Corruption: the silent killer of culture and society

Dr. Michel E. Abs

Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches

The press and social media share with us articles and appeals to combat and eliminate corruption for the good of society and the well being of people. Writers or authors of tweets and statements deal with the phenomenon of corruption as if it is a fruit that has ripened and it is time to pick it, and it is ready for whoever reaches out to crush it.

They have missed the thorough sociological knowledge and analysis of social phenomena, and they have forgotten that when people become accustomed to something, its removal is not accomplished by a decree or an order issued by governing bodies to executive bodies. If this were the case, we would have considered that society is a machine, and it is enough to change the worn-out part in it, so that it can return to work in an appropriate manner.

Corruption in Lebanon, and in many of our societies in the Arab world, has become a culture deeply rooted in the mentality at the individual level as well as at the collective level. Consequently, it is neither possible nor reasonable to eradicate it from day to day, especially as it is rooted in our minds and souls for centuries.

What should be clear, in the line of the impossibility to fight corruption mechanically, is that dealing with corruption is not based on the logic of “either corruption or no corruption.” The matter is not either black or white. It is likely that gray spaces may last for a long time before reaching social spaces free of corruption. It is a cultural, human rights and educational war at the same time, as part of a sustainable government policy that is relentlessly applied by elites known for their integrity. But the challenging question that arises here is: Where do we get these elites from?

The establishment of a government institution, a ministry or a general directorate or the like, entrusted with the fight against corruption, will only increase burdens on the state budget and an additional institution that is distracted by its administrative and financial problems and forgets the purpose for which it was established.

The fight against corruption is a struggle that needs to "infiltrate" into all aspects of society, from its public institutions to its private institutions, and even to primary schools. It is a struggle in which all the honest forces of society ally, since the fate of society is at stake because of corruption's ability to destroy culture and social structures, leading to social capital degradation.

However, we must not forget an important matter in the issue of raising the level of integrity and transparency and fighting corruption: The protection of which the corrupt benefits and the cover that surrounds the practices of corruption make it a phenomenon that we hear about but do not see, because no one dares to guide the concerned authorities to the corrupt persons or provide tangible evidence about corrupt practices. By doing so, corruption turns into rumors and we lose all seriousness in dealing with it.

As for the misinformation that affects the phenomenon of corruption, its peak is when people whose transparency is questionable make speeches and statements condemning corruption and stress the need to limit it and take revenge on those who deal with it. Then the average citizen asks himself who is the hypocrite, is he the one who makes these declarations or is it the one who is accusing him? Without files containing hard documents and evidence, it is not acceptable to cast blasphemous accusations against people, especially those in the public domain, as this falls under the category of reputational damage – character assassination - and false news promotion. Then, corruption and combating it turn into a political tool at a time when we need the matter to be outside politics.

The economic recession that some of our societies are going through is the easiest way to promote corruption, raise the level and depth of clientelism and nepotism, and throw needy people into the arms of political feudal leaderships. Therefore, the current stage of our societies constitutes the stage in which corruption has spread in an unprecedented way in our history, as we are also witnessing an unprecedented collapse of the value system ​​and the lack of trust between the members of the same society, not even among the members of the same family.

Corruption is a means of moral and social disintegration, and it has been used by countries that excelled in using it to destroy other societies that they aimed to abolish.

In addition, it rises to the level of treason, as the one who sells his conscience, honor, and morals, and compromises his values ​​and ideals that society has bequeathed to him, is able to go further than that and, consequently, pose a threat to his society.

Fighting this scourge requires educational programs from the first grades all the way to the university, in addition to appropriate legislation that condemns the corrupt and protects those who enounce them, especially if they are equipped with documents, in addition to a national anti-corruption charter that is circulated to all segments of society and which becomes an integral part of the nation's ethos.

The Incarnate Master, Disobedient to Annihilation, rose up against corruption two millennia ago, as he "expelled all those who were buying and selling in the temple," and "overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of those who sold doves."

And he severely rebuked the people, saying: “It is written that my house is called the house of prayer. And you have made it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:12-13).

This is an additional responsibility entrusted to the Church, which embraces the salt of the earth, and through them illuminates the world. The Church is called upon first to fight corruption with all its strength, and secondly to promote a culture of transparency and rejection of corruption by virtue of its educational and awareness-raising capabilities through preaching. The Church is called to set an example in this field as well, in addition to the various fields concerned with the human soul and human dignity.

To be continued.