Korruptionen gennemsyrer Afghanistan, som samtidig er verdens måske største modtager af udviklingsbistand – nogle vurderer ligefrem, at landet er så fattigt netop på grund af korruptionen, som gør de rige rigere og de fattige fattigere – det vil den nye præsident gøre noget ved.
KABUL, 3 December 2014 (IRIN): New Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is seeking a cash injection from donors to help him implement a ground-breaking anti-corruption campaign, but aid experts are sceptical he will get the desired funding.
At the ongoing London Conference on Afghanistan, Ghani is expected to use his keynote speech on 4 December to unveil his reform programme aimed, among other things, at tackling corruption.
A draft of the programme, leaked to the Afghanistan Analysts Network, highlights a series of reforms including an “independent anti-corruption mission with time-bound prosecution powers”, the “reform of the Supreme Audit Agency”, (svarer nogenlunde til Rigsrevisionen, red.) and the formation of a “national procurement board (for kontrakter) that will manage all large-value contracts”.
In exchange Ghani is expected to ask for fresh financial support from international donors.
Yet Mark Bowden, the UN Secretary-General’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan and the country’s Humanitarian Coordinator, said he was not confident that Ghani would get the “front-loaded” funding he is seeking in exchange for his “front-loaded reform package”.
“In return for the reforms, he wants a front-loaded element to future aid and also an increase in the levels of aid. That is where I think the challenge is going to be, as I don’t think there is much new money around,” he told IRIN, adding:
“From the traditional donor community, if there is any additional money it is only going to be about 100 million US dollar (henved 600 mio. DKR).”
Split power base
Ghani took power in September after a prolonged election struggle, with his challenger Abdullah Abdullah taking over the newly created role of chief executive.
Both men had pledged to combat corruption and waste but Ghani’s commitment has widely been seen as more sincere.
He inherited a country that has been the world’s leading recipient of development assistance as a percentage of its national income since 2007 – with two billion dollar in 2012 alone – but one that remains among the poorest globally.
This is in large part due to what Bowden calls “systemic” (indgroet) corruption.
The latest annual corruption perception index by Berlin-based graft watchdog Transparency International, released this week, ranks Afghanistan as the world’s fourth most corrupt country.
Another survey found that after insecurity, corruption is the biggest problem for ordinary Afghans. 62 percent said corruption is a major problem in their daily life, up from 55 percent in 2013.
Among the issues are bribery (bestikkelse) within government ministries, a judiciary so corrupt that many prefer to use the Taliban courts and concerns over mining revenues being stolen or wasted.
Ghani already has initiated his own campaign
Since taking over as President Ghani has reopened a key case into the nearly one billion dollar fraud at Kabul Bank, while the head of the tainted judiciary has been replaced.
In his personal style, too, he has shifted perceptions.
It is reported that Ghani has taken to ringing officials at 6 am (kl. 6 om morgenen) and at midnight, even taking his own notes in meetings, while there are rumours of eccentric decisions, including a surprise visit to a police station.
Upon finding the station’s head away from his desk in working hours, he called to inquire of his whereabouts. When the police chief said he was in his office, Ghani replied: “really, so am I? Where exactly are you?”
Whether the story is correct is somewhat irrelevant. Javed Noorani, a senior researcher at Integrity Watch Afghanistan, said the “ripple effect” had already had a significant impact:
“His actions are generating a lot of fear. People at a senior level in the Ministry of Interior have reacted to this. Earlier you could buy your rank, a star on your shoulder for 20,000 dollar. That has already stopped,” he said.
John F. Sopko, the special inspector-general for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which is tasked by the US government with monitoring the use of American money, said the new president’s commitment on corruption was welcome and should be supported by the international community.
“Oversight must be made ‘mission critical’ to our reconstruction efforts,” he told IRIN via email, noting:
“Efforts to combat corruption and narcotics must be made a strategic priority, given a comprehensive plan, and considered when designing and evaluating all reconstruction programs.”
Pressing the flesh
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http://www.irinnews.org/report/100909/afghanistan-seeks-anti-corruption-support
