Prarthana Paudel
GEMS School
According to the Transparency International, corruption is an abuse of entrusted power for private gain and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) of Nepal adds that corruption is a social evil to a society or a nation. Corruption is all about exploiting public power for individuals’ personal gain, which can be done by any people in power like civil servants, elected politicians, administrators of offices etc.
Corruption is usually seen amongst government officials which retards the betterment of a country. Corruption consists of different forms such as bribery, extortion, networking, embezzlement, laundering of money and many more.
Various news reports and cases regarding corruption arising in Nepal indicate that the situation of controlling corruption is mediocre. Analysis of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) infers that the effort of controlling corruption in Nepal is not being much effective. The data shows that in 2021 AD, Nepal was ranked 117 out of 180 countries with a score of 33 out of 100, whereas, in 2022 AD Nepal has been ranked 110 out of 180 countries with a score of 34 out of 100. Therefore, Nepali citizens as well as all the powerful individuals have to be proactive in controlling the corruption. In recent days, it seems that cases of corruption are increasing, especially due to the greedy behavior of politicians in power which hamper the advancement of our nation and has given Nepal an unappealing look from other developed countries. The burning issues like fake Bhutanese refugees, Lalita Niwas scandal, quintal gold issue etc are some of the major corruption cases that Nepal has been facing in the recent past. This has not only affected the development of Nepal but also has destroyed the prestigious image of Nepal and its citizens.
In the name of Bhutanese refugees, hundreds of innocent Nepali citizens have been sold by a group of corrupt bureaucratic people, political leaders and other greedy people. Similarly, a public land, named Lalita Niwas, was captured by a nexus of people of corrupt mindset. Just a few weeks ago, a quintal of gold was illegally released from the airport cargo in Kathmandu. There are thousands of corruption cases of different intensity under investigation by CIAA.
CIAA is a Nepali institution empowered by The Constitution of Nepal to probe cases regarding corruption, investigate and prosecute people who are involved directly or indirectly in the corruption activities. Transparency International also plays an important role concerning corruption. This organization promotes transparency and discloses wrong doings by the people in power globally. It also organizes awareness programmes to educate people and society so that the corruption cases can be minimized.
Like in Nepal, corruption is a severe problem in other developing countries too. While some of the developed countries have a minimum number of corruption cases, most of the under-developed countries have an abundant number of corruption cases. According to Transparency International, the least corrupt countries are Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and Sweden, and the most corrupt countries are Somalia, Syria and South Sudan.
We all have to be aware of and updated on what is going on in our community. Corruption control is important for building trust among citizens, improving good governance in government and empowering economic growth of the country, which can be expected to help improve entrepreneurship and self-employment so that migration of young people to developed countries can be reduced. Therefore, we, young citizens of Nepal, have to be vigilant on each and every activity that is going on in our society. We need to be edified going through the reports from transparency international, CIAA and other respective organizations working in controlling corruption in Nepal. If anyone finds people involved in corrupt activities, whether minor or major, that should be immediately reported to CIAA. It is also important to know that CIAA maintains the confidentiality of the whistleblower.
To conclude this article, I would reiterate and recommend all the citizens to be watchful on the activities around us. We must be determined to fight against corruption. This helps us to build a new Nepal to meet the slogan “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.” And for this, we, young and educated people have a vital role to play. Whenever we find opportunities, we also should be able to educate other illiterate people about the importance of corruption reduction.
(Published on GEM Year Book 2080)
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्