Category: Corruption

The Beast in Man within the Freedom of Choices and Corruption of Ideologies: Argumentative Essay

The potential for good and evil transpires in all individuals. For centuries we have found consolation in the safety of but one side of the argument. The argument being whether or not man is inherently good, and the control over the mechanistic qualities of which would constitute an explicit stance on the former. The novel In Cold Blood By Truman Capote as well as Lord Of The Flies by William Golding conveys unique messages that aid in enlightening the nature of man. The divergent views of inherent goodness can be represented by philosophical masterminds Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes.

Rousseau stands for the idea that humanity is instinctively kind, while Hobbes for Humanity’s natural selfishness. The interchangeability of qualities between characters in the novels provide ample truth in that there is no such thing as inherent goodness and vice versa. There is plenty of evidence of human tendencies for kindness as well as selfishness. The novel In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, illustrates this when protagonist Perry claims to have liked Mr. Clutter, and subsequently murders him, “I didn’t want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat”(Capote 244). Perry acknowledges his desire not to harm Mr. Clutter, even implying the discord between his thoughts and actions through his lack of remorse. While it would be believed that Perry’s severe mental state is what led him to commit such an act, Jean-Jacques Rousseau explains that is not the case. According to Rousseau, man is psychologically and spiritually free when not enslaved to the artificial needs that characterize modern society. Furthermore, Man’s enslavement to his own needs is responsible for societal ills, from exploitation and domination of others to poor self-esteem and depression. This provides the notion that Perry is enslaved to his artificial needs and illnesses that are derived from deep-rooted childhood trauma. Because of this, Perry has scrambled down a path of societal driven ills. Yet, Perry’s capacity for kindness remains prevalent throughout the novel, proving that you cannot have one(evil) without the other(kindness). With politics, the debate becomes all that much harder to settle. Given the social significance, any situation is further intensified.

Rousseau’s belief in essential human goodness and Hobbes’s cynical view of human motives essentially lay out the plot of the novel Lord Of The Flies. In their stranded and dire situation, the need for democracy is violently clear to them and a battle of power commences. The vacillation of the boys’ beliefs throughout the novel is finally addressed by arguably the most moral of the bunch. Piggy, a cherished character’s last words were, “Which is better — to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill?”(Golding 180). This quote exposes the basis of thought throughout the novel, as well as in this excerpt. The two main powers Ralph and Jack clash and argue the methods of their ways, and the conch(the symbol of their democracy is shattered). Jack’s assumed moral high ground ultimately remains.

The protagonist Ralph is represented by the former of the quote, as he believes in goodness as well as social justice while also having faith in the masses. However, Jack being the antagonist is represented by the ladder; he cherishes societal control and hierarchy whilst also accepting the inevitability of war. These qualities are akin to the likes of Rousseau and Hobbes. By fault of the Human Condition however, these definitions of character can be swapped between Ralph and Jack as they both demonstrate similar qualities throughout the novel. When Ralph gives in to the pressure of his peers and abuses Simon alongside them, his morals falter and he briefly gives way to the mob mentality. He and Piggy express immense remorse, “I’m frightened. Of us. I want to go home, Oh God, I want to go home”(Golding, 140). This panicky sense they feel after doing something they strongly consider not to be good, shows their consistent effort to be morally correct. Similarly when Jack adheres to basic morality in the very beginning, “I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things”(2). Here, Jack asserts the importance of democracy as well as demonstrates the importance of doing the right thing. This is contrary to his selfish ideals in that he is typically apprehensive about the thought of agreeing upon anything, much less with Ralph.

Ironically, Jack mentions them not being savages, however, he could be compared to exactly that later on in the book. The two boys work hard to maintain their appearance of good and bad but cannot escape the inevitability of the alternatives. In Chinese philosophy, Yin Yang represents the concept of dualism. Shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section. The Yin Yang symbol is ultimately representative of good and evil and how it is an indivisible whole. Seemingly opposite or contrary forces may be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. The indivisibility of the Yin Yang is in relation to the concept that no one person is simply good or evil. It provides a visual for the ever battling good and evil that resides in us all, furthering the claim that the potential for good and evil occurs in every individual. The goodness of man can be intensified and corrupted, just as selfishness can be exaggerated or reduced. Side by side with our destructive capacity is our constructive capacity, our capacity to do good and be good. It is clear that we all have the capacity for goodness, as well as the capacity for evil. The beast in man lies in the freedom of our choices and corruption of our ideologies, due to societal constraints and our personal experiences.

Corruption in India: An Essay

As we live in this present scenario which is infused with various social evils which has become the maxim of the day and deters various socio-economic development. Among these social evils the most dreaded evil which is visible throughout the globe is corruption. The corruption which is not conducive to social stability and social equilibrium.

Bhargava says that, “act of commission or omission by a public servant for securing pecuniary or other material advantage or indirectly for himself, his family or friends is corruption”. This menace has not prevalent everywhere, it has innumerable forms and dimensions. With the passage of time corruption in India has become a convention, a tradition, psychological need, socio-etiquette, a taboo and necessity, it is considered as a very heinous root of evil in our society. There is not a single person who rests aloof from this menace one way or other way as Kholi says, that deceiving or betraying is corruption, mismanaging of public or private funds is corruption, undue use of force or power is corruption. Corruption is a driving force and part of national character.

Corruption has been with the Indians since the mythological times and is found in every walk of life. ‘The Far Eastern Economic Review’ has called corruption the ‘Asian lubricant’, it says: “Like the gods and goddesses who abound in Asia (of course in India too) each with many faces, many hands, and many names, corruption has diverse aspects and numerous ingenious ways of extorting an illegal ‘luck’ corruption in Indian public life is all spreading and spread throughout, permeative the like”.

Corruption is like an addictive tool which molds the individual to full fill his selfish ends, and has very deep roots in the country. We have seen many causes of corruption which has been evidently known. Economic insecurity is regarded as the most important cause of corruption by which poor people become corrupt in the hope of becoming rich, same as another cause the system of democracy in India also contributes to corruption like in elections all ruling party spend crores of rupees on each election. The very presence of black money is one of the main sources of corruption.

Corruption and organized crime, white collar crime and political crimes very often go together. Corruption provides space for organized crime. Organized crimes are normally committed by comparatively rich and high-status people in society. Organized crime, thus can be viewed as “the extension of legitimate market activities into areas normally prescribed for the pursuit of profit and in response to latent illicit demands”. Political corruption is the main motivating factor for organized crime in the modern societies. Elliot and Merril have rightly observed that political corruption and organized crimes are so closely related that one can’t be considered without the other. Other white-collar crimes account for enough violations of law. By comparison, the instances of white-collar crimes are more than the conventional types of crimes such as theft, burglary, arson, loot, murder, kidnapping etc. As in Sutherland, “white-collar crime is a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in course of his occupation”. According to Sayre, white-collar crimes can be called ‘public welfare offences’. He has distinguished such crimes into various kinds which may be noted here: illegal sale of intoxicating liquor, sale of impure or adulterated food or drugs, sale of misbranded articles, criminal nuisances etc. Hence, the tool to prevent this menace is the Santaram Committee on Prevention of Corruption, set up by the central government in 1964. Corruption cannot be eliminated or even satisfactorily reduced unless preventive measures are planned and implemented in a systematic and effective manner. Preventive action must include administrative, legal, social, economic, and educative measures. The above said committee recommended the several measures which may hamper the range of corruption. In order to eradicate its seeds, the government has undertaken some initiatives like the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947, but unfortunately it has failed its strength as the corruption has increased out of all in its dimensions.

So, on the whole we have seen the symptoms of corruption on the one way and by the another, and is spread widely through the world and has taken the shape of socio-infection in this present environment and has become contagious and is as dangerous as Ebola, which tends to instability, chaos and fetters in progress of man’s domain. So, to speak widely about this social evil we should conduct associations, programs, awareness campaigns and should aware the common subjects to keep apart them from this evil. If we find success in the eradication of this undesirable bolt of society, then that may recall once again the wheel of progress which have been fully stopped structurally till now.

References

1. Bhargava G.S. India’s Watergate: A Study in Political Corruption. Arnold hieneman publishers, New Delhi, 1974, p.10.
2. Suresh, Kholi. Corruption in India. Prakesh Kendriya publ. lakhnow, 2004, pp. 32-32.
3. Shanker Rao. Principles of Sociology with an Introduction to Social Thought. S. Chand Publ. 2009, p. 631.
4. G.R., Madan. Indian Social Problems. Allied Publishers, 1973, p. 93.
5. C.B. Mamoria. Social Problems and Social Disorganization in India. Himaliya publ. Delhi, p. 246.
6. Scarpatti and Anderson. Social problems. Harper and Row publishers, New York, 1989, p.48.
7. C.N. Shanker Rao. Principles of Sociology with an Introduction to Social Thought. S. Chand Publ. 2009, p. 633.
8. Dr. Kumar. Rural and Urban Sociology. Laxami narain Aggrawal publ. Agra, pp. 183-84.

Representation of Corruption as a Major Part of Society in Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ and Craig Silvey’s ‘Jasper Jones’

Acceptance and being well liked are basic human needs. Naturally, when given a large platform, leaders have dominant views, in turn, creating polarizing opinions. Corruption is innate, humans are bound to make errors. Gaining authority and influence releases us from the restraints of societal pressure. It forces leaders to evaluate a situation and make a judgment. Although, with this much responsibility it becomes effortless to be erratic. As Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton, 1897). Humans are guaranteed to make mistakes in every field. Even the simplistic nature of negligence can cause mass destruction.

Although corruption may be influenced by a lack of funds financially or by personal requirements, corruption cannot be escaped. It eventually leads to violation of human rights or essential needs. Corruption is deep-rooted anger placed in the hands of the most authoritarian leaders in the community. Corruption has infiltrated society since the First Dynasty in ancient Egypt. Literature mimics the injustice seen in social norms and beliefs. Economist, Ludwig von Mises, states: “There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt or vial men” (1944, Mises). People manipulate power to suit individual needs and not the decision most beneficial for the community. Modern literature imitates real life and exploits the corruption and deceit seen universally. Two texts that convey this principle are Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ and Craig Silvey’s ‘Jasper Jones’.

Corruption is everywhere, it is unavoidable, from large cooperation’s to national governments, and rural areas immorality is inescapable. Pastoral areas are no exception. ‘Jasper Jones’ follows a tale of a small rural town in Australia. Jasper Jones, the town rebel, calls for Charlie, the protagonist, for assistance after they discover a body of Laura Wishart, a missing girl. As Corrigan is a small town, citizens bestow trust within one another, especially a commanding authority figure like Pete Wishart. Pete Wishart is the president and a police officer of Corrigan. Pete seems like the flawless, faultless father who raises his two daughters with ease. Whilst simultaneously providing justice and arresting criminals supplying a safe, warm environment to the people of Corrigan. Ironically, Pete is abusive to Laura and Eliza Wishart, his daughters. His abuse to Laura was extremely severe. “He wasn’t even sorry. He had no love in him… he raised his hand and hit her, hard, in the face, which he’d never done. He knocked her down to shut her up. And he swung again, twice, right at the core of her, right where the trouble was” (Craig Silvey, 2009, page 347). His unscrupulous actions reflect the manipulation of power that he has committed. It is extremely hypocritical that a police officer and a leader abuses his power. When provided with an opportunity to abuse power, humans will use it. This is further supported by Charlie investigating Eliza’s motivations: “I have a suspicion that Eliza might be less concerned with what’s right, less concerned about uncovering the truth, than she is about ensuring that she and Jasper Jones, and maybe her father too, are meted out the penance that she feels they each deserve” (Craig Silvey, 2009, p.326). Charlie believes that Eliza is not concerned about her moral obligations but, more concerned with the relationship between her father and Jasper. This enforces the idea that when given power, humans find difficulty in keeping good-willed intentions. Pete has found power in a small rural town and abused it. The text mirrors a startling real-life reality, venality unpreventable. Human nature is innately corrupt.

Corruption thrives in fear. In the 17th century, fear was notably present. Witchcraft was one of the most feared ideas at the time. In the play ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller, accusations of witchcraft regarding a local group of girls are rumored. Deputy Governor Danforth refuses to revoke John Proctor’s death penalty, willing to risk justice to gain power. “You are either lying now, or you were lying in the court, and in either case you have committed perjury and you will go to jail for it” (Arthur Miller, 1953, pg. 107). Danforth uses fear to intimidate. People in power commonly use intimidation to achieve what they want as an individual. The carelessness for the community is clear as Danforth uses his power to scare and intimidate Mary. Mary must lie in the situation as the deputy governor has placed her in an uncomfortable position. It is obvious that Danforth does not care for truth but rather, his reputation and power. Corruption is a common theme with Deputy Governor Danforth: “There is a prodigious fear of this court in the country” (Arthur Miller, 1953, pg. 102). The town knew the corruption and dishonesty taking place in the court. Hale previously through the story, was seeking out problems with witchcraft, he now comes to realize the problem lies with the court. He has stated that there is an incredible fear of the court. This is due to the known corruption present in the town. Although it is known that there is dishonesty in the legal system, the town truly believes that there is witchcraft in the town. However, the community ignores the distress regarding the court and instead, focuses on the allegations of witchcraft, further enforcing the idea of deceit.

In both these texts, it is shown that corruption is a major part of society. Both Danforth and Wishart were bound to be corrupt due to the amount of power they were both provided. These characters share similarities in personality. When Danforth is talking to Francis Nurse, Danforth states that the beliefs condemning innocent people to death is doing the will of God. This diluted conviction reads: “You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time – we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it” (Arthur Millar, 1953, Chapter 3). The lack of self-awareness Danforth has is close to comedic. It is expected that the most influential person in the town values justice and equality. However, it is quite the opposite. When Charlie is thinking about Jasper after the fire he said: “Jasper Jones fell out of this world and nobody noticed. Nobody cared” (Craig Silvey, 2009, pg. 400). This displays that the town is negligent. No one cared about Jasper because it was deemed, he was a criminal. The corrupt nature of both these towns is inherent. Doing nothing when innocent people are framed is corruption. When provided with the volume of power and success it is no surprise that people use it for wicked things. This has been seen throughout history. A modern example is the #MeToo movement. With highly influential men accused of heinous crimes. They have abused their power and taken advantage of vulnerable individuals. Many real-life examples share similar traits to Danforth and Wishart. A common denominator being power. Power is seen in every aspect of life and is too commonly misused. Corruption is innate when given power. It is inescapable, the most morally just people can be persuaded to do wrong.

Power is often abused. It can begin with white lies and moral ambiguity and lead to perjury and corruption. Corruption is seen everywhere. Innately, humans are corrupt, and morals can be influenced and converted. When lies become too imaginative, they can be intense and hysterical. Moral uncertainty can become addictive. Corruption, power, and fear are all similar and all return a dire result when misused. Power can destroy relationships. Power can destroy peace. Power will lead to depravity.

Speech about Corruption in Society and Fight against It

In my speech, I am going to talk about this ever-growing and dire topic: “Corruption is a cancer. A cancer that steals from the poor, eats away at governance and moral fiber and destroys trust; it eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity”. These eloquent words from Joe Biden and Robert Zoellick are just as relevant here in this classroom today as they were when first spoken. They accurately describe the ongoing issue of corruption and why it’s so prevalent, especially in developing countries. So, what exactly is corruption?

Corruption (as defined in the Cambridge English Dictionary) involves dishonest or illegal behavior including a person in a position of power, for example openly accepting money for doing something noted as being illegal or found immoral. Corruption can be instituted in numerous forms: bribery, graft, extortion, kickback, cronyism and embezzlement leading to the unfair favoring of particular individuals over others. 76% think wealthy individuals often use their influence on government for their own interests. Nevertheless, each and every type of corruption is highly important. Furthermore, tackling them is critical to achieve progress and sustainable change in our world as it is our world: yours and mine. Corruption is a significant issue in today’s society, often devastating the economy and citizens, it creates inequalities in the distribution of income and wealth as well as affects a nation’s development economically and politically. £100 billion of dirty money passes through systems and services every year. It perpetuates the inequalities and discontent that form extremism, conflict and violence. Not only is this ever-growing issue unethical, but it also hinders development and undermines the founding principles of democracy.

Empirical studies have shown that the poor pay the highest percentage of their income in bribes. Multiple studies have suggested that the poor may even be preyed upon as they are seen as powerless to complain. Every stolen or misdirected pound, dollar, euro, naira, peso or rupee robs the poor of an equal opportunity in life and prevents governments from investing in their human capital. This major issue has detrimental effects on the poorer members of our communities with increasing costs and reducing access to services, including health, education and justice. In Paraguay, the poorest households are forced to pay nearly 13% of their income in bribes; twice as much as the richest households. Countries capable of confronting corruption should use their human resources more efficiently, attract more investment and grow more rapidly. To make inroads against corruption we require collective determined efforts to overcome endowed interests. Transparency combined with open and unfiltered governance are typically only part of the story in our goal to achieve completely exempt world of corruption. But the political rewards to addressing corruption can regularly exceed the costs of upsetting interests and due to the cowardly actions of the governments in this particular area we will never move forward. We will continue to partake in the constant loop.

Each one of us has a world that they dream of. A world of their choices, their likes, their passions and desires. I too have a dream world of my own. I dream substantially of the world that I live in. I dream of a world spared of corruption. Although corruption is not endemic there are grave problems that need to be addressed, considering the disproportionate impact on the poor and most vulnerable, the diminishing trust in governance and with one another. This substandard practice is becoming increasingly integrated into us a society, everyone we know is touched by corruption and it is it is our duty, the duty of the youth to challenge corruption. In 2004, the Republic of Georgia fired 30,000 police officers (almost the entire traffic police force) due to corruption and built glass police stations to encourage an image of transparency. I urge you to remember that if our country fails, we fail but if our country soars, we too shall soar. We must get involved; we must care. It is not enough to sign a few petitions or think about what you want to happen in the world. We must act. Our thoughts will not change the world. Other people’s words will not decide our legacy. It is up to us. How will future generations remember us? John F. Kennedy once said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. What can you, what can we – the future of Loreto, of the world – what is it that that we can do? We need to be conscious that we can change this corrupt system. Just us. Together.

My proposition begins with the acknowledgement and understanding that corruption is a global problem that subsequently requires a global solution. At the core of corruption is the distinctly enlightening outlook that “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts… perhaps the fear of the loss of power”, as said by John Steinbeck. In this sense, fear can be crested through the ideal of political polarization. Now, you may wonder what political polarization? It is not a term you hear every day. Technically, it relates to citizens holding strong and moralized attitudes about political and societal issues, people becoming ideologically entrenched in their own values and political beliefs, thereby increasing the divide with citizens who hold different values and political beliefs. Furthermore, political polarization thus fuels a perception of society as a struggle between ‘us versus them’, and may yield high levels of mutual conflict between ideologically opposing groups like the Liberal Democrats vs The Conservatives (UK political groups). This should not be the case it is not ‘us vs them’, we are all in this together and allowing the perception of people’s ideology of the world control us is not right because we are all the same and were created in the same image. We need to end this; we need to absolve this discriminatory practice from our society because our indifference configures the best benefitting breeding ground for corruption to grow and eventually flourish, being spread through our hearts and minds from the way we speak to the way we act and the tolerance we demonstrate towards one another.

Did you know that as many as 2 in 3 people worldwide believe that ordinary citizens can make a difference in the fight against corruption?

In conclusion, my dream world would dimmish the growth of corruption through promoting equal opportunities, rewarding people adequately for their work and services rendered. These actions will begin to promote a more level playing field thus eradicating the need for sly underhanded plays in the form of corruption. Our governance will be deserved of their place and the vulnerable with have the support they need because without strong institutions impunity becomes the very foundation upon which our systems of corruption are built. If impunity is not demolished, all efforts to bring an end to corruption are in vain. Whether it’s taking on an abusive school system, exposing a crooked driving instructor or blocking the re-election of a corrupt mayor, we are demonstrating our power to bring about lasting change in our communities.

Can Obedience Lead to Corruption and Evil Actions?

Obedience, the idea that one should comply to the rules or wishes of another person or idea, along with its counterpart discipline, has been thought of throughout history to be the foundation of harmony and cooperation between individuals and society. According to Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst and philosopher who studied Freud and Marx, “obedience is a virtue, while disobedience is a vice” (Behrens & Rosen, 574). In more recent times, psychologists have been asking if obedience can lead to corruption and evil doing, rather than the ideas established in history. Why and how does obedience lead to corrupt and unethical actions? Does this only apply to people who are predisposed to aggression and immoral wrongdoings? Or is this something deeper, that perhaps all humans can fall prey to?

One of the most famous, yet controversial, studies conducted based on the idea of obedience was done by Stanley Milgram in 1961 at Yale and Harvard Universities (Behrens & Rosen, 583-4). Milgram wanted to better understand the reason behind the massacre of the Jews during World War II, and if the German Nazi’s were really being obedient and ‘just following orders’. During these tests, Milgram tested whether individuals would violate their conscience by obeying immoral demands and inflict harm on another human being because they were ordered to do so by a figure of authority. Throughout this experiment, participants were tasked with being a ‘teacher’ and delivering an electric shock to the ‘student’, if they answered any questions wrong, increasing the shock from minor shock to dangerous and life threatening. After conducting his experiments, Milgram found that 65% of participants continued to maximum shock level and concluded that when tasked with an immoral order by an authority figure, everyday people were more inclined to obey and complete a heinous act, regardless of the pain they were causing someone else (Behrens & Rosen, 583-88).

An important thing to clarify, Fromm explained, is the distinction between the different types of obedience (Behrens & Rosen, 576). First, there is ‘heteronomous obedience’, which is being submitting to a person or sovereignty’s will, ideas, or orders. Fromm states that this form of obedience makes one disregard their independence and conform to the ideologies of another. Additionally, ‘autonomous obedience’ is the act of obeying one’s own beliefs and ideas. Another important distinction, according to Fromm, is the concept of rational and irrational authority, in which the former commands with common reason that others can accept, while the latter uses force or motivation in order to convince others to obey. Finally, there is the difference between the ‘authoritarian conscious’, obeying an internalized power, and ‘humanistic conscious’, which allows people to discern from right and wrong, what is destructive and productive of life, and what constitutes us as human beings (Behrens & Rosen, 576-77). Throughout history, all over the world, individuals have proven consistently, that ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process.

Milgram’s experiment found that ordinary people were inclined to follow the orders of those in power, even if the order harmed or potentially killed another person. This experiment targeted normal, everyday men in the community that were simply answering an ad in the paper. These individuals, according to a recount of Milgram’s experiment by Saul McLeod from Wigan and Leigh College, were all males in the New Haven area between the ages of twenty and fifty and ranged in skills from no skills to professional skills. Milgram’s experiment showed how everyday people can make horrendous decisions when ordered to, even if that authoritative figure is irrational. Even though participants were concerned about the person they were inflicting pain on while they shocked them after being given a wrong answer, the scientist, who was an accomplice of Milgram, urged and manipulated them using forceful suggestions such as: “It is absolutely essential that you continue. You have no other choice”.

While Milgram’s experiment found that typical individuals were affected by the concept of obedience, he also found that this applied simply because they were performing a job. To illustrate how this affects people in another situation, between 2003 and 2006, American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq became victims of ‘heteronomous obedience’, when their superiors ordered them to extract information from prisoners by whatever means necessary, resulting in the torture of prisoners. According to Jerrold Post and Lara Panis of George Washington University, the guards at Abu Ghraib explained that the physical abuse they inflicted upon prisoners was because they were following orders ‘to set the conditions’ to enhance the interrogation” and that they assumed they were following orders correctly because their superiors never told them otherwise (Post & Panis, 5). These individuals felt that they were simply doing their jobs, and that meant to be obedient to their superiors wishes. This desire to follow orders obediently ultimately led to the prison guards to ignore their ‘humanistic conscious’ and disregard what they knew to be right and wrong, as well as partake in activities that were ‘destructive of life’, as Fromm explained (Behrens & Rosen, 576). This lack of ‘humanistic conscious’ and obedience in authority resulted in the guards in Abu Ghraib to treat the prisoners as if they were inhuman, lack empathy for them, and become amused by the degradation that they inflicted..

Together with doing their jobs, Milgram also stated that obedience can occur and result in a devastating act, even when the individual had no hostility towards the person or situation. During Milgram’s experiment, participants frequently expressed that they were concerned about the man in the other room, indicating that they had no ill-will towards the man. In the face of authority, however, these individuals were able to continuously administer stronger shocks each time because they were able to push the responsibility and consequences of their actions on the person in power. This can also be seen in another example from the television show ‘The Push’ by Derren Brown’. Like the focus of Milgram’s experiment, ‘The Push’, by mentalist and illusionist Derren Brown, wanted to find if someone could be convinced to follow the orders to push someone off a building and to their death. During the show, Brown created a series of scenarios for the unassuming contestant that continued to intensify, resulting in the contestant being told by the charity board to push the main investor off the roof, lest they all go to jail. Brown conducted this with four different contestants, resulting in three out of the four following orders and pushing the man to his death (Raeside, par. 9). These contestants had no animosity towards the investor and went to the event with no heinous intentions in mind. However, when faced with a situation where someone in power, or in this case multiple people in power, ordered them to hurt another human being, they followed orders almost every time.

Despite the fact that Milgram expressed these individuals had no hostility, the end result was them becoming agents in a terrible destructive process. First, it is imperative to point out the importance of social psychologist Solomon E. Asch’s study on group pressure. In this study, he found that people were more likely to forfeit their own judgement in order to side with a group of peers, even if they were wrong. Together with the Sandford Prison Experiment by psychology professor Phillip Zimbardo in 1973, these studies help illuminate Milgram’s findings. Zimbardo’s experiment’s purpose was to study the concept of compliance and authority in guards and prisoners and they came to behave in those manners. The Stanford Prison Experiment involved placing college males into the role of either prisoner or guard in a fake prison, where they would assume their assigned roles and act accordingly. This experiment put these students in a situation where they responded to their ‘authoritarian conscious’, responding and treating their peers in ways that they perceived a prison guard to act like, one student even claiming they used the main character of ‘Cool Hand Luke’ as a reference. In an interview, one participant expressed that when they put on the guard’s uniform, it was like they became that entity. Obeying this conscious resulted in the students acting as guards humiliating, ridiculing, and harassing their peers in ways that was affecting both roles’ psyche. Additionally, while these young men were following a ‘rational authority’ that acted with justification-the police-they did so in a convoluted way. Asch’s experiment on group pressure aides to the explanation of why so many of the fake guards began acting in such a manner. One student, who deemed himself as the ringleader of the intense and cruel treatment of their peers, stated that even when he was crossing the line and being aggressive, no one questioned his authority. Because of this, students behaved more ‘sadistic’ as the days progressed. Ultimately, after six days the experiment had to be terminated due to the harm that was being inflicted on all the participants’ mental health. Being obedient to an authority figure, even an internal figure, combined with following a groups judgement rather than their own, resulted in these young men being “agents in a . . . destructive process” (Behrens & Rosen, 606).

The act of being obedient is one that has been valued throughout history as a virtue, but has a hidden, sinister side. Following his 1961 experiment, Milgram believed that obedience to authority could cause people, who may not normally act in these ways, to partake in inhuman actions. Throughout history, scientists, researchers and the everyday person has proven that given the encouragement, anyone is capable of abandoning their own judgement and critical thinking skills and act out an indescribable order in order to please or portray the ideas of someone in power. Because of the works of these researchers, along with Fromm, we will be able to better understand and recognize the different ways we obey authority and gives us the power to use our own judgments and values to act in ways that will preserve humankind. We are given the chance to prevent the “termination of the world by an act of obedience” by being disobedient (Behrens & Rosen, 574).

Corruption and Its Impact on Gameplay

Corruption in sport is understood as any illegal, immoral or unethical activity that attempts to deliberately distort the outcome of a sporting contest, usually for the gain for someone(s) involved in that activity. Corruption in sport was initially meant to refer to any action that aims to earn money by distorting the outcome of sport contests by means of bribery/throwing a game for money. Nowadays, this has extended to other unethical behaviors such as distorting the allocation of mega-sporting events, biased decisions made by governing bodies and fixing bet-related matches. Corruption scandals have increased in modern sports, even in Australia. With growing money inflow and the globalization of sport, corruption can now damage all aspects of the sporting business.

Some examples of corruption in sport are featured below that will be useful in understanding and preventing this corruption.

Referee Match Rigging in Italian Football Serie A

Rigging a match plays a crucial role in its outcome. For example, in the 1994-1995 championship, one minute before the end of the Juventus-Brescia match, the referee offered a non-existing penalty to Juventus. In Italian Serie A, the assignment of referees was very complex and highly discrete. In 2006, a major scandal was uncovered by Italian prosecutors after tapping Juventus’ phone conversations. They found that the general manager of the club had various contracts with referees, football federation officials and journalists during the 2004 and 2005 championships. It was found a total of 78 matches were likely to have been rigged, and these did not only involve Juventus.

Candidate Cities Bribing International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member for Votes

Following the huge growth in the number of candidates for hosting the Olympics during the mid-1980s, cities attempted to ‘influence’ IOC members in ways that were ethnically questionable. A large number of IOC members accepted favors or valuable gifts such as free vacations, jobs, or even cash to vote for the candidate city. These practices were made public in the media as of 1986 when electing the 1992 Olympic city, although they probably existed before that date.

The Sheridan Report published in 1999 established that the head of the 2000 Sydney candidature committee admitted to various acts of lobbying (an attempt to influence the decisions of government), including the use of ‘agents’ to obtain votes from African Olympic representatives. In 1993 just before the IOC cast its votes, the Australian Olympic Committee offered AU$65,000 to two IOC members, the representatives for Kenya and Uganda.

2008 Renault Formula One Crash

The Renault Formula One crash, called Crashgate by some in the media, was a sporting scandal caused by the Renault F1 team, which ordered Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, to give a sporting advantage to his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso.

On the 14th lap of the race, the Renault R28 driven by Piquet crashed into the circuit wall, causing a safety car deployment. The other Renault driver, Fernando Alonso, had previously made an early pitstop, and was promoted to the race lead as other cars had too pitstop under safety car conditions. Alonso won the race after starting 15th. Piquet described his crash at the time as a simple mistake. This shows how far some people are willing to go in the cases of sporting corruption as it could have caused Piquet’s death.

2018 Australian Ball-Tampering Scandal

The 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal was a cricket scandal surrounding the men’s Australian national cricket team. During the third Test match against South Africa Cameron Bancroft was caught by television cameras trying to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper to make it swing in flight. Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were found to be involved and all three received sanctions from Cricket Australia.

Conclusion

Corrupt sport has become such a significant criminal economic activity that it deserves a deeper focus, especially since the affect it has on the gameplay. As it is shown in most of these cases and many more, corruption involves cheating which affects gameplay making game immoral and unethical.

Corruption as a Serious Problem in Spain

This can further be seen as a widespread problem through the fact that between July 2015 and December 2016, nearly 1,500 people in Spain faced trial for corruption, with around 70% being convicted as guilty. Also, over the past 30 years many ‘high-up’ figures in Spain have had to go to trial over corruption, including top business officials, ministers, regional presidents, mayors and even members of the royal family. This would suggest that it something that is deeply rooted in Spanish society; political figures are meant to be completely unbiased and act in the best interest of the people, however it has been proven that people are able to abuse their power in order to maximize their own self gain. This unhealthy culture can have a further negative impact on society as if the general public see that public officials are doing this easily and with a lack of consequences, it may inspire them to do the same, yet it is unlikely it would have such a profound impact given that they have less power.

Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that there is common knowledge that corruption is a large problem in Spain. For example, a study carried out by the European Commission in 2017 revealed that 63% of Spaniards asked believe that the amount of corruption in Spain has increased in the last 3 years; 94% believe corruption is a widespread problem in Spain; 58% believe that corruption impacts their daily life; 75% generally agree that corruption is a part of business culture. Evidently, these statistics are very worrying as it is clearly impacting people’s lives, whether it be in their day-to-day lives or only in their work.

It is clear that the governmental policies and legislation that were in place was not effective in preventing corruption as if they were, scandals such as the Gürtel case and the Barcenas case would not have occurred. According to a report that was carried out by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1999, the sanctions for central government employees for corrupt behavior were set out in Chapter 8 in the 1964 versions of the Ley de Funcionarios Civiles del Estado (Government Service Act) and those for other public employees were set out in the Ley de Incompatibilidades (Incompatibility Act), 1884. Having translated some parts of this document, it can be seen that the sanctions that were in place included dismissal from the government, suspension, change of position, loss of pay compensation for one to twenty days and a written warning. The report also states that there were other anti-corruption regulations such the Ley de Contratos de las Administraciones Públicas (Public Contracts Act) and the General Budget Act. The bodies in charge of enforcing the sanctions and prosecuting corrupt activity that breaks the legislation outlined by the Penal Code are law courts. Also, the Board of Audit had audit jurisdiction for accounts to be rendered by any person collecting, handling, administering, safekeeping, or using public funds or property. There were no investigative systems or bodies with powers to investigate corrupt activity directly at the time, however there was a supreme financial audit authority, an agency coming under the Intervención General de la Administración del Estado (Economic Affairs and Finance Ministry), which monitored all of the financial dealings of branches of central government. It is evident that the actions of this agency were not sufficient in order to detect the illegal cash donations received by Luis Barcenas, recorded using a parallel bookkeeping method. In order to deter and prevent corrupt practices on top of the sanctions, the General Budget Act allowed the inspection of all dealing that gave rise to financial rights, with the inspection being carried out by the Intervención General de la Administración del Estado at any time. In addition, ethics courses were provided for government officials at all levels, covering topics such as the principles of ethics, ethics and law, the constitutional significance of public service, analysis of public conduct, ethics in public organizations and ethical values and administrative culture. It is important to note that these policies are on a national level and there may be some additional separate regulations that vary depending upon autonomous community.

Not only is it apparent that the past governmental legislation that was in place was fairly ineffective and lacking, the guidance and training for public officials and politicians also did not provide a sufficient disincentive to completely deter people away from corrupt actions. Given this information, one may argue that the most efficient way to combat this problem is through tighter governmental legislation with greater disciplinary measures, as this may provide the largest incentive to not engage in these activities that bring private gain at the expensive of the general public.

Following the recent scandals, legislation has been adapted and improved in an attempt to faze out corruption from the Spanish government as well as the whole society. The Spanish Criminal Code establishes corruption in international business transactions as an autonomous crime, which can be located under Article 286. With respect to domestic bribery, Articles 419 to 426 of the Criminal Code outline that public officials that commit bribery by receiving a bribe (passive bribery) will be punished, as well as those who issue the bribes (active bribery). These anti-bribery laws are relatively strict, with the Criminal Code not providing any exception for gifts, travel expenses, meals or entertainment; any goods or compensations, despite their economic value, fall under the scope of the legislation against bribery.

Detroit Vs Public Corruption

Public corruption has plagued the city of Detroit slowing the cities revival and betraying the trust of its people. For the government to be trusted we must have consistent and thorough investigations of the city’s public officials. Public corruption is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations as, “the FBI’s top criminal investigative priority, poses a fundamental threat to our national security and way of life. It can affect everything from how well our borders are secured and our neighborhoods protected as to how verdicts are handed down in courts to how public infrastructure such as roads and schools are built. It also takes a significant toll on the public’s pocketbooks by siphoning off tax dollars—it is estimated that public corruption costs the U.S. government and the public billions of dollars each year. The FBI is uniquely situated to combat corruption, with the skills and capabilities to run complex undercover operations and surveillance” (FBI, 2019). “…policy analysis represents an attempt to dissect problems and solu­tions in what is usually described as a rational manner. By this, practitioners mean that they bring information and systematic analysis to bear on policy issues and try to show how a given set of goals and objectives might be achieved most efficiently” (Kraft & Furlong, pg. 28). The policy being analyzed includes the Kwame Kilpatrick Indictment as well as the Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force as solutions to the problem of public corruption in the city of Detroit.

Though public corruption is a nationwide issue, nowhere else have we seen more public corruption than In Detroit and its surrounding areas. Steve Neavling of the Metro Times reports that “Fifteen cops. Five suburban trustees. A former state senator. Millionaire moguls. They’re among more than 40 public and private officials charged as part of a long-running and expanding federal investigation into public corruption in metro Detroit” (Neavling, 2019). These officials have been charged with crimes such as extortion, bribery, money laundering, conspiracy to distribute drugs. Neavling claims that these 40 officials could just be the beginning. The corruption in Detroit goes not partisan either. Tom Perkins of the Metro Times explains, “The level of corruption in Michigan is staggering. It’s Democrats, Republicans, it’s the entire political establishment, which is mostly a cesspool of morally bankrupt dirtbags working on behalf of corporations and the wealthy instead of the middle and lower class” (Perkins, 2019).

Why would our public officials commit such a high level of fraud and risk their entire career on it? Victor Hartman and Sridhar Ramamoorti claim that corruption is a human act and can be understood intuitively. They explain how corruption starts small with acts that rid of ethical behavior that leads to more major ethical erosion in a type of domino effect. “They are unaware of what is taking place, or may have a misplaced confidence in their internal, psychological defenses. In reality, before they realize what is occurring, it’s too late, the trap has been sprung, and the unsuspecting victim has walked right into it” (Hartman & Ramamoorti, 2016). These corrupt public officials are abusing their trust of the public for personal gain despite how harmful it can be to the people they have been elected to serve. Luminita Ionescu of Spiru Haret University explains what public officials can gain from going corrupt: “Corrupt public servants may choose to distribute more money to particular budget categories as expenses in these categories enable them to obtain more rents via corrupt practices”. What Ionescu is describing is extortion, something Detroit has seen many times. “The publicly hired agent’s choice to obtain money from corrupt contrasted with legal undertakings is contingent at the margin on contrasting the effects of honest conduct with the magnitude of the rents from illegal undertakings”. Ionescu is stating that corruption is taking money from the government for their own personal gain, something that can be very harmful in a city like Detroit (Ionescu, 2016).

Using government money for other purposes is unfavorable to the taxpayers these public officials are serving. Steve Neavling interviews Jeffrey Downey, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit office. Downey tells the Metro Times, “Public corruption erodes the trust that our citizens have in our governments, so it’s important that we investigate all of these allegations” (Neavling, 2019). “Corruption tends to pull away the composition of public expenditure from the necessary fixed assets for health and education, as there is less chance of getting commissions than from other, perhaps unnecessary projects”. Here Štefan Šumah explains another harmful effect caused by corruption. “Because of corruption, less taxes are levied than would otherwise be, as some of the taxes end up in the pockets of corrupt tax officials”. Public officials are evading taxes to keep more money in their pockets (Šumah, 2018). Jill Washburn of the FBI interviews U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade who states, “Public corruption robs citizens of the honest government we deserve. Bringing together resources from various agencies helps us to attack this problem wherever it occurs”. Washburn also interviews Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette who states, “Public corruption destroys trust in government. Taxpayers work hard for their money and have zero tolerance for those in a position of trust who abuse their authority” (Washburn, 2012). Unfortunately, Detroit has been hit hard by public corruption in its many forms however the future is looking bright for catching and prosecuting these criminals.

What is quite possibly the largest case of public corruption in Detroit’s history is the indictment of the former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick promised to revitalize the city and instead, he used his power to steal from the people he was supposed to serve. Kilpatrick was the Mayor of Detroit from 2002 until 2008 after he was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice. After some jail time and probation that was eventually violated, in March of 2013, Kilpatrick was convicted on 24 federal felony counts that included 10 counts of mail fraud, 3 counts of wire fraud, 5 counts of filing a false tax return, and one count of tax evasion. Seven months later, Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison (Baldas, 2013). Kilpatrick was able to pay for his personal expenses and fund his mayoral campaigns by taking funds from the Kilpatrick Civic Fund. The Civic Fund was a tax-exempt social welfare organization that was registered with the IRS. U.S Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Department of Justice states that, “Kilpatrick used Civic Fund monies to pay himself cash kickbacks, which he took from the paychecks of an individual employed by the Civic Fund, to provide money to friends and relatives, and to pay for items such as counter-surveillance and anti-bugging equipment, yoga and golf lessons, golf clubs, summer camp for his children, personal travel, moving expenses, car rentals and leases of cars and a personal residence”. The indictment also alleges that Kilpatrick paid for campaign expenses using the Civic Fund. “The tax charges in the indictment allege that, while Mayor of Detroit, Kilpatrick received unreported taxable income of at least $640,000 between 2003 and 2008, including cash, private jet flights, and personal expenses paid for by the Civic Fund. The indictment alleges that Kilpatrick filed false tax returns, failing to declare this income in tax years 2003 through 2007, and that he evaded taxes in tax year 2008”. The charges against Kilpatrick have truly afflicted the City of Detroit (McQuade, 2010).

The investigation on Kilpatrick was conducted by the FBI and the IRS and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Michael Bullotta and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark D. Chutkow (Schneider, 2010). The FBI first opened the case in 2004, two years after he took office. Kilpatrick left a trail of evidence that he was corrupt that the FBI uncovered via wiretaps, undercover operators, text messages, and bank statements. The FBI reported that, “Kilpatrick’s bank records revealed more than $840,000 in unexplained expenditures above and beyond his salary as mayor—and none of that money was disclosed on his tax returns”. Kilpatrick truly thought he was above the law and that he would be able to get away with whatever he wanted. “During his six years as mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick pervasively and systematically corrupted city government…The citizens had the right to expect honesty, integrity, and responsibility when they elected Kilpatrick. What they got instead was widespread graft, extortion, and theft” (FBI, 2013). CBS News Detroit states, “scandals destroyed his political career and helped steer a crisis-laden city even deeper into trouble” (CBS News Detroit, 2013).

The methods used by the FBI and IRS in Kilpatrick’s investigation were proven to be successful and have locked up a public corruption criminal for 28 years. The success of this investigation has led to the creation of the Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force. Steve Neavling states, “Bombarded with allegations of corruption in 2012, the FBI assembled the Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force, a team composed of local, state and federal law enforcement” (Neavling, 2019). This task force is made up of local, state, and federal law officials with a goal to rid Detroit of any other public corruption harming the cities revival (Perkins, 2019). “The Detroit Public Corruption Task Force will help ensure that those who violate this trust will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law”, DOT-OIG Special Agent in Charge Michelle T. McVicker states. Washburn states: “Public corruption is currently the highest criminal priority within the FBI Detroit Division. The dedication, hard work, and collaboration of all those involved have already resulted in countless violations exposed. The focus of the task force will continue to be on corruption at all levels of local, state, and federal government” (Washburn, 2019).

The Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force has proven to be very effective with several corrupt public officials being sentenced for their crimes. The task force has convicted a former Detroit police officer by a federal jury on the charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (Department of Justice, 2019). They had six Detroit police officers charged with extortion (Department of Justice, 2017). They sentenced a former Detroit deputy chief of police to 12 months in prison for bribery (Department of Justice, 2018). They convicted a former Detroit Public Schools principal on bribery charges (Department of Justice, 2016). They sentenced a former City of Detroit employee to prison for embezzling $265,000 from the city (Department of Justice, 2018). They indicted a Detroit police officer for taking $15,000 in cash bribes from a drug trafficker. These are just a few examples of the work the Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force has done towards convicting corrupt officials. “The dedication, hard work, and collaboration of all those involved has already resulted in countless violations exposed”, says Washburn. (Washburn, 2012). U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider explains that “Our statistics show we lead the nation in corruption cases, by far…Every state has about one corruption case each year…while larger districts like New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, usually see around four. In Michigan, there were about 18 per year for the last five years” (Perkins, 2019).

“Only fifteen years after World War II, Detroit’s landscape was dominated by rotting hulks of factory buildings, closed and abandoned, surrounded by blocks of boarded up stores and restaurants” (Surgue, pg. 147). Detroit has truly struggled in the last couple of decades and public corruption has not been a positive addition to its revival. We need people to believe in our city, and if Detroit’s citizens can’t gain the city’s trust, then how will we get investors in this city to make positive change. Tresa Baldas of the Detroit Free Press argues that “Kilpatrick is not the main culprit of the city’s historic bankruptcy, which is the result of larger social and economic forces at work for decades”, federal prosecutors said in court documents. “But his corrupt administration exacerbated the crisis”. The Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force is working towards this issue that goes beyond large officials like Kilpatrick. If the mayor of Detroit can be indicted, so can anyone else no matter how small or large the crime.

Evil Hidden in Corruption: Essay

The world today has a lot of many contemporary issues. Every contemporary issue is a widespread issue around. One of them is corruption. Corruption is something unworthy of one person’s way to gain power. It is one of the worst ways to gain power. It involves many types of stealing money. This is mostly done by the rich people for gaining more wealth than how wealthy they are already. Corruption is always illegal for many reasons.

For some people, corruption is the way to gain money through illegal means. And by means, they do what they can do, no matter how illegal, to gain more power. It is present a lot in the government. This is because of how high the position some politicians are. Due to the high level, they would use it as means to gain power and wealth more through illegal ways. This would range from graft to bribery to overpricing and more. This is a way they abuse their own power by going taking risks in doing illegal things to get power. This would only end the positions for most of the people.

Many negative effects happen to a lot of people due to corruption. The corrupt politicians would lose their position for abusing their power just because of corruption. A country’s growth and development would be hampered because of this. Gaining power and wealth for selfish deeds would contribute to the regressing of the economy. As much as the government provide laws on corruption, it is still happening to today. The people’s respect and trust in the government is lost all because of corruption. Only because of the issue, many conflicts between people will only increase more.

Conflicts between people include one being against the other. People will not be able to compromise with one another for their sides on the government. By conflicts, it means that corruption will also increase in its citizens. Poverty also increases due to the some of the politicians’ selfish deeds. People will be negative affected in their work and life for their economy. A supposed income meant for the people’s needs and for the country’s development will only have a loss due to corruption. Certainly, a lot would never benefit from such acts done by some politicians. A lot would lose hope in their country for the prevalence of the issue.

Luckily enough, laws against corruption are enforced. Although not able to persuade some, they were still enforced for the awareness of many in preventing corruption. For example, in the Philippines, many laws include the 1987 Constitution Article XI and the RA 3019: The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act of 1960. The two government agencies of the Sandiganbayan and the Ombudsman also contribute on the plan to lessen corruption. Thankfully, these solutions still continue to today in helping to prevent the issue. As an issue, everyone must be aware of what is happening and what will happen if the people continue to do use corruption. Corruption must also have awareness for the politicians for the government is what the people trust in leading the country. In the end, corruption will always be illegal in gaining power.

Essay on Corruption in South America

Corruption is present almost everywhere in the world. But in this special on this continent, corruption got a big place in the society. Effectively, South America is one of the most corrupt continents in the world just after the Africa and before the Europe.

In Colombia, recent reports reveal that the Brazilian construction company has been bribing the country’s public officials considering that 2010. With the 2018 presidential campaign heating up, the revelation is spurring dissatisfaction with President Juan Manuel Santos and imperiling the country’s fledgling peace process.

On April 1, up to 16,000 Colombians took to the streets to decry corruption and express ongoing dissatisfaction with the peace accords signed with the FARC guerrillas. It was, in many ways, a march against the Colombian political establishment. Public debate around the marches was largely redirected by mudslides in the metropolis of Mocoa, the capital of the Putumayo province. They killed more than 300 citizens, consisting of dozens of children, on the night of March 31.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos flying over the flood-hit areas of Putumayo province. The tragedy gave Santos, who is now getting into the last 12 months of his administration, the opportunity to reassert his leadership. And it temporarily relieved the pressures that the Odebrecht corruption scandal was exerting on his government.

Colombia is now not a regional outlier. Mass protests in 2016 famously contributed to the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. And continuing public ire has helped spur the courts there to ship numerous high-ranking officials to detention center for corruption. Argentina and Chile are also seeing residents protest leaders from the political left, right and center. In many cases, public outcry is linked to the large number of government officials determined to be in the pocket of Odebrecht, whose bribery network reaches from Colombia and Peru to Angola and Mozambique. But in Colombia, the corporation is only phase of a more intricate story behind current protests. Public malfeasance has long been common in the country. The 1994 presidential campaign of Ernesto Samper, for example, was found to have been funded via the Cali Cartel, then one of Colombia’s most powerful trafficking organizations. Even the main instigators of the April 1 march – former President Alvaro Uribe and former Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez – have themselves been found to be trapped in various corruption scandals. But that well-reported reality has not stopped them from actively mobilizing public opinion towards corruption within the present-day government. President Santos faces an unusual and contradictory political reality. Internationally, he is nicely regarded as a Nobel Peace Prize winner lauded for his efforts to stop Colombia’s armed conflict. But, at home, he is highly unpopular, with disapproval ratings of 71%. This is due to an ironic twist of fate for the president. In signing the November 2016 peace accords with the FARC guerrillas, Santos took the previously overwhelming question of armed conflict out of the spotlight and allowed corruption to take center stage in the public mind.

Santos is a career politician, who served as minister of defense under his predecessor Alvaro Uribe, and is the grand-nephew of a former president. His detractors, led through Uribe, who is now among his most strident critics are now using this experience to discredit him, calling him ‘immoral’ and ‘corrupt’. As proof for their claims, they cite a formal investigation by Colombia’s legal professional general into whether the Odebrecht bribes played a position in Santos’ 2014 presidential campaign.

Presidents with irreconcilable differences. The anti-Santos right-wing coalition includes the scandal-beset Ordoñez, as properly as former minister of defense Marta Lucía Ramírez, and former vice president German Vargas Lleras. All of them fiercely opposed and nearly derailed the FARC accords in 2016. And all intend to run for the presidency in 2018.This group does now not have enough help to wield veto power in Congress. But with the aid of uniformly resisting any action undertaken through Santos and using smear campaigns to have an effect on voter opinion, it has been successfully undermining the credibility of the current administration over the past two years.

The April 1 march is another tactic. In leveraging corruption concerns, the opposition seeks to position itself ahead of Santos’s party in next year’s presidential campaign. Among other declared candidates, individuals of Uribe’s faction will go up against Humberto de la Calle. He is a distinguished figure from the Santos camp and was once the government’s lead negotiator in the FARC peace process. They will also stand in opposition to Bogota’s leftist former mayor, Gustavo Petro, whom Ordoñez removed for administrative malfeasance. The favorability rating of most of these would-be presidents has been falling recently, showing a well-known loss of legitimacy for Colombian political parties and their representatives.

In this twisted fashion, Brazil’s Odebrecht corruption scandal, which is certainly no longer just limited to that country, brings to the fore the paradox of Latin America’s burgeoning citizen engagement. It is vital for democracy that human beings voice discontent with corruption, and Latin Americans’ increasing intolerance for the bribery, embezzlement and deal-making that has lengthy characterized institutions on the continent is good. Protesters in Peru march against the Odebrecht scandal, which has the political establishment reeling.

In many countries, the Odebrecht backlash has verified dramatic, increasing ire towards governments already under giant pressure for unpopular measures, such as Brazil’s price range cuts and Argentina’s teacher strikes. In Colombia, it is putting institutions to the take a look at and shaping presidential politics. Corruption can no longer be cloaked under the veil of national security pursuits and blamed on the existence of an armed group like the FARC. The absence of a fighting rhetoric within Colombia obliges the authorities to be more in charge to citizens. That too is healthy.

But when popular outrage is manipulated through political operators who seek to strengthen their interests, democracy suffers. As in Brazil (where the main driver of Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, Eduardo Cunha, has now been jailed for corruption), politicians in Colombia tainted through other scandals are the use of Odebrecht as a Trojan horse to position their own political agendas.

It is a risky tactic in a nation that is still fantastically fragile. If Colombia’s institutions fail this challenge, the USA could face a dramatic political transition, and a kingdom attempting to quit war may find peace once more endangered.