Bribery weakens growth

LAHORE: Corruption that prevails in Pakistan is not only due to weak political will but also due to general tolerance towards corrupt practices by the society. Inefficient judicial system also promotes bribery.

To curb malpractices, the government must show its resolve to tackle this menace. The state must show its serious intent on the issue by taking all the stakeholders on board through education and awareness. Accountability must be across the board and enforcement should be without any exception. On the political side, the causes of ever-increasing corruption include weak political will, immature political culture, immoral electoral processes, immature political leadership, and crisis of leadership.

On the social side, we have developed a culture of tolerating corruption. The high consuming lifestyle is appreciated in the country irrespective of the way the wealth is accumulated.

Civil society is still in its formative stage to play a decisive role in eradicating corruption. Inefficient judicial system also forces the people to get things done through speed money.

Lower remunerations to public servants are also cited as a cause of petty corruption. This is a weak argument to justify extortion which is a crime.

Salaries and perks of civil servants were almost doubled during the last PPP tenure, but corruption continued to increase. After that civil servants have been getting regular yearly increases.

Opportunities provided due to huge discretionary powers vested with bureaucracy are the major cause of corruption. Discretions allow public servants to approve the request of one applicant and refuse the request of another without any explanation.

Non-adherence to rules and regulations not only weaken the writ of the government, but also promote malpractices. Lack of accountability particularly the absence of internal accountability in most of the public sector institutions has provided the bureaucrats an enabling environment for corruption.

Over regulation is another major cause of corruption in the public sector. Rules should be simple and clear to discourage corrupt practices.

Public institutions must be strengthened more through strict internal accountability instead of depending on external audit where the auditing capacity is limited. A proper check and balance mechanism is the most effective deterrent to transgression of public servants.

Sustained economic growth would remain a dream if the government and the private sector fail to rise above petty self interests. Government must improve its governance, while the private sector should act more responsibly by paying its due taxes and looking after the welfare of their workforce.

Businesses are generally making money even in the current pressing times, whereas the common man that includes the workers, have been devastated by unprecedented price hikes. Availability of a highly skilled labour force alone does not maximise efficiency if workers are not compensated for high prices.

Factors like workers welfare, hazard free working conditions, medical care and subsidised food for the workers are essential to attain global level efficiency.

Industries that shy away from their CSR in providing training facilities to government institutes are also not enthusiastic about fulfilling their other corporate social responsibilities.

Corruption is widespread in Pakistan starting from politicians going down to the public officials and businessmen. Wily politicians and their crony officials siphon money from the state, fiddle bids, or demand emoluments for giving citizens what is rightfully theirs.

In good times, bribes were demanded to ignore malpractices committed by the businesses or ordinary citizens. Over time it has become a norm to grease the palm of relevant officials to get even the measures that state is bound to provide to its citizens.

Your application for a power meter in the new house would remain pending for months, but once you pay the going unofficial ‘fee’ things would speed up.

Thana culture has not changed. Police excesses are still rampant. The justice system is still painfully slow. Engineered investigations still help let off criminals, which are the reason for extremely low convictions through courts.

Weak institutions have also landed our economy into trouble. We are contemplating giving autonomy to the central bank that may compromise our sovereignty under the dictate of the International Monetary Fund, but the state is shy of strengthening other institutions vital for the economy.

There is a need to strengthen institutions like Competition Commission of Pakistan, Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Oil and Gas Development Authority and National Electric Power Regulation Authority.

Poverty, under development, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor is the direct result of corrupt practices prevalent in our society.

Good governance and transparency are the main requisites for sustained and equitable economic growth. Pakistan unfortunately is always placed among few of the most corrupt countries in the world by almost all creditable global institutions.