Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Editorial: Politics of corruption
AMONG 13 economies in Asia that were subject of a survey on corruption by an organization called the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (Perc), the Philippines emerged, along with China, as the most corrupt.
The Perc poll released the other day had 1,400 expatriates from 13 Asian economies as respondents.
The list reportedly excluded “other countries notorious for corruption, such as Myanmar and Bangladesh.”
While corruption in the country may not be worse than those in Indonesia and Thailand, it has been politicized and is openly discussed in the media “unlike in authoritarian countries as China and Vietnam.”
The fact that corruption in public office is openly discussed in media makes our government unique in Asia.
No effect
But the openness should not be taken as a permission to allow corruption to take front seat in our system of governance.
In the past number of weeks, the issue has taken center stage in the national consciousness.
The national broadband network deal could be a classic example of brazen commission of scams in public office.
It appears, though, that the Filipino has become so used to it that it no longer matters how it would affect the national condition.
The call to arms of the opposition, the non-government organization’s protest rallies and the angry demonstrations of the radical left do not seem to have any effect anymore on the masses that used to join Edsa I and Edsa II.
Indeed, corruption has so become politicized that any issue of malfeasance and transgression no longer seems to affect the masses morally and emotionally as to arouse extreme umbrage strong enough to drive them to the streets to oust President Arroyo.
Not unique
In the Perc poll, the Philippines “scored 9.0 out of a possible 10 points under a grading of system of …which zero is the best score and ten the worst.”
The Philippine experience is not unique, however, since Thailand, which retains the position of second most corrupt, got into the circumstance after the people accepted the military takeover in 2006 and then waited in vain for a change in their system of governance.
Power is an inevitable consequence of politics. Politics, unbridled and undisciplined, is a bedfellow of corruption.
