Corruption is no excuse for Russia anymore: legal, ethical, and cultural aspects

Tags: corruption, Russia, Opinion & Analysis, Politics, World

Sarah Neary

Dec 10, 2012 19:50 Moscow Time

Photo: RIA Novosti

Corruption, the cost for developing countries is 1.26 trillion dollars. From bribes and tax evasion to theft, and corruption, this is cash which could have been used to better a society. The corruption fight has begun and Russia is making progress. But, can Russia clean up their act or will their hugest flaw become their biggest liability? One anti-corruption organization gives the Voice of Russia their two cents.

According to the Global Corruption Barometer for 2010/2011 report, Russia was most affected by corruption in two categories, police and public officials. However, Turkey is perceived to have the most corruption in 3 sectors including, education, public officials, and business.

“Corruption is a legal problem but it’s also an ethical problem, and a cultural problem. But, the Hong Kong commission fought against corruption and did a very good job at it. Hong Kong is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. But before they were very corrupt and through the powers of anti-corruption agencies, they managed to clean it up,” explained Tommaso Di Carlo, Legal Advisor at Global Advice Network, who works in the field of anti-corruption.

Ever since Russia has become part of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) many organizations have been making proactive choices as to deter corruption in both the public and private sector. “We had Russian delegations of public sector employees come to Denmark on some anti-corruption change program,” commented Di Carlo to the Voice of Russia.

Though, it can be tempting to give and takebribes, and act like part of the group. In Russia, offering police officers a bribe to get out of paying a ticket is an infamous notion. It’s popular belief that cops do it because their salaries are low, but data may suggest differently.

“The argument of low salaries in corruption, it’s not clear because some people say that they can’t make a living on the salary they have so they have to compliment it with something else. But sometimes, if you look at the salaries in the public sectors, they are not much lower than if you look at the private sector, for the same type of work,” said Di Carlo who pointed out that when it comes to corruption, there are only bad habits, it’s not a cultural characteristic of a nation.

In order to eliminate the frequency of corruption happening in Russia, or any other country for that matter, education and awareness are a must. Organizations like the Business Anti-Corruption Portal and Transparency International encourage people and companies to act responsibly in business – whether it is in the public or private sector.

Another way to push forth anti-corrupt behavior is to enact laws.Vladimir Putin during a meeting with his authorized representatives in Moscow today made it clear that corruption cannot go on in Russia. And, he mentioned that we can’t forget that corruption happens everywhere, from the streets to the social spheres, such as medicine. As long as laws of this nature are enforced then, society can benefit from them.

“We must curb corruption not only in the highest echelons of power and talk of other issues than what’s going on in the Defense Ministry,” Mr. Putin said.

“We mustn’t forget about the corruption in the streets and towns, where officers are extorting money from the average citizen. We mustn’t forget about corruption in the social sphere – in education and in healthcare, sad as it might be,” he explained.

“People are outraged when the law applies for some people and not for others. Applying laws uniformly is a very good message to send,” told Di Carlo who believes a law is only just if it’s applied in real scenarios.

As we move away from 2012 and drift in 2013, we should make a true resolution to be aware of where corruption is happening and use preventative efforts to deter these activities. If we do the exact opposite, the growth of Russia and other heavily corrupt nations, will never reach their full potential.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-26