In Europe, several officials of the European Parliament have been implicated in a corruption scandal – dubbed Qatargate by some – for allegedly being influenced by the governments of Qatar, Morocco, and Mauritania. In the Philippines, the hotly-contested confidential funds issue – which would have granted certain government officials billions of public funds with little oversight – had only recently been put to rest. Even war-torn Ukraine is not immune to the sweet taint of corruption as allegations of misappropriations of foreign aid have recently been coming to light.
These recent instances of corruption around the world are only the issues that have gone public. Corruption largely occurs behind closed doors, and results in billions of public funds being misused and misappropriated by unscrupulous public officials.
In his latest book, Reimagining the World Without Corruption, bestselling author Mon Abrea calls for everyone to shift perspectives on how to fight corruption. Rather than viewing it solely as a problem that must be addressed by the government, he posits that corruption can be fought by addressing the 3Ps of governance – Policies, Politics, and People.
Fighting corruption requires not only policies and politics, but also the participation of the people – be it through their self-discipline or through demanding accountability from public officials. Citizens must remain vigilant and aware of what they can do to combat corruption.
A world without corruption is not just about not losing public funds. It is an innocent world, where human dignity and integrity is upheld and where a just society is maintained for all. Creating this world would certainly be challenging, but it is possible if people become enablers of change.
Abrea just launched Reimagining the World Without Corruption at the Harvard Kennedy School. More about the book launch here https://tinyurl.com/CSRHarvardBookLaunch.
