Sheet 75
SAY NO TO CORRUPTION
1 Attitude of Government Officials
Government officials must embrace the following if they are to distance themselves from corruption.
(1) Actively resist social customs and practices which are at odds with the code of ethics for public employees
Social customs and practices exist in every society. In Japan, for example, people send gifts to one another at mid year and year end as a gesture of appreciation. This custom, however, has been greatly abused and in certain cases has become just another means for unscrupulous businesspeople to achieve their business objectives. Instead of outright bribery, they present gifts to government officials, who understandably tend to be weaker at resisting long established social customs than money.
Government officials, as members of the society, of course participate in social customs such as these, the general mentality on this is that "to reject bluntly would be rude". Endless gifts and entertainment in the name of social custom, however, might numb their sense of right and wrong.
(2) Acknowledge that corruption is a serious crime
Few would attempt to argue that murder or robbery are crimes. In the case of corruption, however, because the victims are not directly visible or identifiable, the notion of crime is vague. Potential perpetrators, moreover, are usually people of social status. Corruption is normally clandestine and carried out secretly in some hidden place. This gives a false sense of security and protection. It is essential to caution government officials from falling into this trap, and emphasize that corruption is a serious crime which betrays public expectations, and damages public confidence.
(3) Conduct yourself in a manner befitting government officials
To conduct themselves in a manner befitting government officials, employees must not only understand the ethical standards that are expected of them but must also internalize them so that they become a permanent aspect of their personal character.
2 Attitude of Managers
(1) Boost morale
An office environment where there is a low sense of morale and the workers are unmotivated is the perfect breeding ground for corruption. When work becomes boring, and there are no other meaningful activities to occupy themselves with, people start looking for material benefits, monetary gains and other such returns.
If the boss is seen to have entertainment engagements every evening, staff may respond with "well if they are having such a good time why shouldn't we ? Who wants to just sit back at the sidelines like this ? If I ever become boss, I'm going to do just the same."
It is the duty of a boss to lead by example in an unambiguous and consistent manner. If they display a serious and honest attitude towards work, then morale and ethics should follow suit.
