Bribery and Corruption!

Did you know that a recent report indicated that an estimated $1 Trillion (that’s a big amount!) is lost in bribery, corruption and tax evasion by the developing world each year?  In Africa alone the cost of corruption represents about 25% of the continents GDP.  Putting it on a more personal level, the average woman in Africa will have to pay $22 in bribes for maternal services.

It would be wrong to simply point the finger at the developing world when it comes to financial misdealing, when we live in an age of fraudulent expense claims and corrupt banking practices.  Nevertheless it is often the poorest and the weakest who suffer the most from the impact of corruption.

In the light of this and in response to government legislation, as a mission agency we have just agreed a Bribery and Corruption Policy.  The nature of my working environment is often one in which policies are prepared and issued for action and this can lead to a certain degree of frustration – “Not another policy!”  And yet in this case the policy is not just a matter of semantics, but rather about the living out of Kingdom values.  The teaching of the Bible is that we are to live distinctive lives and this should impact how we face settings in which we encounter corrupt attitudes and behaviour.  More positively we are to be people who seek actively after a world that is just and fair.  Micah 6 vs.8 encapsulates this challenge with these words – “He has showed you O man 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.”  Micah 6 goes on to talk about the injustice of dishonest scales and false weights. 

When we pray, “Your kingdom come”, we do so believing that this will challenge the way that we live in this world and impact our attitude and actions relating to finance and power.