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6 Oct 2016 - 09:34
author avatar
6 Oct 2016 - 09:34

Without foundational reforms, the continuity of the increase in the national revenue by Sep 2016 could be whopper and strategic-lie. The lie that dupe both the impoverished public along with the international community who will be funneling money in the hope to build state which will be utterly squandered through dysfunctional systems. Having no proper and just system that can systemize the donors’ money into right direction and curbing corruption will be another blow which is heavy and not compensable. Putting nice news on the spectrum of economic development will increase public hope where Afghanistan is still mired in the game and play of pernicious corruption.

The recent hard call of EU commissioner on the Afghan government to curb corruption unless no more money will be poured into Afghan treasury was a wakeup call. A call that needed dire and emergent recovery actions by the Unity Government to put a practical system that could trace irregularities and corrupt practices in the financial processes.

In addition to all ministry level promises in bringing sweeping reforms to their respective entities to make the Unity Government succeed and make President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah fulfill his strategies; noticeably, the promise to recruit professionals in the costume offices to manage trade stuff, a promise to recruit honest and realist judicial staff in courts and prosecution offices, and a promise to deploy credible mayors, and Governors to local administrations have been proven yet to be hot-air only with no concrete and strategic approaches ahead.

The mis-management and lacking seriousness in the area of recruitment processes, law enforcement, and service delivery are still tensing factors and emergent reasons for public to lose hope toward the brighter future. Afghans deserve to live better life and hope go hand and hand with the government processes to make strong economic foundations, but the current conundrum make the juncture even impossible and harden the joint mission ahead.  

Fighting corruption is a challenge but not insurmountable. Strong commitment, strategic vision and public support are instrumental means in the campaign against corruption which are somehow ignored. For instance, putting electronic system in the Provincial Mastofiat, costume offices, courts, and prosecution offices is not an undoable initiative, where putting such a tight service delivery measure can curb corruption and that can endanger the corrupt stakes of some of the government officials and local strongmen, therefore, people expect more measurable initiatives that can boom the economic development sector which are not happening in the right way.

Regardless of lack of intentional cooperation by corrupt-practitioners; the Afghan President, by his own intention, is strongly determined to put foundational systems in both political and economic spheres for prosperous and transparent Afghanistan. The saving of 350m dollars through NPA arrangement in the government procurement is the bright example of the President achievement, but still there is a long way to go.  Regardless of the tireless effort of President Ghani; still the sneaky destructive efforts by his political frenemies surreptitiously ruin his holy intents. Fighting corruption is neither a one-man show, nor a onetime practice, therefore, a collective and thorough efforts is needed to complete the mission. Global endeavors show that fight against corruption needs consistency, continuity, and collective approach which can handle notorious corruption in the countries such as Afghanistan, where the Afghan President is left all alone in the fight and his political junkies are digging deep to secure their own bogus stakes for future and ditch the public interests out.

Brussels is just moments away and faulty political parade by some officials is already underway. It is good to have more international donations to build Afghanistan but as usual, it is bad news that the hard-earned money of foreign tax-payers will be going into personal pockets if not handled properly. I am wishing the international community will generously announce their long-term commitment to support the newly engendered democracy and development efforts in Afghanistan but at the same time, I am strongly expecting that the Brussel conference will design a kind of hard-pinching measures what will make the government officials accountable and therefore, no penny, afterward, will go for naught.

In the past decade, over 113 Billion dollars; the amount more than that spent on European countries after world war II has done nothing to the nation building in Afghanistan. Though the majority of aid money was channeled through donors’ financial system; still 7% or 23 billion in the past 14 years was spent by Ministry of Finance was bamboozled and stolen in cold-blood. As per the WFP report of Sep 2016, still 40% Afghans live under the poverty line and 10 million out of 18 million Afghans youths are suffering serious hardship now. This suffering is not amid of the historic political improbability, but the silent mode of young generation and independent technocrats made the whole Afghan public bear such a back breaking brunt for decades. Therefore, a true, honest, constructive and impartial voices are needed and hope the voices will not be fallen into deaf-ears as the past years.

As an Afghan; I am worry about the bleak future. I deem the failure of the government my failure and of course the successes will make me a blessed citizen too, hence necessary to draw the attention of both government and international community engaged in reformatory action before it is too late.

As the lesions-learnt from past; the government chorus to conduct the parliament and district councils’ election failed. Security is more grave today than past where 45-50 Afghans, including Afghan Soldiers lose life at the daily basis. Comparison to past decade, many people are heavily busy looting the public properties rather than doing petty corruption. The serious political fracture in the government bodies of unity agreement in some cases is ominous sign of misery by itself. The public’s discontent from the government efforts to ink the peace deal with Taliban worsens day by day. In general, the government’s hope to make international community support the 39 indicators in the coming years is just nothing if not properly supported by honest practical plan; which seems to me now like a fairy tale with having no direct impact on the public life.

This is clear now that the Afghan youngsters are seriously committed to urge the government to ensure the ultimate accountability in the future and the aid money from Brussel conference is spent rightly, not the way the other billion dollars wasted in the last decade. The Afghan public is egging-on the government through legitimate pressure to track the record of every single dollar that are coming to Afghanistan and, must be spent in the direction that can safeguard the future.

I hope, International community maintain supporting the shuttered Afghan country, but at the same time, ask a strong criterion from president Ghani and Dr. Abdullah to bring sweeping changes and radical reform, first and foremost in the top five revenue generating ministries, and then make accountable many of their key aides that lavishly spend government power to secure their future agenda and sell-out national gains for brass.

Hope the president re-look his team and his phony officials, unless international community will definitely keep vigilant eyes on the processes.

I see Brussel conference as the last-ditch efforts for both Afghan government and International Community. The Afghan public must stick their hopes into the nice outcome of Brussel conference but at the same time, tight pressure on government and contribute shoulder to shoulder via right plan to ensure state building which teeters at the verge of both hopes and fear for coming years.

 View expressed in this article are of the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok’s editorial policy.

 

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The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok's editorial policy.

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