Contracts, Corruption, and Malaysia's Emphasis on Integrity

From procurement and bidding to oversight and project management, contracts are often fraught with malfeasance at all levels from beginning to end. The United States certainly continues to experience this whether it be with school systems, public housing, health care, or the Department of Defense (DOD).

Our government has worked tirelessly to incorporate critical safeguards and compliance systems to root out fraud, waste, and abuse, but evil-doers with evil intentions continue to circumvent anti-corruption countermeasures, which is costly to taxpayers and the overall public trust. In an August 1, 2017 op-ed article in The Hill titled, " Feds' rampant use of no-bid contracts the essence of corruption", David Williams revealed the following:

The Department of Defense isn't the only offender. In 2008, a federal investigation revealed that FEMA misspent nearly $46 million on four no-bid contracts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Department of Housing and Urban Development spends over one-third of its procurement funds on no-bid contracts. Only 58 percent of the Social Security Administration's contract spending is competitive. 

No-bid contracts don't just breed government profligacy, they also open the door to brazen acts of fraud and corruption.

There's no denying that these numbers are staggering, but as President of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Williams is keenly aware of the pervasiveness of this problem and what is necessary to manage and overcome it.

The United States is not alone in this fight, however, as every government worldwide can attest to the pernicious problem of corruption in contracts. Take Malaysia for example. In a recent article in malaymail.com, Sarawak placing integrity officers in state ministries to stop corruption, Malaysian officials reveal their new initiative to respond to and overcome corruption's corrosive impact.

The state government will place trained certified integrity officers in all state ministries to ensure there is transparency and compliance with procedures in the awards of government contracts, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said last night.

The article goes on to highlight Malaysia's commitment to making business and government much more accountable and responsible for the overall integrity of the state and that this responsibility must be shared mutually in order for Malaysia's economy to survive. Malaysia's Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg states, "...while the business community expects the state government to have high integrity, the state  government expects the same from the business community." The article concludes by saying, "[I]f corruption is allowed to take place in the state government, the economy will be in shamble. We must fear God, the business community must also fear God,”

As someone who studies, appreciates, and promotes the importance of applied ethics, collective responsibility, and personal and professional integrity, I find this article and the words of Malaysia's Chief Minister refreshing and reflective of a growing trend globally.

Shared responsibility, in particular, is the belief that moral harm can be imposed collectively due to the attitudes that inspire unethical behavior. Incorrigible actors share common beliefs and attitudes that influence others and create corrupt cultural norms. But if shared responsibility works this way to the detriment of society, it conceivably can work in reverse to inspire human goodness through the promotion of character and integrity collectively. In this regard, the nexus of responsibility is expanded beyond the traditional notion of the individual so that multiple people can both cooperate and conspire for either good or evil. When it comes to corruption, the state can certainly make this a powerful tool in efforts to emphasize its collective commitment to removing corruption at its core and elevating the virtues of character, integrity, and human flourishing. I applaud Malaysia and encourage robust strategies to make integrity the uncompromising new norm in government contracting and the role of business in government and society.

Nigeria: Former Leader Calls for Top-down Integrity

Integrity is the foundation of leadership as there are no moral shortcuts in the game of business and life.

We need integrity in the public and private business and it must start at the top. Organizations and public institutions must run their business in a forthright manner.

Make integrity the heart and soul of your business coulture.

--Olusegun Obasanjo, Ex-President, Nigeria

As I continue to research and write about our ever-increasing need to elevate integrity and moral expectations as essentials to civic life, effective leadership, and organizational credibility, Nigeria's name surfaces more-and-more in my searches. My latest find is a true gem because this former Nigerian leader (Olusegun Obasanjo) gets it!

The article is titled We need Integrity in Public, Private business: It Must Start at the top, and Obasanjo passionately states his case for a robust infusion of integrity throughout all levels of Nigeria's public and private infrastructure. From contract procurement to bureaucratic inefficiency, Obasanjo makes integrity the necessary antidote to dysfunction and corruption in Nigeria.

I am unfamiliar with Nigeria's eloquent ex-President, but this small sample leads me to like the way he thinks. What I especially like about the article is that his comments echo my belief in the importance of moral expectations. Obasanjo's quote above captures the essence of integrity as an expectation thus making it foundational and highly influential as a community norm. When the "will" to do right is baked into the culture of business and government and becomes a "given" for community conduct, moral excellence becomes the standard and human flourishing thrives. Morality as an expectation must be elevated by leaders, protected without compromise, and accepted by everyone as an essential community value. Obasanjo gets it: Nigeria must now get it.

Nigeria: State of Moral Urgency

I hadn't planned on revisiting Nigeria and the integrity issues this African country's leadership faces, that is, until I read a recent article at http://www.signalng.com/uk-parliament-condemns-plateaukillings-urges-buhari-to-take-action/, UK Parliament Condemns #PlateauKilliings, Urges Bhari to Take Action. As Nigeria faces a serious security crisis, a growing number of human rights watchers are beginning to use the terms Sudan and Rwanda as alarm bells for Africa and the global community.

The article cited above is timely and refreshing because it signals to the world that the escalating atrocities in Nigeria are garnering the attention from government leaders outside Africa. So moved by the killing spree in Nigeria, The House of Lords in the United Kingdom responded publicly with the following from Lord Alton of Liverpool:

“....the more than 200 people, mostly women and children, who were killed in sustained attacks on 50 villages by armed Fulani militia just this past weekend” adding that “People are dying daily.

“This alone should serve as a wake-up call. Are we to watch one of Africa’s greatest countries go the way of Sudan? Will we be indifferent as radical forces sweep across the Sahel seeking to replace diversity and difference with a monochrome ideology that will be imposed with violence on those who refuse to comply? We must not wait for a genocide to happen, as it did in Rwanda. Ominously, history could easily be repeated,”

The Council on Foreign Relations identifies nine conflict regions in Africa. In Nigeria alone,the crimes have been horrific and the death toll staggering. In light of this dire reality, a serious sense of moral urgency and purpose must inspire Nigerian leaders to reign in the chaos and restore stability to its citizens. The time has come for world leaders and peacekeeping agencies to call on government leaders in Africa (Nigeria in particular) to set aside their differences and 1) enter into regional collaborative agreements that focus on reducing and eliminating ethnic hostilities, 2) commit to monitored, effective, and outcome-oriented economic development initiatives, approved corruption counter measures, and other robust interventions, both short and long-term, that equip, empower, and safeguard human flourishing and stability in Nigeria, 3) petition the International Crime Court (ICC) to authorize the capture and prosecution of past and present domestic terrorists for genocide and other crimes against humanity, and 4) retrain the Nigerian Security Force with proven tactics to better engage and overcome domestic terrorists more effectively.

As I close, I turn to Chaos or Community once again, for King's prescient piece proves timeless in its ability to speak to today's collapse of community, leadership integrity, and overall responsiveness to moral crisis.

"We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time... Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: "Too late." (pg. 191)

King's final words are both poetic and chilling. Nigeria today is experiencing a chilling reality that captures the fullness of King's statement. With relentless bloodshed, especially targeting women and children, King's "fierce urgency of now" escalates to moral urgency for the government of Nigeria and leaders in Africa and around the world. Nigeria and the world community are in the hour of moral expectation, meaning, as human evil continues its march toward genocide, government resources must respond to protect human life without delay nor compromise. "Too late"is not an option.