Does it make sense to fight Corruption?

For years the Integrity Initiative has tried to create Integrity Nation, a nation where transparency and integrity rule, and where corruption is no longer part of everybody’s life. Have we succeeded? Not yet.

With every new administration taking over the extensive government executive functions after an election, we have expressed hope that anti-corruption will be addressed as a joint undertaking between business and the new government. Knowing both will have to do this ‘jointly’, we are again hopeful that the new administration that is about to take over, will invite the private sector to be an active partner in this undertaking.

Given the fact that business allegedly does not like corruption, it may be useful to highlight once again how corruption hurts and convince society at large or better – every individual – to fight corruption and make a choice to only deal with companies that evidently are involved in anti-corruption and have been verified or even certified that they adhere to transparency in business and implemented anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies.

Let’s be very clear that corruption impacts all of us in many ways. The pain corruption creates can be divided into four categories: political, economic, social and environmental.

Politically, corruption is a major obstacle to democracy and the rule of law. In a democratic system, offices and institutions should lose their legitimacy when they are misusing their influence for personal advantage. As we see daily, it is extremely challenging to develop accountable behavior in a corrupt environment.

Economically, corruption depletes national wealth (that belongs to the people). Corrupt officials invest scarce public resources in projects that will line their pockets rather than benefit communities. In 60 LGUs, the Integrity for Jobs project created integrity circles which see to it that infrastructure projects are benefiting less spectacular sectors like schools, hospital and farm-to-market roads also. Corruption also hinders the development of fair market structures and distorts competition. In this context we are happy to see that the Philippine Competition Commission is doing its best in achieving their mandate in creating fair market conditions that will provide Juan dela Cruz with better products and services at better prices.

Socially, corruption is exploitive. Inequality breeds corruption by:

* leading ordinary citizens to see a system as stacked against them,

* creating a sense of dependency among ordinary citizens and a sense of pessimism for the future, which in turn undermines the moral dictates of treating everybody honestly,

* distorting the key institutions of fairness in society, the courts, which ordinary citizens see as their protectors against evil-doers, especially those with more influence than they have.

Corruption aggravates inequality: the well-off can afford bribes, but the poor often do without basic services. Inequality and corruption form a vicious circle that is very difficult to break. There is one institutional factor that has a big impact on corruption: the fairness of the legal system. Do courts and the police treat people of different backgrounds and incomes as equals before the law?

Let me conclude by saying that working against corruption is everybody’s mandate. Integrity starts with I. Every person must make the decision: I am part of the solution! I will contribute to positive change! Because, if I don’t do it, I am part of the problem!!

If you agree with this, you must join the Integrity Initiative. Contact me at [email protected]  and I will provide you the details for joining.