In my first couple of journals I was writing more about what I have seen in Nepal, more about my feelings and observations I had made. For some reason, even after two months, it’s hard to write objectively about what we saw there. Hard to think about Nepal critically and talk about real issues such as corruption, for example.
On of the focuses of our group was corruption in Nepal. It is obvious that it is a very important issue in that country. You’re facing it on every level: in the morning newspaper you read that The Supreme Court’s indictment of Minister for Information J P Gupta makes him the second high-profile politician in Nepal, after former minister Chiranjivi Wagle, was convicted and sent to jail in a corruption case. Or in the airport when a guy on the counter asks you for some money in order to check-in some extra luggage. The worst example we faced was corruption on the ground. After the car accident, in which two locals were injured, people blocked the federal road and asked for money. That was a great example of the corruption that implemented into the culture and society at all levels.
In the Nepali newspaper called Republic, I read an op-ed, where the author was arguing that it would be asking too much to leave the fight against corruption to the judicial system and courts alone. An anti-corruption crusade should begin from within the political system. The political parties, especially their top leaders, should not and cannot dismiss their share of the responsibility for fighting corruption. Honesty in public life, transparency in the finances of political parties and accountability to the people in such matters are obligations that no political leadership can abandon.
On one hand, I agree with the author that political leaders should provide an example of honesty to the people on all levels of society. However, on the other hand, nowadays top-down exercise of authority is no longer acceptable in Nepal, as there is no trust among citizens in governmental institutions and political leadership. Speaking from experience, I worked for Russian government for half a year; the crusade against corruption should be started from grassroots. In my opinion, organizations like Research for Common Ground should use media as awareness tool and to establish an anti-corruption environment. It might sound naïve, but I do believe in power of television shows in cultural transformation.
However, the leaderships are often found pursuing their own needs and that of their parties when it comes to institutionalizing these basic values. Instead, the politicians, when convicted on corruption charges, often claim that they are being victimized for political reasons. That only reinforces the point that NGOs working on the ground are still the best hope for fighting the monster of corruption.