FIGHT CORRUPTION

Corruption is a phenomenon that can be encountered in any country of the world. No matter what the country is – poor or rich, democratic or authoritarian, big or small – it is difficult to avoid corruption. While corruption in the world can be estimated at approximately 1 trillion dollars; meanwhile, about a billion people are living in the conditions of extreme poverty. There are different types of corruption including political corruption, data corruption, linguistic corruption.

Political corruption means that the government officials are using their powers and positions for personal gain. In most countries of the world it is regarded to be illegal. For some countries this phenomenon is so ordinary that people consider it to be normal interacting with the government officials.

Corruption takes different forms including:

bribery

grafts

extortion

kickbacks

cronyism,

embezzlement etc.

When corruption is tolerated within an economy it can also have negative effects on the political and economic development. For example, government corruption can shift government spending from positive growth and social affairs toward spending on unnecessary programs or low quality investments related to the infrastructure of the government . Government officials often take bribes that persuade them to spend money on low quality investments that are beneficial for personal gain rather than the gain of the country or economy as a whole.

Corruption seriously undermines democracy and good name of political institutions. Economic, political and social effects of corruption are really hard to estimate.

Corruption can be solved in many ways. One way corruption can be solved is with extensive background checks to see if a government official misused any governmental powers for illegitimate private gain. Considering the fact that some corrupt people still may get in a governmental position because of false information, there are others ways to avoid and limit corruption.

Another way to limit corruption would be to organize a specialized group of people to investigate suspicious activities. Another method is to develop awareness so that others could learn to stop corruption as well.

It is important that citizens report incidences of corruption and for the government to take firm action against corrupt officials and leave no stone unturned in the investigations. Let the guilty ones be brought to court and be sentenced and they must also repay all that they have taken from the people. The authorities concerned must put citizens above all else and endeavour to have a clean government that the country may progress and develop.

WHY YOU MUST VOTE

Sometimes we take life for granted..sometimes we even take voting for granted...

Do you know that voting is one of the crucial processes that is instrumental in the success of a democracy.

Imagine this conversation:

"The Government is useless, there is nothing they can do to make our lives better, the rising prices, the unemployment, the escalating crime rate…they have no answers", said Ah Meng.

"Well, if you are really concerned about all these things, you should have voted Mikey!", said Joven. "May be a better candidate would have won, and may be he would have taken some effective measures for improvement…Unless you vote you just can’t blame the government, because you have failed your duties!"

Well if you are one of those people who think voting is a waste of time and keep on complaining about how the government is a complete failure; then it is time you realize the importance of voting, and do your bit towards enhancing the government functioning! Here are some reasons why people should vote…

1. Be it an election for a county commissioners, governor, state officials, legislators or the president - it is these people who have the rights to formulate policies that will affect :

*your town
* your job
* your children and descendants
* your country
* your taxes
* your entire life and that of your loved ones and friends.

2. Voting ensures that your opinion is taken into account while appointing the person who holds the reins of power.

3. People who are elected have the power to formulate educational policies which are instrumental in shaping the future of children and hence the future of the nation itself.

4. Health care, highways, jobs, taxes or even food, the elected representatives have the power to take decisions over some of the most vital issues in our life.

5. So would you be comfortable in letting "anybody" take over these powers, without exercising your right to vote?

6. Voting is one of the fundamental processes, which is instrumental in the development of a healthy democracy.

7. If you are a registered voter for the three by-elections in either BATANG AI, BUKIT GANTANG OR BUKIT SELAMBAU, exercise your right to opinion. Your right to vote is your right to expression and opinion. Do not take your right for granted.

8. Take leave to go back to your hometown no matter how inconvenient.

9. Try and appreciate the power of voting by exercising it!

You can make the difference. VOTE!!!

THE IMPORTANCE OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Freedom is one of the most precious possessions that we can have. For centuries, men have fought and died for freedom and this is still continuing today. As we all know, there are many in the world who have sacrificed comfort in life and freedom as a result of expressing what is in their hearts.

Freedom of speech refers to the right of the individual to express his views about matters of interest to him/her whilst freedom of the press would refer to the freedom of written word in printed form and that BOTH refer to the freedom of THOUGHT and are the outward expressions of our THOUGHTS.

George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four depicts a society where freedom of speech is denied and he argues there as to whether thought is possible without any external stimuli. (For more, please click here) The long and short of it is that distortion of facts, limiting areas of thought and expression, not only stagnates but destroys the human mind, creativity, potential and retards the development of relationship between man with himself and man with others!!!

Freedom of speech is not the freedom to hurt or harm others. Yet, some in our society who do the latter most insidiously, using others to hurt others be it in the political arena or in society. Personally, I strongly advocate that freedom should stem from a full, creative life which is satisfying for ourselves and can lead to the betterment and growth of society.

The ability to think and to speak are the two abilities that distinguish us from lower life forms. Thus, to me, the denial of these two basic freedoms is a DENIAL OF MAN’S HUMANITY!!! As long as conditions are repressive, thought processes cannot function normally.

A society that muzzles the press and the freedom of opinion may be equated with one that forbids THINKING and in doing so, will pave the way for it to stagnate. There is more to life than physical comfort and the possession of luxury items or non-essential comforts of life. Throughout the ages, man has fought and died for freedom. Like what I mentioned before, freedom of speech is fundamental to the functioning of democracy.

I opine that such types of freedom enable men to make life creative, progressive and meaningful. Stop. Think. Are we at that stage in Malaysia? Think hard.

We must remind ourselves that unfettered freedom is a chimera and can be a danger to the established order and the economic well-being of the country.

Freedom of the press (and blogosphere) must be used to bring to the fore the views of the public (and not that of the individual), whether they are critical of, or in support of the government; and it can even be a bulwark against government excesses.

Intelligent opinions and constructive criticisms should not be smothered, for such suppression can create a groundswell that is inimical to the government. As bloggers and even journalists, we must always remember that views that are inimical to the state, if given free scope, can spell disaster e.g. sowing the seeds of discord. History shows that in countries where restrictions were placed on such freedoms, the dictatorial regimes fell. This happened in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. where the rulers insulated themselves against political criticism and this led to their death or downfall.

Take a look at what Malaysiakini reported here:

Malaysia crashed into the bottom quarter of 173 countries in the worldwide press freedom ranking index released today by Paris-based watchdog Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF, Reporters Without Borders).

MCPX

In the latest 2008 ranking, Malaysia fell eight spots to 132. Last year, it was placed 124th while in 2006, it was at 92.

Asia Sentinel reported here that :

Malaysia (132) has suddenly found itself in the embarrassing position of being sandwiched between Nigeria (131) and Chad (133) as the government’s crackdowns on journalists, bloggers and activists take their toll in the country’s international press freedom ranking.

I dream of a Malaysia where we have an enlightened government that allows freedom in communication, criticism, change and growth and that the government will always remember that by restricting such freedoms to avoid criticism to preserve a static condition, they are actually sowing the seeds for ultimate destruction!!!

The people in East Berlin courted arrest in order to preserve those forms of freedom discussed here. Deep thinkers who have freshness of thought and expression, incisive writing, fearlessness, a drive to seek justice etc. would find it absolutely suffocating to be limited by any restrictions. More important than bread or economic well-being is the freedom by which man wants to live.

To live without freedom is to live in fetters, and one’s personality should not be lost in an attempt by certain characters to force one to be subservient to a system or a person. Yet, freedom, when not misused, is a boon. With freedom, comes responsibility - responsibility in reporting, blogging, speaking and expressing our thoughts. So, the betterment of society depends on the right exercise of freedom which should not be taken away from us in any guise, rhetoric or policy.

It is my hope that the government, together with the rest of society will nourish our freedom (speech and press) perhaps to the same level as that of the British from whom we learned the principles of democracy.
————————————————————————————————
For further reading on why freedom of expression is good for us, check out this excellent article at Aliran.

Copyright © masterwordsmith 2009.