Check Corruption For Prosperity

As with many developing countries, Nepal’s number one problem is corruption. Abuse of entrusted power for personal gain is corruption. It is very costly for individuals, society, economy, government and the country as a whole. It is the common people who are hit hard by the corrupt practices. Generally, corruption makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. It prevents the country from climbing the higher ladder of development. 

Petty corruption is a small amount of bribery or small-scale irregularity that is carried out. Oftentimes, middlemen are used to take petty amounts for service delivery. This is considered to be low-risk and low-gain corruption. The impact of petty corruption is less visible and less harmful to society and the economy. Small cash taken by lower-ranked employees at the Land or Transport Offices for speedy work is the best example of petty corruption.

Grand corruption

Another type of corruption is grand corruption. Here, the amount of bribery is large and the impacts of the irregularity are visible and profound. Such corruption occurs in construction projects, large procurements and other types of contract management. While grand corruption makes the project managers super-rich overnight, public projects suffer in terms of completion time, quality and cost. This is observed in most of our national pride projects which perform very poorly and have become very costly to our economy and society. There are also news of grand corruption cases in high-amount international procurements.

The third type of corruption is policy-level corruption, which is the worst form of misappropriation. It refers to the manipulation of public policies for private gain. This is organised crime of the elites. It favours certain sections of the society at the cost of many. It is subtle and hard to trace. There are many instances of policy-level corruption. One such is the free public school education as provisioned in the constitution and associated laws. Private schools are benefiting from this policy as free public education cannot be of quality. This forces the parents seeking quality education to choose the high-tuition private schools. The Parliamentary Development Fund could be another instance of policy-level corruption.

Developing countries such as Nepal suffer from all three types of corruption, since need or greed pushes all officials towards either of these corruption practices. Hence, it is almost impossible to achieve good governance when everyone is involved in every possible type of corruption. In the absence of good governance, obtaining social justice, prosperity and equality, as articulated in our constitution and development plans and policies, is almost impossible. If we are truly accountable to the constitution and other state instruments, we must end all forms of corruption.

The extent of corruption can be measured and compared across countries. The annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by the Germany-based Transparency International (TI) does this crucial task. For the year 2024, Nepal ranks 107th, scoring 34 points, one point down compared to the CPI in 2023, when it secured 35. This is a worsening situation. In the index of zero to 100, zero indicates the most corrupt, while a score of 100 denotes the least corrupt. Countries receiving less than 50 points are considered to be highly corrupt. For 2024, the average score of the surveyed countries remains 43. Nepal is below the average.

With 90 points, Denmark has become the least corrupt country, while South Sudan is the most corrupt one, scoring only 8 points. Bhutan, with 72 points, merits very ahead among the eight countries of South Asia. India and the Maldives got 38 points, Sri Lanka 32, Pakistan 27, Bangladesh 23 and Afghanistan 17, faring badly in ensuring good governance. Measuring corruption is a complex task. Parameters such as the extent of transparency in government decisions, fairness in the use of resources, accountability of employees and citizens, access to government information, and the control of limited individuals with vested interests in government operations are included in the measurement.

Other indicators include corruption in import-export, public services, tax payment, public contracts and judicial decisions. They measure the extent of cleanliness in government operations. Despite usual methodological limitations, TI applies some 13 international survey data to assess corruption around the globe. We must not lose sight of the deeper reasons and radical remedies needed to curb corruption.  Low salaries may force some employees to be involved in misappropriations. Sustaining a family amidst rising inflation may be a difficult task for some of them. Providing adequate salaries is the surest way to tackle corruption in this case. This is a preventive strategy.

Endless greed 

Greed-based corruption is difficult to control. People's endless greed for power, money and status invites corruption. It demands resounding promotive and curative strategic actions. Legal and institutional arrangements and enforcement are equally vital. Conflicts of interest must be discouraged. Human greed can also be better regulated by providing moral and spiritual education that elevates our very consciousness. Promoting our Sanatan culture will surely help downsize human greed. Curbing electoral financing and ensuring political commitment are needed to tackle all types of corruption.

To conclude, corruption is an enemy of national development. The increase in this socio-economic disease, as reflected in the global corruption barometer ranking, is a grave concern. Evidences reveal that corrupt countries are also poor, suggesting that controlling corruption is a precondition for national prosperity. There is a need to promote ethical practice and strict enforcement of governance laws for this to happen. While the government of Nepal has made several efforts to curb corruption, further enhancement of professionalism and capacity of the anti-graft bodies is equally crucial. 

(Dr. Bhusal writes on development issues.)