DECEMBER 9th- International Day Against Corruption!
Let me start this Sunday story of this week under the topical subject of the day with my own personal experience. Kindly come with me to a period SIXTY ONE YEARS ago! Yes it happened in 1957!
I completed my course for the then Secondary School Leaving Certificate from Sri Meenakshi Sundhareswara Vidyasala in Karaikudi. Next stage was to enter Alagappa College Karaikudi for my Pre-University Course. Interview by the Principal Dr. Alexander Gnanamuthu was successfully over and I ghot a selection letter advising me to remit a sum of Rs. 178/- before a set date.
My father a school teacher had just then retired a year ago and we were struggling for our lives with his pension amount of Rs 18/- per month!!! He was to receive his retirement benefit of around Rs.25000 as PF from the Governmental authorities. Though it was almost a year, it was not to come. In the meantime, my PUC fee of RS. 178/-was to be remitted as otherwise I will lose my seat!
Had only he paid an illegal gratification of Rs 100/- to the Clerk who was dealing with the p[[apers, he would have got his PF dues in a couple of days. But my noble father was very particular about principles in life and he did not want to swerve even a bit! Result was such a huge fortune of his 35 years savings could not be enjoyed.
On our evening walk, he was talking to me saying in as much as there is no ready money to pay the fees, I need not worry and I can join the college next year and his due money cannot be delayed for one more year! A family friend of us who was following us took my father to task for his principled stand and he asked me to meet him and take the required money from his home! cI did so and paid the fee on time and continued my college course!
As a teacher he set an example to his students and the society.
Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”
“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”
“It takes strength and courage to admit the truth.”
“Honest people don’t hide their deeds.”
Today after 61 years I happily and proudly recollect that experience and share with my esteemed viewers- feeling miserable that I have to deal with a subject on CORRUPTION.
Corruption is a greedy and unethical behavior performed by a person to fulfill his/her wishes. Corrupted people take wrong benefits of their position, power or authority for their personal benefits. It involves many activities (bribery, fraud, theft, blackmail, etc) that generally affect common people’s growth and development and thus whole country’s economy. It is one of the highly affecting social issues and needs to be resolved soon by the positive effort of everyone.
People need to get aware about all the disadvantages of corruption and harms to common people and country. Following are some encouraging slogans on corruption which you can use to encourage people against corruption.
Corruption slogans are best way to motivate people against corruption.
Corruption in any form and at any place is despicable and abhorible.
It is most unfortunate that corrupt words, thoughts and deeds, trying to corrupt the thoughts. Words and deeds of others is to be deemed as worst sin against the society.
When it is at the international level, it is HORRIBLE to think of.
Yes today December 9th is International Day Against Corruption!
Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability.
Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and creating bureaucratic quagmires whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. Economic development is stunted because foreign direct investment is discouraged and small businesses within the country often find it impossible to overcome the “start-up costs” required because of corruption.
It is unfortunate that neither the giver nor the taker is ashamed or feel bad about the scourge. No court ruling, no punishment, no religion, no educational institution, no social service organization –in a position to put an end to this deadly decease.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties.
The Assembly also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The Convention entered into force in December 2005.
Governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, the media and citizens around the world are joining forces to fight this crime. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are at the forefront of these efforts.
But so long as the people behave better nothing can be done to eradicate this monster of corruption raising its ugly head anywhere and everywhere.
It looks as if this monster is OMNIPOTENT, OMNI PRESENT AND OMNISCIENT!!!!!
Let me complete this Sunday story with yet another personal experience of late seventies-an ideal example for degradation in my moral values in the matter of CORRUPTION!!!!!!!
When we started we viewed the incident of my father’s readiness to sacrifice my one year’s time at my age 17 as he was not ready to pay an illegal gratification of 25 rupees to get his 25000 rupees expeditiously while we were at Karaikudi.
In the late seventies we wanted to convert our ancestral tiled house into a terraced one. It requires per4mission and license from the Town Planning authorities. After having waited for quite some time, I had to get the job done through presentation o0f a WALL CLOCK- read presentation as ILLEGAL GRATIFICATION called LANJAM in Tamil and corruption in English!!!!! When my father enquired, how I got it I told in “black lie” that the license came in the natural course!!!!!
Thanks God, since late seventies till now, I have not indulged in this practice for anything-in retrospect, I take pardonable pride in having lived my life honestly and truthfully.
Let us give up this morally SELF DECEPTION- Corruption nothing but deceiving ourselves- to be given up.
LET US TAKE THE FOLLOWING SERIOUSLY AND FOLLOW
UNIQUE AND CATCHY SLOGANS ON CORRUPTION
Corruption is not fair, oppose it always.
Corruption ruins the country, take it away.
Corruption corrupts the human mind, it should never be practiced.
Join hands together and plan to end this corruption.
Corruption is spreading like pollution and causing destruction.
Corruption is destroying us; it needs to be destroyed too.
It is our responsibility to remove the corruption.
Corruption is practiced by the people of lose character.
Corruption shows dishonor while honesty honor.
Country without corruption is perfect for its citizens!
Honest people become away from corruption.
Corruption makes the country empty from inside.
Corruption eats country’s power and makes it empty.
Just be honest and raise voice against corruption.
Corruption is a hidden robber, robs us all 24 hrs.
Till we meet tomorrow, may God be with us and bless us with a firm determination not to fall a victim to CORRUPTION either as a GIVER or as a TAKER however bad and demanding the situation is.
Envius Thoughts 