Reaching new heights of corruption

We are fighting a war with the enemy within, which refuses to let us forego corruption.

Corruption accusations continue to plague the current government. What were murmurs initially (the rumours were taken without the usual grain of salt given our illustrious leaders’ reputations — think, Mr 10 per cent), are now actual figures being quoted in the media, various websites and international think tanks — we ranked 34th on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, falling by eight places in a single year.

Even international personalities point fingers at our behaviour, such as when Angelina Jolie recently said she was disappointed at the sumptuous lifestyle of the political elite of a country where millions live below the poverty line. If it’s not dinners thrown with countless courses to impress a Hollywood starlet with hospitality, it’s the simple fact of their palatial mansions and ‘majestic secretariats’ which a report has revealed cost taxpayers “Rs74million in the last 30 months”.

But that, as said earlier, was somewhat expected. Shameless, yes, given that the recent floods have devastated a huge segment of the population, victimising over 20 million people. And the international world has refused to extend further help till we tax our elite, in a bid to get them to open up their fat purses. A noble thought perhaps, but they erred in thinking that the elite would ever give up their margins of benefit in ruling the country. Think: What do a people who are so shamelessly corrupt know about giving up their cut from every and any activity that takes place in the country?

In an irony of ironies, it recently came to light that members avoided opening former President Pervez Musharraf’s tax file in the Public Accounts Committee after a member asked that PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif’s tax file also be opened. And then, even more recently, two generals were accused of being involved in a multi-million rupees scam while serving in the National Logistics Cell. This is second such incident brought up before the Public Accounts Committee — the saintly army is certainly not squeaky clean. Speaking of saints, in what is perhaps the biggest kicker of all, the latest in the list of corrupt politicians is Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi — his embarrassment compounded after it was revealed that a Saudi prince has written a letter to the chief justice to take action against his ministry on charges of corruption in the Hajj operations.

So it’s not just that we are trying to pick up the pieces as winter approaches, after a flood left millions displaced, or that we are trying to fight a war where a child may blow himself up, killing several others with him, in any shrine, mosque or marketplace. We are also fighting another war, though arguably with much less vigour, against the enemy within, which refuses to let us forego corruption, put another ahead of ourselves and perhaps, ultimately, save ourselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2010.