Another Effort to Eliminate Corruption

Afghan president Hamed Karzai seems determined to clamp down on corruption in his newly formed government.

Karzai, who was sworn in as president on December 7, says he wants all his officials to disclose their financial holdings.

He has also issued strict guidelines about accepting expensive gifts and expenses on overseas visits.

Karzai is insisting that all officials in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government hand over full details of all their properties and business dealings, along with those of their wives and children, within two weeks.

In addition, he has said that if ministers and their advisers on overseas trips received official gifts valued at more than 200 US dollars they should register them with the president’s office.

The decree also lays down the rules on ministerial visits overseas and even the gifts that should be presented to officials of host countries.

Karzai, who announced his new cabinet on December 23, is said to have delayed making the announcement until he had examined the financial probity of the appointees.

"I wanted to know about their financial backgrounds," he said, "and asked every potential minister about their properties, land, money and bank accounts."

Government officials consider it a positive step.

Mohammed Yunos Naw Andish, deputy minister of water and power, said these moves should give the public greater confidence in the administration.

He said he is willing to list his holdings and submit his report to the president's office.

And Naw Andish wants the government to look into the work of previous administrations.

"They should examine the numerous bank accounts and financial dealings of the militia commanders who have held office in the past three years," he said.

Azizullah Lodin, the head of the government's anti-corruption office, agreed. He said that even before the new decree was issues, there was a system in place for officials to declare their business interests but that it had largely been ignored.

"There are people in previous administrations that used their positions to seize property which they then sold off," he said.

"Some of them became billionaires within these three years and action should be taken against them."

He said that implementation of the law had been difficult in the past because previous governments had been unable to exert control over the entire country.

"Now we have a proper government, the law should be upheld,” he said.

But political analyst, Habibullah Rafi, of the Kabul Academy of Sciences, remained dubious.

He said that Karzai had issued lots of decrees in his interim administration, including one on the disclosure of holdings.

"But he could make only a few people list their assets and I think most will simply ignore [the new decree]," he said. "If a decree is issued, then it should be applied.

"Karzai is no longer heading an allied administration. He is the leader of a government, which has the support of the voters and the international community.

"People want strong leadership and if he doesn't use the power he has now to wipe out corruption, tomorrow the country could turn against him."

Wahidullah Amani is a staff reporter for IWPR in Kabul.