Recently as we sat around the table in a friend’s house, the problem of bribery was introduced into the discussion. It has become so common in Arab countries that it hampers development projects, is a negative influence on government policies and generally makes people frustrated and angry.
During these informal discussions, those participating often have their own stories pertaining to bribery, supplying examples and explaining the woes and worries of the public. Surprisingly, people come up with justifications for even this most unpleasant phenomenon. Some attribute the spread of bribery to the small salaries paid to government employees. But who would go so far as to say that bribery is confined to those receiving small salaries?
It is wrong to make such generalizations since as we know, most employees are trustworthy and honest. They would not sell their conscience even if they were dying of hunger and because of their standards, the wicked are puzzled as to how to win them over.
Some others accuse the stifling government bureaucracy for the spread of bribery while some others point to shabby administration and weak management.
People in the past paid bribes in order to get something unlawful done. Today, however, it has become almost a compulsory tax to be paid by people so that their requests and documents will be processed by the appropriate government departments. In the past people gave gifts — of course from one side only — as baksheesh. Now officials look at those gifts as their right or as a term of the contract between them and those who require that something be one.
A court in France has issued an amusing judgment which is relevant to our topic. It decided that kissing might be a mode of bribery! The decision was made after a government official demanded a kiss from a woman before carrying out her request. In other words, it is clear that bribery may involve things other than money.