Combating the Devil of Corruption

Corruption

With corruption we come to the most ridiculous phenomenon in the politico-social structure of our society. In simple words, corruption means the betrayal of an office or duty for some consideration or in other words systemic corruption within the public sector can be defined as the systematic use of public office for private benefit that results in a reduction in the quality or availability of public goods and services. This menace alone is responsible for whole bunch of social, political and socio-political diseases as poverty, widening divide between rich and poor, law and order, nullifying efforts to install good governance, speed-breaking the economic activity militates against the public welfare and so forth. The world, at the first place is faced with the problem of defining the term ‘political corruption’ or simply the corruption. First, corruption is simply a catchall for specific abuses--bribery, graft, extortion, nepotism, and ticket fixing. Second, given the decentralization of political institutions, it is also arguable that the history of corruption on the national level would differ appreciably from that on the central, provincial or municipal level, and which of these histories would throw more light on the political system is open to question: a scandal in Islamabad may matter less than chronic payoffs to city police inspectors. Finally the history of corruption is really the history of reform--of those occasions when corruption is alleged, discovered, and attacked. Working with evidence almost always supplied by hostile sources is a daunting challenge to historical objectivity. In broad terms, political corruption is the misuse of public office for private gain. All forms of government are suspected of being corrupt. Degrees of corruption vary greatly, from minor uses of influence and patronage to do and return favors, to institutionalized bribery and beyond. The end-point of political corruption is kleptocracy, literally rule by...