Politicians, bureaucrats seen as most corrupt

Nagarik Research Bureau Survey -3

Kathmandu, Jan 26: Politicians, bureaucrats, security agencies and the justice system are the most corrupt in the country, according to a perception survey.

The Survey, conducted by Nagarik Research Bureau (NRB) under Nagarik national daily, shows that politicians and bureaucrats are the most corrupt. The police are the second most corrupt agency, followed by judges and lawyers in third position, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in fourth and the corruption control agency itself in fifth place, according to the survey conducted in 32 districts of the country recently.

People think that all the three branches of the state -- executive, legislature and judiciary -- coupled with the anti-corruption watchdog are the most corrupt entities.

Under the survey, 84 percent of respondents termed politicians the most corrupt, whereas some 82 percent think bureaucrats are most corrupt.

Likewise, some 61 percent of respondents think that the police are the most corrupt, followed by 36 percent and 37 percent who say lawyers and judges are the most corrupt.

Citizens have not spared the NGOs either, as some 32 percent think NGO workers are the most corrupt, while 27 percent of respondents claimed that the anti-corruption watchdog is itself most corrupt.

There is a difference of only 2 percent between the politicians and bureaucrats, whereas only 1 percent divides lawyers from judges. According to chief of the Department of Statistics Shankar Prasad Khanal, given the marginal differences of 2 and 1 percent, one can say that politicians and bureaucrats are the most corrupt, followed by the police, and with lawyers and judges coming third. NGO workers are fourth and the anti-corruption watchdog is the fifth most corrupt.

Some 1,071 citizens from different walks of life in the 32 districts were asked to identify the five most corrupt professions.

The questionnaires prepared by the Nagarik editorial team gave the respondents a choice ranging from the army to bureaucrats, teachers, journalist and drivers in alphabetical order.

Though there was a mix of respondents, some 30 percent were youths and students.

Former chief of the CIAA Surya Nath Upadhayaya says that professionals who are identified as the most corrupt must change.

It was no wonder the people wanted change in their politicians, bureaucrats, police, lawyers and judges, and in NGO workers and the anti-corruption watchdog itself. "The survey has raised questions over the key professions of society," he says, adding it also shows that people have suffered at their hands.

Likewise, former election commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel opined that people have marked out those with whom they have to deal from day to day.

"One knows about those with whom one comes in touch," he says, adding that society observes the lifestyle and character of individuals and makes its judgements accordingly.

Responsible agencies have started displaying irresponsible acts, Pokharel added.

"The respondents took notice only of monetary transactions not corruption in other ways," he further opined, adding they have not commented about any corruption in the army because they have little exposure to the army. "The army is neither transparent nor accountable," he said.

Transparency International (TI)-Nepal Chairman Bharat Bahadur Thapa said the survey results matched the TI's own survey findings.

He said it was not a good omen that the leaders of the country are deemed the most corrupt.

According to political analyst Puranjan Acharya, people have responded according to their direct experience. "Politicians are easily accessible and people know much about them," he says, adding that political leaders, who were like the people themselves some time back, undergo change in their behavior, and people definitely feel this change.

The corruption nexus

The survey also shows the nexus between two different professions like politicians and bureaucracy. The survey results -- derived with the help of SPSS software-- reveal that some 70 percent of respondents say both politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt. Likewise, some 50 percent of respondents say both bureaucrats and police are the most corrupt.

Khanal of the Department of Statistics says it is not possible to indulge in corrupt behavior without some nexus, though the share of the politicians is bigger than that of any others. "The politicians find various ways to take bribes."

"The people's perception is enough reason for course correction, though the survey was conducted with a small sample size," he says, adding it is not a good sign that the people think service providers are so corrupt. Likewise, former CIAA chief Upadhayaya claims that the whole system in Nepal is under a corruption nexus. "The politicians, bureaucrats, lawyers, judges and police are all inter-linked," he said. The anti-corruption watchdog also stands accused of being under the nexus.

Survey methodology

The questionnaires prepared by the Nagarik editorial team had given a choice of marking five most corrupt professions. The survey conducted by the correspondents of Nagarik and Republica and the district bureaus, have been formatted in excel sheet before analysis by SPSS software. The politicians and bureaucrats, who have been termed the most corrupt, were 14 and 4 respectively in alphabetical order in the questionnaire.