Basil Jarrett | Is corruption inevitable?

WHEN THE news broke two weeks ago that Jamaica had improved its Transparency International Corruption Perception Index score, there was an initial reaction of buoyant optimism that we were beginning to turn the corner. That optimism was quickly checked, however, when it was revealed that we had indeed improved but only slightly, dropping a whole one place from 70th to 69 with a CPI score of 44.

But progress is progress, right? And we should applaud any sort of improvement regardless of how meagre. That buoyant optimism quickly turned to a sinking feeling, however, when someone cynically said to me, “You know Major, it could be that we have actually improved a bit, but it’s more likely that rather than us getting better, maybe one other country had actually gotten worse.”

And she was exactly right. Last year, Jamaica scored a similar 44 and was ranked 70 out of 180 countries. So we haven’t really improved. Others have just gotten worse. Talk about a dash of cold water.

The cynicism was hard to argue with after all, as Jamaica is still the fourth most corrupt country in the Caribbean and its CPI score of 44 means that we still have a serious corruption problem. Well at least we’re still ahead of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Haiti, although to be honest, given the current instability happening next door, maybe we don’t want to brag too much that at least we’re better than Haiti in anything.

Jamaica has made this spot in the under-50 CPI score its’ permanent home for the last 21 years. Pervasive bribery, fraud, embezzlement, lack of oversight, abuse of power and of process, coupled with a seeming lack of punishment for corrupt public officials and public institutions have contributed greatly to this. It’s even more disheartening when you consider, too, that our score of 44 is the best we’ve ever done.

So where can we find optimism? Surely there must be something somewhere to smile about. Thankfully there is. Last year, anti-corruption watchdog agency, National Integrity Action, revealed that reports of alleged corruption had increased by close to 100 per cent when compared to previous years. The majority of these reports were made to Crime Stop, the Integrity Commission and the Auditor General’s Office. With the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) now joining the party with Jamaica’s first Anti-Corruption Tip Line, 888-MOCA-TIP, this can only improve.

As Professor Trevor Munroe pointed out last year, the increase in corruption reporting is an encouraging sign that more people are recognising the need to combat corruption and are stepping up to do their part. The question for me, though, is how easily are persons able to recognise corruption in the first place. After all, you can’t report it if you don’t know what it looks like.

Corruption takes many forms. It is wide and varied and often complex and challenging. Despite its many definitions and contextual uses, corruption is universally regarded as dishonest, fraudulent or illegal conduct by persons in power of authority. This broad definition means that naturally, it includes a variety of actions by a variety of actors in a variety of contexts, hence the difficulty sometimes in spotting it.

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption offers some helpful guidance in defining corruption as offences such as bribery and embezzlement in the public and private sectors, trading in influence, abuse of functions and power, illicit enrichment, money laundering, concealment and obstruction of justice. In our Jamaican context, I would add violations of procurement policies and procedures, questionable hiring and award of contract practices, and nepotism. Where corruption becomes even more problematic and offensive is where it is systematic and endemic in a country such as Jamaica, as it robs us of vital public services, infrastructure and national development. Hospitals, schools, roads, public transportation, water delivery and other critical government services suffer badly when taxpayers’ money ends up in the pockets of private individuals, and not in the service of the public.

But it is important that we recognise, too, that not all forms of corruption involve millions of taxpayers’ dollars and high-level public officials, or result in a gross misappropriation of public funds or resources. Petty, bureaucratic, or administrative corruption is also a problem. It usually involves smaller amounts of money and smaller levels of influence being traded, but the damage to society can be equally significant. Examples of this type of corruption include illegal fees being paid by parents to get their children into the best schools or to pass exams; favours, sexual and otherwise, being exchanged for promotions and positions; rules, regulations and policies being deliberately ignored or disregarded, and a general sense of good order, natural justice and ethical principles being violated and systematically subverted by dishonesty and misconduct.

To say that corruption is pervasive in Jamaica would be an understatement. It will take a sustained effort from the entire society, bolstered by the enactment and enforcement of stronger laws, to curb its existence. I believe, however, that we need not wait for the next major corruption allegation involving a high-ranking public official to jump-start the conversation again. Every small act of defiance and objection to even the slightest instances can go a long way towards changing this self-defeating aspect of our Jamaican culture.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com