This menace can be curbed and cured by formulating stringent laws, protecting whistleblowers.
GHOTKI: Charles Caleb Colton once said: “Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it is set rolling, it must increase.” Corruption is indeed a poison which squanders government resources, deters investment, stunts economic growth, undermines democracy and good governance, fuels poverty and hunger, and creates political instability. It flourishes if people who hold authority are dishonest, state institutions weak, there is lack of true accountability and transparency in governance, and disregard for the rule of law.
At the very birth of Pakistan, the scourge of corruption was identified by none other than the Quaid-e-Azam. He said: “One of the biggest curses from which the country is suffering is bribery and corruption; we must put it down with an iron hand.”
Instead of containing and eliminating corruption, it has actually been promoted in a big way. It has now become a way of life and has permeated every segment of our society. It has got the status of an industry, a most lucrative and profitable one. This menace can be curbed and cured by formulating stringent laws, protecting whistleblowers, developing a culture of hatred against this evil, ensuring merit and transparency in government decision-making processes, curtailing discretionary powers, making the judiciary more assertive and independent so that it can provide speedy justice, and eradicating poverty, hunger and unemployment. The civil society and the media’s roles are of utmost importance in this regard.
Dr Waqar A Chachar
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2013.
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