Looking beyond corruption, it is not yet too late to free ourselves from this yoke

Look beyond corruption. What do you see? Why does corruption exist? Are all people who partake in corruption really evil? Say I am a policeman and I take a bribe — why? I am not paid enough, and, well, everyone does it.

Say I am a driver and I pay a bribe — why? Going to court would be such a hassle, and, well, everyone does it. Are the policeman and the driver bad people? No — they are just following a societal norm.

A politician is privy to a scandal that steals money from the country’s education fund and funnels it into the pockets of “foreign investors” and political “partners.” Why? Well, everyone does it. Is this politician a bad person? Societal norm or not, stealing money from those who really need it cannot be excused –— so in my opinion, yes.

I am not excusing the everyday minor corrupt act. Every little act of corruption, every little drop of poison into the sea, contributes to the pollution of society.

Look beyond corruption. What do you see? A system that makes it too easy to be corrupt. A culture that expects, even encourages, corruption. Our polluted society is caused by more than just the corruption that is a thin film stretching across the surface of the heaving ocean of a culture and a system.

Corruption is a symptom of a system — a complex system of capitalist greed, political nepotism, exploitative motivation, and historical precedents. In Africa, corruption as we see it today was unknown until the colonialists arrived on the continent. With their taking over, favouritism of a few, creation of an elite, instalment of capitalism, and exploitation of Africa’s precious natural resources, the continent has been transformed into a den of corruption.

Corruption has become a culture that has spread to almost every corner of the globe and become ingrained in our daily lives to the point where it is perfectly normal. An average person today will partake in corruption without feeling an ounce of guilt.

Yes, I have given the police kitu kidogo. Recently though, I decided to walk the talk. In my first driving lesson, my instructor said she would only give me the full hour if I “talked to her nicely”. I refused and suffered the consequences — hope I pass my driving test now! When applying for my ID, I was asked for “soda” to speed up the process. I refused and almost did not get my ID.

Nowadays, even being nice requires a bribe. In C, when one’s car breaks down and passers-by give a hand in pushing it, the driver is expected to give some chai. As the saying goes, nothing is free. Have people forgotten how to help others without asking “what’s in it for me?”.

Then there are the infamous scandals. Such scandals and operations take inhumanity to another level. It is not only corruption that becomes normal and expected — inhumanity, selfishness, exploitation, cheating, and stealing by corporations and politicians are now commonplace.

In order to survive in the capitalist society, one must adopt the capitalist mindset of “me first, even if I have to push others aside.” This selfish mindset infiltrates many of our actions. Further, it encourages corruption with no thought or care for the consequences. Any corrupt act adds to the sea of wrongdoing.

Slavery was widely accepted. It was wrong. Apartheid was widely accepted. It was wrong. Colonialism was widely accepted. It was wrong. Corruption is widely accepted. It is wrong.

What can be done to tackle corruption? Change our attitudes. Make that conscious decision today. Increase accountability. Create peer pressure against corruption. Disrupt the cultural acceptance of corruption. With societal disapproval and shaming of any act of corruption, people will start to change.

Revisit the past. What systems worked better that we have eliminated? Change the bigger system of capitalism that encourages selfish actions. Create a society of “Ubuntu,” such that we are not fighting each other but working together.

Look beyond corruption. What do you see? Human beings who are slaves to a system but have the potential to be just — human.

The writer is an NGO worker and blogger. [email protected]. A version of this commentary won third place in My Corruption-Free Africa writing competition, hosted by Corruption Watch.