Partiality to criminals

An article in an old American newspaper caught my attention. It was entitled "Figures don’t lie." The figures were about the officials of the U.S. Federal Government who had been accused of graft and corruption.

In 1975 the number of officials indicted was 53. Of those, 49 were convicted. Ten years later, in 1985 (during President Reagan’s administration) the number of officials indicted had risen enormously to 563. Of those 470 were convicted.

From those figures, the article concluded that it was clear that graft and corruption in government was increasing.

That conclusion is open to question. The fact that in 1985 many more officials (470) were convicted of corruption, while ten years earlier only 43 were convicted does not necessarily mean that many more officials were committing crimes of graft and corruption. A different conclusion could be drawn from those facts: namely that the U.S. Federal Government had become more intent on punishing graft and corruption and therefore many more criminals were exposed, indicted and convicted.

It means that public prosecutors were more determined to prosecute cases of graft and corruption, and the U.S. law courts were more efficient in trying the cases promptly and quickly and sending the guilty to prison.

It means that in the U.S., prosecutors and judges are more incorruptible and do not spare the guilty even if they had high positions in the U.S. government.

What a difference between the United States and the Philippines! How many of our officials – whose graft and corruption had been exposed – have even been brought to trial, let alone convicted!

One Secretary of Health was exposed. The case never got beyond the Ombudsman’s office. One Senator was exposed – that case never got beyond the Senate Committee. Both of those cases involved amounts in the hundreds of millions.

A former President is being tried for plunder. How many years has the case been dragging? How many more years before the case is ended? Will it ever be ended?

A dictator and his cronies were dislodged from power by People Power nearly 40 years ago. Has any of the cases involved been decided?

Our government lacks the will to prosecute – much less to convict – anyone who has money or influence. And in the very rare cases where someone wealthy and influential is convicted, very soon there is talk of presidential pardon.

In other words, in our country if you are a person of wealth and influence, you can commit all the crimes you wish. The chances are that you will never be punished for them.

And if you should get caught and imprisoned, don’t worry. It’s extremely easy to "escape."