There is no one guilty party
Corruption is generally defined as the misuse of entrusted power or authority by the elected politicians or appointed civil servants for private gains. It usually entails embezzlement of funds, nepotism, kickbacks, bribery as well as deliberate attempts to perpetuate a system with inbuilt avenues of corruption, graft and entitlement. Corruption has many forms but of major concern are the systemic corruption and political corruption which germinate its other forms.
Political corruption occurs at the highest level of the political system – usually at the policy formulation level – when politicians and state agents entitled to make and enforce laws in the name of the people, use their position to sustain their power, status and wealth leading to misallocation of resources and perversion of the process of decision making. Systemic or endemic corruption is an integrated and essential aspect of the economic, social and political system prevalent in a country, embedded in a wider situation that helps to sustain it. It is universally recognised that corruption is related to lack of good governance and the degree of corruption in a society or a country depends on the level of good governance attained by a particularly country.
There is no debate about the fact that we are a society completely immersed in corruption, which decidedly is the bane of our socio-economic development and national integration. Our rulers – both military dictators and politicians – are equally responsible for this detestable phenomenon, which due to its trickle-down effect has penetrated into the entire fabric of our society.
Law enforcing agencies, judiciary and government departments which are supposed to ensure rule of law, justice, checking corruption and promoting well being of the masses, are themselves afflicted with corruption to the core. And regrettably there seems no end in sight to this process of self-destruction. We have often heard of our rulers’ resolve to eliminate corruption from the echelons of the government and the society – as and when it suits their political interests. But the fact is that whatever accountability mechanisms they did put in place, were meant for their political opponents rather than an arrangement for across the board accountability. The military dictators who staged military coups citing corruption as the overriding consideration with the promises to put the genie in the bottle, also indulged in reckless misuse of power and corruption to prolong their rules, pushing the country further into the crucible of a precipice. No wonder Transparency International declared Musharraf’s regime as the most corrupt government in the history of Pakistan.
We have witnessed sporadic movements against corruption which, regrettably, were designed to settle scores with the political opponents and gaining political mileage instead of a genuine and honest effort to hold accountable all those who have taken this country for a ride. Bringing systemic reforms to curb the culture of graft and entitlement has never been the priority of our rulers.
The so-called movement against corruption that the opposition parties including PTI and PPP have unfurled in the wake of Panama Leaks is quintessential of the politics of hypocrisy and self-aggrandisement. It is a typical witch-hunt against the Nawaz Sharif and his family. They are desperately trying to make the public believe that if the alleged corruption against Nawaz Sharif was established and he and his family were held accountable, the country would become free of corruption.
The reality is that those demanding accountability of Nawaz Sharif on account of Panama Leaks, are also guilty of the same crime, if, at all, merely owning an off-shore company is a crime. One really wonders at their audacity to hurl allegations of corruption at others while morally and legally speaking they are also standing on the same pedestal. Echoes of Swiss accounts and Surrey Palace still resonate in the country and people are also aware of the corruption cases against two former Prime Ministers of the PPP of PPP and scores of other leaders.
It is quite obvious from their antics that they are out to create chaos in the country to settle political score with the government. One would wish them also to campaign with the same ferocity against corruption done by the Khakis, Judges and all the politicians, besides striving for systemic reforms instead of wasting their energies on an issue which is absolutely inconsequential and not going to serve the national interests. Since the issue is now before the Supreme Court, I would not like to comment on the court proceedings in this regard, the matter being sub-judice, except that whatever the verdict of the court all the parties must accept it ungrudgingly.
It would perhaps be pertinent to mention that during the last three years, as per Transparency International reports, corruption in Pakistani government has declined by ten points on the corruption index. It would be intellectual dishonesty not to acknowledge this development, which strengthens the government’s claims of transparency in public affairs. Nevertheless, systemic reforms need immediate attention of all political parties if they really mean to eradicate corruption from public entities and society. We often talk about the level of development achieved by other countries which achieved independence at the same time (China and Malaysia) but never bother to emulate their examples. They owe their phenomenal success to their systems of governance which discourage corruption and have in-built mechanisms to ensure across the board accountability.
My considered view is that the political parties must look beyond Panama Leaks and work collectively in collaboration with the government in bringing about necessary systemic reforms that discourage misuse of authority by the rulers, nepotism and plug the avenues of corruption. They must also jointly evolve an accountability mechanism – insulated against political interference – that makes no distinction whether the corrupt person is a politician, a judge, a general or a bureaucrat.
The political parties can make a beginning by having all the written-off bank loans retrieved, which is very much doable, to prove their honesty and anti-corruption credentials. The government and the opposition can easily legislate on the issue. That must be followed by formation of a National Anti-Corruption Commission (a constitutional body comprising retired Supreme Court judges appointed on the basis of seniority instead of consensus between the government and the opposition parties) vested with the powers to probe cases of corruption against any citizen of Pakistan belonging to any profession.