you are of gaining valuable work experience. Take care. Viv
ReplyDeleteJavid,
ReplyDeleteI imagine that a post war climate is very unstable and prone to problems related to ethics. This is a problem for NGO’s and also for many nation-state’s when considering sanctions and aid because the intent to affect the corrupt government is typically a failure and leads to human rights abuses. I am interested in the political climate that you are facing. I know that it has been incredibly unstable since the Qur’an burnings that happened recently. Are you in Kabul? What is the current sentiment of most. Do they believe that this was an intentional act? If you do not wish to answer any of these questions or feel that I am out of turn in asking, please feel free to not answer. I am presently taking a few courses on Islam and I am intrigued. I hope that you and any in your family are safe and I am glad that you are there trying to institute change for people who suffer without power sources. This is certainly something that we in the States take for granted. Best Regards, Holly Williamson