Combating corruption
Ansarullah Khilji
There will be hardly anyone who is not acquainted with the term ‘corruption’ as the recent decades have witnessed unprecedented attention being paid to this phenomenon. The term corruption is as old as is the mankind and there have always been corrupt practices throughout the human history in different forms and shapes. In the recent past, corruption not only has increased manifolds but has been emerging in different forms owing to human intelligence as well as technological advancement.
There are numerous definitions of corruption but neither every definition comes up to the satisfactions of all alike nor each definition covers all the aspects of corruption. However, if we go through various definitions of corruption made by different people and organizations, one can easily comprehend that it is a dishonest and unethical behavior involving the misuse of power, authority or resources for personal gains.
There might be dozens of shapes in which corruption can emerge, however, generally it can be seen and observed in the forms mentioned here. The first form is bribery. This refers to offering or accepting bribes to get particular decisions influenced.
The second form is embezzlement. It is simply stealing or abusing funds or assets entrusted to one’s supervision or care and responsibility. Nepotism is the third one. It refers to favoring near and dear ones in official, professional or business matters.
Cronyism is the fourth one. It is also a kind of favor done to friends and associates without proper regard to their qualification and merit. The fifth one is extortion. It is a kind of corruption where money, property or other services are demanded or obtained through coercion or threats, and the sixth one is the abuse of power. It is using one’s powers or authority to exploit or harm others.
Well, general perception about corruption is that it happens only in government organizations, but the fact is that it is not confined to a particular field or government sector, it also exists in private, non-profit, national and international organizations, and corporate sector.
It is to be noted that any unethical and corrupt practice has far reaching negative effects on the entire system and the most significant hazards, corruption can bring about economic instability and inequality thus resulting in poverty and class conflict.
Similarly, corruption also leads to social injustice and human rights abuse, whereas all these negative impacts finally lead to political instability, distrust between the state institutions and masses, and posing a serious threat to democracy.
It is a fact that corruption is a complex issue and therefore gauging corruption as well is an uphill task. Since different people or groups have different modus operandi involving various secret or hidden ways and activities of corruption, therefore, there is no specific mechanism that can be helpful in gauging corruption in all its manifestations. However, there are some ways and means used to identify and gauge the level or nature of this menace.
The first way is surveys. Conducting surveys among citizens, businesses, or public officials to gather information about their experiences and perceptions of corruption can be helpful in making an assessment of this issue in a particular environment.
The second one is Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The CPI, published by Transparency International, ranks countries based on their perceived levels of corruption. Bribe Payers Index (BPI) is the third form. The BPI, also published by Transparency International, measures the likelihood of companies from different countries to bribe abroad.
The World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) also included in this list. It provides a comprehensive assessment of governance, including corruption control. Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) is also an important way in this regard. It is published by Transparency International, provides a global snapshot of corruption.
The sixth one is expert assessments. It includes gathering information from experts, such as academics, journalists, or anti-corruption activists. The seventh form is financial audits and investigations. It consists of conducting audits and investigations to detect and measure corruption in specific contexts.
The eight one is open data and transparency initiatives that includes analyzing open data and transparency initiatives to identify potential corruption risks. Whistleblower reports is also an important form which includes collecting and analyzing reports from whistleblowers to identify corruption cases, whereas media and civil society reports also play an important role and it includes monitoring media and civil society reports to identify corruption cases and trends.
These and such like more methods can provide valuable insights into the prevalence and nature of corruption. However, it is essential to note that owing to diverse nature of this menace, different methods adopted for identifying and measuring corruption may yield different results.
So, curbing the issue of corruption needs to be aware of the hazardous consequences. Each government or private organization wants to put an end to this menace, but it is an uphill task and cannot be accomplished without a multifaceted approach involving government, civil society, private sector and individuals.
In this regard, the government needs to ensure strengthened institutions and establish independent anti-corruption agencies, judiciary and legislative bodies. The government also needs to pass and enforce robust anti-corruption laws, including the whistleblowers protection.
Similarly, increased transparency, public financial management, civil society and community engagement, encouraging whistleblowing, supporting anti-corruption agencies/organizations, citizens’ engagement, private sector management, due diligence, compliance program, reporting corruption, individual awareness, demanding accountability, and technology-based solutions are also required in this context.
Being a religious society, religious scholars can also be very helpful in shaping the public perception about corruption, therefore, they should be engaged in a manner to highlight this major problem in their sermons on regular basis, whereas teachers and parents also need to play their role in educating the young generation and instilling in them the spirit of fighting against all social ills, including corruption.
The writer is working as Press Registrar, Department of Information and Public Relations, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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