Institutionalised corruption is here to stay; this is why

Let me acknowledge beforehand that there is no silver bullet for the hydra-headed monster that is grand corruption – or a ‘one size fits all’ solution to the malady.

Indeed, corruption is a complex social evil whose remedies differ accordingly.

I learnt early in my career as a civil servant that the best way to delay solving a problem was to suggest that more research was needed – coupled with the need for guidelines.

The director general of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) recently pointed this out in a forum organized by the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade).

I sincerely and humbly submit that corruption is gaining momentum – and becoming chronic in the light of this new initiative.

PCCB reportedly prepared a five-year strategic plan (2017-to-2022) in which it articulates the need for research to combat corruption in business, and guidelines for players in the public and private sectors to avoid corruption in their day-to-day activities.

If mere guidelines could reduce corruption, then there’d be no need for PCCB. It seems to me that PCCB is abdicating its divine responsibilities.

One fundamental requirement is to resolve to combat corruption, which is overtly compromised – and, despite the real efforts made, there’s been little concrete progress to-date.

The end-of-year report by PCCB features efforts geared towards a strategic plan, research and guidelines while the prevalence of corruption will be increasing silently.

Today, corruption is widespread, and has become part of everyday life. Indeed, we as a society have learned to live with corruption – gloomily considering it as an integral part of our values.

Not only are official decisions (for instance, decisions on awarding government contracts, or the amount of tax due) ‘bought and sold’ (read ‘corruption’); more often than not, access to a public service, or the exercise of a right (such as obtaining civil documents) have also to be ‘paid for’ (under the table).

Those entrusted with the duty to protect citizens are all implicated. Even PCCB itself – which is primarily mandated to combat corruption – has some of its staff members facing corruption charges in the court!

An image of Tanzania as a nation-state has grown up over the years, according to which the civil service – far from being a body that exists to implement the rights of citizens – is perceived as the least risky way of getting rich quickly.

I closely followed the President’s meeting with business leaders (on June 7 this year). What transpired there was more than enough for PCCB to work on in its anti-corruption war. The public is still eagerly waiting to see how many people are apprehended, taken to court and sentenced.

This is the deliverable that people want to hear and see. People do not want to hear and see promises of more research and guidelines; these are not PCCB’s performance indicators. There is the myth that underdevelopment and poverty are caused by grand corruption. Corruption is multifactorial, and trying to establish causality is futile; correlation does not imply causation.

There is an agenda to create fertile ground for corruption; public administration is purposefully bureaucratic and inefficient. Complex restrictive regulations, coupled with inadequate controls, are characteristic of a high prevalence of corruption.

The link between political position/administrative positions and economic power is well-established. Unfortunately, we now see a speck of patrimonialism, where access to political or administrative posts ensures access to economic privileges.

The link can be indirect, too: where political power – such as a privileged position in a patronage-based system – can be ‘bought and sold.’ In short: the process of allocating political and administrative posts (particularly posts with powers of decision over the export of natural resources, or import licences) is influenced by the gains that can be made from them.

These exchanges of privileges are reciprocated by political support or loyalty. The cornerstone of remedies is also multiple. But, primarily, there are three pivotal actions.

First: effective law enforcement is essential to ensure the corrupt are punished to break the cycle of impunity. How successful is PCCB in this?

Second: greater transparency, accountability and merit-based human resource management in public administration are principles which , if implemented, make it possible to curb corruption. How transparent and accountable are we?

Third: has PCCB empowered citizens so that they can hold their elected leaders and the government accountable? This is a sustainable approach that helps to build mutual trust between citizens and their government. What is the level of community participation in Tanzania?

Based on what the PCCB director general outlined, I am convinced that there’s little hope of a corruption-free Tanzania.

I am afraid corruption is here to stay.