Fighting corruption is for all Tanzanians
“YOU must not distort justice; you must not show partiality and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right,” so says the Biblical book of Deuteronomy 16:19- that every leader trusted with public office should be aware of.
This comes as a result of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) constantly reminding the public that corruption is the biggest disease in mankind, whose only known cure and vaccine is transparency.
If you don’t believe in that then switch to United States President, Joe Biden’s school of thought: “Corruption is a cancer, a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity.”
The list might be long on why corruption is an enemy of the people, an enemy of development with a Nobel Prize laureate, Rigoberta Menchú crowning it all that: “Without strong watchdog institutions, impunity becomes the very foundation upon which systems of corruption are built.
And if impunity is not demolished, all efforts to bring an end to corruption are in vain.
That is the exact world every Tanzanian should be aware of. Tanzanians want a government that is allergic to corruption and a government that faces head-on the corrupt and wrestles them to the ground.
On the breath, the sixth phase government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan deserves praise for not mincing words and bravely fighting corruption with all its ‘mild’ and baptized names of kickbacks and clandestine payments in corridors.
Despite tough anti-bribery laws, corruption remains a significant risk worldwide. Almost a half of businesses worldwide experience fraud, including bribery and corruption that is why it is worth praising leaders in public offices, who give corrupt practices no time.
It should be noted that corruption has a disproportionate impact on the poor and most vulnerable, increasing costs and reducing access to services, including health, education and justice. Corruption in the procurement of drugs and medical equipment drives up costs and can lead to sub-standard or harmful products.
In a nutshell, corruption increases inequality, decreases popular accountability and political responsiveness and thus produces rising frustration and hardship among citizens, who are then more likely to accept (or even demand) hard-handed and illiberal tactics.
The only way for any citizen who loves his/her nation is to shun corruption, because it erodes the trust people have in the government and wastes taxes paid for important community projects – meaning we have to put up with poor quality services or infrastructure, or we miss out altogether.
