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WE ARE ALL CORRUPT AT HEART

25/02/2024 15:09:00 Dr Cleopas Sibanda

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The dictionary definition of corruption is that it is unethical, immoral and dishonest favouritism based or inspired behaviour which is synonymous with underhand double-dealing, theft, fraud, bribery and graft.

In one of my articles about corruption, I described it thus: “Corruption is the act of obtaining material things, advantages, gains and or favours by morally and or ethically wrong and unfair means." Unlike cases of fraud and theft, corruption cases are not that obvious, straightforward or easy to see or to detect. Corruption is usually very difficult to prove. Yet it is far more rampant than fraud or theft. Corruption is rampant in governments, businesses and the general population at large. The funny thing about corruption is that everyone will consider corruption to be what it really is, i.e. just straightforward corruption, until it benefits them. It is corruption until it benefits you. If and when it benefits you, then it is not corruption but just family, social, economic or political net-working.

Under such circumstances, corruptionis viewed asnormal or even expected relationship assistance, kindness or benevolence from close friends, relatives, colleagues or associates.”
I still stand by what I said about corruption in thatarticle. In today’s article, I want to assert that we are all naturally corrupt at heart, all of us and without exception. We are all corrupt at heart because doing favours to people that we know, are related to or whom we love or like is second nature to us. Corruption starts in such very small and innocuous ways and then grows into bigger issues like obtaining huge government and other business tenders through family, social, business or political networks. It is only at bigger levels that corruption begins to be recognised as corruption.

For example, no one would view it as corruption when a well-placed and influential person helps a relative to secure a place or scholarship for their child at school, college or university.
Neither would it be viewed as corruption when the same or similar assistance is sought and secured in the process of getting a job, a passport or a visa. It would only begin to be viewed as corruption when it comes to getting very huge government or private sector business tenders. Yes, we are all corrupt at heart, but we should not be like that. It is not like we are or we were all born corrupt, or with corruption emblazoned into our hearts and minds. In fact, we were all born little angels, but the environment into which we were born turned us into little corrupt devils. It is the operating environment and not genetics which makes someone the way they are or the way they become in terms of character, personality and behaviour. Hence corruption is an environmental factor and not an inborn one. Yes, kisses go by favour, hence the natural tendency for human beings to be corrupt is always there and cannot be denied. However, it is repetitive environmental experiences which nurture and grow that tendency for kisses to go by favour until it actually becomes second nature or the way we do the things which we do.

corrupt practices

How else can people not be corrupt or not resort to corruption or corrupt practices when it is or has been made very difficult for them to obtain places or scholarships for their children at school, college or university? How else can people not resort to corruption when jobs are scarce and getting one is like climbing Mount Everest? How else can people not be corrupt when getting even very small business tenders from government has become a preserve of those who are politically well connected? These are the things which breed corruption and these are the things which make all of us corrupt or view corruption as a normal thing or normal way of doing business. Blaming people for being corrupt in a corruption laden environment is like blaming someone for being sick in a disease infested environment. It is not fair at all.

Contrary to what many people think or believe, fighting corruption is actually pretty easy once its root causes have been properly identified and isolated. Anti-corruption commissions, task-forces and task-teams will never be able to successfully prevent or tackle corruption. Instead, they run the risk of becoming bigger havens and bigger perpetrators of even bigger corruption themselves! This is because by nature and as already argued above, we all tend to be corrupt at heart. Such being the case, only corruption preventing methods, measures and systems can successfully tackle corruption and not any anti-corruption commission, task-force or task-team. We must admit that by the time we need to report or to investigate acts of corruption, or to arrest, try and jail people for corruption, it is already too late.

Yet most if not all of our anti-corruption commissions, task-forces and task-teams arejust geared towards exactly that end-game, the end-game of just receiving and investigating reports of corruption and then trying to bring the alleged perpetrators to book. Yet that process by itself is also intrinsically riddled with corruption!As a social ill or social disease, the best way to tackle or deal with corruption is to prevent it. Prevention is and has always been better than cure. This is just old wisdom. Hence one wonders why such common-sense or common wisdom should elude us, unless of cause, if it is all deliberate. Fighting corruption through prevention is pretty easy. It must starts at the early childhood education, growth and development level. It starts with national governments having to realise and accept the fact that as part and parcel of one’s character, personality and behaviour, corruption is not in-born or genetically transmitted but it is an acquired trait which is inadvertently taught to and learnt by children from the very first day that they are born.

New-born children learn everything which they end up knowing and doing from the environment in which they are born and raised. This does not only include language, but also includes character, personality and behaviour as well. If that environment dignifies and promotes corruption, then the children would grow up to naturally view corruption as part of normal life or as a normal part of life. Hence how children are raised or brought up, and the operating environment in which they are raised and brought up, must concern all national governments which want to successfully prevent corruption and a whole lot of other social ills as well. Such being the case,national governments must very much concern themselves with issues of early-childhood education, growth and development, the so called ECD. All would-be parents must be compulsorily educated, trained and certified on all issues related to ECD free of charge. This is because 85% of the foundation of a child’s character, personality and behaviour is laid down during the child’s first two years of life. This is the time during which the child would be exclusively at home and in the sole care of parents or guardians.

This means that if corruption is part and parcel of the way they dothingsat home, then that child would already be 85 per cent corrupt by nature at two years of age. After the home-grown first two years of life, all corruption-prevention-minded national governments must institutionalise compulsory and free pre-school ECD for all children. ECD must be very professional, systematic and well structured. It must aim to imbue children with correct and desirable character, personality and behavioural traits while at the same time also correcting any aberrations which may have been inadvertently imparted whilst the child was still exclusively at home.

specialised syllabuses

Hence highly educated and trained special infant educators together with appropriate and specialised syllabuses are of paramount importance in this regard. The usual unregulated and business profits oriented, driven and motivated laissez-faire and free-for-all pre-school or kindergarten approach would not be able to provide the required high standard levels of ECD services. Hence there is absolute need for government intervention in this regard. After kindergarten, corruption prevention and good character, personality and behaviour building efforts must similarly continue as part and parcel of normal education and training throughout primary, secondary, high school, college and university years. Outcomes of such concerted efforts are that at the end of the day, there would be produced human beings who are less likely to be corrupt. This is the best starting point in preventing all kinds of corruption.

The next best way of preventing corruption is to put into place correct and appropriate operating systems everywhere. For example, obtaining school, college or university places or scholarships for children should be based solely on merit. In fact, certain simple and logical rules and mechanisms must be applied in this regard. Meritoriously qualifying students from vicinities of educational institutions must be automatically admitted to those institutions should they seek admission there. There should be no need for bribery there. Similarly, all meritoriously qualifying and admitted students must automatically be awarded college, university or tertiary education government financial support in the form of educational loans if they need them.

There must not be any corruption generating scholarship interviews or selection processes in that regard. Such simple measures would prevent corruption right at source, hence there would be no need for any anti-corruption commissions, task-forces or task-teams. As far as jobs are concerned, both public and private recruitment systems, processes and procedures must be based solely on merit alone. They mustbe open, transparent, auditable and accountable. Those who get hired must be visibly seen to be the ones who clearly deserve those jobs. Situations whereby clearly unqualified, inexperienced and incompetent people are hired must never be enabled or tolerated. Such situations would clearly be a result of corruption and by themselves would also promote corruption.

In terms of getting business deals and contracts, the systems, processes and procedures applied must also be solely based on merit. Hence they must be open, transparent, auditable and accountable as well. Lack of openness and transparency breeds corruption by promoting underhand dealings. For example, rather than preventing corruption, procurement laws, regulations, processes and procedures which prohibit certain players from participating simply because of perceived business, employment and other relationship considerations would actually promote corruption by forcing such players to play the game from below the surface instead of on the table top. It is actually much better to require all interests to be openly declared and also to allow all interested parties to participate and then to openly choose the best service provider from there than to force some of the players to go underground and then end up choosing the worst ones from down below the surface.