You can have an impact on corruption.
But many people are overwhelmed by this idea.
Many of the comments I receive in
How to Fight Corruption reflect frustration and a
sense of hopelessness about the idea that corruption can be brought under
control.
Indeed, its seems to be a basic
assumption that the behavior of people cannot be changed.
I don’t believe that
is true.
And I offer two simple activities that people can take that will increase the pressure to improve things in their communities and countries.
In the course of my own lifetime I have observed the
increasing decay of the political process in the US. And I have seen an increase in responsibility
by parents about the behavior and education of their children. Both are long term cultural changes that
occurred INTENTIONALLY.
This is an ongoing effort to improve things.
Corruption and Anti-Corruption are no different.
One individual can inspire change by simply being willing to
point out things that are not right.
The most basic first step on the gradient scale of imposing
justice is to observe that something is not right. In anti-corruption, this should seem
obvious. But many people simply accept
that “this is the way things will always be” and the stop seeing the wrongness
and begin to accept it.
Thus, the first activity for any individual corruption
fighter is to see that something is not as it should be.
Here are two things that one person can do that begin the
pressure to change the status quo:
1.
Take pictures of things that are not right.
Evidence of corruption is found in many forms. Sometimes it is as simple as the cars driven
by the family members of government employees.
Posting a picture on a Blog site with a short comment about who’s car it
is, and what their government salary is . . . creates some small pressure on
the situation.
In East Timor, the Minister of Finance was building a $5
Million home on Embassy Row. Journalist
took the pictures and wrote the story, and publishers were afraid to publish
the pictures. They understood that the
pictures added power to the story and would increase pressure on the government
to explain why a public employee, even a minister, would be allowed to spend $5
Million in government funds on a personal residence. But the pictures leaked onto the Internet and
the story was picked up and some pressure was brought upon the entire
government.
2.
Start a blog – write stories and publish
pictures.
In many countries passionate young journalists, despite
their education and youth, believe that the local print media is the only way
to have an impact. They believe that
they need permission from a publisher in order to let their voice be heard.
The same is true of the individual corruption fighters. They do not take full advantage of the free
tools available on the internet to let their voices be heard.
Secondly, people sometimes believe that the internet is “too
big” and that their voice will be drowned out in the noise of the global
conversation.
The global online community is like any other
community. You begin to talk with people
in the community and eventually people find the opinion leaders in their areas
of interest.
These are two simple steps that the individual corruption
fighter can take that will create some pressure for things to improve.
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