This is another in a series of secret reports from a friend inside Afghanistan.
Dear David:
Transparency International is the NGO that maintains something called the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), and since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan our country has shown a marginal improvement in the rankings. The Taliban takes credit for this improvement as it struggles to gain legitimacy in the eyes of Western leaders.
But the supposed improvement is a sham.
For example, a man I know named Husain has worked more than 10 years in government. He was happy having a job that paid most of his family's expenses, but a few months ago, he had to leave his job because of the constant corruption and injustices he witnessed.
He worked as a HR manager. When a seminar or workshop was held by international organizations, it usually included a financial bonus for his department. Even though Husain did the major work organizing the seminar, his supervisor gave the bonus to one of his friends or relatives instead of Hussain.
In addition, whenever there was a vacancy in their office, the supervisor appointed his friends and relatives or someone who paid him a bribe. Finally, Husain got fed up and quit. Now he is struggling to make ends meet but at least he has his pride.
This type of petty corruption starts at the top of the Taliban government. A man named Gul Ahmad is a friend of the Deputy Minister of Interior. In a letter to the head of procurement, the minister writes that Gul Ahmad should be provided with a car. Gul Ahmad then gets an $80,000 armored car. Friends take care of friends.
So yes, Afghanistan may have improved its CPI ranking from 174th in the world to 150th under Taliban rule, but we here on the ground know that the government is thoroughly corrupt and rotting like a fish from its head.
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