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Are there circumstances in which corruption is justifiable?

Posted by Sarah Arrow on January 10, 2010 · View Comments 

Thursday 17 December 2009, I am in a cab in Uganda on my way to our family cemetery so I could leave flowers on my late father’s grave.

We get stopped by a female traffic Cop and before she uttered a word the driver offers to buy her a soda! This is a by word for a bribe and SODA refers to soft drinks such as Fanta, Coke, Pepsi etc

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To my horror she accepted and we were sent on our way. I promptly asked the driver why he had offered the Cop a bribe.

He said “well, I really didn’t want her asking questions or checking the car out” ooh?

He continued, you see there is a lot wrong with this car and if she started poking around she would find it soon enough, for a start the speedometer doesn’t work and besides as a government worker she is on a poor salary, not enough to sustain her”!

“And ooh”, he continued, “Surely you must follow Uganda news over there in England” I said I do on and off, why did I miss something? I asked him.

His response left me lost for words!

“Did you not hear about the President paying MPs 5 Million Ugandan Shillings (£1,645.00) each to remove the limit on how many years a President could remain in power for? This was reported on Radio Uganda; surely you listen to Radio Uganda over there don’t you?”

Before I had a chance to answer he continued “Of course you know what this means? “that even the President approves of offering people Sodas”

I was silent for a minute before I said; sadly we don’t get Radio Uganda in England.

I sat in silence for the rest of the journey and wondered how on earth this society could be rid of corruption so ingrained in its entire fabric that it is an acceptable way of life!

Whilst still deep in thought the car came to an abrupt stop! What was wrong with the car became evident, it stalled several times and the driver tried desperately to restart it, it gave off some noxious fumes! We were in the middle of nowhere and I wondered whether it would get us to our destination. I was also afraid that given the fumes from the exhaust pipe the car would blow up in flames! Neither of this happened and we arrived to our destination.

I did wonder whether that Traffic Cop should have accepted that SODA after all!

Ida

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  • Corruption is an endemic part of human nature and whoever it was who said "everyone has their price" was right.

    Corruption within any society is inevitable. Lawmakers can reduce it in places or drive it underground, but it keeps popping up in all sorts of other places - perhaps not quite so obviously as in the "soda" instances, but if anything at a more serious, subterranean level.

    It's a bit like the medical condition called lymphoedema (which I have in one arm) ... whereby you have excess fluid in one or more parts of your body. Massage and other treatment can relieve it but doesn't get rid of the fluid - it just moves it somewhere else.

    Sad, really.
  • Oh absolutely Suze, corruption does exist in all societies. I worry about about levels and degrees of it especially where it hurts folk that can hardly fight back.

    I don't know whether you remember the homes for votes scandal! Another unreported scandal was going on in Hackney council where Officers were selling th e right to jump the housing queue.Someone who quit their job because he felt powerless to stop this told me about the scandal
  • Jen
    Say you are a backpacker imprisoned in a backwards and rough place. And you are accused of a small crime you did not commit. But it would be hard for you to prove your innocence. And the penalty can be ten years in jail, and no one there would care. A corrupt jailer suggests if you pay him a sizeable amount of money he can get the charges dismissed. You have the money, no real problem. What would you do?
    Reward the jailer for his corruptness, further embed corruptness, or as a point of principle go to jail?
  • You know Jen, this does happen all the time in some parts of Africa.

    Put in that situation, it would be a tough call not to buy one's way out as I would fancy my chances in an African jail. Double standards on my part? Perhaps!!
  • Very thought provoking post, Ida.

    I've read some sociological studies that are based on very simple patterns that can be modelled by computer programmes - something like the Sim City games, if you know them.

    They reveal something fascinating about society and how it works...and how there is a kind of tipping point when it comes to corruption.

    I think your taxi driver had a point though, when he pointed out that the president's action appears to make the system acceptable.

    I think that was why everyone in the UK was so horrified by the recent expenses scandal - we know that our leaders need to set a better example for the good of the whole society.

    Ann
  • ooh, I am not familiar with Sim City games, but will look them up.

    Yes if a leader cannot uphold the law or lead by example them I am afraid, it down the hill all the way.

    The MP's example was surreal in a country that should ahve better checks and balances, compounded by the economic climate not to mention the fact some MPS sought to justify it!
  • Ida I wonder sometimes if this is more cultural corruption than corruption itself. Not quite expressing that right, I need to think on it some more.

    We have fines over here, just about to be enforced, that equate to £15 on the spot penalties for dirty vehicle windows and other small infringements that do not affect a persons driving or cause danger to others.

    the money from the fines is intended to go to victims of abuse, which is unrelated to the motoring crime. this is the UK's version of Soda.

    Instead of it going to a police man or woman, it goes to victims. It's still corrupt, less than ethical and a little robin hood like, but with Soda you know where you stand and you have a choice whether to accept or not.
  • Hi Kevin,

    The problem with this sort of corruption is that it endagers lives, a quick check would have revealed that the car we were travelling in had not passed its MOT for instance.

    If I throw the net much wider, a whole lot of people suffer because of it. You may have seen this programme last year http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/..., the basis of it was that money given for TB, MALARIA AND HIV simply disappeared into thin air.

    I would view the UK fines (Sodas) as a means of taxation albeit an unfair one. But "the cash for questions" affair was certainly corruption/SODA
  • Editor
    Would cash for questions exist in Uganda? and would they look at it differently to what we do?
  • Interesting question Sarah. I very much doubt it, since bribing people including politicians appears to be a way of life. you jsut have to understand the language and who can and cannot be bribed

    That said I understand that things are improving when it comes to public life, and MPS and other civil servants get taken to task over missing funding or awarding of contracts. The have procurement rules and scrutiny panels etc.Misappropriation of public fudning does make it into the news on a name and shame basis, but whether or not anyone is ever properly borught to account I can't say for sure
  • Suhad
    Ida

    such a lovely, clear, simple to the point blog.... i very much enjoyed reading it. You took me to the place, i could picture the whole situation, colour, heat, faces etc...

    well done and hope to read more from you :)

    Suhad
  • Thanks you Suhad. I am also looking forward to your posts
  • Ida,

    Love your blog, your point of view has made for a great discussion in my house! I look forward to your next blog.

    Angie
  • Hi Angie,

    Many thanks. Are you able to share details of those discussions?
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