Government should not provide them any opportunity to indulge in illegal practices, fulfil their reasonable demands.
GUJRAT: It has been acknowledged everywhere — from the media to the legislatures — that corruption is a very serious menace in the Pakistani society. Pakistan is one of the countries where corruption is considerably high and this is marring every aspect of our society. Indeed, there are a large number of people who are astonishingly honest in their practices. But it seems that the number of corrupt people is higher than the number of honest ones since inefficiency and malpractice is the dominant feature of state institutions and state services.
Two arguments are popularly put forth by government officials. One, that their salaries are inadequate and second, that they consider it their right to get a ‘commission’ for their services.
It is true that the wages of government officials are inadequate, but this does not justify corruption. If one thinks that they cannot survive on their salary, they should resign and find another job — or they should start their own business. They are not forced by the government to be stuck in a low-paying job if they are dissatisfied by the pay they receive; they are totally free to make a decision. But unfortunately, many such officials do not dare to resign and instead resort to corruption. This may be the case because such officials are lazy or perhaps sceptical about their competency.
Secondly, these dishonest officials insist that it is their ‘right’ to get commission in government contracts. It is completely inconceivable as to why they are granted commission when they are paid by the government for their service. They deceive both the government and the people by granting a contract to a person who is willing to pay commission, whether he is competent or not.
Through your newspaper, I request government officials not to make money through unfair means and feed their children with such money. And they should also show contentment in their lives. They should prove themselves as good citizens.
Furthermore, the government should take steps to improve the salaries of its employees, and put in place measures to control inflation. The government should not provide them any opportunity to indulge in illegal practices and fulfil their reasonable demands.
Ali Raza
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2014.
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