By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel

Over the years, many things have changed, and many things have not changed. What has not changed is the mentality of our politicians – regardless of the parties. They are still driven by a corrupt mentality and immoral behaviour. The latest episode of corruption – visit visa – corroborates this mentality that still persists among our so-called politicians.

Foreign employment has allure for Nepalese given the lack of opportunity in their homeland. To say so, foreign land represents a dream of opportunity – a chance to rewrite the script of their lives. But for those who intend to travel on a visit visa, it is not an easy affair. Bureaucratic obstacles, corruption, and extortion plague this path. The nexus involving immigration officials, middlemen and travel agencies exploits the hopeful travellers under the guise of bureaucracy and strict provisions.

With an objective to curb the illegal migrants, the Ministry of Home Affairs introduced some provisions and criteria. This included the requirement of a high annual taxable income, prior travel history and English proficiency. This indeed was a noble intention to combat illegal migration. But this has birthed a market where travelers pay an exorbitant fee of up to Rs 300,000 for Europe-bound visit visas and 50,000 for other destinations.  Now, there are allegations that the Home Ministry deliberately introduced such provisions with a sinister agenda. There are growing voices saying the Home Ministry is mindful of the fact that hopeful travellers will approach the nexus involving immigration officials, middlemen and travel agencies to avoid these hassles and facilitate their visa processing.

The visa visit corruption case surprised everyone after the reports of the involvement of senior Congress leaders and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak spread like wildfire. According to media reports, minister Lekhak is allegedly involved in a visit visa corruption case duping hopeful Europe-bound travellers. While people were staging protests demanding him to step down on moral grounds, the Nepali Congress has said that the home minister will not resign solely based on the rumours. This is a vivid example of a lack of morality and integrity on the part of the Nepali Congress, which claims to be the most democratic party.

Not only his party, but even the CPN-UML has come to defend the home minister. The reason is simple. The Nepali Congress is a key partner in the present coalition led by CPN-UML. Any critical voice on the part of CPN-UML against the home minister would risk the leadership of Oli.

At present, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has become synonymous with the visit visa scam that has rocked Nepal’s immigration system, mainly at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). If the media reports are any guide, the fraudulent visa scheme generates illicit payments estimated at NRP five million daily from travellers passing through TIA. It is believed that these funds are shared among the members of the network, including senior officials of the Home Ministry.

One may raise the question of how Minister Lekhak has benefitted from the nexus facilitating the unethical practices. The simple answer to this question is that many senior officials at TIA, including immigration, are handpicked by the home minister. The appointment process is based on political affiliation and not on the basis of personal experience and academic background. In plain words, those who pledge loyalty are appointed, bypassing the entire selection process. This patronage has compromised institutional integrity, institutionalising corruption in the country.

Over the years, the high-voltage scam and corruption cases have become a common occurrence. From the fake Bhutanese refugee scam and gold smuggling at Tribhuvan International Airport to the wide-body aircraft purchase scam, the people have been bearing the brunt of this corruption silently. Why such immoral and unethical practice continues to thrive is an issue of big concern. But this is seldom discussed and accounted for.

It is an established fact that politicians with a strong sense of integrity and morality are the building blocks of the nation. It is also a truth that nations prosper socio-economically, culturally and politically when we are blessed with such politicians. But this is not the case in our context.

Our politicians – irrespective of their political ideologies – are devoid of morality and integrity. They lack a vision and agenda aimed at ameliorating the status of the people from socio-economic, cultural and political perspectives. But we are endowed with politicians possessing unethical, immoral goodness and evil kindness. Such politicians care for nothing. What matters to them is to make hay when the sun shines. We should be careful about such politicians, as they will not hesitate to compromise nationality and integrity for their personal gains.

In the midst of this allegation, some sections of the community are raising a critical question drawing the attention of everyone. They have been asking why Rabi Lamichhane is in custody over the alleged involvement in financial irregularities while corrupt politicians are walking free. Their concern is very pertinent and calls for a convincing explanation.  

Why corruption is flourishing in the country. How these politicians are making illicit money and walking away easily. One explanation is that our existing anti-corruption bodies do not have adequate legal teeth to put them behind bars. The other explanation is that we, as citizens, are not bothered about such unethical practices and let them go, thinking of them as usual business.

As informed citizens, we should hold our politicians accountable for any of their wrongdoings. Our duty is to elect the candidate with integrity during the election to ensure good governance. We should organise into groups, forgetting our political ideologies for the greater sake of the interest. Corruption will continue to thrive if we limit our role just as voters and not beyond that. The immoral and unethical leaders are a bane to the nation, and we should punish them by disowning them during the election. This is the only remedy to curb corruption.