Bribery and Corruption; Incentives and Education

 

Is there any moral justification for offering and receiving bribes?

Can an incentive be considered to be a bribe? What is the difference between giving incentives to customers for patronage and giving incentives to electorates for loyalty? This blogger is interested in the underpinning issues that surround when a bribe or an incentive is a political solution providing tool or strategy.

Are all acts of bribery corrupt? Why do people say "bribery and corruption" as if the two words are symbiotic? Can there be bribery without corruption? Perhaps we can learn from the master himself:  

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who also is our teacher, gave fish and bread to multitudes of people. Though it was an empathic gesture, it got the peoples attention, commendation and it resulted to a huge followership of the master. Even when Jesus had to get away from the crowd for private moments, the bread and the fish was enough motivation for a host of them to cross rivers, travel deserts and to climb mountains so they could be with Jesus. Do try to read it in the bible for yourself in the gospel according to St John chapter six from verse one to fourteen.

From my perspective, the intension behind an act should be paid close attention to in determining the audacity or needfulness for employing a particular strategy for a peculiar situation. The perception about something is one thing, the intension is another. While perception is about surface outward appearance, (i.e. what it immediately sounds like, looks like, feels like or tastes like), the intension which is the real deal, is hidden and is a matter of the heart. The question is if the intension for giving the gift was to motivate the recipient to do the right thing or if it was given to motivate a perverted deed?

The act of offering & accepting a bribe or an incentive such as rice, fish, bread, money, sex or information can be said to be corruption if the intension, motive or purpose for which it was given is impure, immoral, perverted or twisted.

Is bribery a virus designed to automatically corrupt its recipients? Some people say that the act of bribery is a human quality (an easy virtue or a weakness on the part of the recipient) which politicians do not shy away from exploring to their own advantage. It helps them influence, persuade or force their will upon the people as well as upon their opponents.

Education is the route to independence and the immunity to corruption. Quality education beyond schooling is what is required. There is need for more quality teachers, mentorship programs and updating the tools relevant for the impartation of knowledge. Safer learning environments with adequate training facilities and richer course contents are essential if quality education is to be attained.

Education is a route for teaching the people how to fish for themselves so they won't have to solely rely on being given fish. No governmental systems nor NGOs can afford to sustain the extremities of economic models beyond their breaking points irrespective of which of the performance metrics it addresses between welfare and well-being.  

This blogger is not opposed to people collecting fish, bread or rice. The emphasis of this blogger is on the need for visionary leaderships that can create a balanced cycle for the appropriate interaction between "giving fish" and "teaching how to fish."

The value diligence, competence, administration of duties, appropriation of budgets, verification of time sheets, investments, conversions, auditory reconciliations for ensuring financial regularities, legal expenses and activities add to an enterprise can only be ensured as well as improved by quality education. For these values not to be eroded by corruption, legal practitioners, educators, book smarts and intellectuals must be able to decode the thin lines between incentives and bribe, perception and intension as well as communicate the economic performance metrics used for setting legal standards to the populace. It is possible to carry everyone along in a significant way that is contributory and profitable.
The proprietary interaction between political and economic responsibilities should be given the skillful attention it deserves bearing in mind that the canvass has gone beyond how dependent or independent a nation can be to how appropriately it can take its place in the global community in todays world that is so innovatively driven by technology.