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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Clear and crystalline
By Mona Makram-Ebeid *
Today, there is a general demand worldwide to put an end to corruption. Its costs for the economies of developing countries are totally intolerable and the moral consequences are even worse. In the social sphere, corruption (in the guise of squirrelling away resources from policies and programmes set up to help the poorest members of society) is a true ethical crime.
One of the main points of criticism levelled at states in recent decades has been their failure to punish corrupt practices. This is a very widespread problem, which does not affect the developing world exclusively but has more far-reaching and disastrous consequences for the developing world.
For every corrupt public sector employee, there is someone who does the corrupting from the private sector. A state that realises the human and economic costs of corruption must effect a radical transformation in this area. All anti-corruption strategies should be brought into play, including the Herculean task of educating people about corruption. Clear-cut codes of ethics that can be enforced strictly must be devised, and spaces must systematically be created to discuss the problem in educational venues for civil servants. Information technology can make a valuable contribution.
Corruption must become an exceptional occurrence; it should be penalised morally, but the risk of criminal prosecution should also be very real. In this manner, it will be difficult for corruption to flourish because of permanent control by the preventive systems in place and supervision by the citizens themselves. In-depth reforms require active social and political support.
*This week's Soapbox speaker, a former member of Parliament, teaches political science at the American University in Cairo.© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
