I beg to differ with the position that we are all corrupt put forward at the Let's talk Governance discussion put on by the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation recently. There are many social, historical, cultural, anthropological and economic views on corruption, however it all boils down to a choice that people make.
The most widely used definition of corruption is dishonest or fraudulent conduct by people in power or simply the abuse of power. Society is doomed to accept dishonesty and abuse of power as a way of life if we subscribe to the unfortunate premise that we are all corrupt.
I have personally experienced many occasions where people have made the right moral choices that were reflected in their actions. Some micro examples are the cashier who calls you back for your change, a bank teller who tells you to join the line when you try to do a side transaction, the taxi driver that holds onto your phone when you leave it behind.
We cannot afford to get overwhelmed by the corrupt actions of others even if it seems widespread. I always tell my children "not because everyone is doing it, it's right." Let your spiritual and moral values guide you and make no compromise that will take you away from your belief system.
Our system has to subscribe to the positive benefits of a meritocracy. This allows for people who are qualified to get positions and not to allow false documents to prevail at the expense of hard work and honesty. Those who need to work harder to become qualified for their dream opportunities will know that their efforts are not in vain.
T&T has been fortunate to be given opportunities that most other countries may never experience. One example is free tertiary education which is a gift that our citizens enjoy as a benefit of belonging to a country blessed with natural resources that are marketable and in demand.
We have no need to be corrupt and perpetuate a culture of corruption when we are naturally endowed with sufficient resources to allow opportunities to flourish. Greed is one of the root causes of corruption. Greed has blinded many but not all.
Ronald Huggins
St Joseph