Kleptocratic

“KENNETH Lin is a voice to be reckoned with.” – Atlanta’s Theatre Review. Kleptocracy is generously sponsored by Decker Anstrom and Sherry Hiemstra. It is one of the most pivotal moments in history — the Soviet Union has collapsed. Kleptocracy definition: a government where officials are politically corrupt and financially self-interested Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Log In Dictionary.

adjective

See kleptocrat

• ‘Aristide agreed to pay the debts accumulated under the kleptocratic Duvalier dictatorships, slash the civil service, open up Haiti to ‘free trade’ and cut import tariffs on rice and corn.’
• ‘During the 32-year long kleptocratic rule of the authoritarian president Soeharto the huge Indonesian archipelago was ruled from Jakarta.’
• ‘Many of those who speak at the UN are representative of no one save the kleptocratic or autocratic cliques who hold power by force in their respective states.’
• ‘Africa's poverty won't be lifted unless its kleptocratic governments and feudal economic systems change.’
• ‘It has experienced decades of repression by a kleptocratic military, communal violence and the degradation of a once vibrant economy.’

Authoritarian regimes have been broadly divided into three types, viz. Monarchy, in which a ruler is determined by his birth in a particular clan or dynasty; oligarchy, in which a group of a few powerful and wealthy people control an entire nation; and dictatorship, in which one person forcefully takes over the country (in most cases) and often uses unfair and unethical means to dominate the masses. It has been observed that an authoritarian ruler appoints his/her close friends and relatives as his/her subordinates, and hence, all the corrupt and unethical practices that take place are sort of an in the family affair. This gives rise to a ruling class, which then can freely access and (mis)use government funds according to its personal will.

Since this ruling class is in possession of all the power, the misappropriation of funds, more often than not, goes undetected and unnoticed. So, despite the fact that the citizens do pay heavy taxes, which are supposed to be utilized for the development of the state, it is rarely done so by corrupt government authorities.Some economists opine that kleptocracy also tends to take root in a country, where common people have a lot of money. Malpractices, such as bribery and money laundering take place on a large scale in such a state, as the government authorities, who possess the power to allow or disallow people to take up certain important projects, very well know that the citizens are capable of paying them large sums of money, in order to get their work done.

Kleptocratics act, then make their way through all the levels of the socio-political system of a nation, such that they tend to become its part and parcel. Moreover, the common masses of such a country tend to gradually become habituated to such an immoral system, and with the passage of time, nobody seems to find anything wrong in it, even if they have to experience a large number of hardships. Characteristics of a Kleptocratic GovernmentTo quote Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is, indeed, very apt in case of a kleptocratic regime, wherein those who hold power consider it to be one of their fundamental rights to rob the state’s treasury and divert all the money, in order to enrich their personal lives. Some of the typical salient features of a kleptocratic government are as under:✧ Kleptocracies are almost always associated with corrupt authoritarian regimes, as mentioned above. The government authorities exercise complete power and control over the nation’s funds and other resources.

✧ The personal transactions that people in power carry out, go unnoticed. Because there is nobody to question the embezzlement of state funds, the treasury of the state often comes to be treated as the personal account of a kleptocrat(s).✧ One of the most commonly observed features of a kleptocratic rule is that “plundered” public funds are often secretly transferred to secret, personal bank accounts in other countries.

This is considered to be the easiest way of accumulating “illegal” money, owing to the fact that the legislation of the other country may not allow the home country to access information about the monetary reserves in their banks. ✧ Almost by definition, kleptocracy refers to a “weak state.” In such a state, rulers often have to confront the other “strong people”, who need to be either contained, eliminated, or pacified. These threats are often brought by political leaders through means of corruption.✧ In many cases, these “strong people” are also given the “right” to use some part of the state’s treasury and certain powers for their personal gains. Corruption and malpractices then become prevalent at all levels from the top to bottom. Some ExamplesKleptocracy is known to exist all over the world in varying amounts.

However, some countries are known to have absolute kleptocracy.✧ Perhaps, one of the most frequently cited examples of a brazen kleptocracy is that of Zaire. Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of the Republic of Congo (which he renamed as Zaire in 1971) from 1965 to 1997, is known to have brought about a systematic diversion of state’s funds and mineral resources for his personal gains. He is also known to have allegedly transferred $100 million in his personal bank accounts in Switzerland and other European countries every year. Sources tell us that Mobutu’s immediate subordinates also plundered the nation to a great extent, so much so that the country’s police, soldiers, and street-level executives often went unpaid for months together. ✧ The next example that can be cited in this respect is that of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone became independent in 1961, and Albert Margai was its Minister of Agriculture, then. In his efforts to buy off his rivals, Margai caused the virtual collapse of the agricultural export sector of his country.

In 1964, he was appointed the second Prime Minister of Sierra Leone. At this time, he allegedly skimmed off enormous profits from smuggled diamonds and used a part of this amount to bribe his political allies, thus, crippling the nation’s treasury even further. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website.

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