Do we wish to have a society where we systematically dismantle and destroy corruption? This would include a comprehensive transformation of agencies which have been penetrated or tainted by crooked individuals and practices.Should politicians, managers of corporations employ family members when they are not as qualified as non-family members and possess no consistent record of efficiency?Should chairmen of boards disrespect their line minister, displaying a kind of reckless behaviour which can be a platform for nepotism?Should administrators in religious organisations conceal information on the practice of abuse by workers who happen to be their favourites?Should police officers and custom officers engage in unethical practices such as taking bribes and should administrators engage in a massive cover-up campaign? Should political party financiers enjoy privileges and be defended by leaders of political parties when their misdeeds are well-known?
Should business gurus complain about no big-fish being caught in the state of emergency when their organisations protect and affirm sharks and whales?Should talk-show hosts be allowed to humiliate public and private officials and even private citizens because sensationalism improves ratings?Some may say that we are living in a free state, while others may opine that we are living in an indisciplined state. We should develop a hatred for corruption but we must first develop a love for integrity. Therefore, we have to begin by affirming and promoting those that struggle to preserve purity in their respective institutions.Think about the impact of corruption in the home, school and church-the agencies of socialisation.The school. The professor is sending pornographic messages to his students; the pictures leave no room for the imagination. He is a fantastic teacher so the principal has no desire to initiate disciplinary action. Therefore, he is allowed to damage several youth.
The church. John Doe is a religious leader who benefits from the drug lord who sits on a chair every evening with his diamond-studded chain. This beast supports major church programmes, sending youth to rehabilitation centres while he turns the church into a money-laundering centre. The youth of the church are concerned and scream for a turning of the tide. There is no response.The home. John is a parasite in the village, terrorising innocent citizens. His father has abandoned him and yet when he is shot by the police his mother tells the media that he was a good boy.It is not as if the village has stopped playing a role in training and values transmission, but who is performing that role? Parents, pastors and politicians have allowed aristocratic and not so aristocratic drug lords, gangsters and gamblers to adopt and fashion the destiny of the flowers of the republic.For those who criticise the state of emergency, they should be well advised that there are communities who have a self-imposed curfew. Some areas are living in jail because we have had a collapse of institutions, and exist in a vault of denial. Let us progress by looking at some profound issues.
I have said it before and I will say it again and again. People have been saying that it takes a village to raise a child and that it has been abdicating this sacred responsibility. However, I believe that we have missed the current dynamics in the village. We have allowed toxic people to guide, influence, and distort the values of the children and youth in the community.The television, the Internet and all of its incarnations have become the third conglomerate parent and educator. E-pornography, E-prostitution, E-gambling have facilitated a flood of evil which is part of an extraordinary attempt to trap and destroy our youth.The negative elements have used the technology to transform our youth into walking and talking zombies. They have been more proactive in producing strategies to twist the thinking of teenagers.It was suggested by one of our leaders that we have created "a failed state." This was violently opposed, but the truth must be told. Any state that develops an addiction for corruption will become a failed state, and loses the opportunity to become a total quality nation.
Addiction has been described as a progressive disease. It is a disease where you lose control, and you lose your analytical skills. There is a breakdown in the emotional processing systems and a simultaneous crash of values. The psyche is damaged so that you love those who hate you and hate those who love you.Therefore, the ability to accept correction and identify the need to change is significantly impaired.When a society experiences a Vitamin I (Integrity) deficiency, hope is barbecued.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, parents describe their dysfunctional sons as good boys.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, casinos multiply as if they produce oxygen instead of carbon dioxide.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, the righteous are marginalised and are saved only by their faith in God.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, the narco-economy gets stronger while anti-drug institutions get weaker.
When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, Integrity Commissions become more fragile and it is difficult to find a chairman. When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, limers prefer to spend the whole night in a hotel instead of spending more time with the family.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, businessmen will exploit loopholes so that they could continue their nefarious practices while sacrificing the lives of several individuals, especially youth.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, talk-show hosts will create bacchanal in order to improve their ratings. This may even extend to include fanning the flames of hatred and racism.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, parliamentarians will pass laws and then break the same laws.When there is a Vitamin I deficiency, fathers will refuse to support their children and provide absolutely no guidance.The entire nation, every citizen, must accept responsibility for making a difference in the community. It is just not about passing stiff laws, but having the fortitude to take tough decisions and create meaningful structures to produce the desired change.