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Practical way to stop Corruption in Pakistan

Pakistan Ranked 117th Least Corrupt Country In the World

Corruption is one menace which has destroyed Pakistan like nothing else.

Here is a look some of the interesting facts about corruption in Pakistan.

  • Pakistan is currently ranked 117th least corrupt country in the world in terms of corruption.
  • Pakistan ranked on average 107.9 from 1995 to 2015.
  • The highest attained rank Pakistan gained was 144th least corrupt country in the year 2005.
  • The lowest rank attained by Pakistan was 39.00 least corrupt country in 1995.

How does corruption impact a country’s progress?

Corruption is not something to be proud of.

These are some of the ways in which corruption damages a country over the long run.

  1. It slows the growth of the country.
  2. Corruption makes government departments less efficient and lacking in productivity.
  3. The concept of “It is OK to be corrupt”, a dangerous perception pervades through masses, making it contagious.
  4. The public services offered seriously lack in quality.
  5. It gets next to impossible to get justice in a corrupt society.
  6. When nepotism flourishes, it makes harder for people to get jobs on merit, keeping competent individuals out of job.
  7. The public health suffers a great deal because public hospitals lack medicine and basic facilities.
  8. Another by-product of corruption is pollution. Transporters and industries violating environmental protection laws in the country get away with it without any accountability.
  9. Poor road conditions result in more road accidents, allowing drivers to drive on roads without licenses. And they also do not necessarily get their vehicles passed to the levels required by bribing the traffic police.
  10. Education departments lack in quality research, a major component of economic development and progress in new fields.
  11. The society has no regard for police and law enforcement authorities as they know they can get away by paying money.
  12. Corruption delays a country’s growth, lacks projects with real development, and trade deficit always remain on the higher side.

How to stop corruption in Pakistan?

How to stop corruption in Pakistan

These are some useful methods which can be deployed by the government to help improve transparency and accountability while fighting the threat of corruption.

  1. Establish the rule of law and make it equal for everyone. No matter how much money or resources an individual has, he or she cannot get away with breaking the law.
  2. Improve the salary given to the government employees so that they do not have to indulge in corruption to run their kitchens.
  3. Increase the number of staff members in departments where few people are doing the work of more. This way, instead of getting overworked, everyone would be able to focus on their own work and do not come with excuses of corruption.
  4. Please do not JUST SUSPEND someone who is found corrupt. This is something which needs to be taken seriously. Most of the foreign countries dismiss a person from service, found involved in corruption. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, what they do is come with excuses to establish an inquiry commission to look into the matter. This needs to change or else we would never be able to get rid of corruption in Pakistan.
  5. Make sure all the transactions taking place in government departments, regardless of their amount are transparent. If you cannot ensure transparency, everyone would keep getting away with whatever they are doing. Also, make transactions of all government departments are accessible to everyone so that if there is a problem, it can be pointed out right away.
  6. Do not run corrupt accountability institutions and do not give anyone PLEA BARGAIN. The plea bargain culture in Pakistan is only solidifying the belief that no matter what you do, just give a certain amount out of your corruptly earned income and you would be able to get away with it.
  7. Add cameras to government departments. Every ATM in the country has camera in there but why do government departments fail to install CCTV cameras? Also, make sure that no one is allowed to take money against any bill or service outside the office. For starters, it will help curb the practice of taking bribes in front of everyone else. Unless, the confidence of corrupt government employees is shaken, they will never mend their ways.
  8. Improve the amount of work that is done on a daily basis. Bring them at par with how things are done in private organizations. Try to bring the culture of keeping a check on how things are done in government offices. This also means introducing technology wherever applicable. For example, the introduction of biometric attendance systems has considerably reduced the absenteeism rate of public school teachers in Punjab.
  9. Bring merit to the selection process of the government employees. Ensure that no SIFARISH or BRIBE culture is followed in hiring for government departments. Usually, these kinds of tactics are only used when a person is otherwise unable to qualify for a job.
  10. Keep inflation in check by creating a masses-friendly fiscal and monetary policy. These policies, if created for the public, help reduce living costs and take out one motivational factor out of the equation. If government department employees cannot have salaries matching with the ever increasing prices, they will not be able to enjoy a quality life, and would come up with an excuse for corruption.
  11. Make sure justice is dispensed to the public in a speedily manner. Although judges of High Court and Supreme Court are already getting higher than average market salaries, new mechanisms still need to be devised to curb corruption, and undue political pressure.
  12. Public facing institutions like Police must come out of their mold.  They have to be trained to deal with public in a friendly manner. If people are able to confidently deal with public servants, they would not have to find illegal ways of getting things done.
  13. Bribe must be dealt with severe punishment. And all actions must be taken by the government to strictly discourage government employees from taking bribes. If the government fails to make an example of those who openly take bribes and cement the concept of “you can get away with anything in Pakistan”, things would unfortunately remain the same.

 

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