Dynamics of Corruption

Corruption is a pervasive phenomenon that occurs worldwide. It touches all levels of human existence and various social structures that expend assets such as finances, human resources, and property for their sustenance.

These organizational structures are not exempt from corruption’s intrusion: school systems, health-care institutions, business establishments, religious groups, civic organizations, and military operations. But perhaps the most common arena of human interaction where corruption is most pervasive is political governance.       

Corruption can occur in speech or in a written post for public consumption. An example of this is when someone posts false information or shares information that is taken out of context and makes it appear that it is factual. A recent example of this is the latest news that was alarming.

The British Broadcasting Company, long considered an epitome of integrity in media publication, spliced the speech of USA President Donald Trump by inserting a portion of his previous talk to complete a later broadcast episode.

This was apparently done so that, upon watching, the observer will think that Mr. Trump was promoting violence linked to the Capitol Hill riot on January 6, 2021. In here, the corruption is intended to influence the attitude and behavior of those who are exposed to the edited material. ¹  

Indeed, corruption could come through deceitful speech or fake news. The corruption, however, that this writer wishes to explore regarding its dynamics is what occurs in the political arena. Before we proceed, let us define what corruption is. Corruption is the dishonest exploitation of power for personal gain. ²

Based upon this simple definition, I will attempt to explore the dynamics of corruption as it occurs in political governance.

There are five specific processes that accompany the dynamics of corruption.

1. Quick scheme to gain wealth without honest, hard work.

• The first and glaring purpose why corruption happens is for the corrupt to gain material wealth quickly.
  
  The dynamics undermine the value of honest, hard work, which is really the basic foundation of decent living. In corruption, the biblical adage that says, “He who shall not work shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) is not honored. Essentially, the corrupt are disrespectful of moral principles, among which is to value the fruits coming from one’s labor.
  
• In looking at the characteristic traits of a corrupt individual that contribute to the tendency to pursue quick wealth without hard work, three traits stand out. At the top of the corrupt individual’s list of character traits is laziness.
  
  He or she wants to acquire things without investing an appropriate amount of energy in the process. And yet, they will be the first ones to give lectures to others regarding how they need to work hard. It is hypocrisy in full display. 

• The second characteristic trait of the corrupt is greed.
  
  There is no satisfaction in just having enough. Corruption wants to accumulate more than what is needed. It really is no different from what addiction is all about: the desire to have more, fast!
  
  In addiction, there is no real and lasting satisfaction. Whenever one is addicted, the overwhelming need to take the substance again is like quenching the thirst by drinking salty water. The more water is engulfed, the more the thirst is experienced.
  
  Only when the addict or alcoholic recognizes that the problem is now beyond control, will he or she start to seek help to reverse the process. The sad thing about this, however, is the realization only occurs when psychological collapses in life come!
  
  The term “hitting rock bottom” is a common language used by recovering alcoholics to describe these psychological collapses. Examples of these collapses are: notice of divorce by the spouse, receiving a letter of job termination, pregnancy of a teenage daughter, or diagnosis of a life-threatening illness.

• The third characteristic trait of a corrupt person is entitlement.
  
  The corrupt thinks that he or she is not subject to similar principles that regulate the behavior of others. There is a sense of profound specialness that perpetuates an attitude of entitlement. While there is a healthy component to thinking of oneself as special, it becomes unhealthy when the same individual cannot perceive himself as subject to the same principles along with the others.
  
  So, if others are to work hard, the corrupt thinks he can do it the easy way. When others are called to be honest, the corrupt person thinks he can deceive everyone now and then. The dictum upon which the corrupt operate is something like this: “For as long as I don’t get caught, it’s okay to violate rules.”  More of this entitled feeling will be discussed in the third item that touches the theme of family history.

2. Often done with abuse of the role and position of leadership.

While corruption can be done by individuals at all levels of socio-economic status, very often it is perpetuated by those with leadership roles and positions of power and authority.  In political governance, these are the executives who have been either elected favorably by the people, like the mayor, governor, congressman, senator, or the highest positions of the land.

Or, those individuals who have been appointed by these elected officials and provided direct access to the office of the executives mentioned. Examples would be the secretaries of departments or their deputies who work alongside the elected executives.

In other words, these individuals have specific leadership roles or positions of power and authority that give them direct access to the procurement and disposal of resources for the support of declared projects that will benefit the people.

An example would be those who work with the department that establishes contracts with various individuals and companies for the establishment and maintenance of the infrastructure necessary for the government to function. Roads and bridges are examples of infrastructure needed to facilitate trade and commerce.

In corruption, persons holding positions of leadership utilize their roles and the authority accompanying these roles to circumvent policies so that they will be granted favor.

Instead of fulfilling their declared promise to the people to use their roles for the greater good, these corrupt individuals start their terms with the implementation of their quick schemes to gain wealth. They waste no time in using their role for their selfish ends.  

Quite often, the appointed officers do the legwork, by utilizing the name and office of the executive under whose authority they work, to strengthen and facilitate easily their corrupt schemes. Elaborate schemes that have been planned for a long time are applied. These schemes are utilized to conceal the identity of the executives so that it will appear in the public eye that the elected officials are uninvolved.

Creating several financial bank accounts with various names through which the amount derived from corruption will be transferred is a concrete example of this elaborate scheme.  It is due to this process that it is not easy to prosecute these corrupt government officials.

Meanwhile, during the process of delayed prosecution, these corrupt persons continue with their plunder of the country’s resources. They do all these while callously enjoying the acquisition of luxury cars and building large mansions for their family members.

Yes, there is a severe amount of callousness in corruption! They are used to being thick-skinned in their interaction with others. It seems that their conscience has been seared.

3. Perpetuated by individuals with a strong family history of dishonesty.

Corrupt government officials usually come from family of origin where their parents have been deceitfully corrupt as well. It is almost like a specific DNA flows through their internal systems.

The other week I have formulated a haiku to express this thought in a poetic form. It reads:

“Corrupt state head who’s
raised by cheaters is simply
acting true to form!”  

In other words, corruption does not just happen to a leader. It is like addiction where no one becomes addicted just by snorting a line or nobody becomes an alcoholic just by drinking a beer! Like addiction, corruption is a long process of exemplifying, influencing, and predisposing the younger ones who are constantly exposed to the process.

There is a strong history of deceit in the corrupt leader’s family of origin. It appears that the corruption or dishonesty has been multigenerationally transmitted through parental example. That is why in many instances, corrupt leaders build family dynasties in the political arena so that the lifestyle inherent in corruption can be well-maintained.

It is not uncommon to observe children of corrupt government officials who barely graduated from high school and are now running for public office. They have no clue about formulating a bill for approval by Congress that will become the platform for the pursuit of the good of the people. Neither are they aware of the legalities of governmental processes.

All they have is that they are carrying the same family name as their corrupt parents or grandparents. Come to think of this: it is quite shameful!

4. Closely linked with deceit of various forms.

Corruption is the utilization of deceit for fast, personal gain. Recall the definition of “dishonest exploitation of power for personal gain?” The term dishonest strongly suggests deceitfulness. Deceit is falsehood and antithetical to truth.  Deceit could come in various forms.

The following are concrete examples of deceit: conveying misinformation, relaying false information, communicating partial information, sharing information taken out of context, demonstrating defense mechanisms (such as lying, denial, justifying or rationalizing, generalizing, intellectualizing), and hypocrisy.  

 As someone who identifies with Christian tenets and principles, this writer adheres to the biblical truth that the evil one is the father of lies (John 8:44). The primary goal of evil is to destroy.

One may ask, what is to be destroyed? The devil wants to destroy one’s personhood, livelihood, family, reputation, relationships, church, and nation. As a matter of fact, the term “demonic” could be translated as “destructive.” 

While the main goal of the evil one is to destroy, the primary strategy to enforce destruction is the use of deceit. Whenever there is deceit there is evil in actual practice.

Without our knowledge, the destruction of marriages and families through separation and divorce is part of the evil’s strategy. Put alongside the destruction of the moral fiber of the young in many civilized nations through the introduction in our educational systems of the mentality that modifies the biblical teaching on gender and sexuality, while labeling it as progressivism.

This is also true of the destruction of nations through wars and civil conflict. The devil is feasting while watching all this destruction happening at all levels of society. It is time for those who call themselves true disciples of The Way, The Truth, and The Life to awaken and speak up!

5. Reveals a gross misunderstanding of the “slowness of God” to judge.  

Recently, this writer was reflecting upon the third verse in the book of Nahum, which reads, “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3).

Why is this thought important when we think of systemic corruption that seems to have no end? As the people continue to suffer, the corrupt seem to continue to enjoy their plunder, their stomachs get fattened, there mansions get bigger, and their bank accounts add more numbers unimaginable.

Perhaps some of you who read this article could resonate with what the psalmist cried out in Psalm 13:1, “How long O LORD?” You have witnessed the untold pain and suffering of the weak and the poor due to the sheer neglect of corrupt government officials, and you have even been directly affected by this neglect and have suffered yourself, and you cried out the same agonizing question to the Lord!

The continuing pleasure derived by the corrupt person’s plunder could be a silent indication of the disbelief in the existence of a just God. And so, based upon this disbelief, the corrupt continue on with their wicked ways at the expense of the poor. But there is good news for believers.

It is found in what the rest of the verse says, “…, the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.” Indeed, God is not mocked by the continuing demonstration of wickedness through corruption. It is just a matter of time before His judgment will be released.

God’s perceived “slowness” is not an indication that He is not working or that He has abandoned His people. His perceived “slowness” is an act of His mercy that allows more opportunities for the corrupt to repent and return to His mercy.

In the same vein, the perceived “slowness” also provides an opportunity for the genuine believers to continue trusting in His goodness.  

It is significant for all to realize that God in His sovereignty does not operate based upon our 24-hour, 7-day a week, 30-day a month, 12-month a year scheduling system. He operates in His own time, and His wisdom for doing so is unfathomable.

The remaining portion of the verse in Nahum is quite astonishing. “His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of His feet!” The sovereign power of God is seen by the imagery of the whirlwind and storm, along with clouds and dust.

As all of us could not rightfully predict when the storm would strike, neither can we predict the swiftness of God’s judgment, which could come anytime.

Weather forecasters can try their best to inform us of the kind of weather the next few days, but they are unable to predict the exact time and place of the storm’s actual passing or even of the storm’s sudden shift of direction.

What this means is quite simple: Trust that when God says He will punish the wicked who defy His Lordship and redeem those who humbly trust him, that in His time this will come!

The challenge for the corrupt, if there is still a small tinge of nobility left in the heart, is to repent and stop the wicked behavior of abusing the poor and the weak through dishonest utilization of their power and authority.

The position of privilege was granted to give an opportunity to serve God who dwells among the underprivileged! Before it is too late, return back to His arms and receive His offered mercy.

From thereon, live in righteousness and peace. Be an epitome of what Micah 6:8 declared. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Will you do so, before it is too late?

NOTES:

1. The Telegraph, Exclusive: BBC doctored Trump speech, internal report reveals, @https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/03/bbc-report-reveals-bias-donald-trump/
   
2.  Webster College Dictionary, 2nd Ed.