October 26, 2019
Corruption usually occurs in the dark. Damages of corruption hit in each place of the community. The following are examples of such damages:
- Widespread poverty
- High unemployment rates
- high inflation rates or unstable local currency
- Low collection rates of customs and taxes
- Poor public services such as education and healthcare
- Poor infrastructures such as electricity, water, and telecommunication
- Lack of trust in politics, politicians, and political parties
- lack of confidence in public institutions
- Judiciary is not independent
- The poor rule of law
- Nepotism is widespread
- High rates of youth immigration
- Bribery is widespread
- Money laundering is extensive
- Lack of supervision, control, and accountability for public procurement and bids
- lack of social justice
- Unjustifiable financial enrichment of public officials
Poor citizens suffer the most. But excessive corruption narrows the middle class. As corruption increases, socioeconomic and political pressures increase on the poor and what’s left of the middle class. Unfortunately, the corrupt class is always blind to the dynamics of their ill and unpatriotic acts. Corrupt business people and politicians excel in holding up slogans of the fight against corruption to enable them to control the public. However, they continue to steal public resources: they are not only thieves, but they are also betraying their countries and nations. Fortunately, this is not sustainable.
When,
youth university grads lose hope in getting jobs and become unemployed, and,
the poor cannot afford healthcare and education, and
the government’s budget is continually financed by unfair taxes, and citizens lose hope in the corrupt politics and politicians,
then
social unrests erupt.
It could lead to a real uprising or even revolution.
Wise ruling regimes realize that corruption and good sustainable governance do not coexist. Social unrest in Iraq led to hundreds of fatalities amid people protests against corruption. Corruption is a central motivator of the Lebanese revolution that I hope it would not jeopardize the unity of the country. It is always true that the government is responsible for fighting corruption. A government that failed in its fight against corruption must resign. Otherwise, social unrest and economic failure are, at least, guaranteed.
