thinkdifferentwithme

[thinkdifferentwithme]

EVILS OF CORRUPTION

Corruption refers to a form of criminal activity or dishonesty. Corruption is the most dangerous social evil prevailing in each part of society in today’s world. It has its roots all around and has spread like a contagious disease. The unethical form of earning money by misusing the power just to satisfy the individual needs is termed as corruption. People in various sectors like government and private misuse their power just to make money. We can see corruption having its hand in various fields like education, sports and games, hospitals, business, industry etc. According to UNODC (United Nations, Office on Drugs and Crimes) Each year, over US$ 1 trillion is paid in bribes worldwide.

Pakistan, a nation of 197 million, has long been an ally of the U.S. and has come a long way in combatting corruption and graft within its government infrastructure. Nevertheless, the 21st century has seen corruption grip the country. Pakistan has slipped by four points on the international Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and stands at 124th position in comparison to 120th position in 2019. The rankings were issued by Transparency International (TI) which also showered loads of praise on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), national media reported.

According to the TI report, Pakistan’s score is 31 out of 100 and the country is ranked at 124th out of 180 countries, and the score has increased four times since 2012. Pakistan lost four positions in 2020 compared to 2019 and seven positions compared to 2018. In 2019, Pakistan ranked 120th on the global corruption list and 117 in 2018.The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be.

The significance of corruption is highlighted by the fact that whenever a political regime has crumbled in Pakistan and some other countries in South Asia, a major and often decisive cause has been the prevalence of official misconduct amongst the politicians and the administrators, and the concomitant spread of corruption amongst businessmen. To develop a practicable Anti-Corruption Strategy in Pakistan, it is imperative to understand the phenomenon of corruption in its historical and political context. The culture of corruption was promoted in the colonial system of administration by the award of lands, titles and jobs to a specific group supporting colonial objectives as part of political bribery. During the last 10 years all elected Governments have fallen due to massive political corruption. The role of money in politics in Pakistan has brought in a new class of wealthy businessmen turned politicians who have constantly strived for saving their business interest over the national economic advantage. The Pakistani Penal Code applies to individuals and makes it illegal to offer, pay or accept a bribe. Companies can be held civilly liable under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the National Accountability Ordinance. Facilitation payments and gifts are prohibited but are common practice. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from office in 2017 following a probe into undeclared offshore assets following the Panama Paper leaks. Sharif was indicted over charges of failing to follow disclosure rules for his offshore assets. Pakistan is unable to guarantee integrity in state bodies and is unable to prevent corruption despite a sound legal framework. The government didn’t implement anti-corruption laws effectively and officials engaged in corruption with impunity. Even if talk about judiciary system, two in five Pakistanis believe the judiciary is corrupt. Over two-thirds of Pakistanis who indicated they had interacted with the courts in the past year, reported paying a bribe. Companies have insufficient trust in the independence of the judiciary and report low trust in the efficiency of the legal framework when it comes to settling disputes and challenging regulations. Pakistan’s judiciary is characterized by corruption, delays, and inefficiency, Delays are often caused by antiquated rules, unfilled judgeships, poor case management, and weak legal education.

A survey was conducted by Transparency International involving 1000 participants, published on Tuesday. The observations of the survey showed greatest corruption in police and public officials that is 86%, 84% corruption was found in political parties, 76% in parliament, 66% in medical and health associations and judicial services, 64% in education system, 62% in NGOs, 54% in religious groups and the lowest percentage of corruption was found in media and military departments. The survey concluded that most of the Pakistanis are forced to pay bribes when dealing for lands or meet the land department. It was also revealed that the police receive 65% of bribes, judicial system takes 36% and education system takes 16% bribes. But now the question arises that how we can overcome with these harsh challenges, to put it simply, no Pakistani government has ever had the political will or intestinal fortitude to truly tackle corruption in Pakistan.  Far from it being an impossible task, equal to Hercules cleaning King Augeas’ stables, the early history of NAB shows that it had the expertise and determination to pursue high-profile corruption cases involving those hitherto untouchable in their power if it had the necessary political backing. But young people can and must lead the change. The median age in Pakistan is now 22 years old, with 63% of the population under the age of 25. Young Pakistanis are globalized, energized and full of ideas. They are less entrenched in patronage networks, more willing to question existing realities and better connected than ever before. But this doesn’t mean that suddenly everything is going to be different. They need support over time to sustain the change they want to see. Their creativity tends to exist in pockets and despite some recent mobilization politically, is largely delinked from policymaking. We need to build an ecosystem to support these young change-makers - mentorship, opportunities, collaborative spaces, and communities - and to jointly maximize their efforts.  

Building accountability is not about overcoming weaknesses - it is about a strengths-based approach that draws upon human, institutional, cultural, and economic assets. Short-term fixes and anti-corruption tools might prove effective in battling graft in isolated ways. But if Pakistan - and other countries - are to truly create fair and open societies for everyone, it is going to take a much larger, generational process to build accountability. The time to start is now.