Bribery and Corruption in National and International Perspective, Revisited

 

 

B

ribery in my opinion is the persuasion of another to act improperly, circumvent the laws or, procedures in ones or anther’s favour by an offer or given an inducement. Corruption on the other hand is a moral deterioration by the given or acceptance of a bribe or the indulgence in such an improper act. Bribery and corruption originated from the western word. It was spread to the rest of the world through colonialism and international trade.

 

Where they could not colonise a country by force, they offered bribes to appease the tribal chiefs and other key people in the country to get what they wanted. This led various countries to unconscious colonial occupation. The indigenous people took up the habit after the colonialist left. This indirect method of bribery is still used today by some of the advanced countries to obtain what they need from other countries.

 

Bribery and corruption can be of different kinds and for different motives. It can be the openly given of money, materials or free services. It can be in the form of debt forgiveness, trade concession or contract awards. There is also the subtle but effective electoral bribery, a promise to or execution of a policy just before an election. This is usually done by the Government of the day, in every country of the world. It works in some countries while it does not work in others. Enlightened electorate, however, always vote on the basis of a Government’s record or the potential of an opposition party to perform. But this form of electoral bribery is not usually taken seriously since money and other material resources do not normally change hands.

 

The most common corruption today is the bribery of legislators by the head of state and heads of other tiers of Government for different motives. This is especially prevalent in a presidential system of Government where there is normally a separation of power. Here a large amount of money is always involved. Another form of corruption is the open distribution of money, foodstuff, clothes, cattle, rams or goats etc. by the Government of the day and election candidates before an election. This form of electoral bribery is prevalent in the less advanced countries where the electorate are either predominantly illiterates, unenlightened or poor.

 

The external angle in the corruption of the elected is where foreign Governments bribe the head of state as well as the key or relevant legislators. This is one of the ways many advanced countries penetrate the less advanced countries who are generally and financially vulnerable. It is done either to influence their policies or to get favour. Where this manner of bribery fails they often look for those that can foment any kind of instability for the Government or even overthrow the Government. After which they organise or install a puppet Government they can remote control. This is one of the mysteries behind the persistent instability in many less advanced countries. 

 

Who is today responsible for bribery and corruption? Is it the western world that introduced it to the world? Is it the person who takes or the person who gives in order to realise his/her desire? In the absence of any sense of morality, the person who seeks at any cost whether by acquiesce to the demand to pay bribe or voluntarily gives without been asked is equally responsible with the person who demands for bribe before he/she grants.

 

In a highly competitive environment, the person who seeks often tempts or persuades those in position of power to accept bribes. This is particularly evident among the multi-national companies, foreign businessmen, contractors and Governments who scramble for businesses in other countries. As they are desperate for more and more businesses and because of the fierce competition among them, they pressurise, tempt and bribe their ways through. The less advanced countries, especially those with undemocratic Governments, are usually the fertile grounds for this kind of international malpractices. Here, all the foreign businessmen, contractors, multi-national companies and Governments are all equally guilty of bribery and corruption to obtain illegal and unethical competitive advantage they cannot do in their own countries.  

 

Today, there is the view held by the advanced countries that the less advanced countries are wrapped in web of bribery and corruption. Here, the advanced countries seem to be the untainted societies.  Without been bias, bribery and corruption as they are proclaimed today are not isolated to a particular class of countries. They exist in every country. The differences in each country are the method, significance, commonality, triviality and the type of people involved. In many advanced countries, you do not just give nor demand for bribe ordinarily or openly. But in many less advanced countries this is not the case. This is where the issue of bribery and corruption becomes political and appears to be a one side issue either for propaganda or as a tool for blackmail on the less advanced countries.

 

Bribery and corruption may be openly evident in the less advanced countries generally because of the level of education and law abidance. By level of education here I mean the level of awareness, rights and entitlement in society. Those in positions of power are generally more educated than those who seek. Those who often infringe the laws and those who are always desperate generally believe that the only quick way out to obtain what they want is to bribe, even if they are not asked. But when matters are between the educated, the question of bribery hardly arises as they often talk their ways through while those in positions of power at the same time are often careful not to be trapped in bribery offences. In this circumstance those in position of power always discharge their duties with diligence and honesty.

 

This has not in any form exonerated the educated from allegations of bribery and corruption. But the incidence is much less than those between the people in positions of power and the less educated who have not the confidence to challenge for their rights even when they are not willing to give bribes on demand. For example, how many lawyers, when they are dealing with each other or people in positions of power, elite versus elite, bribe their way out or tolerate the demand? Again, if those that seek were generally law abiding, they would have no reasons to bribe or to tolerate the demand for bribery by those in position of power. Anyone who is law abiding will not be vulnerable to the demand for bribes.

 

Today, financial malpractices, misappropriation or embezzlement of public fund is being misinterpreted as bribery and corruption in many countries. While bribery and corruption are crimes of immorality, financial malpractices, misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds are criminal cases of theft both of which are punishable in law. For example, if;

·         a contract is awarded at an inflated price, far and above the normal price,

·         a certain amount of money is set aside for a particular job and the money is taken by one or a group of individuals without the job been done, 

·         a significant amount of the revenue of a public concern end up in the pockets of a group of individuals, these are outright criminal cases of embezzlement of public funds.

But if public officers or the elected misuse or waste the public funds allocated to them for their benefits, this is a criminal case of misappropriation. These should not be construed generally as bribery and corruption or used as tools for blackmail. They should be treated as criminal cases of theft due to weak leadership and management. They are not unique to the less advanced countries.

 

Whatever the propaganda from the advanced countries, it should be let known that all is not that well in their societies as far as bribery and corruption are concerned. For examples, anyone can remember the:

·         issue of bribery that attended the award of the 2002 Winter Olympic to the Salt Lake City of the United States of America. 

·         classic case of election rigging and the attended miscarriage of justice in the November 2000 presidential election in the United States of America.

·         open bribery and corruption to galvanise international coalition to fight unjust wars against weak countries. More recently are the bribery and corruption that attended the execution of the ‘crusade’ against international terrorism and the one sided war against Afghanistan following the incident of 11th September 2001 in the United States of America, all by the USA.

 

These are not withstanding the inter Government and multi-national companies’ bribery to win contracts awards, the official fixing of sports for monetary gains with the connivance of the world sport bodies and the corruption that pervade the bodies’ administration. Do the less advanced countries that today get the open international condemnation for bribery and corruption perpetuate these? Yet, it is these advanced countries that today claim to occupy high moral grounds and impose themselves on the less advanced countries on matter of honest practices.

 

In as much as advanced countries tend to be very much law abiding in their own countries, because of their adequate systems of control, the effectiveness of their internal law enforcement, they are prepared to circumvent the same laws when they are dealing with the less advanced countries since they cannot equally be enforced. In all of these, where is Transparency International who claims to monitor global bribery and corruption? Is its searchlight only functioning when it comes to the less advanced countries? What is the role of the United Nations?  What measures are being taken by these bodies to address the type of organised, connected and high level bribery and corruption being practised by the advanced countries, especially the United States of America, her cronies and the multi-national companies?

 

Which of the advanced countries of the world today is actually an open society when it comes to bribery, corruption and other financial malpractices? With these, in their societies, they always maintain dignified silence except where the lid is taken off the matters by their media before the intervention of the authorities. However, they always deal with the matters clinically when they manifest in order to maintain confidence in their systems and society. The less advanced countries in most cases always leave the issues unattended. They exacerbate the issues by the way they are handled by their authorities on one hand and the way the media report the issues on the other hand and thereby drum themselves into international irrelevance.

 

From here the advanced countries often pick up the issues and used them for propaganda and blackmail as if the less advanced countries are the only ones in the world that are pervaded by the malpractices. The less advanced countries needless submit to neither the propaganda nor blackmail from the advanced countries on these issues, which they use generally to divert attention from their own countries’ problems. The blackmail is often carried out mostly by those advanced countries who are unsuccessful in contract biding or simply been ignored generally for political reasons and also by those of them who tried but are unable to have the country neither under their control nor in their desire to orchestrate rebellion or insurgency to destabilise the country. The less advanced countries must not accept the ways they are being vilified or being made to believe that their countries are the only ones infested by bribery and corruption.

 

Bribery, corruption, misappropriation, embezzlement and misuse of public funds especially by the elected though are unlawful are still much evident in all the countries of the world, without exception, but in different disguises and degrees. There is no country that can deny this whatever the blackmail, propaganda or rhetoric. The demand for or the voluntary given of bribes is a forceful, waste and an immoral deprival of an individual of his/her resources. The existence of abnormal level of bribery and corruption can have a ripple and domino effects in society. They often:

·         lead to gross election rigging, the election of the wrong candidates and emergence of ineffective Government. 

·         create crisis of confidence in a country and erode the esteem of society. 

·         lead to neglect, the neglect of duties, lack of maintenance, replacement and eventually decay, miscarriage of justice, inefficiency, poor performance and poor productivity as preference is given to the wrong people.

·         create economic and political instability as evident in most less advanced countries today.

 

However, the extent of the demand for and given of bribes in society depend on the level of education, systems of control, law abidance, law enforcement, awareness of rights, entitlement and civilisation. How much has each country:

·         identified the major and minor areas where bribes may be demanded and given?

·         identified the likely people that may be involved in bribery and corruption, trivial and otherwise?

·         educated their people on the need to be law abiding, not to yield to the demand nor give bribes, on what to do or how to incriminate those that demand or give bribes? How many allegations of bribery and corruption are made in the private sector versus private sector in their dealings?

·         evaluated the adequacy of her systems of control, law enforcement agency and the enforcement.

But a diligent Government with a brave and an honest leadership should be able to reduce bribery and corruption to ineffective level in its country no matter those who are involved. There is no need to merely sing the chorus of neither intention to act nor enacting window dressing laws.

 

Whatever the case, bribery, corruption, misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds can be eradicated or least minimised by any Government. Some of the ways to prevent, reduce or stop these completely are,

·         payment of a living wage or salary in society.

·         prompt payment of wages and salaries by all the employers.

·         availability of affordable credits and loans facilities to the ordinary individuals in society.

·         non-election rigging, election of the right people and capable leadership.

·         use of the right personnel, management, adequate systems of control and accountability.

·         honest and adequate law enforcement agency and law enforcement.

·         policing of those who police, policing those who make the laws and those who interpret the laws and foremost by general education.

As in the advanced countries, most of these remove bribery and corruption from the high and mighty, commonality, triviality and the ordinary in society to ineffective level.

 

It may not be easy to eradicate bribery and corruption in society especially where those that are highly involved in the practice are in position of power such, as the head of state, his/her political party hierarchy, legislators and Governors. The most effective remedies are to mount pressure on them, prevent them from rigging elections in order not to come back and retain power to do the same wrong things. They should always be voted out of elected positions in society.

 

The people in society, multi-national companies and foreign Governments should have an unwritten code of conduct such as not to give brides even on demand whatever may be the competition to get businesses. If those who seek businesses are law abiding, refuse to give bribes, the people who are in position of power and duty bound would have no alternative but to carry out their duties honestly. The people in each society should organise themselves in various forms at least to follow up the elected and Government of the day. They should not wait for things to go wrong before they start to shout and apportion blame. That is deterring before it happens. This is the front line role for the news media in each country.

 

In the matters of bribery and corruption in particular, the news media of the less advanced countries should be brave and those of the advanced countries should be sincerer in their reports. They should not lend themselves to be used as platform for propaganda and blackmail by their Governments. While every country takes steps to put her house in order, the western countries in particular that exported bribery and corruption in the first place, must cleanse themselves of the malpractices which is today organised, disguise, connected but out of triviality and the ordinary in their societies. It is not enough for them to continue to look for scapegoats among the leaderships of the less advanced countries, especially among the countries that do not submit to their hegemony. After all, where do the ill-gotten gains from the less advanced countries end up?

 

The United Nations needs to take the initiative in the eradication of international bribery, multi-national companies bribery, Government international bribery, the tendency to fight unjust wars, destabilise those elected Government and leaderships who refused to play the role of puppets to some advanced countries. The Transparency International should not be bias in its searchlight on bribery and corruption to the exclusion of the advanced countries.

 

The article was first written in 2001 and recently revisited on 24th July 2008.  Although the international community has since been awake to the situation, the amelioration is yet to be at satisfactory level due mainly to the sovereignty of each country.    Alfred Aisedionlen.