Corruption is such a huge conundrum today. However, to some people, it is something their minds have adapted to over time due to its monotony and cosmopolitan nature and see it more as a way of life to embrace than a vice to be fought. While to those who remain conscious, it represents an aggressive malignancy that requires urgent intervention.
The vagueness of corruption renders even its definition difficult, imprecise and hence inconsistent with all its forms. Technically, therefore, proving an act of corruption may not be an obvious undertaking. Broadly presented, any act that conforms to the following characterisation technically constitutes a corrupt action: any action that is done with an aim of soliciting unfair treatment, gain or advantage; or that which has the potential of soliciting such treatment or advantage over others with or without intention, especially in a contested setting; or indeed any action that has the potential of unfairly influencing the conventional outcomes of any social phenomenon or event.
Many acts that constitute corruption pass our eyes everyday, generating back and forth arguments as to whether they qualify or not, and they end up getting lost in the arguments. Interestingly, in some cases, the whistle blowers are even asked to produce evidence that an act of corruption has been committed. An act of corruption is an immoral act that has bearings of criminal proportions, who’s ascertaining proof, extent and residency rests with the justice administration and not with the whistle blower.
Ordinarily, we perceive corruption mainly in the narrow perspective of stealing or misappropriating public resources. Corruption is far wider and sometimes graver than stealing public resources. One can be sufficiently corrupt without necessarily stealing public resources. Acts of corruption spring from our corrupt mind sets, which dictate and drive us into actions that contravene standards or morally accepted practices.
As a demonstration, let us judiciously look at the recent impressive and welcome declaration of war on corruption by the President. No sooner had this fantastic declaration been made than he boldly defended the five million bounty given to some legislators on the eve of Speaker elections as rescue hand-out but not an act of corruption. Even if the intention was benign and not meant to bribe or corrupt any one, that act, at that material time, was conspicuously and heavily pregnant with the potential not only to unfairly influence the outcome of the impending event but also to significantly influence unprincipally the subsequent behaviour and conduct of the legislators. The moment we allow the power we hold to take charge of our thinking system and direct our actions, we become fundamentally corrupt.
We should not speak with forked tongues. Our credibility and trust are created and earned from the history of our words and actions – right decision making matched with right, appropriate actions.
Our social setting and predicament is that even as elites, we all have a peasantry mind set 90 per cent of the time. We display the characteristics of gutless people whose basic needs are not yet met. We readily wag our tails at any gesture of a piece of bone being thrown at us as we trade off our moral compass and principles, even when the ulterior motive is palpably lacking in integrity.
We, therefore, remain as prone to manipulation as the countryside peasants. Corruption under such a social setting becomes a self-perpetuating vice that corrodes the very core of our society with devastating cross generational consequences.
Mr Odoi is a social commentator.
odoiyoga@yahoo.com
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