According to the National Cancer Institute, “Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body. It occurs when the orderly process of Cell Division breaks down, and abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply when they shouldn’t. These cells may form tumors, which are lumps of tissue. Tumors can be cancerous or non-cancerous.”
Cancerous tumors spread into nearby tissues and can travel to distant places in the body to form new tumors. Corruption is defined, by Transparency International, as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Corruption is dishonest behavior by those in positions of power, such as managers or government officials. Corruption can include giving or accepting bribes or inappropriate gifts, double-dealing, under-the-table transactions, manipulating elections, diverting funds, laundering money, and defrauding investors.
In my own words, Corruption is basically taking something that does not belong to you without legal approval or consent and using it for yourself. The prevalence of Corruption has been and continues to be a fundamental problem in Liberia that’s deeply rooted in the core of our nation’s fabric. Like cancer, it starts anywhere and gradually spreads till it takes over its host terminally. It’s safe to say, from the pieces of evidence of rampant corruption that has plagued our country right from its foundation, that corruption, like cancer, has spread and continues to do so thereby stalling the national progress of our country. Liberia is ill and the sooner we accept as a country that our diagnosis is corruption, the sooner we can make significant strides in the right direction to curb or reduce the spread of this cancer that is eating us whole.
Causes of Corruption
Just like in the fight against cancer, the only way to fight corruption is to first properly diagnose its causes early and then take rigorous and comprehensive actions against it. Cancer is fought on multiple fronts using multiple techniques to fight the disease, therefore, we must also use multiple fronts to fight our own cancer in Liberia, ‘’Corruption’’. I have summed up the causes of corruption to fall under the following main categories which I will be dissecting below:
Throughout history, humans have always had an unfettered desire for money or power, riches or glory, or simply wanting more than what they have. However, corruption is born when humans act upon that desire illegally, with no regard whatsoever for moral boundaries, to attain these desires. From as low within families/households to as high as within the national government, it is that urge for more than the usual to quench their desires that leads to corruption. When we make personal choices to act in ways that benefit us, to the detriment of other people around us, hoping not to get caught or because we think we can get away with it, we breed Corruption.
Cultural Environments that condone Corruption are significant causes of corruption. Liberia, throughout its history, has developed a cultural environment where corruption is condoned and accepted as a norm. It’s as if we have been diagnosed with this cancer and we’ve accepted to live with it till it kills us. We have stooped so low that we defend or even admire crooks (“that man used his head to steal his own”), or rationalize false arguments with no moral basis (“everyone does it”; “take your own while you can and leave because others will still do it whether you do it or not”; “life is short”). Corruption is a cancer in Liberia that has been accepted as a status quo and Liberians usually attempt to justify it with statements like: “If we stop bribing, our competitors will not stop. Therefore, we have to bribe in order to remain competitive.” We even excuse it when we say, “Bribery and deceptive conduct are not really crimes. They are just age-old business practices. They are part of the game. Everybody does it; when you use your head, your body will not suffer”.
It is no secret that Lack of Transparency and Accountability is one that has plagued our country for a long time. Therefore, it is one of the fundamental causes of corruption at all levels of our country. People in power are not held accountable to the letter and are often let off the hook. Entities responsible for enforcing transparency, accountability, and serving as our immune systems do not perform their jobs well thereby leaving room for the cancer of corruption to enter our body, “Liberia”.
A Culture of Impunity, fueled by slow and unreliable judicial processes, enables the spread of Corruption in a society. Swift judicial processes can have a greater exemplifying effect than those that, by the time the sentence comes, the crime already is nearly forgotten. Therefore, since our judicial processes are mostly slow and unreliable, it does not create an effect on would-be criminals that being involved in corruption would be bad for them, hence increasing rampant corruption. There’s also the issue of people using their power and influence to manipulate the law and system and walk out scot-free when indicted with issues of corruption.
Insufficient Reporting of Corruption propels corruption, as the perpetrators of corrupt acts do not fear detection when acting out clandestine behaviors. Some of the reasons for insufficient reporting of corruption are as follows:
Lack of awareness: There is often a lack of awareness within the private sector and amongst the public as to the nature of the different types of corruption, and that they constitute criminal offenses. Thus, corruption often goes undetected, even by those against whom it is perpetrated, and therefore goes unreported.
Inadequate or non-existent reporting structures: Both in the national gov’t and generally in society, there may be inadequate means by which individuals can safely report corruption.
Belief: When the notion is that nothing will happen if crimes and corrupt practices are reported, people start to believe that there is no point in reporting suspected corruption. People start to feel that nothing will be done in response to their reports.
Fear of retaliation: People fear that they will be the victim of retaliation if they report corruption (e.g. physical violence, loss of job, loss of friends, defamation lawsuit, etc.). People also fear that, if they report, they will become embroiled in a costly and time-consuming investigation, or that the investigation may examine their role in the relevant circumstances or in other actions.
There are several causes of corruption and they have a significant impact as corruption spreads across the country like cancer and gradually breaks down our country as we know it. Like cancer, corruption has no direct cure or fix, however, we can use multiple techniques on multiple fronts to push our cancer into remission. Some of which are the following;
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a drug treatment for cancer that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells that are cancerous in your body. Likewise, in terms of our country’s own cancer, Corruption, we must use chemotherapy measures to eradicate the cultural environment that condones corruption by enforcing transparency and accountability measures and systems, fast-tracking judicial cases of corruption and providing adequate justice, creating adequate awareness around the issue from as low as the family level to the national gov’t so as to discourage its prevalence, creating room that encourages reporting of corrupt practices, etc.
Surgery: Traditionally, the primary purpose of cancer surgery is to cure your cancer by removing all of it from your body. The surgeon usually does this by cutting into your body and removing the cancer along with some surrounding healthy tissue to ensure that all of the cancer is removed. Likewise, in terms of our country’s own Cancer, we must perform surgery to remove the cancerous cells from our body, Liberia. That is, prosecuting and penalizing those who are found guilty of corrupt acts and practices to set an example and discourage the act of impunity. This will be very effective in the fight against our cancer, Corruption.
“We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up or fight like hell.” – Lance Armstrong
Authored by: Darcess Dossen
Featured Image by: Nathaniel Tetteh on Unsplash
People are talking but really which of the options will be selected. People need to be taught what it is that they, the regular people do that is not ” market technique” , “making a living”, “water beinv dried and fish eating fish”, ” you eat I eat” etc. They need to be told and explained to how very ‘EVIL’ and WICKED’ it is. How so not very smart at all it is. How it takes away in the long term as opposed to the “seemingly instant gratification” they falsely thinl they feel. Something seriously needs to be done. Bravo to the writer of this article.