To fight against chronic issues of corruption, bad governance and impunity, we need leaders with integrity
Integrity is essential to the functioning of a healthy, diverse, and accountable government. To fight against chronic issues of corruption, bad governance and impunity, we need leaders with integrity. Nepal has made good progress toward better governance—opening up opportunities for citizens to participate in decision-making, improving oversight of the legislature and auditing agencies and rooting corruption at some of the institutions at the highest levels.
But it is not enough; and it is certainly not fast enough. The Open Budget Index indicates that our budget is still largely nontransparent and oversight is minimal. The World Bank indicates that Nepal scores poorly on indicators like the right to information, the ease of doing business and many other domains.
One of the major issues inviting corruption is our tendencies to make money at any cost. And that our government is led by the same generation of people that have perpetuated this inefficient system for decades. The time has come to empower young local leaders—in government and civil society—who can be the vanguard of a new generation of responsible leaders.
We need to encourage these young leaders at every opportunity. That is exactly our Integrity Icon campaign is trying to do: “name and fame” those public officials who go the extra mile.
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