Power Corrupts

Power Corrupts

Part 1:

Introduction

Power is the capability of exercising influence over others to acquire some aspired or longed for results (Swedberg, 2011). Power is all over in application by leaders to have things accomplished either to the benefit of others (socialized power) or for individual benefits (personalized power). Power can lead to good outcomes if it is accompanied by good impulses (Kelly, 2004). Leaders can get inebriated through power. This means some leaders can act in ways that are against the expectations of the masses. It is out of abuse that power corruption caves in any society. Power corruption is pervasive in both private and public lives (Huer, 2010). This comes from the excessive exertion of power by those entrusted with authority. If there are no checks attached to the exercise of power, then absolute power corrupts people and society completely (Huer, 2010).

Leaders, regardless of where they are in the world, are assigned some powers by the citizens. The citizens expect the leaders to exercise power to a certain extent. It is however, unfortunate that most leaders become selfish and use the power entrusted to them for their own good (Pyongman, 2003). Indeed, power corruption has become a common practice in most public institutions almost everywhere in the world. This is because leaders see power as a means to achieve their personal aggrandizements (Pyongman, 2003). This has robbed people of their basic needs. To a more serious note, such motives have retarded development in many countries.    Governments and their decentralized sectors like the military, police, and public health institutions have turned to maximization of profits using public funds, which are otherwise made to motivate and improve the lives of citizens. This is more prevalent in government institutions and can be referred to as grand corruption since leaders are destined to benefit at the expense of the citizens. Power corruption is always pronounced in institutions where power check is absent, making of decision is vague, and where the distribution of resources is on unequal grounds. The misuse of delegated power by public or private officials to acquire private achievements counts as power corruption. Several other issues count to power corruption since power as a capacity to exercise influence over the actions of others and corruption of that power for possessors own narrow ends against the purposes for which the power is intended. Power corruption can cost a country in either politically, economically, socially, or environmentally or to mention all of them at the same time depending on the intensity of corruption in various institutions. Politically, corruption will always create barriers to a democratic rule of bylaws.

Corrupt political leaders lack accountability since they misuse offices and powers for private or personal use. On the economic focus, corruption exhausts the public resources/wealth and may deter development of countries in terms of infrastructure and so discouraging investors both domestic and international. On the social grounds, people lose trust on the country’s system of politics. The society grows weak consequently paving way for leaders to plunder the country’s wealth into individualized assets. More over on the environmental corner, corrupt leaders demean the environmental resources through exploitative means of the natural resources leaving rather a devastated natural environment. Projects that ruin the environment are given priority funding for easier tapping of the public monies for individual uses.

As noted earlier several issues are involved in power corruption, which may range from seemingly simple to sophisticated ones. However, the consequences and impacts are similar.

Bribes: enticements can be made to seek favor for particular job entries or camouflaging on mistakes done to overlook on the same. It is a common practice with most leaders in power.  Public funds are diverted to unintended channels or pockets.

Embezzling: Public funds trusted to individuals holding public offices are diverted unlawfully to personal uses. A gap is left unfilled and so some more money has to be sourced to cater for the unaccomplished government business.

Patronizing: Through this method of corruption, individuals occupy or benefit a job or government money for which they do not qualify just because of political ties or personal relations with however is concerned. Those who qualify are simply left out.

Nepotism: Favors are executed to non qualifying/non deserving family members and people best known to leaders in power.

Conflict of interest; under this type of corruption, people working for government or other forms of institutions are made to compromise on either their businesses or self interests. Under such situations promises for employment or other related privileges are made.

Procurement; under procurement contracts can be awarded to non qualifying persons or organizations which may end up supplying substandard goods and services. Transparency international has since 1993 dedicated to working with governments, businesses, and civil societies to combat corruption. This is because power corruption has had strong impacts on the lives of people. It has to some extend outlaid peoples’ money, freedom, and even health. That is why most system of governments has been cited not to work well in corrupt states unless some extra enticements are made. This has complicated and made the lives of people difficult.

Leaders in most global states have always struggled to remain in power. This has been the tradition with leaders like Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who has remained in power since 1986, with a skip of only two five-year terms (1995), but later came back in 2005 up to date. During his campaigns it been reported that voters get hefty cash to lure them vote him in. political parties in most parts of the world use money got through corrupted means to finance their political endeavors. That is why challenging corrupt organizations becomes quite hard simply because efforts employed in drawing up decisions are out of selfish interests and the results are off course corrupted, the consequences of concentrating power in one man or single institution which is prone to lead to errors. That is why attempts to correct the mistakes are always met with resistance by power holders. Corrupt leaders become addicted to power such that they cannot do away without it, but they simply become abusers of power and lose the public goals that made them come into those positions. They are simply after sustaining their positions through other corrupt leaders.

Errors are prone to arise whenever power is left in the hands of individuals or single institutions because of impetuous, careless, and vulgar behaviors, which go unquestioned. Those in power apply typecasts and sweeping statements to make judgments on others, on top of evading those not in power whenever they make statements about them. Leaders in power obviously know what is right, but intellect of power eases the rationale of moving away from ethics. The impact of this to the society is immense owing to the fact that inferiors in the society cannot question their deeds. Hence, the widespread believe and evidence that power corrupts and people in positions of power can have a substantial negative impact on the common good by acting on their own self-interest. Political power for instance may force people to do the will of whoever is in power even when they know that whatever they doing may not have a general good to them and the society in general. Those corrupted by power within the course of their term in power start as good and responsible men but with time change their course. This change may, as well trickle down to every other person who may find it good to do what he thinks is good. This makes the roots of corruption hold tight. This has been the trend in most developing countries where the practices of corruption have become the talk of the day even in family households. Political leaders apply the theory of wisdom and power whenever they are elected into public offices and go to extends of failing to know what is ethically right and the political maneuver. This is where they start acting at will without fear of the negative consequences.

Part 2:

Those elected or entrusted with power have many eyes focused on them for the simple judgment on whether they are executing rightfully their jobs to the benefit of those who have put them in power. People tend to misuse their offices by exertion of excessive power especially if some check measures are not put in place. Therefore, power should be delegated to others. This creates a platform for checks and balances. The dire need to have check measures on the power holders is basically to have equitable distribution of services and resources. Control mechanisms and establishment of systematic impediments should be placed to avert those in power from misusing it. People always fall to temptations of power corruption even in societies, which exercise democracy, a norm that should be discouraged internationally. According to Transparency International, all the pertinent bodies in government and private institutions should be mandated with checking corruptness through public awareness and advocating for the formation of anti-corruption bodies who work as public and government watchdogs (Transparency International. 2007).

The public and the society as a whole should receive adequate education on corruption issues and their associated impacts. Through civic education, people will be able to know the difference between corruptions and other justifiable live outs such as rewards and prizes among other incentives (Tarling, 2006). The public should also be made aware that corruption is not power associated practice but a unlawful practice to those who practice it. Power does not corrupt but rather the individuals in power, hence corrupt people will always practice it regardless of the level of power. On the part of political willpower, a strong need for politicians who are also legislatures should arise to curb corruption by setting up anticorruption mechanisms. They should be at the forefront of fighting corruption by setting good examples, being honest and sincere to the people they lead. The public should also show there commitment to curbing corruption by not voting corrupt leaders into power.

Governments are entitled to give explicit support to agencies enforcing anti-corruption measures (Asian Development Bank, 2007). This can be by providing adequate penalties and punishments to those guilty of corruption offences. The judiciary should work with impartiality to pass judgments on criminal offences of corruption. Most importantly is the media, which acts as instrument against corruption, through publications of corruptness, which easily reaches the public. Therefore is important for the media to be free from political influence so that it can be vigil over the conduct of those leaders in power. The media should be empowered and protected to gather steadfast information from government or private institutions to unveil any sort of practice raising concern of corruption (Stapenhurst, Johnston & Pelizzo, ).

On a general perspective, to curb corruption it is important to strengthen state institutions by improving law enforcement mechanisms and monitoring systems. It also provides transparency and accountability in both private and public sectors. In addition, fighting corruption empowers civil society and mass media to galvanize community participation and action and more importantly promote freedom of information. In addition, it provides access to public information. If these measure are adopted, societies will report less cases of abuse of power.

Conclusion

This essay has provided an analysis of how power can be used or misused. Power corrupts people. It makes leaders abdicate their normal duty in pursuit of selfish ends. To achieve this, they engage in practices that do not resonate with their followers. To put leaders accountable, proper mechanisms of checks and balances should be put in place. Therefore, this general believe will no longer prevail since power corruption will be curbed by a grater margin.

Reference List

Asian Development Bank, 2007. ADB/OECD anticorruption initiative for Asia and the Pacific curbing corruption in tsunami relief operations. OECD, Manila.

Huer, J. 2010.  Auschwitz, USA: a comparative study in efficiency and human resources Management. Hamilton Books, London.

Kelly, E. 2004. The basics of western philosophy. Greenwood Publishing, New York.

Pyongman, A. 2003. Elites and political power in South Korea. Edwrad Elgar Publishing, London.

Stapenhurst, R.,  Johnston, N. & Pelizzo, R. 2006.  The role of parliament in curbing corruption. World Bank, New York.

Swedberg, R. 2011.  The Max Weber dictionary: key words and central concepts. Stanford University Press, Stanford.

Tarling, N. 2006.  Corruption and good governance in Asia. Routledge, New York.

Transparency International. 2007. Global corruption report 2007: corruption in judicial systems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

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