On/Off The Record
By P.R. Pradhan
Compared to the “autocratic” Panchayat days, the rate of corruption in these Loktantra days has been intensified by a thousand times more. If we go back to the Panchayat days, we can read interesting stories of losing jobs by the then leaders and senior officials once they were reported to be involved in corruption. Media were very strong in those days. Perhaps the new generation of people may not be aware of the media influence in the Panchayat days! Once, if any news related to corruption appeared in media, the person alleged for corruption was interrogated by the Royal Palace officials.
There was a unit called Jaachboojh Kendra under the Royal Palace. A team of experts in the different fields was hired by the Palace to investigate the media reports and appeals submitted by the victims of exploitation in the society. The Kendra’s job was to conduct a study and investigation on such reports and complaints and recommend for necessary action to the King’s Secretariat.
Every detail about the media reporting used to be monitored by the Jaachboojh Kendra. The officials and leaders alleged in the media reports were shot clarification by the Palace officials and based on clarification by the concerned officials and leaders and investigation of the Kendra, necessary actions were taken against them. The noble idea was to establish an exploitation-free society by giving justice to the exploited people and stopping bad practices in society.
I don’t say the erstwhile Panchayat system was free from corruption, yet, there were no rampant corruption practices as like today. Those who were found involved in corruption, they were taken action, and many of them had even lost their job ending their career.
Political leaders and government officials were thus alert and they had to think many times before taking bribe. Once they face the corruption charge, they were going to lose social prestige as well.
Today, society is different. One will become an influential leader or an influential person based on to what extent he can manipulate others and enjoy the power!
Nepal Communist Party co-chairman Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda is sheltered at the luxury house owned by Sharada Prasad Adhikari, proprietor of the Shailung Construction. Adhikari is a controversial contractor who has occupied many construction projects but has not completed the contract for years. He is said to be one of the main financers of Dahal. This is why, he will never be blacklisted by the government, instead, he is being rewarded with one after another contract deal. Recently, his company was rewarded with the fertilizer supplying contract. Hence, there is a worry among the farmers that he may not supply fertilizer on time.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, although expressing commitment for zero tolerance against corruption, is encircled by the very controversial agents. How the controversial Yeti group is being rewarded every time with the blessing of Baluatar, it is understandable. Why the Omni Group was rewarded with the medical supply deal at five times more than the market price and why the government was unable to blacklist the group, it is also very much clear. Furthermore, the very group has been rewarded with a new deal for the cell phone recharge agency of Nepal Telecommunications! Who paid the entire expenditure of Prime Minister Oli’s treatment in Bangkok and Singapore, that too is understandable. A section of brokers has direct access to Baluatar, how it became possible, everybody knows. When the supreme leaders, that too from a communist party, become the facilitator of those commission agents, it is called buerzwa system, no more a system based on communist ideology.
As the roots of corruption are expanded up to the supreme leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, to expect control over corruption is wishful thinking. Moreover, the communists in power are more corrupt than others, this is our finding. They were very clean and abided by the communist principle and discipline until they were out of power. When they start enjoying power, they forgot their past and their mission becomes to collect property as much as possible by abusing the power.
Look at the present scenario! Leaders in all three governments are in rampant loot and they are beyond the laws. Sure, there are different organs to check corruption, including the Commission for Investigation on Abuse of Authority (CIAA). The reality is that it has kept all files related to the supreme leaders and high-ranking leaders and officials impending. Only those nayab subbas and section officers are facing the CIAA action.
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