Can a German-like Black Book curb corruption in Afghanistan?

Every government agency in Germany tries to avoid appearing in a Black Book which reports misuse and misspending of public funds by government authorities, deliberately or otherwise.

In 2009, the Black Book, published annually by the independent German Taxpayers’ Association (GTA), over 120 cases of wasteful and inappropriate expenses by various government agencies totaling 30 billion Euros were reported.

In one project, a provincial agriculture department spent 250,000 Euros on music parties for cows! Another government body procured camel’s milk worth of 40,000 Euros from Kenya to feed camel babies in Germany.

At least 1,600 articles appeared in the German print media about projects mentioned in the Black Book last year.

Ranked the second most corrupt state in the world in 2009 by the Berlin-based anti-corruption organization Transparency International, the Government of Afghanistan has no checkbooks to fear. Hardly any Afghan knows how much their government earns (from taxes, foreign assistance etc) and how much it spends on what projects.

Bribery, embezzlement and misuse of public money by government officials are rampant and hinder Afghanistan’s efforts to end conflict and implement development projects.

Donors who have a stake in a stable Afghanistan and have repeatedly and increasingly called on President Hamid Karzai to tackle corruption in his administration, but Mr. Karzai has fallen short in meeting their expectations.

It is widely believed that so long as Mr. Karzai refuses to take bold action against official corruption – starting with his own brothers, ministers and political allies – fighting corruption will only remain in words.

Facing little or no domestic pressure, Hamid Karzai has fiercely rejected external criticisms of his corrupt government under the pretext of national sovereignty. He wants to keep anti-corruption an Afghan government business with no foreign involvement.

However, critics doubt a highly corrupt government will really fight corruption.

Another concern is the abuse of anti-corruption by Mr. Karzai against his political rivals, particularly when only he is in full control.

Afghanistan needs not only a Black Book but also truly independent watchdogs in order to combat corruption effectively.

Perhaps German officials would have already banned the Black Book if the GTA had not been an independent entity. Founded in 1949, the watchdog is entirely funded by thousands of members who pay 50-90 Euros annually to enable it track their taxes.

In the immediate post-World War II years, Germans paid up to 90 percent tax to help rebuild their country.

Afghanistan may not have a large taxpaying population to form a similar association but Afghans definitely need a Black Book to tell them how much their government spends inappropriately.