How to prevent political corruption - Stephanie Honchell Smith

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 穎君 紀

On October 23, 2015, Mcebisi Jonas, South Africa’s deputy finance minister,

2015 年十月二十三日，

南非財政部次長麥克比西‧卓納斯

faced a harrowing, yet enticing, decision.

面臨了一個艱難但誘人的決定。

He had thought he was attending a normal business meeting

他以為自己只是出席參加 一場正常的商務會議，

but ended up in the home of the powerful Gupta family,

但卻來到了有權有勢的 古普塔家族宅邸，

sitting with the Gupta brothers and the president, Jacob Zuma’s, son.

和古普塔兄弟及總統 雅各‧朱瑪的兒子坐在一起。

Jonas was offered a promotion and $45 million.

他們願意給卓納斯升遷 和四千五百萬美金。

In return, he would be expected to use his position

而他要做的回報是利用他的職位

to advance the Gupta’s many business interests.

來協助提升古普塔的許多商業利益。

This included firing officials who opposed the construction

包括要開除反對 建造新發電廠的官員，

of new power plants,

which were slated to run on fuel from Gupta-owned mines.

這些電廠因為要靠古普塔家族 礦業的燃料來營運而遭到抨擊。

The deal was simple— but would Jonas accept?

這個交易很簡單—— 但卓納斯會接受嗎？

This kind of corruption in politics is nothing new.

這種政治中的腐敗並不是新鮮事，

It plagued the ancient world—

自古就深植於社會——

the “Arthasastra,” an Indian political treatise

印度政治論著《利論》

that dates back to the 3rd century BCE,

出自西元前三世紀，

lists 40 types of embezzlement alone.

書中光盜用貪汙就列了四十種。

So, what exactly is corruption, and what can we do to combat it?

所以，腐敗到底是什麼？

我們可以怎麼對抗腐敗？

Corruption is often defined as a misuse of a position of power for personal gain.

腐敗通常被定義為濫用 有權力的職位來謀取個人利益。

For example, this could be a city clerk accepting bribes

舉例來說，

可能有個市政府職員 接受賄賂核發許可證；

in exchange for issuing permits;

or a mayor appointing a campaign donor to an influential position.

或是市長指派競選贊助者 擔任重要職位。

But corruption isn’t limited to the political sphere;

但腐敗並不僅限於政治圈，

it can happen in schools, sports, businesses, or religious institutions.

學校、運動、企業，或宗教 機構裡都可能有腐敗發生。

In ancient Greece, the power-hungry Alcmaeonid family

在古希臘，渴望權力的 阿爾克邁翁家族

notoriously bribed the priestesses at Delphi to deliver false prophecies,

因為賄賂德爾菲的女祭司 發表虛假預言而惡名昭彰，

like telling the Spartans they should invade Athens.

比如告訴斯巴達人 他們應該入侵雅典。

It may seem like all corruption is driven by greed,

看起來似乎所有的腐敗 都是因貪婪而起，

but individual motives are often complex.

但個人的動機通常很複雜。

There can be economic drivers,

可能是經濟方面的動機，

like family pressure on an underpaid civil servant

比如薪資微薄的公務員為了養家，

who exaggerates his expenses to get more money back.

因而謊報自己的開支以拿回更多錢。

This might not seem like a big problem, but corruption can snowball.

這看似不是個大問題， 但腐敗可能像雪球越滾越大。

If anti-corruption laws aren’t enforced,

如果反腐敗法不被實際執行，

or if loopholes are continuously exploited,

或漏洞不斷被利用，

a larger culture of corruption can emerge.

可能姑息出更大規模的腐敗陋習。

For example, in 2009, numerous British MPs were exposed

比如 2009 年，數名英國國會議員

被爆料用納稅人的錢來支付個人開支，

for using taxpayer money to cover personal expenses,

from home renovations to luxury purchases, and even having a moat cleaned.

從房屋翻修到購買奢侈品，

甚至清理護城河，無所不包。

And corruption isn't always directly about money.

另外，腐敗不見得 一定和錢有直接關係。

In 2016, a Department of Justice investigation found widespread patterns

2016 年，一項司法部的調查

發現不合憲法的維安、 虐待，和貪污腐敗行為廣泛出現

of unconstitutional policing, abuse, and corruption

within the Baltimore Police Department.

在巴爾的摩警局。

In just one elite task force, eight officers were convicted of crimes,

在單單一支菁英特勤隊中

就有八名警官被定罪， 罪名包括栽贓證據

including planting evidence and robbing citizens during traffic stops.

及在道路攔檢時搶劫公民。

Corruption like this causes people to lose faith in government

像這樣的腐敗會導致人民 失去對政府的信任，

and can deplete much needed resources.

且可能會消耗掉急需的資源。

The more taxpayer money that goes into people’s pockets,

越多納稅人的錢流進官員私囊，

the less there is to spend on services that benefit the community—

就越少錢能花在有益群體的服務上——

like repairing roads, building schools, or providing healthcare.

如修理道路、建設學校， 或提供健康照護服務。

In the case of South Africa,

在南非的案例中，

the Gupta family plundered billions of dollars from the country’s funds

古普塔家族透過各式各樣的貪腐陰謀，

從該國的資金中掠奪了數十億美金，

through their wide-ranging corruption schemes,

devastating the nation's economy.

拖垮國家的經濟。

In Baltimore, the police department cost taxpayers more than $22 million

在巴爾的摩，

警局的法庭和解花掉了 二千兩百萬美金的納稅錢，

in court settlements and gravely eroded public trust.

並嚴重破壞了公眾信任。

So, how can we prevent corruption?

那麼，我們能如何防止腐敗？

While it’s important that laws set a high price for corrupt behavior,

靠法律重罰腐敗行為是很重要，

punishment is only one piece of the puzzle.

但懲罰只是其中一個環節。

Transparency in terms of budget and paper trails

預算和文件記錄方面的透明度

and support for freedom of the press are hugely important.

以及支持新聞自由都極度重要。

In Botswana, the government has built public trust

波札那政府就建立了公眾信任，

through their ongoing commitment to respond to corruption

靠的就是持續承諾 會對腐敗做出因應，

openly, quickly, and decisively.

且會開放、快速，果決地做出因應。

In Denmark, government ministers must publish monthly reports

在丹麥，政府部長 每個月都必須發佈報告，

cataloging their spending on entertainment,

記載他們的娛樂花費、

official travel, and any gifts they’ve received.

公務出差，及他們收到的禮物。

As citizens, we can vote out those who engage in corruption

身為公民，我們可以 用選票讓參與腐敗的人出局，

and question officials who push back against transparency measures.

並質詢反對透明度措施的官員。

And we can stand up against corruption when we see it.

發現腐敗時，我們可以站出來對抗。

In South Africa, Jonas refused the Guptas’ offer,

在南非，卓納斯 拒絕了古普塔的提議，

and despite threats against his life, spoke out,

儘管生命受到威脅， 他仍然把此事說出來，

exposing a sprawling web of corruption that toppled Zuma’s regime,

揭發出廣大的腐敗網路，

這推翻了朱瑪的政權，

and sent the Gupta family into exile.

並讓古普塔家族被放逐。

But it wasn’t just Jonas’ revelation that mattered.

但至關重要的不僅是卓納斯的爆料。

Once the scale of corruption was unearthed,

腐敗的規模曝光之後，

everyday South Africans took to the streets,

南非的民眾每天都走上街頭，

insisting that “Zuma must fall.”

堅持「朱瑪必須下台」。

By using our civic voices,

利用人民的聲音， 我們可以反擊，以確保

we can fight back to ensure that tax dollars don’t line pockets,

稅款不會落入個人的口袋中， 而能真正用來讓人人受益。

but instead benefit everyone.