Government corruption is one of the biggest challenges that nations face today, especially in the developing countries. The need for stable governments and healthy political systems are now more important than ever. Political corruption is detrimental to the financial stability, prosperity and well being of citizens living in a country. It also weakens the national currency and has a devastating effect on the international image of the country as well. Thus, it is imperative for every nation to address the growing political corruption issue as it is destroying the values of the society and its economic development.
There are many reasons due to which corruption in government is destroying the system. Among these are lack of effective enforcement of laws that are designed to promote trust in the public sector, inadequate access to quality services and jobs, poor performance of important public services, excessive use of force and abuse of power by political leaders, and ineffective or inefficient conduct of policies. Government corruption is therefore, a major concern of those who claim to protect and maintain the values of the nation and promote economic growth.
Lack of enforcement of laws designed to promote trust in the public sector. Without effective enforcement of anti-corruption measures, people are not confident in their public and private sector and tend to distrust those whom they work and live with. As a result, they become less productive in their jobs and businesses, take undue advantage of perks, benefits, and substandard conditions offered by employers, and engage in other unethical activities. This erosion of the rule of law and order in the country adversely affects the standard of living of citizens living in that country. In addition, when the government cannot protect its citizens from corruption, it cannot efficiently perform its basic functions in delivering services and goods to its people.
Lack of employment options. Without an efficient delivery system for delivering public goods and services to its citizens, the government loses its capacity to deliver services and goods on time. As a result, the citizens also lose their right to have a say in how the state will undertake certain projects and policies. The eroding political influence of some groups in the society, coupled with the failure of the government to deliver basic services to its people, further erodes the welfare of citizens.
Increasing lack of job opportunities for young people and the gradual decrease in the quality of jobs in the public sector further exacerbates the problem of corruption in the country. Young people often have limited job options and, as a result, become trapped in the poverty and desperation of their jobs. They may engage in extra-parole or other schemes to fund their studies but this is not possible when they do not have access to well-paying jobs in the public sector. The continued patronage of some public institutions, particularly the universities and the colleges, by politicians and other affluent citizens further ensures that the public sector remains porous. With this situation, corruption becomes difficult to identify and fight against because ordinary citizens cannot readily put pressure on politicians to address corruption in the public sector.
It is also a fact that the bureaucracy in the public sector tends to respond to pressure from powerful patrons. If an institution or a politician is doing something that is unpopular and disadvantageous to them, they will likely do it to appease those who are patronizing that institution. In addition to this, there are also some instances where graft and corruption in the public sector occur because of the complicated relationship between the bureaucracy and the people who are the foundation of that bureaucracy. There is an increasing need for reforms in the public sector in terms of transparency and accountability. These reforms are necessary if public officials and institutions want to improve their relationship with the public.
The growth of multi-party politics and multiparty systems in other countries has also increased the scope and impact of corruption in the country. With the rise in popularity of these parties, the politicians become beholden to money from different sources. When this happens, they also become corrupt and end up representing the interests of the different parties rather than their own. The presence of lobbyists in the legislature and judges of the courts to further increase the scope and impact of corruption in the public sector.
Thus, although there have been reports about corruption in the public sector, it is also true that corruption is widespread in other areas of government. Government, military, police, public servants, contractors, and others had corrupted each other in the past. It can be said that most of these public figures are currently grappling with graft and corruption at the present.
