By Mubashir Hussain
Humans always try to find a shortcut of approaching any position, that’s why they think in stories rather than facts, numerical, and equations. Despite the fact, these stories greatly unified mankind and made them love each other. On the contrary, the kings, khans, sultans, and authority holders use these stories unlawfully to create cults, exploit the masses, and mercilessly defraud the wealth of the nation. Corruption emerged that way. Not only bribery, but also unpunctuality, extremism, populism, post-truth, etc. can all be summed up in the ellipse of corruption.
What Corruption is
In a broad sense, corruption resembles a kind of theft. It can be termed as white-collar theft since the thief steals in broad daylight, and people cannot even recognize them. This thief erodes the roots of the nation patriotically, like a termite does inside dry wood. Corruption gradually gnaws the economy of a country, and if not stopped, it can devastate the country. Its effects appear in the form of debts and sometimes complete bankruptcy.
In a lay men’s language, corruption is malpractice, misuse of power, nepotism, favoritism, making someone’s undue favor, taking, and giving bribes, greasing someone’s palm for unlawful favor, and saying one thing and doing its opposite. These are all the various forms and manifestations of corruption. Every walk of life exhibits corruption if we observe around us. This octopus has controlled each and every field in its tentacles. It has become norm of our godforsaken society. Its root can be traced from the street beggary to presidency.
The power of money
Owing to Machiavellian principles, the world is completely ruled by power and money. The Neo-Liberal ideas, Laissez fair, and Capitalism stirred up the pace of accumulating more and more wealth. Not only the large multinational companies but the servants too have taken part in the pace of this economic race. The desire for money gives birth to nepotism which eases the work for one person and disturbs the entire nation. Corruption chucks out the very benevolence from the minds of people. It benefits one and disturbs the entire nation.
Economies greatly affected by corruption cannot bring prosperity as the wealth remains in the hands of a few elites. And they use their authority and power illegally. The poor children of the nation suffer from hunger, thirst, lack of education, insecurity, and poor health condition. Such economies cannot prosper. It disturbs the natural laws of economy to function freely and properly, that is why it causes society to suffer.
Lack of education
Corrupt societies always have a serious problem of education. Most of the children are out of school, and the majority of the generation grows up illiterate and ignorant, which leads them to involve themselves in illegal activities in their professional life. Moreover, the ignorant majority cannot be convinced by fair democracy and natural laws and constitutions. Instead, ideas of populism, post-truth, and religious cards appear to convince them. The population selects for them a leader, with so much talent and boldness, who speak boldly in every corner of the world but he badly fails to cease corrupt activities in the country and start a serene system. Again, that leader set on television, starts from some Quranic Verses and the cult roars up that their leader is not only a divine bliss for them but for the entirety of Muslim World. Look, what corruption had done? Corruption snatched from the kids their education, they grew ignorant and became a blind cult of a populist, who never gives reason but covers the facts by convincing the cult by emotions. Such leaders destroy the economy and left the country and the end.
Let’s take an example of fuel and its consumption. After the industrial revolution, we always need energy for the function of our industries. We import patrol, for instance. Ten percent of the petrol being bribed or stolen out of a hundred percent will stop ten percent of our industries, and the production of certain items will become rare. As a result, we’ll need to import those items, which will require more money. If corruption continues at such a pace, one day the nation will lack money. Ironically, congratulations, the nation went bankrupt. So, these are the very impacts of corruption on economic development.
Corruption has become the day-to-day fashion of our society. Unfortunately, a corrupt person boasts to be corrupt instead of feeling ashamed and gives it the name of “income from above”. Islamic teachings strictly forbid corruption and declare it haram for Muslims. However, where have Islamic teachings gone? They have been confined to books only. Being sincere citizens of the state, it is our duty to discourage this heinous crime. This crime and moral turpitude can shake the foundation of a nation. A nation engulfed by this crime, cannot survive. So, for the survival of this nation this malpractice must be rooted out.
