Exorcising the evils of corruption Imelda Tsumba
Imelda Tsumba

Imelda Tsumba

Elliot Ziwira @ The Book Store
“Ah, sinful nation a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evil doers, sons who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged” (Isaiah 1v4).Utterly estranged indeed we are, as we only think of ourselves without giving a hoot to the welfare of others.

If individuals are obsessed with material gain they think only of themselves and no one else; as a consequence, the moral fabric that is supposed to hold the national consciousness intact is shred, leading to abject poverty, hurt and suffering of the majority, who feel betrayed by those in social and political echelons of influence. In the rat race that ensues a new breed of hunter is born; one who invariably hunts with the hounds and runs with the hares.

Corruption becomes the order of the day as everyone rushes to take a bite of the rather insufficient national cake. According to Transparency Ethiopia, corruption has “political, economic and social effects”. Graft causes political intolerance and economic meltdown manifesting in a collapsed social system.

On the social platform, corruption discourages people from working together for the common good. Downheartedness, disillusionment and general apathy among the public result in weak civil society. Demanding and offering bribes become a culture, as everyone feels obliged to honour his or her end of the bargain. Social inequality and a glaring gap between the rich and poor, civil strife, increased poverty and lack of basic needs like food, water and drugs, jealousy, hatred and insecurity, are all consequences of corruption.

Corruption, therefore, is a vice that impacts negatively on the national psyche. It is a form of affliction that has far-reaching consequences because it spares no one. All and sundry becomes involved in one way or the other.

It is this state of affairs that Imelda Tsumba lambasts in her 31st book “Evils of Corruption” (2017), co-authored with guest writer Reginald Gatsi and published by Legacy Urithi International.

Prefaced by Professor Hope C. Sadza, the book was launched at Borrowdale Brooke Golf Club on June 16, this year, an occasion graced by such luminaries like the affable founder and Vice Chancellor of the Women’s University in Africa, deputy director in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development Ms Tariro Chipeperera, and talented guitarist and crooner Tariro NeGitare among others.

Speaking at the launch, Ms Chipeperera lauded the writer for her “intellectual boldness” in awakening citizens’ desire to fight corruption, a scourge that threatens to choke the national feeding trough. She, however, reiterated that although Government was awake to the malignant disease, and was doing all it could to mitigate its impact on the national psyche; it was everyone’s duty to expose all malcontents bent on thwarting such efforts.

Prof Sadza concurred that indeed for corruption to be eradicated all of us should play our part, in our small way and not just sit on the fringes, waiting for someone else to throw the first stone at the devil.

Corruption knows no boundaries, creed, race or ethnicity; it is a blind orgy that shreds the societal moral fabric. Individuals begin to believe that it is their right to take bribes, or offer them. A situation which makes everyone corrupt in one way or another, leading to universal decadence. Imelda Tsumba writes: “(Corruption) is the practice of obtaining power, influence or other personal gains through illegitimate means, often at other people’s expense. Corruption is a state of deterioration of any society; it starts at an individual level and spreads like fire.”

Tariro NeGitare

Tariro NeGitare

True, corruption is not a new phenomenon, as it has been there since time immemorial and millions of pages have been dedicated to its downfall, but it remains steadfast in its desire to bring humanity doom. So what is so special about Tsumba’s “Evils of Corruption”? one may ask.

Is it really possible to live in a corruption-free society? Can the affliction be totally cured in all facets of our body politic? Who is corrupt, the one who offers bribes and the one who accepts them?

If a gift comes wrapped in flavoured garbs, would it not be construed to curry favour should circumstances change?

These and more are some of the questions that the book answers, not holistically though, but through engagement and participation, as the reader becomes part of the problem and solution. It is not so much about deploring the evils of corruption, but offering solutions which gives the book a shoulder cut above many a book on the pandemic.

We At the Bookstore are not usually taken in by motivational writing, especially so when most partakers of the genre purport to punch above their weight in a plethora of areas, but when one launches 20 books at one go, and 11 more less than three months on, then naturally we begin to take notice.

She may have her own style, and teething glitches, but Tsumba is that tornado which hits you with such force that you feel pained and soothed. Pained in that you become a catalyst in your own suffering; soothed in that you become the panacea out of it all, only if you are willing to walk on the podium and proclaim your prize with no one singing eulogies to you besides yourself.

In “Evils of Corruption” Tsumba lays out the reasons for corruption, such as greed, lack of personal ethical sensitivity, lack of customer service, lack of boldness, lack of accountability and poverty; and offers solutions.

Through taking the reader to task, she reminds the citizenry of the world that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10), hence, corruption can be defeated if the battle against it is anchored in the Devine One’s word.

As Harold Muvuti says “righteousness exults a nation”, because “the principle is to focus on the solution and not the problem”. If people strive to be righteous, then the evils of corruption can be exorcised. But what really does it take for one to be righteous in a society that can scantly tell right from wrong?

Winston Chaniwa, one of the invited guests at the launch proffered the need for “more action and less talk” on the part of authorities in the fight against corruption.

The book highlights the nature of corruption in different sectors like Law, Medicine, Church, Licensing and Pensions institutes (Reginald Gatsi) and Music/Entertainment industry.

Because gain is the major driver of corruption, everyone is hooked up in an attempt to outdo each other, and what suffers the most bruises is the society. At the individual level frustration may lead to suicide, violence and depression if one is unable to pay a bribe to be employed or gain a favour; or is duped.

At the familial level everyone suffers because the individual, who feels let down by society, takes his or her ire on loved ones; and this also reflects on the communal and national discourses, culminating in civil strife.

So what are the solutions? The writer goes beyond articulation and offers solutions as she is inspired by Proverbs 15v27 which says: “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house. But he who hates bribes will live.”

There is need for us to train our children to be responsible because they are the future. When it comes to public service personnel, members of the judiciary and other employees who may be tempted to sell a service at a fee, there is need for good incentives. Transparency, less strict rules, harsh punishment and the formation of anti-corruption committees may also mitigate corruption.

On the flipside, however, although Tsumba’s book uses simple language and real-life examples drawn from experiences, which make it possible for the reader to locate himself or herself in the national consciousness intended, it is the use of the terms “certain country”, “some nations” , “small town” and “certain organisation” which robs the book of authenticity and participatory reading, as the reader somehow feels alienated.  These seemingly far-flung places should be given names, as they are experience inspired, thus in the public eye; because it is this that brings the reader closer.

Also, reducing the whole gamut of corruption to something that requires faith for it to be arrested, somehow stretches religion, especially Christianity, too far. Because of the universality of the scourge, there is need for an approach which goes beyond Christianity.

Nonetheless, Imelda Tsumba’s “Evils of Corruption” (2017), remains a must read book for senior civil servants, members of the judiciary, corporate managers, musicians, pastors and the general populace keen on becoming their brothers’ keepers, because: “When you start loving your neighbour as yourself, corruption will run away from your environment.”

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