|
Corruption a complex network - devastate the fabric of a society Corruption
affects everybody at all levels and the interesting part is it shouldn’t
accepted by the people that the price of doing day-to-day business
in every private and public sectors. However, while people don’t
like it, they just assume that’s the way life works.
Anti-corruption campaign must also contend with external
actors who often have perpetuated and aggravated the problem of
any country in Africa. Spreading
corruption is easy, but declaring a war on bribes and kickbacks
wasn’t an easy task, and doesn’t go away soon. Even though many
countries are rated the worst place to conduct a business, it can
be eliminated by placing a proper strategy based on the culture
of the particular countries. The first tragedy is the external actors who would like to conduct
a business in any African country are those who set it up means
of corruption are definitely not in the interest of the host country,
but the hidden agenda to exploit the resource under the table. The
second tragedy is the host country is fallen short of public expectations
enforcing the law, investigate and prosecute the perpetrators before
it spreads the practice of corruption.
While the law is bringing corrupt officials and public servants
to trial, the government has an important role to play in educating
citizens to recognize corruption and take steps to combat it. While
combating corruption that is so inherent in the system requires
a determination and commitment, the government and public servants
have to be bold enough to increase transparency and accountability
to eliminate it. The
African Union estimates that the continent loses as much as $148
billion a year to corruption. This money is rarely invested in Africa
but finds its way into the international banking system and often
into western banks. The proceeds of corrupt practices in Africa
... are often laundered and made respectable by some of the most
well known banks in the City of London." - Royal African Society,
London (Ali B. Dinar, Ph.D, 2005) Corruption
also generates economic distortions in the public sector by diverting
public investment into capital projects where bribes and kickbacks
are more plentiful. Officials may increase the technical complexity
of public sector projects to conceal or pave way for such dealings,
thus further distorting investment. Corruption also lowers compliance
with construction, environmental, or other regulations, reduces
the quality of government services and infrastructure, and increases
budgetary pressures on government. Corruption
also undermines economic development by generating considerable
distortions and inefficiency. Although some claim corruption reduces
costs by cutting red tape, the availability of bribes can also induce
officials to formulate new rules and delays.
When corruption increases, the cost of business increases
as well. Openly costly and lengthy regulations are better than obscurely
allowing them to be bypassed by using bribes. Where corruption inflates
the cost of business, it also distorts the playing field, shielding
firms with connections from competition and thereby sustaining inefficient
firms. ”Once you get a coin, your appetite increases and you become a prisoner of
the one who bribed you“(Pacharo Kayira,
Malawi, 2004). Jacob van Klaveren believes that a corrupt bureaucrat
regards his office as a business from which he/she is able to extract
extra-legal income. As a result, the civil servant's total compensation
"does not depend on an ethical evaluation of his usefulness
for the common good but precisely upon the market situation and
his talents for finding the point of maximal gain on the public's
demand curve” (Klaveren 1990: 26). The
importance of combating corruption in Africa was signaled in one
of Mr. Kofi Annan's first interviews as UN Secretary-General, in
which he stressed that economic development on the continent "implies
good governance, competent elites and, above all, the disappearance
of corruption." Without wide, but targeted anti-corruption prevention and public
education programs, neither the legislation nor the enforcement
structures will be successful in fighting corruption.
Public education, prevention before it happens, and investigation
or prosecution - is considered best practice in the area of anti-corruption. While much work in African countries have been
carried out in the area of strategic remedy for corruption, considerations
of increased law enforcement capacity, and prosecution of violators
are still remains as a long term commitment.
To combat corruption adequate organizational and budgetary
arrangements should be put in place urgently, in order to implement
far more structured anti-corruption prevention and public education
programs. The existence of such a program would mean that people
would know what is right and what is wrong because they are able
to measure conduct against a formal or informal set of ethical standards.
An ethics framework constitutes an important foundation for anti-corruption
campaigns in all sectors. With
the help of existence of dedicated legislators, enforcement mechanisms, and watchdog citizens the fight against corruption
is possible, the public education in particular, and the partnership
with business and civil society could play a major role. Dr.
Ghirmai T. Kefela Ph.
D. Int. Business 10/10/2006
|
|
