The Scourge of Corruption

CORRUPTION

“Corruption” is defined as “the act of corrupting or the state of being corrupt”. In philosophy it refers to moral decadence and character contamination, while in economics it refers to unlawful practices carried out by people in authority, usually for selfish gains. It’s derived from the Latin word “Corruptus”, past participle of “Corrumpere” which means “to abuse or destroy”.

Corruption can be political, economic or spiritual. In all cases, a corrupt individual foregoes all ethics and morals to obtain undeserved gains – may it be influential, monetary or in kind. The individual resorts to any and all kinds of measures to ensure maximum gain, regardless of how much harm it causes to society.

Corruption is rampant in every part of the world. No country is immune to it. Hence there is only relative corruption. There appears to be a strong correlation of corruption development in a country. Most developed countries have less corruption, in relation to less developed countries – which usually top the list of most corrupt countries. Some of these countries are also lawless states and active warzones.

Corruption is not a recent phenomenon. It has existed since the dawn of Man, and through the ages countless measures and revolutions took place to combat corruption. Fall of Empires, French Revolution in France, Jasmine Revolution in Egypt (and elsewhere in North Africa) to movements initiated by Anna Hazare in India. All took place to combat the scourge of rampant Kleptocracy, Embezzlement, Nepotism, Extortion, Human Trafficking, Drug Trafficking, Bribery, Money Laundering etc.

“Rule of Law” is usually the first casualty in the rise of corruption so as to facilitate corruption, people in authority, enforce restrictions on rights and freedoms to retain power over the public; whereby any actions taken by the public to question and investigate allegations of corruption are met with intimidation or death. Also with the loss of Lawful Governance; the police force, who are supposed to uphold the law, weaken and become tools that power this machine of rot and decay, spreading like gangrene into every part of society, permeating on all levels. The temptation of power and wealth can be summed up in the quote:

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” - John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton.

The empowering of legal watchdogs and mandatory enforcements of the Law is paramount to ensure Rule of Law and restricting corruption. But that is easier said than done, and not always useful, as pointed out by Publius Terentius Afer (195/185–159 BC), better known in English as Terence; A Roman Playwright of Libyan descent:

“Corruptisima re publica plurimae leges” translated as “In the most corrupt state are the most laws”

 Two thousand years ago, Juvenal, the satirist of the corrupt Roman legal system asked, “Quis ustodiet ipsos custodies?” translated as "who will watch the watchers?" This question is timeless. It is not just that power corrupts. Corrupt people seek power and absolutely corrupt people seek absolute power... Nothing has changed much since then, and by the looks of things; they never will.