Introduction
The link between political ambition and public exploitation.
“Power
tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” — Lord Acton
(John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1887)
Power as a
strong seductress tempts the immoral person in authority to abuse it for one’s
own benefits. When power resonates with their own desires, their rational consciousness
tends to malfunction. Power integrated with greed does not function for the
welfare of a nation. The abusers of power are always maliciously engaged in
filling their filthy coffins. Their sole concern is to gratify their desires
which they would not have been able to do so in absence of the power. Therefore,
Power breeds corruption. The people in authority, when infatuated with their
own benefit, overlook the needs of the people.
In
Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth was tempted by the witches that he will be able
to get the throne of Scotland. This greed for power blurs the boundary between
right and wrong and Macbeth becomes a tyrant instead of a great king. Macbeth butchers
the innocents to get the throne.
In Shakespeare’s
another play, Hamlet, Claudius murders his own brother, Old Hamlet to enjoy the
privilege of power that was present in the throne. He marries the previous
queen and mother of Hamlet in order to improve his position of a king. The
avariciousness of Claudius makes the land of Denmark a blood battleground where
a person is not ready to believe even his blood-relations.
Literature
and History are the eye witnesses to budding corruption which leads to a political
pandemic even dangerous than the biological ones.
Corruption
is analogous to cancer. It is a disease that spreads its invisible tentacles slowly
and steadily, thereby polluting the society to its core. Cure becomes strenuous.
It takes extensive time for an affected nation to be treated to function once
again healthily.
History
also provides us a table set with various revolutions that happened dominantly
because of the corruption.
French
Revolution (1789–1799)
One of the
most historic revolutions that occurred due to corruption is the French
Revolution. The financial mismanagement; crown in extreme debt; monarchy not
bothered about the welfare of the nation; tax collections exempting the
aristocracy; and poor people suffering under the debris of economic burden was
the scenario of France during 18th century.
Russian
Revolution (1917)
Russia under
the Tsars became a ripe area of flourishing corruption in military management
and bureaucracy during World War I. The officials diverted the resources and
tax embezzlement further deteriorated the conditions of the soldiers. The
corrupting influence culminated with the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the
rise of the Bolsheviks.
Mexican
Revolution (1910–1920)
President
Porfirio DĂaz and his allies exercised their malicious power and enjoyed favoritism.
Land and wealth were
concentrated among elites; rural peasants were exploited, and bribery in local
administrations was rampant. This led to widespread revolt for seeking justice
and land reforms.
Sudanese
Revolution (2018–2019)
Sudanese
Revolution attracted the attention of the world by its dynamic revolution in
overthrowing the unscrupulous long-standing rule of 30 years of Al Bashir. Omar
Al Bashir’s government faced condemnation due to the economic mismanagement,
embezzlement of public funds, and nepotism caused skyrocketing prices and
worsening living conditions.
Venezuelan
Protests (2014–Present)
One such
revolution which is still in operation is the Venezuelan protest. People are
exercising their freedom of expression against rampant embezzlement, currency
manipulation, and misuse of oil revenues caused hyperinflation, shortages, and
poverty.
Election
funding and crony capitalism.
Election campaigns
are expensive and running them requires immense wealth. Often, a candidate
interested in standing for elections gets financial help from corporations,
wealthy individuals and interest groups. Thereby, an expectation gets automatically
generated that the investors will derive benefits if the campaign becomes
successful and the candidate wins. This results in neglecting the general
welfare of the public as the welfare of the donor becomes more important than
that of the nation.
Crony
Capitalism occurs when a business depends more on government connections in
their success rather than their competitiveness, innovation and efficiency. Competing
companies are excluded, creating monopolies or oligopolies. Public resources
are diverted to benefit a small elite, while ordinary citizens pay higher
prices or receive poorer services. Even if the company is opting for corrupt
means such as tax evasion or unfair means of doing a business, they are
excluded from punishment and government trials.
During the
2008 financial crisis, major banks and financial institutions like Goldman
Sachs, Citigroup, and Bank of America were on the verge of collapse due to
risky lending and investment practices. These corporations had close
connections with government officials, including members of the Treasury and
Federal Reserve.The government provided massive bailouts (TARP – Troubled Asset
Relief Program) to these institutions, using taxpayer money.Many argued that
ordinary citizens bore the cost (through taxes and foreclosures), while elite
financiers were protected from the consequences of their risky behavior.
Nepotism
and misuse of public office.
Government
positions do not come up with hereditary rights. The son of a politician in
power should not be the next authoritarian figure if he lacks the skill set for
the position. It has become a prevalent custom in several countries where a
family is ruling the country for decades. Not only family, a political party
also manages to remain in power by buying the administrative and military system
of a country and enjoys the privilege to elect their own candidate to the post.
Other candidates having the talents are deprived of such rising opportunities.
In Philippines,
under Ferdinand Marcos regime, 1965–1986, Marcos appointed family members and
close allies to key positions. His wife Imelda and relatives managed vast parts
of the government and economy. Government contracts and projects were awarded
to loyalists, creating widespread embezzlement and siphoning of public funds.
In Russia under
Vladimir Putin, many government posts and state-controlled business positions
are held by Putin’s allies or relatives.Wealth and contracts are concentrated
among a connected elite, while regulatory institutions are weakened.
In Contemporary Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe,
1980–2017, Mugabe appointed family members and loyalists to senior government
and military posts. State resources were diverted to political elites, and
contracts for businesses were given to loyalists rather than on merit. Public
services declined, economy collapsed, and corruption became endemic.
Absence
of political ethics and accountability.
Corruption perpetrates
swiftly and easily because of the absence of accountability and ethics. If a person entertains his ethics correctly, there
is less chance of corruption to proliferate. If ethics fails to curb corruption, the system
of accountability can be extensively helpful in fighting against the malicious
disease. Countries in Middle East like Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Oman and Qatar have
strong judiciary that manages to inhibit corruption in any form.
Denmark consistently
ranks among the least corrupt countries on the Transparency
International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). It is because Denmark has
managed to build independent anti-corruption agencies, transparent public
procurement, strong auditing systems, and freedom of information laws.
Same thing
goes for New Zealand and Sweden. In New Zealand, there exists independent
Ombudsman, Auditor-General, strong parliamentary oversight, and public access
to government information. Whereas in Sweden, the government exercises strong
rule of law, parliamentary committees, strict civil service regulations, and
public reporting requirements.
Electoral reforms, transparency in funding, and stronger watchdog bodies.
Now, the
major concern is how to stop this corruption? Certain measures can be
entertained to eradicate corruption influence in administration. The first measure is electoral reform that
focusses on limited campaigns, enforcement of fair competition rules, and
ensuring free and fair elections. It helps in controlling the politicians in
buying votes in an illegal manner and reducing incentives for nepotism and
favoritism. South
Korea and Taiwan implemented electoral reforms that limited campaign spending.
This banned certain corporate donations, reducing money-driven influence on
politics.
By
transparency in voting , it means full disclosure of political donations,
campaign expenditures, and sources of funding. It reduces the chances o In the UK, all party donations over
£7,500 must be publicly declared, increasing accountability and limiting undue
corporate influence corrupt politicians to secretly favour the donors.
By establishing
strong watch dog bodies, the people will be made aware of the deception and
duplicity in administration. Independent anti-corruption agencies, audit
offices, ombudsmen, or commissions get the powers to investigate, prosecute,
and enforce accountability for public officials. Singapore’s Corrupt Practices
Investigation Bureau (CPIB) has strong investigative powers and is independent
of political influence, contributing to the country’s extremely low corruption
levels.
Conclusion:
Redefining leadership as service, not profit.
People want of
power should not be derived from the point of view of profit. It should stem
from the need of doing better for others at a large scale. Power can easily be
abused but it cannot be easily used for a major reform. Its path is pervaded
with obstacles but continuous strife for a healthy nation can be achieved. The
leaders in power should have a mindset of a person whose principle is to do
good of others. Leadership should be revised on the principle that good for
others is the ultimate good for me.
