My 4th Article THE BIG C OF SOCIETY We all know what the “Big C” stands for! It is what everybody dreads whenever our doctor tells us, after careful diagnosis, that we have Cancer! It is as if the whole world just came crashing down on us! Since I am not a medical practitioner and I don’t have cancer, I will not delve into that issue, but rather will talk about the “Big C” of Society, which is Corruption! Just like cancer which eats up our health life slowly but surely, so does Corruption which destroys the very foundation of every society and lives of people! What is Corruption? Transparency International, a global coalition against corruption defines it as “THE ABUSE OF ENTRUSTED POWER FOR PRIVATE GAIN. IT HURTS EVERYONE WHO DEPENDS ON THE INTEGRITY OF PEOPLE IN A POSITION OF AUTHORITY.” Carlos H. Conde in his Philippines most corrupt, surveys says the “means of corruption include graft, bribery, embezzlement, backdoor deals, nepotism, and patronage”. I could add some more like sowing fear, intrigues and manipulation to pursue one’s selfish interests in the growing lists. Looks like it pictures a force of darkness lurking on the lives of the innocents and the righteous. But the questions to ask are why corruption is prevalent in our country? How come corrupt people are not afraid of the reach of the law and the prying eyes of the people? How come some people cannot see the tentacles of evil being worked on them? To answer these questions, let me cite to you what Randy David, a sociologist, said in his article on the “Normalization of Corruption” wherein he stated that corruption exists because it is an alterable given and that the law turns a blind eye and tends to be lenient, on one hand, and that the corrupt themselves does not see their acts as illegal or immoral, on the other hand. So what shields corrupt people from feeling remorse and guilty about their ways? According to Mr. David, they use defensive maneuvers called “techniques of neutralization.” What are these techniques? There are 5 techniques. 1. Denial of responsibility – they will say “Why should I be blamed for this mess? My signatures were forged! My office only recommends the projects. I have no participation in their actual implementation!” 2. Denial of injury – they will say “my PDAF allotments went to the intended beneficiaries. The projects were requested by the communities themselves.” 3. Denial of victim – they will say “who is the victim here? No one among the recipient communities of the PDAF are complaining. The blanket allegations of corruption are coming from the vociferous middle classes and the social media.” 4. Condemnation of the condemners – they will say “this is politically motivated. The government prosecutors are zeroing in on the administration’s political enemies and sparing its allies.” 5. Appeal to higher loyalties – this technique is used by the corrupt in trying to justify violation of community norms by appealing to higher norms, as when a lawmaker attempts to justify the improper use of public funds by invoking the needs of a higher ideological cause. Whenever you feel that these factors are present, just beware, for the hand of darkness may be at work and you will be taken for a ride and ripped off of your hard-earned integrity and dignity. And please, never try to justify or accept the evil deeds of the corrupt, for the “greatest form of corruption is the acceptance of corruption!” Here’s to a corrupt-free week ahead!
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:11:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015