Speaker A
Assalamu alaikum.
Imran Khan discusses corruption in Pakistan at Oxford Union, proposing systemic reforms and accountability measures to eradicate it.
Key Takeaways
- Corruption can be fought by holding elites accountable and reforming systemic weaknesses.
- Transparency and technology (e-government) are crucial tools to reduce corruption.
- Decentralization and direct funding to local levels improve resource allocation and reduce leakages.
- Independent institutions are necessary to ensure unbiased accountability.
- Public asset declaration and criminalizing hidden assets promote honesty and fund social causes.
Summary
- Corruption is a pervasive problem in Pakistan affecting all sectors and hindering solutions.
- Two types of corruption exist: those who corrupt the system for personal gain and those corrupted by the system.
- Accountability must target the ruling elite who corrupt the system, while systemic reform is needed to help those corrupted by it.
- Imran Khan cites Shaukat Khanum hospital as an example of a corruption-free institution due to computerized systems.
- He advocates for e-government, especially in revenue departments, to reduce human contact and opportunities for corruption.
- Proposes a conflict of interest law preventing government officials from starting businesses while in office.
- Calls for an independent accountability bureau (NAB) separate from government influence.
- Supports devolution of spending power to village level to ensure funds reach intended recipients directly.
- Tehreek-e-Insaf party leadership publicly declares assets and taxes on their website for transparency.
- Suggests criminalizing benami property holdings and confiscating undeclared assets to fund education, inspired by Nitish Kumar's reforms.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker B
Ji, walaykum salam.
Speaker A
First, Imran, I just need to pass on a message from my mom, who says that her prayers are with you.
Speaker A
So, inshallah, you are successful.
Speaker A
I'm currently sitting on the Health and Social Committee at this conference.
Speaker A
And a lot of the solutions that we've come up to for the problems, we're finding it difficult to find adequate solutions because of corruption everywhere.
Speaker A
The problem is the corruption.
Speaker A
So, I'm just asking to see how are we going to get rid of this culture of corruption that is present all over Pakistan?
Speaker C
You know, Pakistanis, when they, when they leave Pakistan, I see them in Dubai, I see them in America.
Speaker C
Uh, in England.
Speaker C
And I, when I first came here as an 18-year-old, I remember the Pakistani community then and I see it now.
Speaker C
Look, there are, there are two types of people in Pakistan.
Speaker C
One who corrupt the system.
Speaker C
Two types of corruption.
Speaker C
One are people who corrupt the system to make money.
Speaker C
And the others, the majority are corrupted by the system.
Speaker C
So, the ones who have corrupted the system must be held accountable.
Speaker C
That's the ruling elite.
Speaker C
The ones who are corrupted by the system, you change the system.
Speaker C
And and you can fight corruption.
Speaker C
Shaukat Khanum has has one hospital.
Speaker C
I challenge anyone to find any corruption in the hospital.
Speaker C
So, it's, it's by setting up systems.
Speaker C
So, you know, if you set up a system where, for instance, we made sure that there is as much, everything is computerized in the hospital.
Speaker C
Similarly, if you want to stop in Pakistan, if you want the biggest corruption is in the revenue department.
Speaker C
Make it e-government.
Speaker C
In the United States, no one sees the tax man.
Speaker C
So, reduce the human contact.
Speaker C
But most of all, the, so I'll go one by one.
Speaker C
Number one, conflict of interest law.
Speaker C
You cannot come into government and start building your factories.
Speaker C
Number two, a NAB or the accountability bureau.
Speaker C
Must be an independent institution like the National Audit Commission here in England.
Speaker C
An independent, it must be independent to the government.
Speaker C
Number three, must have devolution of spending.
Speaker C
So, Tehreek-e-Insaf, what it's, we, we want to devolve power right down to the village level.
Speaker C
So, funds, development funds must go straight to the village level.
Speaker C
There was a research done in Pakistan by World Bank that if you wanted to give $100 to a school in D.G.
Speaker C
Khan.
Speaker C
And you gave it through the central government, only $5 reached that school.
Speaker C
So, give $100 straight to the school.
Speaker C
So, therefore, what we want is devolved spending.
Speaker C
Decentralization.
Speaker C
And and then, the leadership, and I'm talking about the cabinet.
Speaker C
The members of parliament.
Speaker C
The leadership must declare their assets.
Speaker C
And it should be put on the website.
Speaker C
Tehreek-e-Insaf is the only party, all the central leadership have declared their assets.
Speaker C
Their taxes and they put it on the website.
Speaker C
So, and lastly, make benami, benami means, you know, holding.
Speaker C
Hiding assets in other people's name.
Speaker C
Make that a crime.
Speaker C
And what we have decided is our party's policy is, and we learned this from, by the way, an incredible man.
Speaker C
Called Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, who has revolutionized Bihar.
Speaker C
Because he was honest, all the steps I'm telling you, he took those steps.
Speaker C
And what he did was, and we, we, I, I invited him to my house.
Speaker C
Our senior leadership met him.
Speaker C
We asked him questions.
Speaker C
Any property which is benami, which is found that someone has hidden an asset and hasn't declared it.
Speaker C
Will be taken by the state and all, all that property confiscated from corruption will go towards education.
Topics:Imran KhancorruptionPakistanOxford Unionaccountabilitye-governmentdecentralizationTehreek-e-Insafbenami propertyNitish Kumar
