OPINION | Citizenry should unite and frown upon the corrupt

The never-ending revelations in our country of people involved in allegations of corruption are drowning the ongoing efforts to develop effective measures to inhibit the scourge.

Those who are leading anti-corruption reforms are losing hope, as there is a negative perception that initiatives to minimise corruption will not yield the desired results.

Sadly, some get away with acts of wrongdoing. These revelations limit the levels of trust among the citizenry. They give credence to the submission that across the globe have skeletons in their closets. It could be argued that fortunate are those who have managed, thus far, to ensure that their skeletons do not arouse everyone’s suspicions.

The display in the public domain of an individual’s skeletons should be perceived as a culmination or an exposure of one’s unethical deeds. In certain circumstances, these are esteemed individuals whom we hold in high regard.

For example, it could be a senior politician, government official, religious leader, business executive, or a close family member. Understandably, in most instances, the reactions are not short of emotion. This tends to shift the actual opinion of the problem. More importantly, one ponders whether the alleged culprit’s actions to get involved in nefarious activities were worth the effort.

Those involved in corrupt activities are driven by personal gluttony. The funds that are intended to benefit the public are diverted into the pockets of a few greedy officials. One wonders whether they consider their actions worthy, especially when they see how projects are abandoned, and left incomplete, while others do not even “see the light of day” due to the diversion of funds for themselves.

The culprits enjoy short-term benefits from their corrupt activities. However, they realise that in the long-term, it is not worth being headlined in newspaper articles and being the focus of discussion on talk shows and in society at large. This should be embarrassing and should take its toll on those who are close to the “fraudster”; be it family members or close associates.

No one should feel comfortable if their integrity is questioned. Of concern is when public officials tend to focus on opportunities for corruption, rather than on how best to manage and approach concerns related to developing the country.

Businesses singled out to be involved in corruption have suffered significant reputational damage. The pressure to secure deals and increase profits seems to be the primary driver of their poorly calculated actions, which cannot be accepted as a valid excuse.

Bold business executives stand their ground and refuse to be part of any unethical conduct. Limited attention to ethical practices results in questionable business transactions, which have the potential to collapse the future and stability of a business. The consequences are dire when people tend to lose their jobs which are their livelihood.

It is not in the interest of the business to turn a blind eye to unethical conduct. Of major concern is that professionals lose their accreditation which they have earned due to their involvement in corrupt practices. One could ask whether a similar approach could be viable for the government.

This is not only a challenge for business and government but involves all sectors of society. The scourge can be defeated when there is a sense among the citizenry to unite in the implementation of the anti-corruption reforms. Society should frown upon those who continue to be implicated in corrupt activities.

There are adequate real-life examples to suggest that the long-term consequences of being involved in unethical acts result in losing one’s good standing among fellow humans. Perhaps, the idea, drawing attention, is to open a window of opportunity for those whose skeletons have not yet been exposed, to open the closet. This could fast-track the efforts to increase integrity. Those involved in corrupt practices should abandon their acts because the long-term consequences would result in a questionable standing in society.

Those who have a genuine predisposition to minimise the levels of corruption should not be despondent despite the continuous revelations of corrupt activities including the challenges they face to expose the rot.

Courage should be drawn from countries that have managed to deal decisively with acts of corruption. Their successes were not an overnight project, because these can be traced back to the efforts taken in the previous century.

• Mphendu is a public servant and Holtzhausen-du Toit is a professor at the School of Public Management and Administration at the University of Pretoria