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The Anatomy of Official Corruption

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The Anatomy of Official Corruption VIII Congreso Internacional del CLAD sobre la Reforma del Estado y de la Administración Pública, Panamá, 28-31 Oct. 2003 The burden on our backs; corruption in Latin America Gerald E. Caiden University of Southern California Corruption has now become a popular subject in international circles. Not that it is new. Far from that, corruption has been with us since the dawn of government. But finally the world has decided that it has become too dysfunctional for global development for it to go unchallenged. Indeed, it has become so menacing that something has to be done about it. But are we taking about the same thing? Despite different words for it, there are common definitions and what is more there seems to be a remarkable degree of agreement in time and place. Ever since written records have survived, the same kinds of objectionable behavior have been identified, irrespective of language, religion, culture, ethnicity, governance, location, philosophy and social values. These have always been considered unworthy of individuals exercising power over others, epitomized in Lord Acton’s dictum that “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” They have disappointed those over whom they have exercised their power. The Essence of Corruption The starting point in determining what constitutes corrupt practice is with the act itself, that specific form of behavior that is considered wrong and offensive. Those behaving in such a way must know that what they were doing was morally wrong, clearly out of line and unacceptable. They knowingly stole. They perjured themselves. They bribed or accepted bribes or passed on bribes or recorded bribes or disguised bribes. They interfered where they had no business interfering. Their acts were deliberate, not accidental or incidental. They were flagrant and worse still done without any pangs of conscience or shred of guilt. In short, they did know right from wrong but ventured on regardless. But what is considered right or wrong varies from place to place and in time. What was once considered natural, acceptable and even necessary, like cannibalism or infanticide, is later seen as wrong, just as what was seen as wrong, unconscionable and unnatural in the past becomes more acceptable and tolerated. What is seen as right or wrong in one culture or religion or ideology is not in another. Fortunately, in the case of corruption, there has been remarkable universal agreement over the centuries as to which specific acts fall within its rubric. Any differences have been marginal, not central. This convergence has been made possible by looking at the motivation of the actor. Why was the act done? They may protest otherwise but it seems fairly clear to others that they benefited in some way that would not otherwise have occurred. They had themselves or their closest and dearest in mind. They knew what they were doing and how advantaged they would be. Their actions were premeditated. They had thought things out or thought they had and had known what they were getting themselves into. They had been deliberate and must have felt that if discovered what they were doing would not be approved but seen as conduct unbecoming, wrong, unjust, immoral. Because they suspected that their acts would be resented, they tried to hide what they were about. They acted in the dark, confided only in a select group or inner circle that they thought they could trust also not to reveal anything, intimidated anyone who might spill the beans, silenced suspected whistle-blowers, preyed on the gullible and took advantage of the trust and goodwill vested in them. When discovered, they tried to brazen things out, destroy any incriminating evidence, used their position to hush up any incidents, and turn the tables on their accusers. Clearly, they knew they were up to no good. VIII Congreso Internacional del CLAD sobre la Reforma del Estado y de la Administración Pública, Panamá, 28-31 Oct. 2003 Again, attitudes are not necessarily consistent or absolute. Much depends on who it is who is being accused. Allowances are given for quite different reasons. On the one hand, the corrupt acts are so grave that if exposed, public trust in public institutions or anyone with authority might collapse into chaos, anarchy, violence and revolution, potential disasters that could damage the social fabric. Better then if such corruption was covered up and knowledge of it kept to very few trusted insiders. On the other hand, the corrupt acts committed might be considered so trivial and minor that they could be overlooked or forgiven because of the far greater good that the guilty perpetrators were doing (or had done) for the community as long as they were contrite or remorseful or ashamed on discovery, promised to refrain in the future, and make amends by offering compensation or doing penance. This contrasts to the obvious guilty and unapologetic who expose and testify against others in the inner circle on the promise of receiving a lighter punishment for spilling the beans and trapping the others. None of these cases fall into the exceptional category of heroic corruption where the actors gain nothing for themselves but risk much by acting for what they believe to be in the best interests of the community. They act selflessly and their motivation is idealistic on behalf of some justifiable, legitimate and harmless cause. Of course, they may be mistaken and their actions may be reprehensible but they may claim that they had no other option and their cause was in their eyes truly noble and deserving. They can be compared with whistle-blowers who make much the same case while being accused of being self-promoting or vengeful or otherwise less nobly motivated. Some of them are and others are not but every so often there are indeed individuals who act righteously without thinking of themselves. Judgment depends much on what were the actual outcomes or results or consequences of the alleged corrupt act. Who benefited and who suffered? Apart from rare heroic corruption, the actors benefited or gained something that would not have happened otherwise, that is, if they had not acted as they did. Their intervention altered or changed outcomes. Resources were improperly redistributed. Some people gained unfairly at the expense of others whether or not the latter were aware of their loss. By not playing by the commonly accepted rules, the outcomes were deliberately changed in some pre- determined fashion. Harm was done to innocent, trusting, honest, moral folk who were kept in the dark. An inner circle manipulated things for some secret agenda and made sure its members were not injured. Others outside the circle suffered the consequences despite claims made that nobody lost and nobody was victim. Only in the case of heroic corruption can it be said that the winners deserved to win and the losers deserved to lose. Corruption distorts in favor of the undeserving and penalizes the truly deserving. The corrupt cheat the underprivileged by taking away what is rightfully theirs. This is the injustice and immorality of corruption that when revealed is understood by the deprived, reminds them of their powerlessness and inferiority, and goads them to seeking revenge. Corruption is the antithesis of morality which may be a better way of defining it than the tortuous and fruitless search for something that tries to be inclusive. Jim Wesberry has probably provided one of the best descriptions that captures the essence of corruption. Corruption thrives on darkness and invisibility. It is anonymous and unmeasurable. It is rooted in the very human vices of greed and lust for power… [It] is colorless, shapeless, odorless, collusive, secret, stealthy, shameless… It often leaves no trail but that impressed in human minds, memories and perceptions. (Caiden, Dwivedi & Jabbra, 2001, 1) In recent years, this will o’ the wisp has been imprinted on people’s minds by such concrete examples as the attempts of the Italian government to rein in the Mafia, the brutality of the Russian Mafiya, the decline in Japan’s economic fortunes, the 1990s recession in Southeast Asia, political upheavals in the 2 VIII Congreso Internacional del CLAD sobre la Reforma del Estado y de la Administración Pública, Panamá, 28-31 Oct. 2003 Philippines and Pakistan, the hollow governments in much of Southern Africa, the forced resignations of the European Commissioners, political party financial scandals in Western Europe, the operations of the narco-regimes in the Middle East and Asia, the off-shore banks around the globe, and the inside looting of some major American business corporations and manipulated trading on world stock exchanges, to say nothing of global trading in illegal goods and services, international smuggling, and money laundering encouraged by rogue governments. All these are unmistakable illustrations of corruption at work around the globe with serious repercussions for all. This obvious presence of corruption gave birth in the early 1990s of Transparency International (TI) to publicize this menace and record actions taken to combat it. As a result, the international community could no longer ignore corruption and reversed course by acknowledging it, promoting measures to combat it and employing TI to expose and contain it. The taboos that used to shield corruption have now fallen by the wayside. Corruption is acknowledged to be an obstacle to world development by discouraging investment, undermining stability, destroying effective governance and demoralizing people. The societal price being paid has become too high and needs to be reduced. Tackling Corruption The international concern with corruption has been accompanied by a burst of studies, much of it repetitive and exhortary, but rather short on practicalities. This should not surprise as the subject is rather messy and fuzzy.
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