It’s no secret that bribery is the unspoken rule in many government offices—the lubricant that makes the wheels of bureaucracy turn. Those who refuse to grease palms are left waiting, their papers gathering dust, while those who play the game jump the line with smug certainty. This institutionalized corruption does more than mere inconvenience; it drives citizens away from legal processes, forcing them either to break the law or simply abandon their hopes of ever securing what they need.
Theoretically, government offices exist to serve the people, but in reality, they are exclusive clubs where service is a privilege for those who can pay extra. Whether one is applying for a permit, requesting a document, or securing clearances, the experience is uniformly the same: long, disorganized lines, disgruntled employees who seem to resent every inquiry, and the ever-present undercurrent of bribery. Those who refuse to participate in this illicit transaction soon realize they are invisible—until they surrender a few bills under the table. It is a system that punishes honesty and rewards corruption, turning compliance with the law into an insurmountable hurdle.
Now, it is easier for many people to operate outside the law. Why go through the bureaucratic nightmare of obtaining a construction permit when one could just as well build his house quietly and hope that no one notices? Why go through the painful process of legalizing a business when an envelope of cash can make the right official look the other way? Inefficiency, mixed with the insatiable greed of government officials, has created an environment where following the law is not just inconvenient—it is irrational.
This corruption is not just about money; it’s about power. They know that those behind the desks hold the fates of every applicant in their hands and wield that power like a weapon. They cause delays, lose documents, and put up impossible requirements not because they are indispensable, but because frustration is profitable. The more desperate people become, the more easily they can be manipulated. The system is rigged to make sure that desperation always results in money changing hands.
Some will say ordinary people are partly to blame because they are the ones offering the bribes. This is a shallow argument. When an official deliberately makes a process impossible to complete without a bribe, the citizen is not making a choice. They are forced to become corrupt and trapped within a system where honesty becomes a liability. People don’t wake up one morning and decide that they are going to bribe some public official; they must be driven by a government, which refuses to do its job without the same bribes first.
This very same corruption erodes even the legitimacy these officers of state falsely claim. When the public realizes that government processes are designed to siphon money, rather than provide service, they lose all respect for the law. That is why illegal settlers multiply, businesses operate without permits, and regulations are ignored. If the system is rotten to its core, why should any person feel morally bound to stick to it? By not being honest, it is the government that is encouraging lawlessness.
The tragedy is that not everyone has the means to participate in this corrupt system. A wealthy business owner can afford to pay off a dozen inspectors, but what about the ordinary vendor who just wants to secure a simple license? What about the struggling farmer who needs government assistance but cannot afford the “processing fee” demanded by some official? Corruption does not just breed inefficiency; it actively oppresses the poor, ensuring that services meant for the public good are available only to those who have money to spare.
If the government genuinely wants people to abide by the regulations, then it needs to start by making the regulations accessible and fair. The only way to foster a culture of legality is to make observing the law a much easier task than violating it. Cut the red tape, fire the corrupt officials, and make all transactions transparent. Till then, no amount of threats through the judiciary or awareness campaigns will work because people will always find a way to survive even if it means doing so outside the bounds of a corrupt system.
