When corruption flourishes

It seems to me that petty corruption flourishes when there is poverty and high unemployment, exacerbated by high inflation.

It is, therefore, associated with economic hardships, with times when ordinary people cannot make ends meet and tend to, or rather have to, improvise by accepting petty bribes or pay offs for their work in the service of the public.

Closely associated with corruption is the so-called “wasta” phenomenon, which can be benign, and even helpful in some instances.

I suspect Jordan has some of these problems, given the fact that it is classified as one of the most expensive countries to live in and that wages and salaries are nowhere near enough to sustain an adequate standard of living.

The extent of it, how widespread it is, is a matter of speculation, but I dare say that whatever degree of “corruption” may exist in Jordan, it involves small amounts of money and, therefore, is manageable.

The problem of corruption gets to become a real crisis when it assumes huge proportions, involving great sums of money and takes the form of embezzlement, commissions or bribes.

Practically all nations have a problem with corruption in one form of another, and it seems there is no sure way to eradicate it.

According to UN sources, only the few Scandinavian countries seem to be immune from this disease. The reason is obvious: citizens in these countries are protected from birth to death by a set of liberal socio-economic safeguards made possible by a very high taxation policy.

In these countries, there are very few poor people and very few very rich people. 

It all depends on the system of government and economic model a country chooses to apply. But whatever socio-economic model is chosen, there is always a price to pay.

Muslim scholars maintain that Islam preaches a socio-economic model that is based on a blend of socialism and free enterprise.

It is often said that the Islamic economic theory is not observed in any Muslim state. Many say that if the true Muslim economic teachings had been applied in Muslim countries, the terrorism we witness nowadays would not have come into being.

The bottom line is that socio-economic policies and practices are at the root of high crime rates, theft, graft and social dysfunction, including high rates of divorce, mental illness and various forms of human rights violations.

Political corruption is usually widespread when there is no accountability through functional political institutions that observe a minimum level of democracy and rule of law.

Few countries have managed to build all the necessary foundation that helps them eliminate corruption in all its forms, but some are striving to reach that goal.

It is, however, not within reach for a vast number of nations.