Unfortunate as it is, corruption is a worldwide problem which has always been with us. We know because we invariably run into it in our daily lives. It is either a high-handed official dictating unfair terms or one with a short hand asking for bribe.
 

Although its degree may vary from country to country, depending upon the level of awareness and development, corruption is a global phenomenon afflicting the poor and the rich alike.
 

Corruption is correlated with poverty and is therefore worse in poor countries, especially in Africa where up to 70pc of the population is said to be under the poverty line. This becomes evident when we look at the corruption barometer, or the corruption perceptions composite index (CPI) of Transparency International, which ranks countries in their order of corruption.
 

The statistics show that African countries, including Ethiopia, ranked low amongst 163 countries in 2006. Corruption is certainly on the rise in our society, putting us in the category of the more corrupt countries of the world.
 

Traditionally, in Ethiopia, gifts were exchanged as tokens appreciation and a positive response to one's request. Today, however, with changes in lifestyle, the models of the younger generation are those who earn money by means fair or foul and have lots of it to overindulge. Correspondingly, the amount of bribes has risen enormously and has assumed criminal proportions, especially for a poor country such as Ethiopia.
 

For us in Ethiopia, therefore, corruption is a major concern because of its negative impact, especially on the poor. In many poor countries around the world, even basic services such as water, electricity, sewage, etc. are denied to the have nots because they cannot afford to bribe officials. The poor therefore go without water and light in their homes.

Corruption is thus anti-development and anti-poor. Many of the development schemes meant for the poor do not benefit them at all. Rajiv Gandhi once remarked that only a tiny fraction of every rupee meant for the anti-poverty programme in India ever reaches the beneficiaries. This is no less true today in our continent where, despite the multitude of governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), donor countries and philanthropy, abject poverty and destitution remain rampant.
 

It is not only in the area of public governance that corruption has become a central issue. Corporate corruption has also emerged as an issue of global importance. We all know that internationally reputed companies such as Enron and Arthur Anderson were exposed as having misled investors by manipulating accounts and misappropriating billions of dollars.

It is believed that corruption in an organisation or society is generally rooted in three major factors - the individual sense of values, societal values and the system of governance. Governments are therefore duty-bound to teach certain basic values like honesty and integrity in their fight against corruption. This must be combined with the simplification of rules and producers, empowerment of people at gross-roots levels and the promotion of transparency.
 

The reduction of corruption, which has become an endemic disease worldwide, requires not only effective punishment but also moral and spiritual awakening.

Lastly, the era of history we live in today has become an era of corruption and violence, which are rooted largely in poverty. This is therefore a time when we in Ethiopia, Africa and indeed people all over the world should listen carefully and pay heed to the teachings of H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.