The bad and the good

The ultimate expectation from the stewards of any civil society is good governance, for the benefit of the majority of the citizens. The question is, what constitutes good governance? A simple answer is, “Thou shalt know good governance through the socio-economic improvements and developments of the society at large, or as the saying goes, ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” One litmus test of good governance is the degree, level, and extent of corruption in the management of people’s affairs. The consensus is that corruption, which generates inefficiency, low productivity, low level of citizens’ confidence in the leadership of their leaders, the level of confidence in the citizens themselves, and the level of confidence in the economy, is a measurement of good governance without too much ramifications of what is good governance. 

Since corruption is unavoidable in all of us, as history has shown us, the only alternative is to persuade or convince corrupt leaders and the citizens to remain corrupt but show less greed in their corruption, show more kindness and care in distributing people’s resources to all regardless of tribe, place of birth, political affiliations and clan memberships. One approach is to manage corruption rather than seeking utopian solutions to eliminate it, because corruption is often an inherent aspect of human nature.         

The idea of managing corruption is for corrupt individuals or entities managed by individuals to realize that they will be better off with good corruption: To care and have compassion for more ordinary citizens. Some corrupt individuals need to internalize that they are also victims of their corrupt practices. For example, it doesn’t make any sense for leaders to be so corrupt that they’re afraid of their own shadows. Many are so scared of their environment, imprisoned in their own houses without walls. Or jetting abroad for a temporary stay without a country. It’s reasonable to assume that human beings created corruption; only humans can transform ineffective and unproductive corruption into effective and productive corruption for all. 

In addition to the various types of corruption outlined in my book, Managing Corruption, the following are a few further types of corruption to consider. 

Sexual corruption

One does not have to look far to see the sexual corruption everywhere. On social media, in special events, and festivals, women and some men display their bodies in public as if it is the norm of society or a cultural thing to do. Women are practically naked, tantalizing the public that it is the right way to dress, walk, and be sexy, in their effort to entice the opposite sex to get what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. Almost everything they wear is fake. The men and women are full of tattoos and rings on every part of their bodies. The corruption lies in the fact that if citizens, especially the young ones, consider these public displays as sexy and becoming of a person, as the only ways to make ends meet, there is a possibility that they will emulate and internalize such behavior in their future endeavors. 

As for me, when I become the president of hope, I will declare such sexual corruption as legal and official in the name of democracy and freedom. Who are we kidding to do otherwise? After all, we have been doing these things for so long that they have become the norm in society and part of modern traditional values. Unfortunately, or shall I say regretfully, I will never be the president to make this happen.  

Social influence on corruption: The media

Have you seen our movies lately in my country of Hope? Every movie had someone slapping everyone else. The man of the house is slapping the driver for not washing the car on time. The lady of the house is slapping the maid for serving a late breakfast or because the maid allowed herself to be admired by the man of the house. The daughters of the house are slapping the gateman for opening the gate two seconds late. The prince and the queen are prone to slapping someone at their discretion, from minor offenses such as saying the wrong salutation or merely admiring the princess without permission. Citizens watch these movies or listen to these stories (without disclaimers) and assume that such behaviors are expected and normal. 

I am certain that the writers and producers of these movies are aware of the influence their art has. They don’t care as long as they make money from their skits and the number of ‘likes’ increases – all they do is advise the viewers to ‘subscribe’ for ratings and remunerations. The fact is that this literary freedom, in the name of art, will have a lasting impact on viewers’ psyches and perceptions of what is normal, leading them to believe that what they see on the screen is normal and that there is nothing wrong with it. Then we complain about what a decadent society we live in. I remember a movie, “” Fatal Attraction,” where an eight-year-old was mimicking her father by altering the word “Shit” in the hallway as her father says around the house. It was the same way my grandmother used to tell us when she visited the city and saw all the killings in the movie “Rawhide” by Clint Eastwood, by saying, “Turn off the television, I can’t stand watching the killings.” She thought the killings and mayhem were real. The point here is that we cannot create a corrupt environment and later complain about the consequences of a dysfunctional society. We cannot have it both ways. If we want to do what we want, then we should be mature enough to accept the consequences of our actions and move on. We should not later in life talk about indecent behavior, copycat killing, or killing as the only way to settle a score when we communicate to the masses, or in every message we convey. There is always a cause and effect in everything we do. Discussing these things, writing about them, or asking God to forgive us and deliver us from our evil when everyone has internalized our messages is too late, at best.  We cannot plant an apple and expect an orange harvest. But again, modern science may prove me wrong in my example. 

Conspiracy theory: Foreign powers sanctioned and appointed our leaders.

The argument is that foreign powers approve our leaders before they become our leaders; as such, they do the bidding of the powers that selected them. This argument may be valid, considering the ways our leaders seek acceptance from foreign powers before the elections. One can even go as far as to admit that kowtowing to the foreign powers is the only way to be selected to reach the promised land in earnest, because to do otherwise is self-defeating, at best.  

But there is a solution for these unavoidable circumstances. Our leaders should accept the powers that be but use their ascribed status to do good for their citizens.  If our foreign handlers dictate how much to spend on roads, security, education, and health, the question is, where is the evidence that we actually spent the approved budget in these areas? If those who gave us an independent certificate on paper instructed us to slap our parents or abuse our citizens, we should at least carry out their directions with compassion and with humanity, as much as possible. For the sake of argument, suppose we assume our foreign puppet masters instructed us to kill our fellow men and women because we have no other choice, then, we should at least have the decency to convince our foreign leaders that, “Please, our savior, adjust your directives a little because our citizens you want us to kill are God’s children too and they should be allowed to live.” Or is it reasonable to conclude at the end of the day that what our foreign supporters wanted us to do to our citizens, according to this school of thought, is what our leaders wanted to do to us, the citizens, to begin with? Pushing someone who tried to jump over the hedge is the fault of both parties. No one with rational behavior should be forced to do harm or make life unbearable to another human being.   

Ways to turn bad corruption into productive and good corruption. 

Redemption

I have now established that corruption is a pervasive phenomenon in human society, and the people of my country are no exception. As such, our corruption at Hope is everlasting.

To this end, the best alternative available to corrupt practitioners is to redeem themselves, not like sinners confessing their sins, but to make wrong right. Here are examples of how to cleanse unavoidable corruption in all of us. It’s like money laundering – cleaning stolen money to make it appear as if it were officially earned. 

Examples: Corruption in hiring for positions or assignments

These new hires may include, but are not limited to, spouses, girlfriends, relatives, associates, comrades, and their surrogates; godfathers, godmothers, supporters, and anyone we must assist because they are part of our clans. 

Solutions

The solution objectives are to maintain our hiring integrity in all corruption-related engagements, while also demonstrating to individuals and the general public that, although we have made corrupt hires, we rectify them and ensure they are whole and effective for the benefit of the masses. 

What corrupt practitioners should do is ensure that all unqualified hires are ultimately trained to perform the assigned tasks or responsibilities of the position they occupy. They should be taught to do the job and be held accountable. If necessary, a competent person or someone previously unqualified but later trained and qualified for such roles can serve as a mentor for the newly hired employee.

For instance, if you hire a club member’s son, you can assign him to a previous graduate from a corrupt employment background to help him learn the job he was not qualified for. Or, in the case of a corruptly hired individual, they can work side by side with the mentor until the unqualified person is up to speed – business organizations often do this, referring to it as in-house training. This is a form of on-the-job training or an apprenticeship. In the end, the corrupt practitioner can say, “ Yes, I hired the unqualified individuals through corruption, but we trained them and they are adding value to society.” The corrupt practitioner must keep in mind their dignity or integrity, no matter how tainted. It’s similar to a sinner who repented and continues to repent for future sins. We are all used to this phenomenon. We’ve been repenting for most of our lives, and we’ve been forgiven. It’s much better to show good results with pride, rather than hiding our destructive behaviors, as if no one will notice, even when everyone notices. I would rather steal my brother’s money and use it to build a house – a productive use of stolen money. Thereafter, I can show anyone who pointed out my inequity and tell my brother, “Cool it, bro. Yes, I stole your money, but look at the house I built with it; my family and our parents are living in it, that should make you proud of me.” However, we all know that the normal process is not in the corruption playbook because they don’t care; they don’t give a damn. 

What about this? 

What would be preferred? An individual who manipulated votes to become a leader, but remained an inadequate and ineffective leader thereafter, or another crooked politician who manipulated votes but became a good and productive leader? I will prefer the latter wholeheartedly. Personally, I would like a good devil that would allow me to taste the kingdom of heaven. 

Food for thought. 

An individual, ‘A’, invested all the corrupt money abroad – in houses, education, vacations, health, etc. – and lives like a fat cat, but another individual, ‘B’, invested part of the corrupt money within the country to benefit more citizens through employment and philanthropic endeavors – he or she built good schools for the benefit of the community. I will embrace the latter. What would you prefer, readers? 

One for the road. 

An individual collected bribes but failed to provide any services or deliver any products in exchange for the bribes or corruption. On the other hand, another individual collected the bribes but fulfilled all obligations related to the bribes.  What’s your choice?        

For the record. 

An individual had an affair with his friend’s wife without remorse and was proud of it, and dared anyone to challenge him for what he perceived as his entitlement. On the other hand, another individual had an affair with his best friend’s wife, but repented and sinned no more. 

Check this one out. 

An individual may have inherited or stolen family properties, justifying such action by invoking tradition and culture. In contrast, another person inherited the family property and equitably distributed it among the siblings, regardless of the amount.

Another eye-opener.

One corrupt individual used their corrupt money and power to acquire whatever money can buy for themselves and their comrades. Still, another corrupt individual used the same corrupt wealth to obtain the best in life, but also made provisions for the masses to experience a better standard of living, no matter how limited.