HOW TO REDUCE GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

Graft and corruption are two separate human behavior and we should not confuse these two with each other. As it is supposed to be, these two are supposed to have a cause and effect, because it is actually corruption that causes graft, and not the other way around. In theory, it is the public official who commits graft, after he or she is corrupted by a private citizen. However, it could also happen the other way around, in the case of extortion, wherein it is the public official who demands money from the private citizen. I do not mean to be confusing, but the other side to extortion is solicitation, wherein it is the private citizen who solicits favors from the public official, in exchange for money. Generally speaking, there will be no graft if there is no corruption, meaning that there will be no sin if there is no temptation. But of course, graft could still happen if there is solicitation, in this case the private citizen is the one corrupting the public official to commit graft. One cause of graft is bribery, wherein it is the private citizen who offers money to the public official. The opposite of bribery could also be solicitation, wherein it is the public official who demands money from the private citizen, short of extorting from him or her. How do we reduce graft? I might sound naïve, but we could start by reducing the stimulus of graft, which is corruption. That is why it is important for us to know the difference between the two. IKE SENERES/01-30-2024