Khalid Abdulla Al Ziyara
In this age, who can openly fight corruption and express his principles and values while combating this scourge without fear? This is what a zealous Indian citizen did when he struggled for 23 years to tackle corruption and introduce reforms in the face of stringent restrictions and entrenched interests.
According to NDTV network, a prominent Indian official, aged 49 and working in the Indian Administrative Service, is known throughout India for addressing corruption and standing up to politicians.
As a result of his firm stand, he has been transferred 45 times in 23 years. Most recently, he was transferred to the monuments and museums department, which is mainly neglected. He wrote on his Twitter account after his transfer: “It is a very painful moment.”
Corruption is a scary and ugly word that stands for the criminal practices that have robbed the wealth of nations and undone national gains.
It has kept on growing due to poor accountability and auditors’ inability to control it. It has become a way of life for some and a familiar method to enrich influential groups in the government sector.
It reinforces the position of employees who don’t distinguish between what is lawful and what is unlawful, and is fostered by weak administrative leadership and outdated social values that encourage members of a community to maintain certain loyalties.
Corruption begins in a small way and eventually grows into a monstrous creature that threatens and harms us. However, it is difficult to uncover despite good knowledge of its presence. Due to that, many nations lose billions annually that settle in the pockets and bank accounts of corrupt officials.
It results in stalled projects, encroachment on government land, the failure of development plans, and abuse of public resources to achieve benefits that are contrary to Islam and official regulations.
After the restructuring of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, it is time for it to work diligently to detect corruption and the corrupt, no matter who they are, and eradicate this scourge.
Certainly, the name of the current Authority is not new and it was already in place, but it was ineffective. We thought that it reflected people’s desire to reduce and eliminate corruption, but it remained crippled despite being given powers; it merely advances one person and holds back another.
It has been a disappointing government organisation since its unknown officials do nothing (only its president is known) but launch awareness campaigns and follow up on marginal issues, while ignoring big corruption cases that bother us. It has ignored those who have squandered public money and rendered development projects futile.
Dear new president of the Authority, you are recognised for having clean hands, but you are at the start of your journey, so we don’t wish to list your achievements in some hospitals and schools.
The matter, as you know, is much greater than that, so we request you to reveal to the public what you have achieved in your fight against corruption.
We are desperately in need, more than ever, of a supervisory board to make a serious move to reveal corruption involving “thieves” in top positions.
