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Kathmandu Thursday October 11, 2001 Ashwin 25, 2058.
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TI
calls for urgent attention on military corruption
By Kosmos
Biswokarma
KATHMANDU, Oct 10 -
Whenever the Royal Nepal Army proposes to buy a howitzer or a RJ-100 aircraft, not only
does it create hue and cry from the press but it also reaches the parliamentary committee
for investigation.
This is because, says
an analyst, the Nepalese Army has always been looked upon as "one of the most corrupt
institutions" among the government offices.
Not only do the
Nepalese analysts say this, an international anti-corruption watchdog like Transparency
International also thinks the same.
The need for greater
transparency in military expenditures and arms deals calls for urgent attention since
these offer the widest scope for corruption, says a Global Corruption Report 2001, which
will be launched in London on October 15. "This is because the governments in South
Asia (including Nepal) invoke national security considerations to avoid scrutiny,"
the report says.
This Global Corruption
Report echoes "a clarion call for a world wide coalition that will tolerate no safe
haven for corruption and money-laundering."
According to the report
acquired by The Kathmandu Post, the global report contains a separate chapter on the
situation of corruption in South Asia, which is authored by Aqil Shah, a Pakistani
political analyst.
The report clearly
states that "there is a rampant corruption in arms deals and the ubiquitous role of
foreign armament manufacturers in siphoning off billions of dollars from the world’s
poorest region."
The report has also
mentioned about the sharp increase in military expenditures due to intra-state and
inter-state conflicts in the region. Scarce government resources that ought to be
financing basic health, nutrition and education programmes are often allocated to huge
arms deals and infrastructure projects that offer officials and politicians prospects of
lucrative kickbacks, the report said.
This is even more
relevant in Nepal’s context, as the six-year-old Maoist insurgency has forced the
government to increase its security budget this year. The total expenditure of Royal Nepal
Army has gone up by 16 percent this year from Rs. 3.897 billion to Rs. 4.521 billion.
Similarly, the annual budget for the police department increased by 10 percent from Rs.
5.271 billion to Rs. 5.795 billion.
Though the report
simply mentioned about the military expenditures and corruption involved in this
particular sector, analysts here agree that military in the South Asian countries has
always remained aloof from the government, thereby increasing the possibilities of more
corruption.
The report has
suggested various measures to check the corruption and make the arms deals more
transparent. Some of its suggestions include regulating the role of middlemen, reducing
discretion and secrecy, ensuring the participation of all civilian and military actors in
the decision-making process and parliamentary oversight.
Though the performance
of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) here has not been
appreciative, the TI report has painted a brighter picture.
"It is too early
to judge its impact on corruption, but the actions of the CIAA in Nepal in the period
2000-01 show encouraging signs," the report said.
The report has also
praised the role of the press and influential public figures like the PAC chairman.
"They offer the faint hope that all might not be lost in the fight against
corruption," it said.
But the region’s
political, bureaucratic and military elite is rarely held accountable for corruption, the
report said.
The report has also
mentioned the name of former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, giving his example in
the Lauda Air case. After months of investigation, the CIAA filed corruption cases against
officials accused in the case, including the civil aviation minister at the time, the
report said. "Stopping short of prosecuting the Prime Minister, the CIAA strongly
rebuked him for his cabinet’s role in approving foreign exchange for the deal."
The report also praises
the Nepalese press saying, "A vibrant press, with a healthy tradition of exposing
corruption in high places, is emerging. Corruption exposés are turning the heat on
governments and providing an impetus for reform."
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