Corruption the cancer we don’t need

CORRUPTION is becoming almost an overused word as the country grows towards its 43 years of independence.
In general, corruption is a form of dishonesty or criminal activity undertaken by a person or organisation entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire illicit benefit.
We bring your attention to an article earlier this month by Justice Oagile Betheul Dingake who told the law and order summit in Lae that one of the worst crimes committed in almost every country is corruption, which is eating into the fabric of our society.
Justice Dingake, from Botswana, was invited by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General to speak on his country’s approach to fighting crime. He said crime affected everyone. Crime and prosperity do not go together and stakeholders involved in fighting crime should fight to reduce it.
He pointed out that people could pass laws to reduce crime “but if you do not educate people to depart from crime and corruption you will not succeed”.
The fight against corruption is not one that should be left to politicians alone.
It is a fact that the nature of our society has contributed in no small way to the current state of affairs.
We live in a society where political leadership is seen as an opportunity to amass wealth. With such a mindset, it will be difficult to stop corruption without a collective effort. PNG needs to have committees like anti-corruption clubs set up to fight corruption
at every ministry and at all
levels of the government and its sectors.
As the good judge emphasised, more focus is needed here in PNG to fight corruption so that it is reduced.
While the government and various stakeholders are taking steps to check unacceptable practices, we are of the opinion that the fight against corruption can be won if we shed ourselves of vices such as heads of schools charging unapproved fees and hospital officials demanding money before attending to patients – even in emergency situations.
Corruption deprives the nation of the resources that can otherwise be used for the general benefit of the larger population and has the tendency to discourage businesses, both local and foreign.
It is, therefore, imperative that every step is taken to ensure that this cancer is removed.
Corruption and incompetence are eating away at society like termites and unless we do away with them, progress and prosperity will remain almost impossible to archieve.
Rampant corruption leads to abject poverty and a widening disastrous gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Corruption can be seen as a cancer that eats at every fabric of society and comes in countless stages, from the low-level to the high-level.
We can see good examples of corrupt behaviour in the misuse or mysterious disappearances of funds allocated for much-needed government services and payments.
We must all join the crusade to rid this country of corruption.