Citizens' Hope in Anti-Corruption

We wish we could say that being a citizen is enough to be taken serious. We wish we could say that Afghans believe that they are stronger than corruption. We wish we could say that corruption is decreasing. Sadly we cannot. When we go to villages, the stories that welcome us are those of abuse of power, nepotism and monopoly of resources. We are told how the nephew of a district governor got the latest PRT contract from a proposal he drafted in 30 minutes while having tea. We are told how members of parliament exchange aid projects for votes. Most discouraging of it all, we are told that there is nothing anyone can do to change the status quo.

But is the situation that gloomy or are there rays of hope? Despite feeling dis-empowered and small, most people want to have access to public services. They want to be part of the decision-making; they want to be included in their own development process. The desire is there but the space to bring change is elusive. The popular perception is that money and power are needed to be heard and few believe that their voice alone can make a difference.

Social associations, civil society, academia, youth groups and private sector, to mention a few, are actors that keep fighting for anti-corruption, that keep gathering the voices we all hear but that seldom get represented. We push for accountability, we ask for transparency and although we still struggle to be let in through the government’s doors; many more opportunities exist today than before. For the first time in Afghan history, civil society representatives are part of Afghanistan’s standing committees and the Joint Monitoring Evaluation Committee. For the first time, the Government’s Accountability and Transparency National Priority Plan got rejected. For the first time, space is being created for civil society to participate in upper level policy making.

The opportunity to change the status quo is here and although it is a steep curve and a hazardous climb, civil society and citizens alike, need to unite and get better at fighting corruption. We might lack some knowledge, some capacity but we have what others don’t. The desire to change that which harms us in our everyday life: corruption.

Gem Expectations

It is a ray of hope, an end to a long tunnel and a source of dispute. It is said that valuable things are hard to come by but worth waiting for. Our treasures are buried, at times thousands of meters underneath our very own feet, and all it takes to access them are the three M: Money, Machinery and Men. Afghanistan however does not have all of it yet. Contract after contract are being signed to generate more and more money to the state but are we strong enough to control it? To manage it? To turn every opportunity into gold rather than a curse that could follow us for centuries to come?

The problem with dreams is that we tend to expect the optimal and in a society where rumours spin into conspiracies; the realm of misunderstandings and abuse of power, information and resources, expands. When your main worry is about your next meal, it is normal that one wishes that the rich minerals underneath one’s feet will pay for the new livestock, house and life. Dreams separate from reality can however cause more harm than good as it creates an endless wish-list for all the things that one might be missing in life. Lack of transparency in the extractive industries causes clashes and misunderstandings between civil society, citizens, private sector and the government. Where no information is available, unfulfilled expectations and hopes can develop into severe mistrust.

Afghanistan is supposed to generate billions from its mines, yet the government is still very young and mining contracts are many. Citizens can play a large role in assuring that environmental and social fragments are not harmed by mining investment but the foundation of this role lies in trust, which is severely lacking. Citizens do not trust the government to be fair, just or honest. The government does not trust citizens to be knowledgeable, valuable or useful. Both say to have facts and few join hands.

The government expects to make billions out of the sector. Citizens expect schools, roads, clinics and employment but the true question is; how are these expectations going to be fulfilled if the most important actors in making this dream come true do not work as partners?