Corruption

The World Bank wanted to address corruption in Third World Nations a few years ago – well they expected the various nations to attempt to eliminate corruption, and if the moneymen were not satisfied, funds were withheld.

An accountant for one of the leading church organisations in Africa once told me that to bring a million dollars to a target population, you have to hand over ten million!

Yet, I recall at that time, there was only one of all the donating countries that actively followed up on the projects they had funded – audits, if you like. The reason for the lack of audits was cost. Does that make sense?

So during that time, the donating organisations, by not doing audits, were in reality fostering corruption.

Regardless of what the World Bank were trying to do, the little sin of corruption abounds in most societies wherever you may be. Sometimes insignificant and sometimes huge and blatant.

Not saying culturally some peoples are more inclined to be corrupt, but culture is often the cause corruption. Say someone has a job where it is possible to siphon off funds, yet the person remains loyal and honest. Along comes a relative who needs some urgent hospital treatment and asks for money. Within that particular culture, if you beg in the appropriate manner, it is impossible to refuse – bingo, that’s how it happens.

The Swahili word, ‘posho’ means ‘food allowance’ but is used the same way as many cultures show recognition for some help given – pretty much a tip. Wherever this type of tradition is practiced, it is always difficult enough to bring food to the table, so posho is relied upon.

Those who don’t understand what is going on see this as corruption/bribery.

Then the assumption becomes commonplace, ‘if you want anything done’ you just pay a bribe. But isn’t handing out a bribe being complicit in this sinful corruption thing?

Of course there is petty corruption:

Someone wishing ‘to feather their nest’, proposes a project, and in their funding proposal/request, inflate the cost of materials, labour and transport in the documentation. When the funds are granted, the project is carried out ‘on the cheap’, or not at all – surplus funds are simply pocketed.

A young woman who studies to work in hospitality industry and gets a job in a flash hotel kitchen. The cost of the job, or promotion, is to sleep with the boss.

Send money by bank draft and the naïve recipient will find the bank holds on to funds for as long as three months before paying out.

Many speak out against corruption, which is easy to do when there is no opportunity to swindle, but when fortune takes a turn and the opportunity arises they too so often succumb to temptation.

Having said all that, by taking appropriate action it is not all that difficult to run projects without corruption occurring. This is done by including as many as possible of the stakeholders and not putting temptation in front of people – sure you have to work at it and follow up, but that’s the responsibility of being accountable. Audits.

There is outrageous corruption:

There are political leaders who salt away their country’s wealth in their own personal, foreign bank accounts and rig elections so that they can continue doing so - and rigging elections may well include killing off the opposition.

Even the sanctity of religion is not above corruption, very often through internal politics or through the exertion of power by some individuals against the vulnerable where molestation and perversion occurs, followed by official denials and cover-ups.

Every now and then the ‘newly enlightened’ appear and through charisma or some other ‘spiritual enhancement’ convince their band of followers to ‘forgo the ways of the world’ and end being ripped off financially, emotionally and often sexually.

Where there is money, corruption rides shotgun, Take professionalism in sport; starting when boxers were paid to ‘take a fall’ or a jockey ‘not riding to a horse’s potential’ for the benefit of the punting crooks.

And now the football boil has burst, pussing up the committee cheats and their venue selection as well as the individual cheats; the gentleman’s game, cricket with match fixing and ball tampering; drug enhancement in many sports from cycling to weightlifting.

Even in a legal sense –justice an individual receives depends on who the presiding judge happens to be, the affordability of the best lawyer and the makeup of a jury – all of which seem to be manipulated. In essence, might is right!

My cynicism button kicks on when I think about the World Bank’s targeting of corruption in third world nations – quite plainly corruption is not the exclusive domain of the third world.

Money. The saying goes, it is the root of all evil!