If tax havens are there in Panama, there are many other Tax Havens in other parts of the world as well. Tax havens allow people to work and prosper without paying taxes. Absolutely legal, absolutely moral on part of those tax-free zones, but transaction of money from one part of the world to the other part of the world may involve corruption. This corruption is a well-defined corruption and everyone speaks and talks about this corruption, but nobody even thinks of the zones in which we people are living. Our people have their own Panama lands, where they are not checked by any system of checks and balances.
The corruption on part of the politicians has always been the hot talk of the town, but I don’t consider it worth discussing now. By now, I have got to do with some other sort of corruption. It may not involve fiscal malpractices, but it’s a corruption in our moral values, it’s a corruption in our behaviors and it’s a corruption in our daily practices. A corruption worth discussing but often neglected; a corruption of our people; a corruption of common people.
We, as a nation, criticise abrogation of laws by politicians, it must be criticised. But Iqbal’s nation has never looked deep down into their hearts for their self-accountability. Quaid’s nation has failed in developing respect for law. Today, if one more Panama leaks, it will surely reveal that in this part of world every person is more or less corrupt, except for those who didn’t get any chance. Our day to day life is full of corrupt practices. We lack morality in our daily affairs. While starting our daily routines in the morning, we people on roads break every law as far as possible. It makes us cool. This is just a tip of the iceberg.
Our leaders may be corrupt, but leaders come out of society. They are a mere reflection of society. We people are accustomed to bribery. We people are fond of shortcuts in our lives. We people are expert at leg pulling of others. We people have developed a refined habit of lying. We people are fond of pomp and show, so are our leaders. We are full of ill practices and moral corruption.
Are we people fulfilling our duties towards state? Can we claim our honesty to a state? Are government officials fulfilling their duties? Are private employees fulfilling their duties? Are clerks in offices fulfilling their duties honestly? Are students taking their responsibilities seriously? Are teachers contributing any good to the society? Are doctors serving sufferers? Certainly not! Few exceptions are there but on the whole, we common people are no more better than our politicians as far as corruption and corrupt practices are concerned.
Almost every one of us is fond of kick-backs. Almost every one of us wants more and more without having any check. Yes there are loop holes in any system. But a system prevailing in the society is made by the society itself. Systems are always made for people. We people are at ease with this system, full of corrupt practices. We people do not want to change this system as we have adjusted with this corruption. Our people have found an easy escape from all this in blaming politicians and our politicians blame one another.
We, as a nation, must stop our practice of criticising others. At this point in time we need to look into our hearts. We are responsible for our deeds. If we want to get rid of corruption we must start from ourselves, as charity begins at home. Every one of us must develop one’s own system of checks and balances. We must develop a system of self-accountability. If we fail to do all this, then more Panama Papers will leak and we will be nowhere.
The blogger is a student of English Literature at Government College University, Lahore.