Corruption is usually defined as the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain. It is a kind of dishonesty committed by a person or an organization entrusted with a position or authority, and when corruption becomes rampant in a society there will be erosion of trust, weakening of democracy, hampering of economic development and exacerbation of inequality, poverty, social division and environmental crisis.
Corruption is a complex phenomenon and it is deep in rooted bureaucratic and political institutions. Even though experience suggests that corruption is bad for development, it is still possible for a systemic corruption to coexist with a strong economic performance. Some economists even argued that corruption can be beneficial for the functioning of the economy. These arguments, however, have been rejected. Bribery and embezzlement, are dishonest acts which undermine the rights and privileges of others, and they have to be eradicated.
According to Dominik Enste and Christina Heldman, the main causes of corruption are: (1) the size and structure of governments, (2) the democracy and the political system, (3) the quality of institutions, (4) economic freedom/openness of economy, (5) salaries of civil service, (6) press freedom and judiciary, (7) cultural determinants, (8) percentage of women in the labour force and in parliament (9) colonial heritage and (10) the endowment of natural resources. In the list, however, there is no mention of the moral cause of corruption, whereas corruption is a kind of dishonesty, which is a moral problem.
It is true that corruption is a complex phenomenon and it is not caused by a single cause. But it has to be admitted that every corrupt act involves a demand and supply—there must be those who demand acts of corruption and those willing to perform these acts for a price. Creating an anti-corruption agency, increasing salaries, or increasing penalties for corruption cannot simply stop the supply and demand. We must deal with the question: what makes a person dishonest and corrupt? But before that, what makes a person?
The person who commits a dishonest act does so out of his or her own choice. He or she might as well choose to be honest and upright. So what makes a person is the kind of choice that he or she makes in life. When a person chooses to do a good act without hesitation then he is a good person, likewise if he, without hesitation, chooses evil then he is an evil person. Hence, what influences a person’s choice? The answer is knowledge. A rational person will only choose what he believes to be good or beneficial to his self and avoid what is bad or harmful. So there must be knowledge of what is good or evil and here is the important role of education. Every person has to be educated properly so that he or she will only use the freedom in accordance with the truth.
When falsehood is believed to be truth and truth to be falsehood; that is the greatest of all corruption, corruption of knowledge. Knowledge is the criterion used to decide as to the desirability or otherwise of an act, and when knowledge itself becomes corrupt there is no hope in reforms and improvements. This is, according to Professor Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, the real corruption and therefore where solution has to be sought. According to him, confusion and error in knowledge is the root cause of all other problems besetting human life. In short, it means what is being taught and promoted to the general public as knowledge is not truly knowledge but falsehood and a distortion of the truth. As a result, confusion and error have become prevalent, as can be seen from the moral degeneration and political chaos.
The fight against corruption, therefore, must begin with the fight against corruption of knowledge. Reform of the state and its institutions cannot proceed independently of educational reform. Though it is argued that the rise of corruption is linked with the way governments conduct their affairs in modern societies, the real reform must ultimately begin with the individuals and hence education. An honest government cannot exist without there being a significant number of honest citizens. Since a corrupt government itself is a reflection of a corrupt citizens and a decadent society, any true movement towards improvement must be grounded upon knowledge and morality.