Abstract:
There is always a difference
between money pledged as aid to recipient countries and delivered
by the donors. Some times the donors reason that not meeting their
pledges is caused by the recipient country's inability to come up
with sound projects based on priorities and auditable financial accounting
system. So far, they have mostly preferred to give money to NGOs and
United Nations system rather than Afghan government reconstruction
programs directly. The transitional government needs to study the
issue and come up with solid economic development plans to satisfy
the donors and to start serious reconstruction in the country.
The United States Congress has approved authorization
of $2.3 billion in foreign aid over
the next four years for rebuilding Afghanistan and another $1 billion
for maintaining
peacekeeping forces. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into
law.
It is interesting to note the fat numbers making titles of media reports,
articles and
commentaries on the issue of assistance to Afghanistan could be misleading.
What is
missing from this scenario is the actual dollar figures delivered to
Afghan institutions and
the amounts used by them specifically for the purposes of rebuilding.
Reconstruction efforts need money first and foremost. So far, many
of the donor
countries who, through avariety of the media, had claimed dedication
to the cause of
rebuilding of Afghanistan have only released limited amounts and mostly
to Western
NGOs and the United Nations system on the pretext that the local bodies
of the
government are not capable of spending the money in an appropriate manner.
The NGOs and the UN system obviously spend the money on preplanned
projects
designed by their organizations in specific and sometimes limited areas.
On the other
hand, the government agencies use the money to meet their current need
of satisfying
salary payments to government employees and other routine running costs
of the
government machinery. Rebuilding, therefore receives second and third
priority .
In other cases, some donors release money only to their pet projects
such as road
construction etc. Some want their aid money to be spent on meeting the
immediate
needs of the poor who need food and shelter assistance. Social services
such as health
and education , too, get second priority.
A streamlining of the aid money and its expenditure, therefore makes
one of the main
responsibilities of the transitional government. But the transitional
government has got
itself entangled with a variety of social, political and military issues
with no immediate
solutions in sight. The ministries remain committed to the daily routines
that consume
much of the time of the otherwise policy maker and most of the money
that is pumped
with great difficulty into the ministry budget goes to programs other
than reconstruction.
The inefficiency of the system surfaced in a grave example last week.
Huge
demonstrations by the Kabul University students who were complaining
of deficient
dormitory facilities such as food and boarding resulted in an unnecessary
clash with the
police and the killing of four students. According to one report, the
students had gotten
frustrated after waiting for three hours in line to break their fast
one Ramadan evening
when the lights went out and they were told that there was not enough
food.
The government, instead of addressing the issue and meeting with the
students listening
to their grievances and seeking solutions, took a nonconciliatory stand
by branding the
move as terrorism related activity. The same excuse is used in an increased
manner for
anything that goes wrong anywhere. It is true that there is a real threat
of subversive
and terrorist action against the national government of Afghanistan
by different groups
including Taleban and their supporters and former Mujahideen that have
been left behind
in the race for power in Afghanistan, but if the report about the student
complaints were
true then it is unfair that government insufficiency be hidden under
unestablished blame
on subversion. Even now, the government owes it to the students to meet
with them and
convince them of appropriate action regarding their grievances and the
harsh reaction by
the police. Afghann society needs its youth and the youths need to be
briefed on all
aspects of life in the country including its difficulties, shortcomings
and successes. They
should be trained to become partners in development for Afghanistan.
The government must spend time and effort on and in establishment of
objective
priorities and design projects in line with modern day principles of
economic
development planning in order to convince the donors that the aid given
by them would
be spent on truly needed programs in all sectors based on established
priorities. The
government should provide guarantees with the provision of the best
accounting system
amenable to auditing. Only then can the government raise a hue a cry
as to the
non-delivery of the promised aid.
Furthermore, the government should work on national priority projects
where the new US authorized aid for reconstruction would be spent. It
should also work together with the United Nations on the issue of extension
of the International Security Assistance Force's scope of action into
other provinces for obtaining of best results form the additional one
billion Dollars authorized by the United States. 11/15/02