Corruption
is becoming more and more difficult in the new age as even the sleeping
agencies start to move. Sadly, as the means become difficult and challenging;
smarter and more talented corrupt appear on the stage. They find means that
facilitate their desires in a way that goes undetected. We could blame the
system for it or we could argue that the agencies responsible to watch over
such acts are to blame. When people bribe their way to attain positions and
when the undeserving acquire jobs and positions that allow them be corrupt;
what do we expect? We’re giving a mouse a piece of cheese and expecting them
not to eat it? Then how can we really blame the mouse for eating the cheese?
If we
talk about the fraud worth 176.72 million, that was reported on 11th
April, 2016, pertaining to the NIB bank. The accused were a Regional
Distribution Head and an Operational manager, who were later arrested. Regardless
of what happened about the case, I’d like you to think about these
designations. When we think about such high tier designations, we know that
they ask for serious experience and high quality education. Which implies, that
the accused and those who committed the fraud were both experienced and
educated; not to mention, were also highly paid individuals. Sure, greed did
came into play but if they really were qualified and educated, they wouldn’t
have done it.
This
also doesn’t mean that our system isn’t to blame either. Let’s take a look at
yet another incident that happened because our system allowed it. The one
reported today about the land scandal of 193,000 kanal. Said land was acquired
via verdicts of fake courts, lawyers, judges and witnesses. In other words,
people became land owners by manipulating the system. This means that they had
enough knowledge of the system to manipulate and bypass it. This also means
that our system allowed this to happen. Our system had the Achilles heel that
despite being almost perfect; due to the lack of monitoring, it allowed such
fraud and corruption to take place.
Even our
educators do not spare a chance of corruption; they also do their best to
exploit situations when they get a chance. I am not speaking in general but I
do mean to address the authority. And I’m not speaking based on hearsay either;
I speak out of personal experience. I too fell victim to bribery when I was
forced to pay for my HSSC certificate. My former principal had acquired the
HSSC certificates of my batch and had placed them in the care of a teacher.
After tracing the whereabouts of the certificate, we found our way to her home
and she demanded the unnecessary payment of 500 PKR. As we were aware that no
such payment was necessary, we demanded a reason. For which we were answered,
that everyone was being asked to pay it. Therefore, having to deal with a
female, a mother and a former teacher; I had no choice but to give in. As a
last resort to deter her from her wrong doing, I even demanded a receipt of the
payment to which she gladly complied. Here is an image of the receipt that I
got for paying the amount to acquire my HSSC certificate.
Our
choices have given birth to this form of corruption. If the board hadn’t given
my certificate to the principal, I wouldn’t have to fall victim to this bribery.
If the bank had given those designations to the truly worthy, that fraud wouldn’t
have happened. And if the agencies responsible to monitor corruption had kept
an eye on these fraudulent claims; the land fraud would not have happened. All
of it could have been avoided from various methods but none of it was.
In
conclusion, when we ask for a change we must start from ourselves. The educated
must think of the responsibilities that fall on them and they should know that
they are accountable for what they do.
