Report by Transparency International ranks Ethiopia 107th least corrupt nation out of 175 countries. But, if ordinary people fight back against corruption, they can make a real difference, it suggested.
Scholars also stress the need to put in place a comprehensive, adaptive, and integrated policy and strategy to effectively combat corruption. The best barrier against corruption is a well-functioning parliament, they reiterated. The most common types of corruption exist in Ethiopia through different correlated forms as petty vs. grand, administrative vs. political, and disorganized vs. systemic networks.
All these forms are the most powerful obstacle to the country to ensure peace and stability as well as sustainable economic development, they argue. Approached by The Ethiopian Herald, Dr. Fenta Mandefro, Assistant Professor at College of Business and Economics from Addis Ababa University and specialized in Anti-Corruption and Governance Consultancy, considers corruption as a two-way street: there are office holders who demand, and there are private agents who provide.
In this case, public officials may solicit and extort a payment in return to their biased decision or service delivery. And private agents may offer payment for two major reasons: the first is in exchange for a promise to evade the law for their personal advantage or to improve their company’s competitive position at the expense of others, Dr. Fenta says.
Besides, individuals offer payment when the public official is indefinitely unwilling to decide on the case or provide services he/she deserves and where there is no effective system to defend such rights, he explains. According to Dr. Fenta, a typical example of petty corruption is handing over a small sum of money to officials to do their jobs. Citizens are confronted with petty corruption in their daily encounter with public administration and services like hospitals, schools, local licensing authorities, and police, among others.
Whereas, grand corruption involves high-level officials and state agents entitled to enforce the laws in the name of the people, to sustain their power, status and wealth. It typically includes kickbacks to win large public procurements, embezzlement of public funds, and irregularities in public finances, Dr. Fenta exemplifies. Then, “political corruption involves in the formulation of laws, regulations, and policies tailored to fit their personal interests. But, administrative corruption is also bribery in connection with the implementation of existing laws, rules, and regulations.” Unlike political corruption, administrative corruption is closer to petty corruption.
It alters the implementation of policies, such as getting a driving license even if someone doesn’t qualify for it, Dr. Fenta highlights. In systemic corruption, “there is no guarantee that corruption will not persist if the most serious offenders are dismissed or if everyone who is guilty is replaced, since the old patterns will continue with new players.” “Nonetheless, neither petty nor administrative corruption can be ignored. Despite modest amount of money, petty or administrative corruption ruins the life of citizens and erodes public trust in government.
Thus, negligence of petty or administrative corruption provides fertile ground for grand corruption and others to breed.” Although some countries have positive attitude towards corruption for economic developments, Dr. Ermias Ashagrie, Assistant Professor at College of Business and Economics, BahirDar University, argues corruption poses huge obstacle to socio-economic development, and puts corrosive impact on the lives of the poor.
Similarly, Dr. Fenta explains corruption has the power to destroy countries in many ways such as undermining government revenue, distorting the decision-making on public investment projects, encouraging illegal operations, discouraging home grown private-sector development and innovations, worsening income distribution, and creating uncertainty over government plans among others.
For him, the scope of corruption is materialized as a result of all sorts of malpractices motivated by short-term gain and greed. According to Dr. Ermias, corruption limits the ability of the government to invest in productivity and vital social services. This adversely affects government efforts to reduce poverty. “Excluding the expansion of huge projects, the development of infrastructure and buildings, most of the country’s wealth has been taken away to foreign countries. Thus, it is astonishing to call this corruption, it is rather said to be high-handed forces engaged in stealing from the poor,” Dr. Ermias says. Globally, the increasing problems have caused businesses to go bankrupt, and nations to collapse.
In relation to this, the 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index disclosed that one in four people around the world have paid a bribe to access public services because of an unethical and irresponsible leadership at all levels. To sustainably curb the problems, the parliament should not be rubberstamp of the executive, since their role in fighting corruption is absolutely central, Dr. Fenta suggests. For Dr. Fenta, a successful battle against corruption demands political commitment at the highest levels. The best barrier against corruption is a wellfunctioning parliament, he claims.
In this regard, Dr. Ermias agrees on all citizens must engage in combating any form of corruption when the corrupt steal government funds intended for public services like infrastructure, healthcare and education. “They have a paramount responsibility for combating corruption in all its forms, and must ensure the general morality of society for a lasting peace and economic progress which vitally depends on honesty and trust.” In this regard, Member of the House of Peoples Representative, Abere Ayenew, says corruption is a treachery of trust; it weakens the legitimacy of the state, and leads to other forms of crime, at the same time devastate the growth of the country.
The other member Atnafu Geto says corruption breeds corruption that has the power to create autocratic government. Recognizing the fact, the incumbent takes serious measures to combat corruption from public offices. As part of the ongoing reform, the measures taken by the government, currently becomes a source of inspiration in the fight against corruption, Atnafu tells.
Tefere Beriecha, Member of the Law and Justice Standing Committee of the House of Peoples Representative, for his part says promoting fairer and more equal societies around the country can be a huge asset to our growing anticorruption drive. Now is the time to end corruption in this country, he stresses.
The Ethiopian Herald, December 29/2018
BY ZELALEM GIRMA
