“When Power Becomes a Business: How Politics Fuels Corruption”

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 18^th 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 Díaz 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.