Sunday, October 12, 2003
Corruption is defined on a nation's moral standards
For instance, the Zambia Anti-corruption Commission defines corruption in its Act of 1996 (No :42) as: "The soliciting, accepting, obtaining, giving, promising or offering of gratification by way of a bribe or other personal temptations of inducement or the misuse or abuse of a public office for private advantage or benefit."
The Tanzanian Prevention of Corruption Act states that: "Any person who, corruptly solicits, accepts or obtains...from any person for himself of another person, any advantage as an inducement to or reward for or otherwise on account of any agent or not such agent shall be guilty of an offence".
On the other hand, the Zimbabwe Prevention of Corruption Act defines a corrupt practice as: "If any agent corruptly solicits, accepts, obtains, agrees to accept or attempts to obtain from any person a gift or consideration for himself (herself) or any other persons as endowment or reward for doing or not doing, or for having done or not done any act, in relation to his (her) principal's affairs or business." The Malawi Corrupt Practices Act defines corruption as: "Soliciting, accepting or obtaining, or the giving, promising or offering of a gratification, by way of a bribe or other personal temptation, enticement or inducement."
There are as many definitions as there are many countries and institutions dealing with the problem of corruption. In some cases, definitions may be determined by the focus of a particular institution.
The United Nations Development Programme, in its report on 'Fighting Corruption to Improve Governance', defined corruption as: "The misuse of public powers, office and authority for private gain through bribery, extortion, influence, peddling, nepotism, fraud, speed, money or embezzlement."
The World Bank's Economic Development Institute, in its National Integrity System country studies, defined corruption as, "an abuse of entrusted power by politicians or civil servants for personal gain".
The ordinary dictionary meaning of corruption is that it is an act or state of being guilty of dishonest practices. It is a perversion of morality as well as integrity (particularly in public offices and institutions). From the above definitions it is clear that the various definitions of corruption seem to offer a carte blanche or blanket definition in a desperate attempt to be all-embracing of this scourge called corruption.
These definitions to a large extent give a luminous picture of the various enemies any anti-corruption activist is likely to confront: those soliciting, receiving, accepting, giving, obtaining, offering, promising, abusing power or authority, being tempted or induced and their culprits, and so on.
In summary, the various definitions of corruption give a general understanding of corruption as any conduct, action or behaviour that departs from legitimately established laws, procedures and practices.
The resignation of judges alone will not heal the scars of a past riddled with corruption. These people should be made to pay for the vices.
Kennedy Okong'o,
Nairobi.
Want to chat instantly with your online friends?�Get the FREE Yahoo! Messenger
