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The stench of corruption
HENLEY MORGAN
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The story is told of three leaders of congregations arguing among themselves about who cheated God in the allocation of funds collected from the faithful. The first, a Roman Catholic, said, "I draw a circle on the floor, stand in the middle of it, take a basket containing all the money, throw it into the air; what falls inside the circle is mine and what falls outside is God's." The second, a Methodist, was indignant at this seeming attempt to short-change God. He said, "I draw a line on the floor, straddle it with both legs, then I throw the money into the air; what falls on the left is mine and what falls on the right is God's." It was now the Baptist's turn. An evangelical type, he piously declared that his two denominational rivals were cheats because neither trusted God enough to allow Him to choose how the tithes and offering of His people should be allocated. "I simply take the money; throw it into the air and say, "God, you keep what you need; whatever falls to the ground I keep."
That's a funny story, but there is nothing funny about the revelations surrounding the Cuban light bulb scandal and the sale of government land to politicians and politically connected people. From the Lord's house, to Gordon House, to the school house and the business house, the stench of corruption is everywhere. And we are paying dearly for it.
The World Bank estimates that countries that control corruption and uphold the rule of law, can expect, in the long run, a four-fold increase in incomes per capita. The bank also estimates that it can make a difference of three per cent per year in annual growth rate for businesses and 20 per cent more in Foreign Direct Investment.
The prevalence of corruption suggests that many among us do not know what it is or do not care that it is wrong. The Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia defines corruption as improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another. For a deeper insight, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics states that corruption obtains when an official transfers a benefit to an individual who may or may not be entitled to the benefit, in exchange for an illegal payment. By taking the payment, the official breaks a legally binding promise he gave to his "principal" to allocate the benefit to those entitled to it.
The World Bank estimates that bribery alone exceeds US$1 trillion per year. A comprehensive estimate of the value of corruption would increase that figure by multiples. Corruption is pervasive; existing in all countries and cultures. The Thaïs call corruption gin muong (nation eating), the Chinese call it tan wu (greedy impurity), the Japanese oshoku (dirty job) and the Pakistanis, ooper ki admani (income from above). In Nigeria a bribe is referred to as "dash" and, well, in Jamaica we say "wi a eat a food", "du a ting" or "get a let-off". Whatever we call it, the result is the same; somebody pays for it and the whole system suffers.
Jamaica is not only among the most corrupt countries in the world, it is slipping badly. This is evident from the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which ranks countries according to the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. The 2007 CPI report ranks Jamaica 84 out of 179 countries and shows the country slipping over the period 2004 to 2007.
When this level of thievery can occur without a word from the leader of the affected political party, organisation or firm, as the case might be, one is left to wonder whether like murder, corruption is making its way into the very culture. Are we on our way to joining the ranks of countries like India where a 2000 research into "gift giving" revealed that 86 per cent of respondents view the practice as normal?
We have a choice; continue to play politics or, like the proverbial ostrich, stick our head in the sand, or follow the example of Botswana, Chile and Barbados - countries that enjoy low levels of corruption and reap the benefits of a growing and prosperous economy.
hmorgan@cwjamaica.com
HENLEY MORGAN
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The story is told of three leaders of congregations arguing among themselves about who cheated God in the allocation of funds collected from the faithful. The first, a Roman Catholic, said, "I draw a circle on the floor, stand in the middle of it, take a basket containing all the money, throw it into the air; what falls inside the circle is mine and what falls outside is God's." The second, a Methodist, was indignant at this seeming attempt to short-change God. He said, "I draw a line on the floor, straddle it with both legs, then I throw the money into the air; what falls on the left is mine and what falls on the right is God's." It was now the Baptist's turn. An evangelical type, he piously declared that his two denominational rivals were cheats because neither trusted God enough to allow Him to choose how the tithes and offering of His people should be allocated. "I simply take the money; throw it into the air and say, "God, you keep what you need; whatever falls to the ground I keep."
That's a funny story, but there is nothing funny about the revelations surrounding the Cuban light bulb scandal and the sale of government land to politicians and politically connected people. From the Lord's house, to Gordon House, to the school house and the business house, the stench of corruption is everywhere. And we are paying dearly for it.
The World Bank estimates that countries that control corruption and uphold the rule of law, can expect, in the long run, a four-fold increase in incomes per capita. The bank also estimates that it can make a difference of three per cent per year in annual growth rate for businesses and 20 per cent more in Foreign Direct Investment.
The prevalence of corruption suggests that many among us do not know what it is or do not care that it is wrong. The Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia defines corruption as improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another. For a deeper insight, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics states that corruption obtains when an official transfers a benefit to an individual who may or may not be entitled to the benefit, in exchange for an illegal payment. By taking the payment, the official breaks a legally binding promise he gave to his "principal" to allocate the benefit to those entitled to it.
The World Bank estimates that bribery alone exceeds US$1 trillion per year. A comprehensive estimate of the value of corruption would increase that figure by multiples. Corruption is pervasive; existing in all countries and cultures. The Thaïs call corruption gin muong (nation eating), the Chinese call it tan wu (greedy impurity), the Japanese oshoku (dirty job) and the Pakistanis, ooper ki admani (income from above). In Nigeria a bribe is referred to as "dash" and, well, in Jamaica we say "wi a eat a food", "du a ting" or "get a let-off". Whatever we call it, the result is the same; somebody pays for it and the whole system suffers.
Jamaica is not only among the most corrupt countries in the world, it is slipping badly. This is evident from the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which ranks countries according to the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. The 2007 CPI report ranks Jamaica 84 out of 179 countries and shows the country slipping over the period 2004 to 2007.
When this level of thievery can occur without a word from the leader of the affected political party, organisation or firm, as the case might be, one is left to wonder whether like murder, corruption is making its way into the very culture. Are we on our way to joining the ranks of countries like India where a 2000 research into "gift giving" revealed that 86 per cent of respondents view the practice as normal?
We have a choice; continue to play politics or, like the proverbial ostrich, stick our head in the sand, or follow the example of Botswana, Chile and Barbados - countries that enjoy low levels of corruption and reap the benefits of a growing and prosperous economy.
hmorgan@cwjamaica.com
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