speech on eradicating corruption

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Speech on Corruption

• Updated on  
• Jun 2, 2023

Corruption is a problem that has hampered the growth of our country in not one but many ways. It is also one of the most common English speech topics for students . The idea behind giving this as a topic in a speech is to enlighten students on our country’s problems and how we can resolve them. Here, in this blog, we give you a sample speech on corruption, which will come in handy for you in the future.

This Blog Includes:

Introduction to corruption, examples of corruption, causes of corruption, how to fight corruption .

Must Read: Corruption in India Speech

Speaking Task: Speech on Corruption (5 minutes)

Good morning to one and all present here. It is rightly said that your speech only becomes well if your tongue says what your heart feels. So, here I am to talk about the current and worldwide ongoing issue and enlighten all of you with a speech on Corruption! 

In one aspect or the other, we all have come across the word ‘Corruption.’ According to political ideology’s definition, ‘Corruption is a form of dishonesty or criminal offence undertaken by a person or organization entrusted with a position of authority, to acquire illicit benefit or abuse power for one’s private gain.’ Seems lengthy and confusing, right? Most simply, corruption is dishonest behaviour practised by authorities such as managers or government officials. This is how people with power rule the world, thereby violating certain people’s rights and privileges. 

It is said that time changes everything.  But here it is, this dishonest act and the unsatisfying term haven’t changed for years on end. It is still prevalent. The main reason for corruption in India is the link between bureaucrats, politicians, and criminals.

Gone are the days when bribes were given when things were wrong. Presently, bribes are received to hide the right stuff. May it be a minor issue or a life-threatening one, a younger child or an adult man, a school-going boy to a working person everyone has seen and has fallen prey to corruption. These days, even if a person isn’t qualified enough for a public sector job, he can quickly get it by spending money and giving bribes to higher officials. 

Must Read: Essay on Labour Day

Well, what is a speech on corruption without some examples? So here are some things which you must have experienced at some point in your life. Have you ever applied for your or your child’s admission to a big reputed college? You can observe in a few of those colleges that if you aren’t eligible for admission, then a bribe is the door opener. Sounds pathetic right? But this is the sad truth these days. From getting admission to reputed colleges to being elected with numerous votes, everything unless more minor or more ways is induced with corruption.

But the most significant and worst type of corruption is Political Corruption. In legal terms, Political corruption or Mal Politics uses powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. This type is the most concerning one as it erodes the fundamental value of the law that governs and regulates society creating a massive mess in the country as a whole.

Now you all might be thinking that this happens only in well-established and sophisticated cities, but that’s not the case. It occurs throughout India. Metropolitan cities, towns, and villages are all part of this evil game, and it is the common man who gets unnecessarily trapped in the dishonest strategies of this game. The heights of corruption have reached such an extent that strict law can also reduce but not abolish this corrupt mindset. 

Any speech on corruption can never be complete without looking at the causes of corruption. We often hear people saying, ‘Everything happens for a reason. This states that Everything happening around us is driven by a strong desire or motivation behind it. In the same way, corruption also has some hidden causes behind it. Enlisted are the causes of corruption:

• Greed of money
• Lack of values and ethics
• Lack of education
• High level of bureaucracy and inefficient administrative structure 
• Political instability
• Gender Inequality 

Now, when we have raked up this sensitive topic in my speech on corruption, I must bring to your notice certain measures to reduce this problem. “Every problem has a solution……But it depends whether you want to solve it or not”. It depends on us if we have to stand against this evil act or in support of it. People usually stay silent in such situations, but one must remember that mere silence leads to acceptance. We must unite together and try to reduce corruption. Enlisted are the various ways in which we can reduce corruption to a greater extent.

• People should start reporting cases of corruption without any delay.
• All the government, non-government, public, private, and educational should unite together and stand against corruption.
• The media and advertising sector should educate people against corruption regularly.
• We should provide students with additional courses to build better citizens for tomorrow.

To conclude, corruption is making life worse for the commoner. But, he is the only one who can raise his voice and bring change. We should start from ourselves and change our thinking of ‘Make a Change to that of ‘Be a change. So, let’s come together and stand in favour of the commoner and not corruption. Let’s decide to be loyal and valuable citizens of our country.

Explore: Speech Writing

So, this was our blog on a speech on corruption. We hope this blog helped you to understand corruption and ways to prevent it. For more educational and interesting content, visit us at Leverage Edu . Follow us on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn .  

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14 comments

It’s really great.

Really very helpful and motivating and I understood this concept very clearly and I can now tell a speech anywhere on this topic ….thank you so much…

Happy to help, Jack!

Very nice work am really motivated to write myself.

Thank you for reading. You can also read: Speech on Indian Culture Importance of Friendship Speech Speech on Exam Stress

Am so happy for your assistance

Hello, We are glad to know that our blogs are able to help you out with your assignments, tasks and other activities. We would be highly obliged if you would have a look on some of our top searches: 1. https://leverageedu.com/blog/speech-writing/ 2. https://leverageedu.com/blog/asl-topics/ 3. https://leverageedu.com/blog/english-speech-topics/ 4. https://leverageedu.com/blog/generation-gap-speech/

it was a very very helpful speech it had all the things needed and made it look powerful and strong thank u so much

We are happy that you found the Speech on Corruption helpful. Here’s a list of other speeches that might help you!

https://leverageedu.com/blog/generation-gap-speech/ https://leverageedu.com/blog/speech-on-child-labour/ https://leverageedu.com/blog/women-empowerment-speech/ https://leverageedu.com/blog/speech-on-save-water/ https://leverageedu.com/blog/speech-on-right-to-education/

Thank you sir/madam for helping me with this speech.😀

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This is amazing, it helped me for our school’s speech Thank you so much for this!!

Hi, Thanks for your valuable feedback!

It was really helpful thanks a lot

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Can corruption ever be eliminated in the world? Boss Tweed and Napster show a counterintuitive path forward

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Corruption doesn’t result from a lack of ethics or knowledge; it’s a workaround chosen by people when they have few better options. So what can decrease its lure? New ways to make progress and make money.

Ask citizens why their countries aren’t developing, ask investors why they choose not to invest in some regions, and corruption is almost always at the top of their list of reasons. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually trying to eradicate fraud and graft around the world, yet it’s stubbornly pervasive.

When I (Clayton) was a missionary in South Korea in the 1970s, we were visited monthly by a man selling “safety” insurance. If you paid him, he guaranteed that your home would not be robbed; if you didn’t, somebody picked your house clean. Making sure that our modest possessions were not taken away was important for our survival, so we paid.

It’s only in hindsight that I see we were willing participants in a form of low-grade corruption — the kind that establishes a power balance in a community, makes lives easier (or harder, for those who don’t participate), and keeps the economic wheels of daily life greased. On either side, corruption was, and continues to be, a matter of survival.

A shocking 79 percent of the 7.6 billion people in the world live in countries with “corrupt” governments.

Today, more than two-thirds of the countries measured by global anti-corruption group Transparency International score lower than 50 — out of a possible 100 — on the annual Corruption Perceptions Index . (A score of 0 is seen as very corrupt; 100 is seen as very clean.) The average score worldwide is 43. According to the organization, a shocking 79 percent of the 7.6 billion people in the world live in countries with “corrupt” governments. That’s a lot of us. It’s hard to estimate the negative effect that corruption has on poorer countries, especially when its mere perception impedes investments that can help them create wealth and prosperity.

People in societies where corruption is common are not missing the fundamental moral fiber of those in non-corrupt societies, nor are they simply ignorant that there is a better way. Instead, corruption is a workaround when there are few better options. Corruption is hired for a Job to Be Done, or, more specifically, to help people make progress in a particular circumstance. In fact, our research has found that there are three powerful reasons why people hire corruption.

First, the vast majority of individuals in society want to make progress. From the jobless person looking for employment to the wealthy person looking to gain more status, we want to improve our financial, social and emotional well-being. When society offers few legitimate options to make progress, corruption becomes more attractive.

Second, every individual, just like every company, has a cost structure. In business, a company’s cost structure is the combination of fixed and variable costs it incurs to run its business. Individuals also have a cost structure — how much money they spend to maintain their lifestyle — and it includes rent or mortgage payments, school fees, hospital bills and food. Just like companies, individuals must have revenues that surpass their costs. Understanding this revenue-cost relationship helps predict circumstances where the likelihood of corruption will be high. For example, if a police officer in India earns 20,000 rupees a month (approximately $295) but has a cost structure that demands he spend $400 a month, he will be susceptible to corruption, regardless of what the laws dictate.

Third, people hire corruption because most individuals — regardless of income level — will subvert the law to make progress or benefit themselves. According to Harvard academics Edward Glaeser and Andrei Shleifer, when confronted with a law that limits our ability to do what we want to do, most of us make a mental calculation: Do I need to obey this law, or can I get away with disobeying it? And which way will I be better off? The average rational person will compare the benefits of obeying the law with the consequences of disobedience. If the scale tips toward disobedience, then it is actually irrational for the individual to obey the law, no matter how “good” it might seem.

Development often precedes successful anti-corruption programs, not the other way around.

Consider the fact that so many of us, all over the world, flout the speed limit when there are no police officers or cameras in sight. In the US, the community-based GPS smartphone app Waze allows us to warn each other when a police car is lurking up ahead. This social network-enabled product is dependent on many of us agreeing we should help one another avoid speed traps. We want to make progress — get where we are going quickly — and willingly ignore the people who enforce the legal speed limit because we believe we’re better off making that choice.

Fighting corruption feels like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole. As soon as one corrupt player is vanquished, more pop up in its place. But perhaps the problem just needs to be examined differently. Instead of poor countries continuing to try to fight corruption with their limited resources, what would happen if they focused on enabling the creation of new markets that help citizens solve their everyday problems?

Development often precedes successful anti-corruption programs, not the other way around. Once enough markets are created, people have an interest in those markets succeeding. Governments will generate more revenue to improve their courts, law enforcement, and legislative systems. In addition, markets provide jobs that give people a viable alternative to accumulating wealth through corrupt means.

Anti-corruption was not triggered by legislation or increased law enforcement; it came about because the fundamental equation of how Americans could make money, make progress, and make a living changed.

There was a time when corruption in America rivaled corruption in some of the poorest countries today. It was epitomized by 19th-century politician William Magear “Boss” Tweed. Born in 1823, Tweed entered New York City politics at an early age and was elected city alderman by the time he was 28. After spending several years in the position, he opened a law office even though he was not a lawyer. There, he received payments from corporations for his “legal services,” payments that were mostly extortions. With these funds, Tweed purchased Manhattan real estate and further grew his influence.

“The Tweed ring at its height was an engineering marvel, strong and solid, strategically deployed to control key power points: the courts, the legislature, the treasury and the ballot box,” biographer Kenneth Ackerman wrote. “Its frauds had a grandeur of scale and an elegance of structure: money laundering, profit sharing and organization.” During his time as the boss of Tammany Hall, Tweed — briefly a member of the US House of Representatives — stole a sum estimated to be between $1 billion and $4 billion in today’s dollars.

Although the railroads in the 1800s and the roads in the 1900s were good for America, they also brought with them an unprecedented level of corruption. When the US government got into the business of railroads, it extended subsidies to contractors; the subsidies were often based on the number of miles of railroad tracks built, not on the quality or effectiveness of the tracks. Predictably, some contractors built long and winding railroads with subpar material. Similar fraud occurred with the automobile boom in the early part of the 2oth century. Thomas MacDonald, then-administrator of the US Federal Highway Administration, “visited road construction jobs where he found waste and shoddy work in abundance,” Earl Swift notes in his book The Big Roads . “Localities often got about a dime’s worth of road for every dollar they spent … contractors had carved the state among themselves so that each would be assured all the bridge work in a particular territory, an arrangement that cost taxpayers twice in contracts that were wildly overpriced.”

Had Transparency International’s rankings existed back then, the US would not have been high on the list of “least corrupt” countries. But it improved over time. Was that due primarily to better laws, better politicians or better institutions? These certainly all helped, but they didn’t cause America to suddenly stop being corrupt.

Corruption for most people is simply a means to an end. If they had an alternative, most would not choose to hire corruption to make progress.

As more and more Americans created more and more wealth for themselves and found better ways to make a living, their voices of dissatisfaction with corruption became louder. “Politically, the rage of victims counted for very little in 1840, not much in 1860; by 1890, it was a roaring force” is how Stanford Law professor Lawrence Friedman put it. In the US, development happened in spite of the widespread corruption and unpredictability. Anti-corruption was not triggered by legislation or an increased intensity in law enforcement; it came about because the fundamental equation of how Americans — whether average or rich — could make money, make progress, and make a living for themselves and their families changed.

When a better way presents itself, the process that leads to transparency begins. We can see this happening in countries all over the world. In the late 1940s, for instance, Taiwan was quite corrupt and unpredictable. Mayors and local public officials handed out favors to their cronies and lined their own pockets in the process, and many forms of corruption, such as bribery, embezzlement, nepotism and organized crime, went unchecked. Taiwan, however, has since become a successful and productive economy, and ranks high — 29th — out of the 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Corruption for most people is simply a means to an end. If they had an alternative, most would not choose to hire corruption to make progress. Short of enforcing morality — often an expensive and difficult strategy with mixed results — we cannot think of a better strategy for curbing corruption than the creation of new markets.

Consider what happened in the music industry in America at the turn of this century, when a culture of piracy and illegal music sharing gave way to one in which customers opted to pay for streaming music instead. If you’re old enough to remember the golden age of the mixtape, you will remember that after the innovation of a dual-cassette recorder, copying music was easy. Many of us made mixtapes for parties, mixtapes to share with girlfriends or boyfriends, mixtapes for road trips.

Music industry executives spent years lobbying Congress for stricter copyright protections and millions of dollars in awareness campaigns designed to deter people from “stealing” music this way. But none of that made a dent in the practice of making copies. America had become a nation of thieves who stole music.

We might win cases against corrupt politicians and corrupt practices, but until we understand why people hire corruption, we’ll continue to spend hard-earned resources fighting this problem.

Few people outside the music industry seemed to care, and things only got worse for the music industry with the invention of Napster. Suddenly, people all around the world could share their music — all of it, anytime, with anyone. And they did, indiscriminately. The situation got so big that the music industry took Napster to court, and the industry won. Napster shut down its operations, eventually declaring bankruptcy.

Although the music industry won the battle, illegal sharing just went further underground. In a confessional book titled How Music Got Free , journalist Stephen Witt chronicles his foray into the world of music piracy and his eventual change of heart. He did not stop stealing music because he had a moral revelation. Rather, Witt threw in the towel in 2014 because it was simply not worth the trouble.

“Using Spotify for the first time, I immediately understood that the corporations had won — its scope and convenience made torrenting music seem antique,” he writes. “For the first time, a legal business was offering a product that was superior to what was available underground.”

The music industry might have been able to knock down music pirates here and there. But until it truly understood why people were “hiring” those alternative solutions, it was never going to prevail. It was playing its own game of Whac-A-Mole.

Were the agents in South Korea demanding that I pay “safety insurance” 40 years ago corrupt? Yes. What about the police officers in impoverished countries who take bribes? Absolutely. Are these people engaging in corruption because they are morally bankrupt individuals? No. For them and the music “thieves” and the Waze speed-trap avoiders, corruption is a solution to a struggle. It’s often the most cost-effective way for people to make progress in their societies. Simply enacting new laws or harsher penalties isn’t necessarily going to make them change their behavior. It just drives the corruption underground. The same is true throughout society. We might win cases against shady politicians and practices, but until we understand why people hire corruption, we’ll continue to spend hard-earned resources fighting this problem.

Of course, the world shouldn’t turn a blind eye and wait for economic growth to push aside fraud and graft. But if we want to have a fighting chance against corruption, we can complement existing efforts with market-creating innovations. We’re not saying that corruption can be completely eradicated from any society — corruption still exists in the US and in every other nation — but it can be significantly mitigated. And this matters to a society’s potential for growth, because limiting corruption leads to predictability, which improves trust and transparency.

Adapted from the new book The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty by Clayton Christensen, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon. Reprinted with permission from Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2019 by Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojoma and Karen Dillon.

Watch Clayton Christensen’s TEDxBoston talk here:

Watch Efosa Ojomo’s TEDxGaborone talk here:

About the authors

Clayton Christensen is the Kim B. Clark Professor at Harvard Business School, the author of 12 books, a five-time recipient of the McKinsey Award for Harvard Business Review's best article, and the cofounder of four companies, including the innovation consulting firm Innosight and the Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation.

Efosa Ojomo Efoso Ojomo works side by side with Christensen as a senior fellow at Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, where he leads the organization's Global Prosperity Practice. His work has been published in the Harvard Business Review, the Guardian, Quartz, CNBC Africa, and the Emerging Markets Business Review. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School.

Karen Dillon is an author and former editor at Harvard Business Review magazine and the coauthor of three books with Clayton Christensen -- the New York Times bestseller How Will You Measure Your Life?, the Wall Street Journal business bestseller Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice, and Thinkers 50 Breakthrough idea finalist The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty.

• book excerpt
• clayton christensen
• efosa ojomo
• transparency
• United States

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Speech On Corruption [1,2,3 Minutes]

Speech On Corruption & Its Eradication- Corruption is an evil that slows down the economic development of a country & contributes to the exploitation of poor people. Every year, December 9 is observed as an International anti-corruption day to raise awareness among people.

Everyone agrees that corruption is wrong. To be honest, youth can fight against corruption and can say no to corruption. Eradication of corruption needs strong steps to be taken. Surely, with constant political and governmental efforts, we can get rid of Corruption.

1 minute Speech On Corruption

Most Reputable teachers and principle and loved friends. first of all, I want to wish you all the best wishes for the day. Also, I am very grateful for the chance to deliver a speech on corruption.

So, What is corruption? Corruption is a form of criminal activity that involves the illegal use of authority and power for personal gain. It is an evil that is preventing any nation to progress. Apart from that, it has become a tool to exploit poor people.

Everyone agrees that corruption is wrong. It has become a method of earning money by using one’s authority illegally. To eradicate corruption from society, we need to take strong steps. Surely, with constant political and governmental efforts, we can get rid of Corruption.

This is what I wanted to say. Thank you!

2 Minute Speech on Corruption

Hello, all the people present here. Before starting my speech on this evil “corruption”, I would like to wish you all the best wishes and also want to pay thanks for having me this valuable opportunity.

Today, No nation is exempt from the disease of Corruption. From Hospitals to enterprises to governments, no place and nobody is free from Corruption. Corruption originates from the greater levels and goes down to the lower levels.

Sadly, in India, corruption has become a part of life. We have to live with it. In every sphere in India, you will come across this unlawful activity. From medical assistance to school admission, from getting a driving licence to receiving benefits of any government scheme, it is omnipresent.

Corruption is influencing our lives directly. The poor are more likely to be hit by corruption because they have no money for bribery leading to inequality in society. On the one hand, where the daily needs of poor people are not being met, on the other hand, rich people are living harmoniously.

To be honest, there is a strong need to eradicate corruption from society & say no to corruption. With continuous effort, we can get rid of this evil.

There is a lot to say but time is a limited resource & we should respect time. Thank you again. I hope you liked my speech.

3 Minute Speech on Corruption

Corruption is a form of criminal activity done by an individual or an organisation. This activity compels others to compromise with their rights. It is a roadblock in the overall development of any country. Everyone agrees that corruption is wrong and offensive.

Before heading ahead to my speech on corruption, I would like to wish you all the best wishes and also want to pay thanks for having me this valuable opportunity.

In small or in big forms, Corruption is prevalent in almost every sector. Corruption is affecting our lives directly. This practice harms the economically weaker sections of society more. This is because they don’t have money for bribery and so they lag in every area.

“ All the power belongs to the amount of money “. This notion leads individuals and organisations to create a pile of money. They go on the illegal track to earn money and evilly use their authority. They don’t even care about which path they are following.

In India, we have to live with it. Almost in every field, you can see this illegal activity. From hospital to school admission, from getting a driving licence to getting benefits of any government scheme, from politics to private organisation. No place and no one is untouched by corruption.

In a country like India, the largest fraction of the population is youth. So, it is obvious youth have to face corruption way more than any other age category. Plus, this is surely only youth can firmly fight against corruption & can fetch positive results.

Now, this is the youth’s responsibility to fight against corruption. To be honest, there is a strong need to eradicate corruption from society & say no to corruption. With continuous effort, we can get rid of this evil. If it happens, drastic changes will occur and corruption will go extinct.

I stop my Speech here. Thank you again. I hope you liked my words.

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‘Let's get to work': Watch and read the full text of Barack Obama's speech to the Democratic National Convention

The former president made a forceful case for vice president kamala harris, while spurning former president donald trump., published august 20, 2024 • updated on august 21, 2024 at 11:01 am.

Editor's note: The text of the speech below is as prepared. His actual delivery may have varied.

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Hello, Chicago! It is good to be home.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fired up! I’m feeling ready to go – even if I’m the only person stupid enough to speak right after Michelle Obama… 

The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.

I’m feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible. Because we have the chance to elect someone who’s spent her whole life trying to give people the same chances America gave her. Someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you: the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris. 

It's been sixteen years since I had the honor of accepting this party’s nomination for president. I know it’s hard to believe since I haven’t aged a bit, but it’s true. And looking back, I can say without question that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best – and that was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as Vice President. 

Other than some common Irish blood, Joe and I come from different backgrounds. But we became brothers. And as we worked together for eight years, what I came to admire most about Joe wasn’t just his smarts and experience, but his empathy and his decency; his hard-earned resiliency and his unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot.  

Decision 2024

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Over the last four years, those are the values America has needed most.

At a time when millions of our fellow citizens were sick and dying, we needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right. At a time when our economy was reeling, we needed a leader with the determination to drive what became the world’s strongest recovery – with 15 million jobs, higher wages, and lower health care costs. And at a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality, we needed a leader who was steady, and brought people together, and was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.

History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend. 

Now the torch has been passed. Now it’s up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. And make no mistake: it will be a fight. For all the incredible energy we’ve been able to generate over the last few weeks, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country – a country where too many Americans are still struggling, and don’t believe government can help. 

And as we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: 

Who will fight for me? Who’s thinking about  my  future; about my  children’s  future – about  our  future together?

One thing is for certain: Donald Trump is not losing sleep over these questions. This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about  his  problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala. The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size. It just goes on and on. The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day. 

From a neighbor, that’s exhausting. From a president, it’s just dangerous. The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to  his  ends. He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help  him and his rich friends. He killed a bipartisan immigration deal that would’ve helped secure our southern border because he thought trying to actually solve the problem would hurt  his  campaign. He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedoms since it won’t affect  his  life.

Most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between  us  and  them ; between the real Americans who support him and the outsiders who don’t. And he wants you to think that you’ll be richer and safer if you just give  him  the power to put those “other” people back in their place.

It’s one of the oldest tricks in politics – from a guy whose act has gotten pretty stale. We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos. We’ve seen that movie – and we all know that the sequel’s usually worse. 

America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. 

We are ready for a  President  Kamala Harris. 

And Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion. As you heard from Michelle, Kamala wasn’t born into privilege. She had to work for what she’s got, and she actually cares about what other people are going through. She’s not the neighbor running the leaf blower – she’s the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand. 

As a prosecutor, Kamala stood up for children who had been victims of sexual abuse. As Attorney General of the most populous state in the country, she fought big banks and for-profit colleges, securing billions of dollars for the people they had scammed. After the home mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my administration hard to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement. Didn’t matter that I was a Democrat or that she had knocked on doors for my campaign in Iowa – she was going to fight to get as much relief as possible for the families who deserved it.  

As Vice President, she helped take on the drug companies to cap the cost of insulin, lower the cost of health care, and give families with kids a tax cut. And she’s running for president with real plans to lower costs even more, protect Medicare and Social Security, and sign a law to guarantee every woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. 

Kamala Harris won’t be focused on  her  problems – she’ll be focused on  yours . As president, she won’t just cater to her own voters and punish those who refuse to bend the knee. She’ll work on behalf of  every  American.

That’s who Kamala is. And in the White House, she will have an outstanding partner in Governor Tim Walz. 

I love this guy. Tim’s the kind of person who  should  be in politics – somebody who was born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football, and took care of his neighbors. He knows who he is and what’s important. You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some consultant, they come from his closet, and they’ve been through some stuff. 

Together, Kamala and Tim have kept faith with America’s central story – a story that says we’re all created equal, that everyone deserves a chance, and that, even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other. 

That’s Kamala’s vision. That’s Tim’s vision. That’s the Democratic Party’s vision. And our job over the next eleven weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision. 

It won’t be easy. The other side knows it’s easier to play on people’s fears and cynicism. They’ll tell you that government is corrupt; that sacrifice and generosity are for suckers; and that since the game is rigged, it’s ok to take what you want and look after your own. 

That’s the easy path. We have a different task. Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver. And we can’t just point to what we’ve already accomplished or only rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today. 

Kamala understands this. She knows, for example, that if we want to make it easier for more young people to buy a home, we need to build more units, and clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations that have made it harder to build homes for working people in this country. And she’s put out a bold new plan to do just that.  

On health care, we should all be proud of the enormous progress we’ve made through the Affordable Care Act – providing millions of people access to affordable coverage and protecting millions more from unscrupulous insurance practices. But Kamala knows we can’t stop there, which is why she’ll keep working to limit out of pocket costs.

Kamala knows that if we want to help people get ahead, we need to put a college degree within reach of more Americans. But college shouldn’t be the only ticket to the middle class. We need to follow the lead of governors like Tim Walz who’ve said that if you’ve got the skills and the drive, you shouldn’t need a degree to work for state government. And in this new economy, we need a president who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country who wake up every day to do the essential, often thankless work to care for our sick and clean our streets and deliver our packages – and stand up for their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions.

Kamala will be that president.

A Harris-Walz administration can help us move past some of the tired old debates that keep stifling progress, because at their core, Kamala and Tim understand that when  everybody  gets a fair shot, we’re  all  better off. They understand that when every child gets a good education, the whole economy gets stronger; that when women are paid the same as men, all families benefit. We can secure our border without tearing kids away from their parents, just like we can keep our streets safe while also building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Donald Trump and his well-heeled donors don’t see the world that way. For them, one group’s gain is another group’s loss. For them, freedom means that the powerful can do what they please, whether its fire workers trying to organize a union or poison our rivers or avoid paying taxes like everybody else has to do.

We have a broader idea of freedom. We believe in the freedom to provide for your family if you’re willing to work; the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and send your kids to school without worrying if they’ll come home. We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life – how we worship, what our family looks like, how many kids we have, who we marry. And we believe that freedom requires us to recognize that  other  people have the freedom to make choices that are different than ours.

That’s the America Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in. An America where “We the People” includes everyone. Because that’s the only way this American experiment works. And despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that. Democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws. It’s the values we live by, and the way we treat each other – including those who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do.

That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message. Our politics has become so polarized these days that all of us, across the political spectrum, seem quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every single issue. We start thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and out yell the other side. And after a while, regular folks just tune out, or don’t bother to vote at all.

That approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division. But it won’t work for us. To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives, we need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices; and that if we want to win over those who aren’t yet ready to support our candidate, we need to listen to their concerns – and maybe learn something in the process.

After all, if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume they’re bad people. We recognize the world is moving fast, and that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us. 

That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority. And by the way, that doesn’t just matter to people in this country. The rest of the world is watching to see if we can actually pull it off. 

No nation, no society, has ever tried to build a democracy as big and diverse as ours before – one where our allegiances and our community are defined not by race or blood, but by a common creed. That’s why when we uphold our values, the world’s a little brighter. When we don’t, the world’s a little dimmer, dictators and autocrats feel emboldened, and over time we become less safe. We shouldn’t be the world’s policeman, and we can’t eradicate every cruelty and injustice in the world. But America can be, must be, a force for good – discouraging conflict, fighting disease, promoting human rights, protecting the planet from climate change, defending freedom. That’s what Kamala Harris believes – and so do most Americans.

I know these ideas can feel pretty naïve right now. We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last – money, fame, status, likes. We chase the approval of strangers on our phones; we build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves and then wonder why we feel so alone. We don’t trust each other as much because we don’t take the time know each other – and in that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other.

But here’s the good news. All across America, in big cities and small towns, away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together are still there. We still coach Little League and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry, in churches and mosques and synagogues, and share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold. Because the vast majority of us don’t want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to  be  better. And the joy and excitement we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this these past few months because, as Michelle mentioned, this summer we lost her mom.

I don’t know that anybody has ever loved their mother-in-law any more than I loved mine. Mostly it’s because she was funny and wise and maybe the least pretentious person I knew. That and she always defended me with Michelle when I messed up.

But I also think one of the reasons we became so close was she reminded me of my grandmother, the woman who raised me as a child. On the surface, the two of them didn’t have a lot in common – one was a Black woman from Chicago, the other a white woman born in a tiny town called Peru, Kansas. And yet, they shared a basic outlook on life – strong, smart, resourceful women, full of common sense, who, regardless of the barriers they encountered, went about their business without fuss or complaint and provided an unshakable foundation of love for their children and grandchildren.

In that sense, they both represented an entire generation of working people who, through war and depression, discrimination and limited opportunity, helped build this country. Many of them toiled every day at jobs that were often too small for them and willingly went without just to give their children something better. But they knew what was true and what mattered. Things like honesty and integrity, kindness and hard work. They weren’t impressed with braggarts or bullies, and they didn’t spend a lot of time obsessing about what they didn’t have. Instead, they found pleasure in simple things – a card game with friends, a good meal and laughter around the kitchen table, helping others and seeing their children do things and go places that they would have never imagined for themselves.

Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or somewhere in between, we’ve all had people like that in our lives. People like Kamala’s parents, who crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America. People like Tim’s parents, who taught him about the importance of service. Good, hardworking people who weren’t famous or powerful, but who managed, in countless ways, to leave this country a little better than they found it.

As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for – a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other. A restoration of what Lincoln called, on the eve of civil war, “our bonds of affection.” An America that taps what he called “the better angels of our nature.” That’s what this election is about. And I believe that’s why, if we each do our part over the next 77 days – if we knock on doors and make phone calls and talk to our friends and listen to our neighbors – if we work like we’ve never worked before – we will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States, and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States. We’ll elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we believe in. And together, we too will build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal and more free.

So let’s get to work. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

This article tagged under:

Doha Declaration

Education for justice.

• Agenda Day 1
• Agenda Day 2
• Agenda Day 3
• Agenda Day 4
• Registration
• Breakout Sessions for Primary and Secondary Level
• Breakout Sessions for Tertiary Level
• E4J Youth Competition
• India - Lockdown Learners
• Chuka, Break the Silence
• The Online Zoo
• I would like a community where ...
• Staying safe online
• Let's be respectful online
• We can all be heroes
• Respect for all
• We all have rights
• A mosaic of differences
• The right thing to do
• Solving ethical dilemmas
• UNODC-UNESCO Guide for Policymakers
• UNODC-UNESCO Handbooks for Teachers
• Justice Accelerators
• Introduction
• Organized Crime
• Trafficking in Persons & Smuggling of Migrants
• Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice Reform
• Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice & SDGs
• UN Congress on Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice
• Commission on Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice
• Conference of the Parties to UNTOC
• Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC
• Rules for Simulating Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice Bodies
• Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice
• Engage with Us
• Contact Us about MUN
• Conferences Supporting E4J
• Cyberstrike
• Play for Integrity
• Running out of Time
• Zorbs Reloaded
• Developing a Rationale for Using the Video
• Previewing the Anti-Corruption Video
• Viewing the Video with a Purpose
• Post-viewing Activities
• Previewing the Firearms Video
• Rationale for Using the Video
• Previewing the Human Trafficking Video
• Previewing the Organized Crime Video
• Previewing the Video
• Criminal Justice & Crime Prevention
• Corruption & Integrity
• Human Trafficking & Migrant Smuggling
• Firearms Trafficking
• Terrorism & Violent Extremism
• Introduction & Learning Outcomes
• Corruption - Baseline Definition
• Effects of Corruption
• Deeper Meanings of Corruption
• Measuring Corruption
• Possible Class Structure
• Core Reading
• Advanced Reading
• Student Assessment
• Additional Teaching Tools
• Guidelines for Stand-Alone Course
• Appendix: How Corruption Affects the SDGs
• What is Governance?
• What is Good Governance?
• Corruption and Bad Governance
• Governance Reforms and Anti-Corruption
• Guidelines for Stand-alone Course
• Corruption and Democracy
• Corruption and Authoritarian Systems
• Hybrid Systems and Syndromes of Corruption
• The Deep Democratization Approach
• Political Parties and Political Finance
• Political Institution-building as a Means to Counter Corruption
• Manifestations and Consequences of Public Sector Corruption
• Causes of Public Sector Corruption
• Theories that Explain Corruption
• Corruption in Public Procurement
• Corruption in State-Owned Enterprises
• Responses to Public Sector Corruption
• Preventing Public Sector Corruption
• Forms & Manifestations of Private Sector Corruption
• Consequences of Private Sector Corruption
• Causes of Private Sector Corruption
• Responses to Private Sector Corruption
• Preventing Private Sector Corruption
• Collective Action & Public-Private Partnerships against Corruption
• Transparency as a Precondition
• Detection Mechanisms - Auditing and Reporting
• Whistle-blowing Systems and Protections
• Investigation of Corruption
• Introduction and Learning Outcomes
• Brief background on the human rights system
• Overview of the corruption-human rights nexus
• Impact of corruption on specific human rights
• Approaches to assessing the corruption-human rights nexus
• Human-rights based approach
• Defining sex, gender and gender mainstreaming
• Gender differences in corruption
• Theories explaining the gender–corruption nexus
• Gendered impacts of corruption
• Anti-corruption and gender mainstreaming
• Manifestations of corruption in education
• Costs of corruption in education
• Causes of corruption in education
• Fighting corruption in education
• Core terms and concepts

The role of citizens in fighting corruption

• The role, risks and challenges of CSOs fighting corruption
• The role of the media in fighting corruption
• Access to information: a condition for citizen participation
• ICT as a tool for citizen participation in anti-corruption efforts
• Government obligations to ensure citizen participation in anti-corruption efforts
• Teaching Guide
• Brief History of Terrorism
• 19th Century Terrorism
• League of Nations & Terrorism
• United Nations & Terrorism
• Terrorist Victimization
• Exercises & Case Studies
• Radicalization & Violent Extremism
• Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism
• Drivers of Violent Extremism
• International Approaches to PVE &CVE
• Regional & Multilateral Approaches
• Defining Rule of Law
• UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
• International Cooperation & UN CT Strategy
• Legal Sources & UN CT Strategy
• Regional & National Approaches
• International Legal Frameworks
• International Human Rights Law
• International Humanitarian Law
• International Refugee Law
• Current Challenges to International Legal Framework
• Defining Terrorism
• Criminal Justice Responses
• Treaty-based Crimes of Terrorism
• Core International Crimes
• International Courts and Tribunals
• African Region
• Inter-American Region
• Asian Region
• European Region
• Middle East & Gulf Regions
• Core Principles of IHL
• Categorization of Armed Conflict
• Classification of Persons
• IHL, Terrorism & Counter-Terrorism
• Relationship between IHL & intern. human rights law
• Limitations Permitted by Human Rights Law
• Derogation during Public Emergency
• Examples of States of Emergency & Derogations
• International Human Rights Instruments
• Regional Human Rights Instruments
• Extra-territorial Application of Right to Life
• Arbitrary Deprivation of Life
• Death Penalty
• Enforced Disappearances
• Armed Conflict Context
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• Convention against Torture et al.
• International Legal Framework
• Key Contemporary Issues
• Investigative Phase
• Trial & Sentencing Phase
• Armed Conflict
• Case Studies
• Special Investigative Techniques
• Surveillance & Interception of Communications
• Privacy & Intelligence Gathering in Armed Conflict
• Accountability & Oversight of Intelligence Gathering
• Principle of Non-Discrimination
• Freedom of Religion
• Freedom of Expression
• Freedom of Assembly
• Freedom of Association
• Fundamental Freedoms
• Definition of 'Victim'
• Effects of Terrorism
• Access to Justice
• Recognition of the Victim
• Human Rights Instruments
• Criminal Justice Mechanisms
• Instruments for Victims of Terrorism
• National Approaches
• Key Challenges in Securing Reparation
• Topic 1. Contemporary issues relating to conditions conducive both to the spread of terrorism and the rule of law
• Topic 2. Contemporary issues relating to the right to life
• Topic 3. Contemporary issues relating to foreign terrorist fighters
• Topic 4. Contemporary issues relating to non-discrimination and fundamental freedoms
• Module 16: Linkages between Organized Crime and Terrorism
• Thematic Areas
• Content Breakdown
• Module Adaptation & Design Guidelines
• Teaching Methods
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Introducing United Nations Standards & Norms on CPCJ vis-à-vis International Law
• 2. Scope of United Nations Standards & Norms on CPCJ
• 3. United Nations Standards & Norms on CPCJ in Operation
• 1. Definition of Crime Prevention
• 2. Key Crime Prevention Typologies
• 2. (cont.) Tonry & Farrington’s Typology
• 3. Crime Problem-Solving Approaches
• 4. What Works
• United Nations Entities
• Regional Crime Prevention Councils/Institutions
• Key Clearinghouses
• Systematic Reviews
• 1. Introduction to International Standards & Norms
• 2. Identifying the Need for Legal Aid
• 3. Key Components of the Right of Access to Legal Aid
• 4. Access to Legal Aid for Those with Specific Needs
• 5. Models for Governing, Administering and Funding Legal Aid
• 6. Models for Delivering Legal Aid Services
• 7. Roles and Responsibilities of Legal Aid Providers
• 8. Quality Assurance and Legal Aid Services
• 1. Context for Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officials
• 2. Legal Framework
• 3. General Principles of Use of Force in Law Enforcement
• 4. Use of Firearms
• 5. Use of “Less-Lethal” Weapons
• 6. Protection of Especially Vulnerable Groups
• 7. Use of Force during Assemblies
• 1. Policing in democracies & need for accountability, integrity, oversight
• 2. Key mechanisms & actors in police accountability, oversight
• 3. Crosscutting & contemporary issues in police accountability
• 1. Introducing Aims of Punishment, Imprisonment & Prison Reform
• 2. Current Trends, Challenges & Human Rights
• 3. Towards Humane Prisons & Alternative Sanctions
• 1. Aims and Significance of Alternatives to Imprisonment
• 2. Justifying Punishment in the Community
• 3. Pretrial Alternatives
• 4. Post Trial Alternatives
• 5. Evaluating Alternatives
• 1. Concept, Values and Origin of Restorative Justice
• 2. Overview of Restorative Justice Processes
• 3. How Cost Effective is Restorative Justice?
• 4. Issues in Implementing Restorative Justice
• 1. Gender-Based Discrimination & Women in Conflict with the Law
• 2. Vulnerabilities of Girls in Conflict with the Law
• 3. Discrimination and Violence against LGBTI Individuals
• 4. Gender Diversity in Criminal Justice Workforce
• 1. Ending Violence against Women
• 2. Human Rights Approaches to Violence against Women
• 3. Who Has Rights in this Situation?
• 4. What about the Men?
• 5. Local, Regional & Global Solutions to Violence against Women & Girls
• 1. Understanding the Concept of Victims of Crime
• 2. Impact of Crime, including Trauma
• 3. Right of Victims to Adequate Response to their Needs
• 4. Collecting Victim Data
• 5. Victims and their Participation in Criminal Justice Process
• 6. Victim Services: Institutional and Non-Governmental Organizations
• 7. Outlook on Current Developments Regarding Victims
• 8. Victims of Crime and International Law
• 1. The Many Forms of Violence against Children
• 2. The Impact of Violence on Children
• 3. States' Obligations to Prevent VAC and Protect Child Victims
• 4. Improving the Prevention of Violence against Children
• 5. Improving the Criminal Justice Response to VAC
• 6. Addressing Violence against Children within the Justice System
• 1. The Role of the Justice System
• 2. Convention on the Rights of the Child & International Legal Framework on Children's Rights
• 3. Justice for Children
• 4. Justice for Children in Conflict with the Law
• 5. Realizing Justice for Children
• 1a. Judicial Independence as Fundamental Value of Rule of Law & of Constitutionalism
• 1b. Main Factors Aimed at Securing Judicial Independence
• 2a. Public Prosecutors as ‘Gate Keepers’ of Criminal Justice
• 2b. Institutional and Functional Role of Prosecutors
• 2c. Other Factors Affecting the Role of Prosecutors
• Basics of Computing
• Global Connectivity and Technology Usage Trends
• Cybercrime in Brief
• Cybercrime Trends
• Cybercrime Prevention
• Offences against computer data and systems
• Computer-related offences
• Content-related offences
• The Role of Cybercrime Law
• Harmonization of Laws
• International and Regional Instruments
• International Human Rights and Cybercrime Law
• Digital Evidence
• Digital Forensics
• Standards and Best Practices for Digital Forensics
• Reporting Cybercrime
• Who Conducts Cybercrime Investigations?
• Obstacles to Cybercrime Investigations
• Knowledge Management
• Legal and Ethical Obligations
• Handling of Digital Evidence
• Digital Evidence Admissibility
• Sovereignty and Jurisdiction
• Formal International Cooperation Mechanisms
• Informal International Cooperation Mechanisms
• Data Retention, Preservation and Access
• Challenges Relating to Extraterritorial Evidence
• National Capacity and International Cooperation
• Internet Governance
• Cybersecurity Strategies: Basic Features
• National Cybersecurity Strategies
• International Cooperation on Cybersecurity Matters
• Cybersecurity Posture
• Assets, Vulnerabilities and Threats
• Vulnerability Disclosure
• Cybersecurity Measures and Usability
• Situational Crime Prevention
• Incident Detection, Response, Recovery & Preparedness
• Privacy: What it is and Why it is Important
• Privacy and Security
• Cybercrime that Compromises Privacy
• Data Protection Legislation
• Data Breach Notification Laws
• Enforcement of Privacy and Data Protection Laws
• Intellectual Property: What it is
• Types of Intellectual Property
• Causes for Cyber-Enabled Copyright & Trademark Offences
• Protection & Prevention Efforts
• Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
• Cyberstalking and Cyberharassment
• Cyberbullying
• Gender-Based Interpersonal Cybercrime
• Interpersonal Cybercrime Prevention
• Cyber Organized Crime: What is it?
• Conceptualizing Organized Crime & Defining Actors Involved
• Criminal Groups Engaging in Cyber Organized Crime
• Cyber Organized Crime Activities
• Preventing & Countering Cyber Organized Crime
• Cyberespionage
• Cyberterrorism
• Cyberwarfare
• Information Warfare, Disinformation & Electoral Fraud
• Responses to Cyberinterventions
• Framing the Issue of Firearms
• Direct Impact of Firearms
• Indirect Impacts of Firearms on States or Communities
• International and National Responses
• Typology and Classification of Firearms
• Common Firearms Types
• 'Other' Types of Firearms
• Parts and Components
• History of the Legitimate Arms Market
• Need for a Legitimate Market
• Key Actors in the Legitimate Market
• Authorized & Unauthorized Arms Transfers
• Illegal Firearms in Social, Cultural & Political Context
• Supply, Demand & Criminal Motivations
• Larger Scale Firearms Trafficking Activities
• Smaller Scale Trafficking Activities
• Sources of Illicit Firearms
• Consequences of Illicit Markets
• International Public Law & Transnational Law
• International Instruments with Global Outreach
• Commonalities, Differences & Complementarity between Global Instruments
• Tools to Support Implementation of Global Instruments
• Other United Nations Processes
• The Sustainable Development Goals
• Multilateral & Regional Instruments
• Scope of National Firearms Regulations
• National Firearms Strategies & Action Plans
• Harmonization of National Legislation with International Firearms Instruments
• Assistance for Development of National Firearms Legislation
• Firearms Trafficking as a Cross-Cutting Element
• Organized Crime and Organized Criminal Groups
• Criminal Gangs
• Terrorist Groups
• Interconnections between Organized Criminal Groups & Terrorist Groups
• Gangs - Organized Crime & Terrorism: An Evolving Continuum
• International Response
• International and National Legal Framework
• Firearms Related Offences
• Role of Law Enforcement
• Firearms as Evidence
• Use of Special Investigative Techniques
• International Cooperation and Information Exchange
• Prosecution and Adjudication of Firearms Trafficking
• Teaching Methods & Principles
• Ethical Learning Environments
• Overview of Modules
• Module Adaption & Design Guidelines
• Table of Exercises
• Basic Terms
• Forms of Gender Discrimination
• Ethics of Care
• Case Studies for Professional Ethics
• Case Studies for Role Morality
• Additional Exercises
• Defining Organized Crime
• Definition in Convention
• Similarities & Differences
• Activities, Organization, Composition
• Thinking Critically Through Fiction
• Excerpts of Legislation
• Research & Independent Study Questions
• Legal Definitions of Organized Crimes
• Criminal Association
• Definitions in the Organized Crime Convention
• Criminal Organizations and Enterprise Laws
• Enabling Offence: Obstruction of Justice
• Drug Trafficking
• Wildlife & Forest Crime
• Counterfeit Products Trafficking
• Falsified Medical Products
• Trafficking in Cultural Property
• Trafficking in Persons
• Case Studies & Exercises
• Extortion Racketeering
• Loansharking
• Links to Corruption
• Bribery versus Extortion
• Money-Laundering
• Liability of Legal Persons
• How much Organized Crime is there?
• Alternative Ways for Measuring
• Measuring Product Markets
• Risk Assessment
• Key Concepts of Risk Assessment
• Risk Assessment of Organized Crime Groups
• Risk Assessment of Product Markets
• Risk Assessment in Practice
• Positivism: Environmental Influences
• Classical: Pain-Pleasure Decisions
• Structural Factors
• Ethical Perspective
• Crime Causes & Facilitating Factors
• Models and Structure
• Hierarchical Model
• Local, Cultural Model
• Enterprise or Business Model
• Groups vs Activities
• Networked Structure
• Jurisdiction
• Investigators of Organized Crime
• Controlled Deliveries
• Physical & Electronic Surveillance
• Undercover Operations
• Financial Analysis
• Use of Informants
• Rights of Victims & Witnesses
• Role of Prosecutors
• Adversarial vs Inquisitorial Legal Systems
• Mitigating Punishment
• Granting Immunity from Prosecution
• Witness Protection
• Aggravating & Mitigating Factors
• Sentencing Options
• Alternatives to Imprisonment
• Death Penalty & Organized Crime
• Backgrounds of Convicted Offenders
• Confiscation
• Confiscation in Practice
• Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA)
• Extradition
• Transfer of Criminal Proceedings
• Transfer of Sentenced Persons
• Module 12: Prevention of Organized Crime
• Adoption of Organized Crime Convention
• Historical Context
• Features of the Convention
• Related international instruments
• Conference of the Parties
• Roles of Participants
• Structure and Flow
• Recommended Topics
• Background Materials
• What is Sex / Gender / Intersectionality?
• Knowledge about Gender in Organized Crime
• Gender and Organized Crime
• Gender and Different Types of Organized Crime
• Definitions and Terminology
• Organized crime and Terrorism - International Legal Framework
• International Terrorism-related Conventions
• UNSC Resolutions on Terrorism
• Organized Crime Convention and its Protocols
• Theoretical Frameworks on Linkages between Organized Crime and Terrorism
• Typologies of Criminal Behaviour Associated with Terrorism
• Terrorism and Drug Trafficking
• Terrorism and Trafficking in Weapons
• Terrorism, Crime and Trafficking in Cultural Property
• Trafficking in Persons and Terrorism
• Intellectual Property Crime and Terrorism
• Kidnapping for Ransom and Terrorism
• Exploitation of Natural Resources and Terrorism
• Review and Assessment Questions
• Research and Independent Study Questions
• Criminalization of Smuggling of Migrants
• UNTOC & the Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants
• Offences under the Protocol
• Financial & Other Material Benefits
• Aggravating Circumstances
• Criminal Liability
• Non-Criminalization of Smuggled Migrants
• Scope of the Protocol
• Humanitarian Exemption
• Migrant Smuggling v. Irregular Migration
• Migrant Smuggling vis-a-vis Other Crime Types
• Other Resources
• Assistance and Protection in the Protocol
• International Human Rights and Refugee Law
• Vulnerable groups
• Positive and Negative Obligations of the State
• Identification of Smuggled Migrants
• Participation in Legal Proceedings
• Role of Non-Governmental Organizations
• Smuggled Migrants & Other Categories of Migrants
• Short-, Mid- and Long-Term Measures
• Criminal Justice Reponse: Scope
• Investigative & Prosecutorial Approaches
• Different Relevant Actors & Their Roles
• Testimonial Evidence
• Financial Investigations
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• ‘Outside the Box’ Methodologies
• Intra- and Inter-Agency Coordination
• Admissibility of Evidence
• International Cooperation
• Exchange of Information
• Non-Criminal Law Relevant to Smuggling of Migrants
• Administrative Approach
• Complementary Activities & Role of Non-criminal Justice Actors
• Macro-Perspective in Addressing Smuggling of Migrants
• Human Security
• International Aid and Cooperation
• Migration & Migrant Smuggling
• Mixed Migration Flows
• Social Politics of Migrant Smuggling
• Vulnerability
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University Module Series: Anti-Corruption

Module 10: citizen participation in anti-corruption efforts.

  This module is a resource for lecturers  

Citizen participation is not a new concept, although it has gained traction in the past few decades. As stressed by the National Democratic Institute (a United States-based CSO), citizens have "the right to participate in decisions that affect public welfare" and such "participation is an instrumental driver of democratic and socio-economic change, and a fundamental way to empower citizens". Citizen participation has also been described as "a process which provides private individuals an opportunity to influence public decisions and has long been a component of the democratic decision-making process" (Cogan and Sharpe, 1986, p. 283). Citizen participation is classified as direct or indirect, with direct citizen participation being regarded as "the process by which members of a society share power with public officials in making substantive decisions related to the community" (Roberts, 2008, p. 5). There are even international treaties that highlight the importance of citizen participation, such as the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.

The discourse on citizen participation has traditionally focused on participation in democratic decision-making, and there are different ways in which citizen participation is operationalized in democratic processes. This can be through bottom-up measures, such as voting, grass-roots organization and participation, or through top-down mechanisms spurred by organizations such as the Open Government Partnership (discussed in Module 4 of the E4J University Module Series on Anti-Corruption). Innes and Booher (2004) have identified five grounds for upholding citizen participation in public decision-making: 1) to include public preferences in decision-making; 2) to improve decisions by incorporating citizens' local knowledge; 3) to promote fairness and justice, and hear marginalized voices; 4) to legitimize public decisions; and 5) to fulfil the requirements of the law.

Citizen participation in relation to anti-corruption efforts encompasses dynamics and approaches that may differ from citizen participation in other public processes, given that the State may not always provide citizens the same access to space and information in relation to fighting corruption. Corruption bypasses democratic mechanisms to the extent that Mark Warren (2004) has defined corruption as a violation of democratic inclusion. Corruption bypasses the laws and rules that were democratically established and excludes those who do not participate in corrupt exchanges (e.g. services that are meant to be public are allocated to those who bribe or on the basis of clientelism). For this reason, the role of citizens is better understood in terms of social accountability, where the citizens oppose corruption by keeping it in check, critically assessing the conduct and decisions of office holders, reporting corruption misdoings and crimes, and asking for appropriate countermeasures.

Concrete ways in which individual citizens may contribute to the fight against corruption include reporting on corruption to the authority or through the media, and supporting training programmes and sensitization campaigns that aim to create a culture of integrity and zero tolerance for corruption. Sometimes even refusing to participate in corrupt practices is an important act of resistance. It is worthwhile dedicating a few lines to the issue of reporting on corruption, as this is one important avenue through which individual citizens can participate in anti-corruption efforts. As technology has advanced, new methods of citizen reporting have become available. Most anti-corruption agencies now allow reports to be made online. In many countries, smartphone applications are enabling citizens to easily report incidents of corruption. In 2012, the World Bank released its own Integrity App . This app allows users to make confidential reports of fraud and corruption in World Bank projects. It also provides links to the outcomes of investigations. Another approach to reporting corruption outside official channels is through the use of crowdsourcing and social media. In India, for example, Swati and Ramesh Ramanathan created the online platform called " I Paid a Bribe " to expose everyday corruption by allowing people to post their stories anonymously (Strom, 2012). The website has not only served to document corruption, but also to increase awareness among the public. Another example is Digiwhist , a web portal and mobile app technology launched in Europe for the "systematic collection, structuring, analysis, and broad dissemination of information on public procurement and on mechanisms that increase accountability of public officials in all EU and some neighbouring countries". Using the transparency and public accountability of open access, Digiwhist focuses on assessing fiscal transparency, risk assessment and impact of good governance policies.  

In many countries around the world, there is a concrete risk of the normalization of corruption and the decline of public criticism of manifestations of corruption. In an ironic twist, corruption ends up being considered a necessary evil or even a shortcut to access some important goods. In such contexts, the critical attitude of citizens toward corruption is weakened or altogether lost. In other cases, high levels of corruption, citizen frustration with public sector corruption and poor governance (which often corresponds to high levels of corruption) may lead to citizen apathy, a lack of civic engagement and a lack of trust in the political and democratic process. Apathy and indifference are dangerous because where citizens fail to hold public officials accountable, corruption spreads even further, together with impunity for corrupt conduct (Olsson, 2014).

Citizen apathy or a lack of civic engagement may be addressed by empowering citizens and by introducing innovative approaches to citizen participation (McCormack and Doran, 2014). For example, the NGO Transparency International launched an anti-corruption tool called the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) aimed at enhancing awareness of corruption and its negative consequences, and at facilitating the reporting of corruption. It started with three initial ALACs in Romania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and later established more than 60 centres on all continents. These centres provide victims and witnesses of corruption with practical assistance to pursue complaints and address their grievances. Through providing this support, the centres make it possible for citizens to denounce corruption and participate in anti-corruption efforts.

It is crucial that in all countries, citizens are able to recognize corruption and are empowered to participate, so as to avoid the consequences of unabated corruption, such as deep inequalities (Uslaner, 2008), increased levels of private dishonesty (Gachter and Schulz, 2016), the demoralization of the public (Ariely and Uslaner, 2017), instability and even violent extremism (Chayes, 2015). For a further discussion of the adverse effects of corruption, see Module 1 of the E4J University Module Series on Anti-Corruption.

Where citizens and public officials pursue, use and exchange wealth and power in the absence of appropriate accountability mechanisms, it is common to witness the establishment of what Michael Johnston (2005) called the syndromes of corruption: influence markets, elite cartels, oligarchs and clans, and official moguls. For a further discussion of these syndromes, see Module 2 of the E4J University Module Series on Anti-Corruption.

One should be aware, however, of the possible instrumentalization of citizens' anti-corruption attitudes. Transparency International observers remarked, for example, that corruption is an important element of populist rhetoric. Populist leaders tend to use public outrage for corrupt behaviour to punish political adversaries. Populist movements present themselves as an anti-corruption force drawing on the idea that corrupt elites work against the interest of the people. In many cases, however, such movements are not accompanied by an actual anti-corruption strategy and even facilitate new forms of corruption (Transparency International, 2019). For a further discussion on this topic, see Module 1 of the E4J University Module Series on Anti-Corruption. 

Next:  The role, risks and challenges of CSOs fighting corruption  

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GLOBAL AFFAIRS

M. Seth (*), what are the most effective tools to fight corruption?

On the largest level, there is the creation of effective institutions, such as independent and specialized anti-corruption agencies and audit institutions on the national and international scales; secondly: the strengthening of judicial institutions, and finally: multilateral efforts such as the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

These tools can only be effective if accompanied by attitudinal and behavioral shifts. These shifts can be brought through awareness campaigns. International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December), for example, is a great opportunity to make people aware of the scourge of corruption, how deep-rooted it is, and how it upends the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

When we were creating the SDGs, many countries opposed mentioning corruption on the grounds that it would marginalize developing states. But corruption is something present in countries rich and poor. We polled almost 10 million people worldwide on their priorities, and corruption ranked the highest in these peoples’ minds, despite their government representatives’ resistance in the halls of the UNGA.

Attitudinal-behavioral shifts depend largely on education and training. Only through this can we shape competent specialists in the field while fostering the concepts of integrity and personal values to oppose corruption in all forms. In fact, education and training directly fights the scourge in peoples’ minds by changing the general attitude that corruption is too big and deep-rooted to fight.

The most effective training and education programs focus on providing a strong balance between academic and theoretical knowledge on topical issues, and core competencies in areas such as leadership and negotiation skills. To ensure the effectiveness of existing anti-corruption mechanisms through education and training, UNITAR’s Executive Diploma and a master’s program on Anti-Corruption and Diplomacy, jointly implemented with the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), provide this balance.

Dr. Stelzer (**), what are the landmark events in the history of international anti-corruption efforts?

There is a clear division between the period before and after UNCAC. UN anti-corruption action goes back to 1975, when the UNGA adopted the first resolution against corruption, targeting transnational corporations and their intermediaries. The next large steps were all regional: the Inter-American Convention against Corruption in 1996; the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in 1997; and the EU’s Criminal Law Convention on Corruption in 1999. These all led to the negotiation and adoption of UNTOC (UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime) in 2000.

When I was appointed Permanent Representative of Austria in 2001, the first session of the Crime Commission (Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice) that I chaired, adopted a resolution describing corruption as a structural impediment to sustainable development. This very same Crime Commission helped prepare for the negotiations of what later became the main instrument in the fight against corruption: UNCAC. With 187 parties, UNCAC allowed us to address corruption on the basis of the rule of law, changing the idea that it is too big to fight.

By 2006, the UNCAC implementation progress was still slow. I could not see this initiative, which I had negotiated and signed, wither away. To speed up the process, the head of the Anti-Corruption branch at UNODC and I decided to start training civil servants from developing nations in anti-corruption, then we turned this project into a program, and the program into an institution. Four years later, IACA was formed. IACA’s main achievement is its highly successful academic program, with over 3000 master’s alumni. Our experience has shown that the implementation of UNCAC depends on the strengthening of anti-corruption systems’ resilience by actors, who to a large degree, benefited from our academic programs.

* M. Nikhil Seth is the current Executive Director of UNITAR. ** Dr. Thomas Stelzer is Dean of the International Anti-corruption Academy.

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This report supports anti-corruption and ESG/sustainability professionals to better understand “corruption and bribery” and “political engagement” as sustainability matters in the context of the European Union (EU) Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). It considers how potentially material impacts, risks and opportunities linked to “corruption and bribery” could be identified when performing a materiality assessment in line with the ESRS.

STOPPING CORRUPTION PROMOTING INTEGRITY: Transparency International UK’s...

Since 1994, Transparency International UK has worked with the UK and devolved governments, parliamentarians, civil society and the business community to play a critical role in tackling corruption at home, addressing the UK’s global corruption footprint, and helping multinational companies prevent corruption by guiding them towards robust anti-corruption and integrity measures in their operations and sustainability strategies. 

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This Annual Plan is the first in the next phase of our refreshed strategy, ‘Stopping Corruption – Promoting Integrity’.

This year, we will deepen our programme of work across the public sector, political sphere and private sectors of the UK. In parallel, we will continue to lead influential global programming for the wider Transparency International movement focused on corruption prevention in Global Health, and Defence and Security.

Our work will pursue success under four strategic and will focus on a series of programme objectives described in the sections that follow.

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Related Publication

Fighting corruption worldwide 2020.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has turned the world on its head. It has exposed fault lines we did not know were there, and underscored others that we did. Looking forward, government, business and civil society around the world will have to decide how we can do things differently – and better. Fighting corruption must remain a priority. Sadly, no global crisis will eradicate corruption. In reality, it can make things worse – increasing opportunities for those with entrusted power to abuse their position for personal gain.

We have already seen how pressure on stretched health resources creates openings for corruption in research, procurement, supply chains and contracts. These vulnerabilities exist at other times too and across society. The toll is huge. In the worst cases, corruption costs lives. It steals public money destined for vital services and erodes democracy, provoking instability and public distrust.

We must also remember that the UK is not an innocent bystander. You need only look at the £100 billion of dirty money flowing into Britain every year or the £5bn of UK property bought with suspicious wealth to understand the scale of challenge. Again, so often, these are ill-gotten gains that deprive others around the world of the opportunity to live a life of dignity, self-determination and prosperity.

In these uncertain times, Transparency International UK’s mission to combat corruption in the UK and wherever the UK has influence is more important than ever. This is our moment to push for powerful change.

If it’s easy, it’s not worth doing, to borrow from the words of former US President Teddy Roosevelt. Nothing could be more true of the global fight against corruption. Its impact both globally and in the UK is so pernicious that at Transparency International UK we believe it is unconscionable to accept it or simply choose to look the other way.

Time and time again, vast sums of money are revealed to have been stolen from some of the world’s poorest countries – from Moldova to South Sudan – depriving citizens of vital services including healthcare and education. In addition, we know that abuse of power through corruption leads to loss of trust in governments. That leads to instability, itself linked to the kind of conflict we currently see around the world.

Corruption becomes deeply embedded, spreading far and wide which means there are no quick wins. It takes time, relentless effort and incremental change to challenge it effectively. That is why we work closely with governments, business and civil society around the world to ensure we approach the problem from every angle.

In the UK, this way of working has led to significant breakthroughs in the fight to stop dirty money. It has included the passing into law and effective use of Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) that have already resulted in assets worth millions of pounds bought with suspicious wealth from Azerbaijan being frozen.

Our advocacy has also played a huge role in the Cayman Islands’ recent decision to commit to revealing the owners of companies registered there. This would end the corporate secrecy, often exploited in Britain’s overseas territories by criminals and the corrupt to hide their illicit wealth in the UK.

The stakes are incredibly high when it comes to tackling corruption globally: 140,000 children a year die as a result of corruption in health care . Yet, for too long it has been the elephant in the room in the health care sector. Transparency International’s Health Initiative is the only organisation which focuses exclusively on corruption in the sector whether it be opaque clinical trials, drug price fixing or bribery.

To ensure our efforts make a real difference, Transparency International works through more than one hundred national chapters that understand the way each country operates and can therefore call for meaningful and effective change. Recently CISLAC, the Nigerian Chapter of Transparency International along with our UK-based Defence and Security Programme highlighted concerns over the spending of government money. As a result, the Nigerian courts have given the greenlight for the President and other senior officials to be sued for failing to disclose how the money was actually spent. It is a first step but a significant one and a sign that change is possible.

With a new government here in the UK, we at Transparency International are looking for an early demonstration that the fight against corruption remains a priority. They could start with the Queen’s Speech this week by including the draft legislation the Government published last year which would reveal the real owners of the overseas companies that hold property in the UK.

There is no question that eliminating corruption is and will continue to be an uphill battle. But to accept the status quo because it is too difficult to do otherwise is a missed opportunity. The solutions are complex, vary significantly from one context to another and take time.

If we simply give up, corruption’s toll on the lives of millions of people around the world will be at stake.

Essay on Corruption for Students and Children

500+ words essay on corruption.

Essay on Corruption – Corruption refers to a form of criminal activity or dishonesty. It refers to an evil act by an individual or a group. Most noteworthy, this act compromises the rights and privileges of others. Furthermore, Corruption primarily includes activities like bribery or embezzlement. However, Corruption can take place in many ways. Most probably, people in positions of authority are susceptible to Corruption. Corruption certainly reflects greedy and selfish behavior.

Methods of Corruption

First of all, Bribery is the most common method of Corruption. Bribery involves the improper use of favours and gifts in exchange for personal gain. Furthermore, the types of favours are diverse. Above all, the favours include money, gifts, company shares, sexual favours, employment , entertainment, and political benefits. Also, personal gain can be – giving preferential treatment and overlooking crime.

Embezzlement refers to the act of withholding assets for the purpose of theft. Furthermore, it takes place by one or more individuals who were entrusted with these assets. Above all, embezzlement is a type of financial fraud.

The graft is a global form of Corruption. Most noteworthy, it refers to the illegal use of a politician’s authority for personal gain. Furthermore, a popular way for the graft is misdirecting public funds for the benefit of politicians .

Extortion is another major method of Corruption. It means to obtain property, money or services illegally. Above all, this obtainment takes place by coercing individuals or organizations. Hence, Extortion is quite similar to blackmail.

Favouritism and nepotism is quite an old form of Corruption still in usage. This refers to a person favouring one’s own relatives and friends to jobs. This is certainly a very unfair practice. This is because many deserving candidates fail to get jobs.

Abuse of discretion is another method of Corruption. Here, a person misuses one’s power and authority. An example can be a judge unjustly dismissing a criminal’s case.

Finally, influence peddling is the last method here. This refers to illegally using one’s influence with the government or other authorized individuals. Furthermore, it takes place in order to obtain preferential treatment or favour.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Ways of Stopping Corruption

One important way of preventing Corruption is to give a better salary in a government job. Many government employees receive pretty low salaries. Therefore, they resort to bribery to meet their expenses. So, government employees should receive higher salaries. Consequently, high salaries would reduce their motivation and resolve to engage in bribery.

Tough laws are very important for stopping Corruption. Above all, strict punishments need to be meted out to guilty individuals. Furthermore, there should be an efficient and quick implementation of strict laws.

Applying cameras in workplaces is an excellent way to prevent corruption. Above all, many individuals would refrain from indulging in Corruption due to fear of being caught. Furthermore, these individuals would have otherwise engaged in Corruption.

The government must make sure to keep inflation low. Due to the rise in prices, many people feel their incomes to be too low. Consequently, this increases Corruption among the masses. Businessmen raise prices to sell their stock of goods at higher prices. Furthermore, the politician supports them due to the benefits they receive.

To sum it up, Corruption is a great evil of society. This evil should be quickly eliminated from society. Corruption is the poison that has penetrated the minds of many individuals these days. Hopefully, with consistent political and social efforts, we can get rid of Corruption.

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Question 1 - Speech - Writing - English Class 11

Last updated at April 16, 2024 by Teachoo

Youngsters can perform a significant role in curbing corruption. Write a speech to be given in the morning  assembly on the same topic.

You may include points like:.

• Education the need of the hour
• Saying no to donations
• Saying no to private tuitions
• Promoting merit based selection
• Equipping oneself with high education

  Role of Youth in Curbing Corruption  

1️⃣A very good morning to the respected Principal, teachers and my fellow students. Today, I, “XYZ” of class XI,  am going to present my views on the topic  “Role of youth in curbing Corruption”. 2️⃣Corruption is a habit and hence  everyone who holds an important position, is susceptible to it. There are people who can compete for certain jobs with greater chances of corruption and those who don’t have the chance, expect to minimise the corruption and keep complaining about it. 3️⃣But preventing and eradicating corruption is an absolute requirement for a better public life. As personal integrity is at stake, adolescents must rise to the fight against corruption on a personal level. Education is the key to eradicating corruption. 4️⃣Young people must say "no" to donations and private lessons. We need to promote a system of job selection based on merit, not bribery. Higher education is the key to eradicating corruption in our country. 5️⃣Ultimately, it is to form a national character. Nationality is nothing but a collective consciousness combined with courage. Don't turn young people into money machines. We must commit today to ending corruption at all levels.  

Thank you 

Maninder Singh

CA Maninder Singh is a Chartered Accountant for the past 14 years and a teacher from the past 18 years. He teaches Science, Economics, Accounting and English at Teachoo

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Speech on Corruption

Table of Contents

Speech on Corruption: Corruption is any dishonesty or unethical conduct by an individual entrusted with a position of power. Several people, especially young students, are curious to know in detail about corruption and its repercussions, more so because it is impacting our country’s economic growth and prosperity.

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Also Check: Essay on Corruption

Our speech on corruption, especially the long speech on corruption free India , shares detailed information on the topic. A short speech on corruption can be used as a sample if you want to prepare for a debate. The language used in the corruption speech is so simple that even a child can understand the meaning and so impactful that it can help you leave an impact on your audience.

Short Speech on Corruption

Corruption is a big problem in society. We need to do everything we can to get rid of it. Sometimes, even people who aren’t powerful can get involved in it.

Corruption Speech in English 200 Words

Warm Greetings and Good Afternoon to my esteemed class teacher and students!

The speech topic for today is corruption, and I will address my viewpoint on the same, particularly on political corruption. Ever since the formation of our country, everything has been dictated by the political leaders and people ruling in the government sectors. We are a democratic country, but whosoever comes into power tries to misuse that power for his/her gains, wealth, and luxury. The common people, as always, find themselves in a state of deprivation.

In our country, the gap between the haves and have-nots is so huge that it becomes a clear example of corruption in our country, where one section of society acquires richness and wealth. On the other hand, the majority of the masses remain below the poverty line. This is the reason why the economy of certain nations is facing a decline, such as the USA economy.

Suppose we are responsible citizens of our country. In that case, we should understand that this corruption is eating into our nation’s economic growth like a termite and is giving rise to crime in our society. If the majority section of our society continues to live in deprivation and poverty and will not find any employment opportunities, the crime rate will never come down. Poverty will destroy people’s ethics and morals and will result in an increase in hatred among the people. It is high time for us to address this issue and fight it to pave the way for the holistic growth of our country.

The parliament should pass strict laws against the anti-social elements of our society, regardless of whether such people are within our country’s political system or outside it. There should be equal treatment for all.

It could be countless if one were to think and evaluate the causes behind corruption. However, the most glaring reason responsible for the vicious spread of corruption, I believe, is the people’s non-serious attitude towards the governmental rules and laws and the sheer inertia of government towards those who spread evil in society. It appears that the ones employed to put an end to corruption have themselves become complicit in the crime and are encouraging it. Though there are various strict laws like the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Indian Penal Code of 1860, and the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988, to name a few, there is no serious implementation of these laws.

Yet another important reason behind corruption is the non-transparency of bureaucratic and governmental functions. In particular, the government’s institutions show moral laxity and brush off the carpet serious issues. The politicians themselves gobble up the money that should be used for the upliftment of poor people. Even worse, the people who are not affluent and cannot bribe the people in power are not able to get their work done, and hence their files are fated to meet the dust instead of stimulating action. Any growing economy would come falling when corrupt officials hold the reign of a country.

The situation has become very tense, and unless the general public takes proactive measures and becomes vigilant, corruption cannot be uprooted from our society. So come, let’s join hands and fight against corruption.

Also Read: Speech on Organ Trafficking

Famous Speech on Corruption

Warm Greetings to our Respected Principal, Vice Principal, Fellow Colleagues, and My Dear Students!

I, one of the senior faculty members of the History Department, welcome you all on the eve of the Independence Day Celebration . Amidst celebration and gaiety, it has been thought fit by the faculty members to address some serious issues that our nation is suffering with, primarily corruption.

Corruption is a big problem in society. We all need to work together to fight against it, without making any compromises. Sometimes, even people who aren’t as strong or those in powerful positions might be involved in it.

Though our great Indian freedom fighters won the freedom struggle ages back, serious issues, such as corruption, unemployment, poverty, etc., are still eating into our country’s economy and not enabling it to grow. Where does the problem lie – in the governance or society as a whole? We need to identify those grey areas which lead to the spread of corruption and adopt strict measures to eradicate those causes. Winning independence from British rule was one thing. Still, we will only be able to make this freedom worth their efforts when every country’s citizen can enjoy a basic standard of living, and there will be no iniquity in our society.

No doubt, our country is a land of nature and vivid landscape; however, the beauty and goodwill of our land have been marred by the ensuing corrupt activities going all around. In nearly every sector, we can see corrupt personnel who do not deliver their roles and responsibilities well unless the common people bribe them. Such illegal activities are going on day by day for the simple reason that we, as the natives of this country, are encouraging these people, and no strict actions are being taken against them.

Moreover, such people think they can easily escape the laws and go unscathed. Excess of power and money have corrupted the officials, and the situation has become so worse that if a common man needs any assistance or help from the government staff or administration, he/she will have to adopt the corrupt method. You would find corrupt people in the senior administration, the junior staff, and even the clerical positions. It is difficult for a common man to evade them and get his/her work done.

Cities and even small towns and villages have come under its influence. I think it’s high time that, as a citizen of our country, we should owe this responsibility to wipe out corruption from the face of our mother earth and make our country a corrupt-free land for the next generation and to feel proud of it.

Our students are the future of this country, so you should pledge never to adopt any corrupt path under any situation; in fact, you will raise your voice against any unlawful or illegal activity around you. Problems aggravate when we turn a blind towards them. Still, I sincerely hope that from now on, each of us will strictly oppose and prevent corrupt activities from happening anywhere in our country and expose such officials who act as a blockage in the development of our country.

3 Minute Speech on Corruption

Good Morning respectful Principal, teachers, and my dear friends,

Today’s topic for this Assembly meeting is ‘Corruption.’ A poison that ruins the value of individuals and the country.

My perspective as to what corruption means is that it is an act performed deliberately that reduces the authenticity and quality of the nation. People explain corruption as one simple statement: ‘ I had some urgency and had to get this thing done quickly. But my dear friends, this simple statement is so damaging that it directly hits on the country’s image and stature in the world.

We as individuals should understand that even though giving money for getting our work done helps us in quick execution, deep within, it is deteriorating the quality of our life. It builds a bad image of the country and leads to a lowering of our country’s ratings. It does not seem to be a big deed that we pay an extra amount or, what I may say, a bribe to some people for taking advantage of them. But, believe me, that deep down, it kills the ethical traits or values of the people.

This inherited value reduction is not only for the person taking the bribe but also for the person who gives it. Corruption is the hurdle between the country’s and an individual’s authentic prosperity and development. It affects the growth and development of the nation in all aspects, including socially, economically, and politically.

Corruption is also the unfair use of public power for some private advantage by breaking all or a few of the rules and regulations made by the government. One common form of corruption in our country is receiving black money in cash. Even during elections, it has been observed that we see much news on raids being done here at some ministers’ premises, and then on the other day, so much cash is found in this minister’s wardrobe. Haven’t we?

Yes, we have all forms of corruption. Many political leaders say we wish to eradicate corruption, but I haven’t seen concrete efforts coming for this cause. To control corruption, we have to work on the root cause. This corruption is deep inside the roots of our country, and eradicating this is a huge activity or a project that requires complete dedication with purity at heart.

Strict actions should be documented in policies and necessarily implemented on those who practice corruption for their greed.

Thank you, everyone, for being a part of this Assembly session. I am glad that we chose this important topic as our discussion point. I request you all to please make it a habit to stop corruption exactly there itself. We should not be selfish and think about our convenience. I hope you all will help me and our nation control this ugly corruption act.

Thank You! Have a great Day! We have to end corruption!

5 Minute Speech on Corruption

Good evening everyone! Thanks for being a part of this occasion and taking the time to participate.

My discussion for this evening is on the cancer of ‘Corruption’ that has made our life sick. Corruption is an illegal behavior on the measurement of authority or influential party through illegal, depraved, or irreconcilable means with principled values. However, this word is so simple to define but too hard to take out from any country. Corruption is the biggest act that makes the country’s image weak and negative.

Corruption may include many activities, including bribery and embezzlement of funds. Corruption has impacted the Indian economy and government so much that there are no easy solutions for eradicating it. If the citizens of a country are corrupted, it eventually adds to the loss of values of a country. We don’t realize that what we do, in the end, becomes a part of where we live and around whom we live.

Corrupt people always tend to hide behind the fake face of truth and honesty. Most of the time, corruption is referred to as the bureaucratic-political-police nexus that eats into the vitals of democracy.

Corruption starts mostly at the higher levels and carries its way to the extremely low levels too. The heights of corruption have reached a great extent where there are no proper laws to bring these corrupt people to justice. Because of the highly corrupt people who would do anything for money, it has become very difficult for the common man or the righteous to survive.

The level of corruption can be as low as bribing traffic police officers for not wearing a helmet to the extreme level when private contractors bribe government individuals to get the tender of public work or to get the job done. Today, corruption is one of the greatest factors hindering development and stifling the realization of democracy. Corruption affects the growth of a nation adversely.

We all should understand that corruption is acting as an obstacle in the way of the country’s progress. Each one of us should be cautious of the acts that we perform. We take it lightly to give Rs 100-200 to the Travelling Ticket Inspector (TTI) just for our preferable seat allocation, but deep down, that person has made it a habit to procure money from everybody.

Thank you for being a part of this conversation. In conclusion to my session, I would like to tell you all that the corrupt is not only the one who receives illegal money but also the one who provides bribe. I hope that from now onwards, you will not bribe anyone and control others. We see things as small deeds, but these small deeds, in the end, add up to create awareness against corruption.

Thank you!! Have a great day, and keep sharing this message of making our country corruption free.

Speech on Corruption FAQs

What is corruption in 200 words.

Corruption is a complex and pervasive issue that involves the abuse of power and authority for personal gain or the detriment of society. It encompasses a wide range of unethical and illegal activities, such as bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, and cronyism. Corruption can occur in both public and private sectors, affecting governments, businesses, and individuals alike.

What are the 4 types of corruption?

Petty Corruption: Involves small-scale bribes or favors typically encountered in daily life. Grand Corruption: Involves high-level officials and significant amounts of money or resources. Political Corruption: Pertains to the misuse of political power for personal or political gain. Systemic Corruption: Occurs when corruption is deeply embedded in an organization or institution's culture and operations.

What is corruption in English 10 lines?

Corruption is the misuse of power and authority for personal gain or to harm others. It includes practices like bribery, fraud, embezzlement, and favoritism. Corruption occurs in both public and private sectors and can be systemic or individual. It weakens institutions, erodes trust, and hampers economic growth. Corruption often leads to inequality and a lack of access to essential services. Fighting corruption requires transparent governance and strong anti-corruption measures. Citizens and civil society play a crucial role in holding corrupt individuals and organizations accountable. Corruption is a global problem, affecting governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. International efforts exist to combat corruption, such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Addressing corruption is essential for promoting fairness, justice, and sustainable development.

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Corruption Speech

Corruption is any act of dishonesty or unethical conduct by an individual entrusted with a position of power. Several people especially young students have a lot of curiosity to know in detail about corruption and its repercussions; more so because it is impacting our country’s economic growth and prosperity. Our speech on corruption especially long speech on corruption shares the detailed information on the topic. Short speech on corruption can be used as a sample if you want to prepare for a debate. The language used in the corruption speech is so simple that even a child can understand the meaning and so impactful that it can help you leave an impact on your audience.

Speech on Corruption

Speech on corruption – 1.

Warm Greetings and Good Afternoon to my esteemed class teacher and students!

The speech topic for today is corruption and I will address my viewpoint on the same, particularly on political corruption. Ever since the formation of our country, everything is dictated by the political leaders and people ruling in the government sectors. Apparently we are a democratic country, but whosoever comes into the power tries to misuse that power for his/her personal gains, for acquiring wealth and luxury. The common people, as always, find themselves in a state of deprivation.

In our country, the gap between the haves and have-nots is so huge that it becomes a clear example of corruption in our country where one section of society acquires richness and wealth and on the other hand the majority of the masses remain below the poverty line. This is the reason why economy of certain nations is facing a decline, such as the USA economy.

If we are a responsible citizen of our country, we should understand that this corruption is eating into our nation’s economical growth like a termite and is giving rise to crime in our society. If the majority section of our society will continue to live in deprivation and poverty and will not find any employment opportunity, the crime rate will never come down. Poverty will destroy people’s ethics and morals and would result in an increase in hatred amongst the people. It is high time for us to address this issue and fight it in order to pave way for the holistic growth of our country.

The parliament should pass strict laws against the anti-social elements of our society, regardless of the fact that whether such people are within the political system of our country or outside it. There should be an equal treatment for all.

If one were to think and evaluate the causes behind corruption, then it could be countless. However, the most glaring reason responsible for the vicious spread of corruption, I believe, is the people’s non-serious attitude towards the governmental rules and laws and the sheer inertia of government towards those who spread evil in society. It appears that the ones who are employed to put an end to corruption have themselves become complicit in the crime and are encouraging it. Though there are various strict laws like the Prevention of money Laundering Act; Indian Penal Code of 1860 and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988; to name a few, but there is no serious implementation of these laws.

Yet another important reason behind corruption is the non-transparency of bureaucratic and governmental functions. In particular, the institutions that are run under the government show moral laxity and brush under the carpet serious issues. The money that should be used for the upliftment of poor people is gobbled up by the politicians themselves. Even worse, the people who are not affluent and cannot bribe the people in power are not able to get their work done and hence their files are fated to meet the dust instead of stimulating action. Clearly, any growing economy would come falling down when corrupt officials hold the reign of a country.

The situation has become very tense and unless the general public takes proactive measures and becomes vigilant, the corruption cannot be uprooted from our society. So come let’s join hands and fight against corruption.

Speech on Corruption – 2

Warm Greetings to our Respected Principal, Vice Principal, Fellow Colleagues and My Dear Students!

I, one of the senior faculty members of History Department, welcome you all on the eve of Independence Day Celebration. Amidst celebration and gaiety, it has been thought fit by the faculty members to address some serious issue that our nation is suffering with and which is primarily corruption.

Though our great Indian freedom fighters won the freedom struggle ages back, but serious issues such as corruption, unemployment, poverty, etc are still eating into our country’s economy and not enabling it to grow. Where does the problem lie – in the governance or society as a whole? We need to identify those grey areas which lead to the spread of corruption and adopt strict measures for eradicating those causes. Winning independence from the British rule was one thing, but we will only be able to make this freedom worth their efforts when every citizen of this country will be able to enjoy a basic standard of living and there will be no iniquity in our society.

No doubt, our country is a land of nature and vivid landscape; however the beauty and goodwill of our land has been marred by the ensuing corrupt activities that are going all around. Nearly in every sector, we can see corrupt personnel who do not deliver their roles and responsibilities well unless are bribed by the common people. Such illegal activities are going day by day for a simple reason that we, as the natives of this country, are encouraging these people and no strict actions are being taken against them.

Moreover, such people think that they can easily escape the laws and go unscathed. Excess of power and money have corrupted the officials and the situation has become so worse that if a common man needs any assistance or help from the government staff or administration, then he/she will have to adopt the corrupt method. In fact, you would find corrupt people in the senior administration to the junior staff and even at the clerical positions. It is really difficult for a common man to evade them and get his/her work done.

Not only cities, but even small towns and villages have come under its influence. I think it’s high time, when we as a citizen of our country should owe this responsibility to wipe out corruption from the face of our mother earth and make our country a corrupt free land for our next generation and to feel proud of it.

Clearly, our students are the future of this country, so you should pledge to never adopt any corrupt path under any situation and in fact you will raise your voice against any unlawful or illegal activity that takes place around. Problems aggravate when we turn a blind towards them, but I sincerely hope that from now on each one of us will strictly oppose and prevent corrupt activities from happening anywhere in our country and expose such officials too who act as a blockage in the development of our country.

Speech on Corruption – 3

Good Morning respect Principal, teachers and my dear friends,

Today’s topic for this Assembly meeting is, ‘Corruption’. A poison that ruins the value of individuals and the country.

My perspective as to what corruption means is that, it is an act performed deliberately that reduces the authenticity and quality of the nation. People explain corruption as one simple thing statement, ‘I had some urgency and had to get this thing done quickly’. But my dear friends, this simple statement is so damaging that it directly hits on the country’s image and stature in the world.

We as individuals should understand that even though by giving money for getting our work done helps us in quick execution but deep within it is deteriorating the quality of our life. It builds a bad image of the country and leads to lowering of our country’s ratings. It does not seem to be a big deed that we pay an extra amount or what I may say as bribe to some people for taking some advantage from them. But, believe me that deep down, it kills the ethical traits or values of the people.

This inherited value reduction is not only of the person who is taking the bribe but also of the person who gives it. Corruption is the hurdle between the country’s and individual’s authentic prosperity and development. It affects the growth and development of the nation in all aspects like socially, economically and politically.

Corruption is also the unfair use of public power for some private advantages by breaking all or few of the rules and regulations made by the government. One common form of corruption in our country is receiving black money in cash. Even during elections, it has been observed that we see many news on raid being done here at some minister’s premises and then on the other day so much of cash found in this minister’s wardrobe. Haven’t we?

Yes, we have these all are the forms of corruption. Many political leaders say that we wish to eradicate corruption, but honestly I haven’t seen concrete efforts coming for this cause. For controlling corruption, we have to work on the root cause. This corruption in deep inside the roots of our country and eradicating this is a huge activity or a project that requires complete dedication with purity at heart.

Strict actions should be documented in policies and should necessarily be implemented on those who practice corruption for their greed.

Thank you everyone for being a part of this Assembly session. I am glad that we chose this important topic as our discussion point. I request you all to please make it a habit to stop corruption exactly there itself. We should not be selfish and just think about our convenience. I hope that you all will help me and our nation to control this ugly act of corruption.

Thank You! Have a great Day! We have to end corruption!

Speech on Corruption – 4

Good evening everyone! Thanks for being a part of this occasion and taking out time to be a part of it.

My discussion for this evening is on the cancer of ‘Corruption’ that has made our life sick. Corruption is an illegal behavior on the measurement of an authority or influential party throughout by means that are illegal, depraved, or irreconcilable with principled values. Though this word is so simple to define but too hard to take out from any country. Corruption is the biggest act that makes the country’s image weak and negative.

Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement of funds. Corruption has impacted Indian economy and government so much that there are no easy solutions for eradicating it. If the citizens of a country are corrupted then it eventually adds to the loss of values of a country. We don’t realize that what we do, at the end becomes a part of where we live and around whom we live.

Corrupt people always tend to hide themselves behind the fake face of truth and honesty. Most of the time corruption is referred to the bureaucratic-political-police nexus that eats into the vitals of democracy.

Corruption starts mostly at the higher levels and it carries its way to the extreme low levels too. The heights of corruption has reached to a very great extent where there are no proper laws to bring to justice these corrupt people. Because of the highly corrupt people who just would do anything for money, it has become very difficult for the common man or the righteous to survive.

The level of corruption can be as low as bribing traffic police officer for not wearing a helmet to the extreme level when private contractors bribe government individuals to get the tender of a public work or to get the job done. Today, corruption is one of the greatest factors hindering development and stifling the realization of democracy. Corruption affects the growth of a nation adversely.

We all should understand that corruption is acting as an obstacle in the way of the country’s progress. Each one of us should be cautious of the acts that we perform. We take it lightly to give Rs 100-200 to the Travelling  Ticket Inspector (TTI) just for our preferable seat allocation, but deep down that person has made it a habit to procure money from everybody.

Thank you for being a part of this conversation. As a conclusion to my session I would just like to tell you all that corrupt is not only the one who receives the illegal money but also the one who is providing the bribe. I hope that from now onwards, you all will not bribe anyone and control others as well. We see things as small deeds, but these small deeds at the end add up to create awareness against corruption.

Thank you!! Have a great day and keep sharing this message of making our country corruption free.

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Bernie’s DNC Speech Sounded Like Everyone Else’s. That’s Astonishing.

It barely made headlines, but it speaks volumes about how the democratic party has changed..

So far, the Democratic National Convention has been filled with era-marking oratory. The first night served as a valedictory for 81-year-old Joe Biden; CNN hailed Barack Obama’s Tuesday speech as a capstone of the 20-year period in Democratic politics, marked best by the man himself and his smooth, noncombative style, since his coming-out party at the 2004 DNC . And there was another significant address that rounded off a legacy that night, though it lasted only 12 minutes and was received with much less fanfare: that of independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

You wouldn’t necessarily know it just by reviewing Sanders’ remarks. The draft text was almost indistinguishable from his 2016 DNC remarks , with some reputational boosterism for the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and a cease-fire call thrown in. If you’ve ever heard Bernie on the stump, you yourself could probably sing the notes he hit. Lionizing the working class. Demanding a higher minimum wage and the expansion of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Celebrating organized labor and calling to expand its ranks. Condemning millionaires and billionaires, Republicans, and big money in politics.

That’s not because the party has steadfastly refused Sanders’ influence, forcing him to repeat the same old points to no avail—it’s the opposite. Since Sanders rocketed to national prominence with his 2016 presidential primary challenge to Hillary Clinton, the wild-haired senator has remained stubbornly dedicated to the policies he has championed, and the entire Democratic Party has moved toward him.

Despite that signature Bernie locution—the short, familiar phrases, the elevated volume, the iconic Brooklyn accent—little in Sanders’ speech felt uncommon (aside from a call to keep big money out of primary elections, a thinly veiled reference to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s multimillion-dollar spending spree to knock progressive House reps out of Congress). When, on Tuesday night, Sanders said his vision was “not a radical agenda,” he was absolutely correct. Much of it has become the actual agenda of the Democratic Party.

There were very few themes in Sanders’ speech that other Democratic speakers hadn’t already covered on Monday and Tuesday. Senators and governors and members of Congress alike made explicit mentions of class-driven policy designed to help the working and middle classes. Multiple union members, of both rank and file and leadership, took the stage, advocating for organized labor.

The PRO Act, which would drastically expand union density, is now a core Democratic policy . Kamala Harris has vocally embraced programs cracking down on corporate greed and has called for tax increases on the wealthy and corporations . Biden embraced a number of Sanders-backed plans for medical and student-debt cancellation . The 2024 DNC platform features a commitment to the expansion of Social Security and the especially Sandersian addition of dental care to Medicare .

It’s an astounding amount of influence for a man who has never won the Democratic presidential nomination and doesn’t possess once-in-a-generation oratorical skills. Still, in the eight years since Sanders failed to become the nominee the first time, and the four years since he failed the second time, he has managed to push the party toward dramatic policy and rhetorical changes. The substance of the 2024 DNC is a testament as much to his political legacy as to the party’s actual presidents.

And Sanders, whose presence at the 2016 DNC was controversial and contentious, now looks like a figure of party unity, one who has even helped bridge the gap from Biden to Harris. He got a hero’s welcome from the convention Tuesday night, with Democratic delegates chanting his name.

On the convention floor, I spoke with Keith Ellison, a prominent Bernie 2016 proxy and now the attorney general of Minnesota, about how he views Sanders’ legacy eight years on.

“Kamala and Joe Biden have walked picket lines, and Tim is a union member. That’s who the ticket is,” Ellison told me. “This,” he said, pointing to a student-debt-cancellation pin, “used to be a pipe dream. Now it’s reality.

“I always believed it was possible. I always thought we would end up somewhere in this neighborhood,” Ellison added. “It’s remarkable, but it had to come.”

It’s not inconceivable that we’ll one day look back on Sanders’ not-altogether-memorable 2024 DNC remarks as a valedictory as well. He’s about to turn 83, older than Joe Biden. He’s running for reelection in the Senate, which would give him another six years, at which point he would be pushing 90. Congress may be full of old-timers, but there aren’t many nonagenarians.

Nothing about his time slot in the 8 p.m. bloc indicated that Sanders was getting the star treatment. No single line of his remarks got the headline-grabbing attention of that of Michelle Obama or Barack Obama or even Biden. But, looking back eight years, it’s clear that this event has been a testament to Sanders’ legacy too.

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Coalition ANIM forms to tackle electoral fraud, corruption, dynasties

Official launch of coalition Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM) composed of six sectoral groups on Friday, August 23, 2024. (Photo by Dianne Sampang/INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — The importance of eradicating electoral fraud, corruption, and political dynasties in the country to establish good governance is what drove the formation of coalition Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM).

This is what the chairman of ANIM, retired Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, highlighted at the official launch of the non-partisan coalition on Friday.

“It started two months ago when members of the civil society organizations, some religious groups, professionals, and retired military senior officers discussed the biggest problems our nation is facing today and we all agreed on three main things: political dynasty… number two, ‘yong katiwalian (the corruption)… pangatlo (third), electoral fraud,” Adan noted in his speech.

ANIM is composed of six sectoral groups: the clergy and faith-based communities, military and uniformed personnel, business professionals, youth, women, and civil society organizations.

Adan said that they are ready to demand good governance, adding that “success for us, sa ating lahat (for us all), is a passage of meaningful legislation that curbs political dynasty and enhances transparency of the electoral process.”

READ: Protesters at Comelec allege fraud was committed during 2022 elections

He also noted the importance of timing in pushing for genuine reforms for the country,

“Timing is critical. Ngayon na (The time is now). Because we can no longer afford to wait. The challenges we face are urgent and the country needs a unified force to boost for genuine reform,” he said.

Adan served as the executive director of the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces Agreement from 2007 to 2014.

Furthermore, Bishop Colin Bagaforo, the president of the Caritas Philippines or the social arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), expressed support for the coalition’s calls.

“CBCP Philippines stands in solidarity with ANIM… and the call for an end to the pervasive corruption and political dynasties that have long break our beloved country,” he said.

Bishop Bagaforo emphasized the impacts of corruption on the people, stating that “corruption is a violation of the commandment. Thou shall not steal. When public officials make use of their power for personal gain, they are robbing the people, not just of resources but of opportunities, dignity, and their future.”

The bishop also underscored the importance of passing an anti-dynasty law in eradicating political dynasties in the country.

“We believe that enacting an anti-dynasty law is crucial. We estimate that in the instance that the law is passed, this will stop up to 50% of the corruption we face today,” he said.

Article II under Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that “[t]he State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

READ: SC urged: Prod Congress to pass antidynasty law

However, no anti-political dynasty bill has been enacted into law in the country.

In July, Senator Robin Padilla filed Senate Bill No. 2730 which seeks to enact the mandate in the Constitution that prohibits political dynasties in the country.

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Meanwhile, some lawmakers from the House of Representatives opposed in March a proposal of a group of lawyers asking Congress to craft an anti-dynasty bill, saying that this would limit the choices of the voters in elections.

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Politics | Former President Obama spoke at DNC as an elder…

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Politics | Former President Obama spoke at DNC as an elder statesman. In 2004, his speech launched him toward the White House.

Twenty years ago, a young Illinois state senator took to the Democratic National Convention stage in Boston and delivered a speech that would help catapult him to the top of the presidential ticket four years later.

On Tuesday, now firmly established as a Democratic elder statesman, former President Barack Obama took the DNC stage again , this time to help pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.

The impact of Obama’s 2004 keynote address to a rapt audience of fellow Democrats would likely be difficult for this week’s convention speakers to replicate: Not only was Obama’s personal story and storytelling style uniquely his, but polarization — both in the media and the political landscape — have drastically transformed the audience, making his optimistic message of hope and unity a tougher sell.

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America,” Obama said in his speech on July 27, 2004. “The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states; red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states and have gay friends in the red states.”

While hitting many of the themes from that keynote in his speech at this week’s DNC, Obama seemed to acknowledge how much times had changed.

Former President Donald Trump, this year’s Republican nominee, “wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them; between the real Americans who support him and the outsiders who don’t,” Obama said. “Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver. … We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s keynote, some contemporaries acknowledged that Obama’s 2004 speech — tracing his international heritage, sharing lessons from his constituents in Illinois and laying out a vision of unity and hope – might now come across as quaint. With media audiences now sliced so narrowly, some were skeptical a single address could still provide as powerful a political accelerant as the one delivered by Obama.

“In some ways it may seem sepia-toned and in others it’s as timely as ever,” said David Axelrod, who was Obama’s media adviser during his 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate .

Profit-driven media has kept “people engaged by anger, resentment, and outrage,” Axelrod said. In the intervening years and through Trump’s presidency, he said, “We build these silos — or we have silos built for us that we get shoved into — and everyone outside the silo we view as alien and menacing and dangerous. That has been a tremendous barrier to the vision that (Obama) articulated.”

Several stars had aligned for the then-42-year-old Obama in the summer of 2004. Four years earlier, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush had trounced him when Obama made a primary challenge. In debt from that campaign but determined to try again, he asked his wife, Michelle, for the go-ahead to take one last shot — at the open U.S. Senate seat left vacant when Republican Peter Fitzgerald chose not to run for reelection.

He emerged from a crowded and at times scandal-filled Democratic primary in March, then saw his Republican challenger, millionaire Jack Ryan, drop out in late June following a sex scandal involving his TV star ex-wife.

He was already well-positioned to win one of the most closely watched down-ballot races in the country — with hopes he would help deliver a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate — when he was tapped as the DNC’s keynote speaker by Sen. John Kerry’s team over a slew of more established and well-known Democrats, including incumbent governors.

Obama’s stars didn’t align by chance. His inner circle, including Axelrod’s business partners David Plouffe and Robert Gibbs, a Kerry press secretary who joined Obama’s team, lobbied friends on the presidential campaign for the slot, Axelrod said. Kerry had been impressed after seeing Obama speak at a party fundraiser following his primary win, Axelrod said. “We were pushing on an open door,” he said.

In an interview, David Mendell, the Tribune political reporter assigned to cover the Senate race, said Obama fit what the party was looking for: “New stars, new heroes. He was the right guy in the right place.”

In addition to being a young, Black state senator who won what was expected to be a competitive primary in a romp, Obama opposed the war in Iraq, making him a counterbalance to Kerry, who supported it. If he won, Obama would have been the only Black person in the Senate, and only the third since Reconstruction, placing him in the “upper echelon of black leaders and … a significant voice in the national Democratic Party,” Mendell wrote in the Tribune at the time.

Obama was well-positioned to succeed in the general election around convention time. After Ryan dropped out, the GOP, hamstrung by infighting, was briefly without a candidate. Former Bears coach Mike Ditka declined the spot, and the party eventually chose conservative talk show host Alan Keyes as Ryan’s replacement on the ticket. Keyes, a Maryland resident, never saw his candidacy take off.

Obama insisted on writing the convention speech himself. Associates said it was an amalgam of stump material combined with what he’d learned from campaign stops outside Chicago, where he found common ground with rural voters far from his Hyde Park district.

“He was not a limousine liberal who never went downstate. Sometimes he’d complain about being exhausted, but he did it,” said Dan Shomon, a legislative staffer and campaign aide who’d pushed Obama to tour counties outside Cook and the collars. Those events helped hone Obama’s oratory skills from “low-key professor” to “hard-nosed professional,” Shomon said.

“When he spoke at Black churches and big events and these dinners where there were 300 people, he really fed off of crowd energy and became a really great storyteller. That was learned, that was not instinctive,” Shomon said.

Axelrod received an early draft of the speech in the middle of the night, when Obama would typically have time to work and think. “And I read the first page, handed it to my wife, read the second page. By the third, I said, ‘This is going to be one of the great convention speeches of all time,'” Axelrod recalled. “It was so palpably a great speech. Literary.”

It was, however, too long. Kerry’s team told Obama’s they would have eight minutes. The draft was closer to 25. After edits — including trims from Kerry’s team, which also added more about Kerry — it got down to 17.

Mendell, who traveled to Boston to cover the keynote for the Tribune, received an advance copy a few hours before the speech was to be given.

“I said, ‘Man, if this dude delivers this speech in the way that I know he can deliver this speech, he is going to be a star,’” he recalled telling other reporters at the convention, to some skepticism. “It was just extraordinarily well written. … And it was a message I think Americans wanted to hear at that time about us all trying to come together and trying to unify.”

Though he needed schooling from speech coach Michael Sheehan to learn how to use the teleprompter and to make a delivery suitable for the acoustics of the arena, Obama was supremely confident.

“I’m LeBron, baby,” Mendell later reported Obama saying in his book, “Obama: From Promise to Power,” referring to Cleveland Cavaliers rookie LeBron James. “I can play on this level. I got some game.”

Valerie Jarrett, the Obama campaign finance chair who had struggled to get donors to chip in early on, remembers the speech as a tremendous opportunity. She had jitters, but “never any doubt that the content of the speech would resonate.”

Dick Durbin, Illinois’ sole Democratic senator at the time, gave Obama a brief but glowing three-minute introduction. Drawing comparisons to the late Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, Durbin described Obama as a man “whose family reflects the hope of an embracing nation … whose values rekindle our faith in a new generation … and has the extraordinary gift to bring people together of all different backgrounds. I’ve seen it. I’ve witnessed it.”

Conventioneers in the pit in front of the podium waved Obama signs as he kicked off.

“Let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely,” he began, talking about his father’s upbringing in a small village in Kenya and his maternal grandparents contributing to the national effort during World War II before moving to Kansas.

He said there was “work to do” to measure up “to the legacy of our forebears, and the promise of future generations.” He cited union job losses in Galesburg, an East St. Louis student with the grades but no money to attend college, and a Marine from East Moline about to deploy to Iraq.

Shomon, watching from Springfield, said Obama hit his stride about one-third of the way through: “He started feeding off that crowd, he just went for it, went full guns. I’d never seen him that enthusiastic and energetic.”

Obama extolled Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, sharing one of several Obama-isms that would pepper future speeches. Kerry shared the “fundamental belief — I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper,” he said, charging ahead to the memorable part of his speech about red and blue states.

“In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?” Not blind optimism, but “the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores … the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope!”

Axelrod remembered the murmurs in the hall that usually served as a backdrop for unfamiliar speakers dying down. “You could see how engaged people became, they started standing and cheering,” he said. “There was an African American woman nearby with tears coming down her face. I turned to Robert Gibbs and said, ‘You know, his life just changed and maybe ours too.’”

The address would become a foundational document Axelrod said he often told his speechwriters to return to for inspiration.

Durbin said he was unsurprised at the crowd’s response.

“Thousands of people spend personal savings for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come to a national convention. They throw themselves into it completely,” he said. “To be perfectly cynical about it, I’ve been to enough conventions and rallies you just know you’ve got an audience that’s ready to explode at a moment’s notice. What really surprised me the most was not how well he did, but the impact after the convention.”

The aftermath

The Illinois delegation gave Obama five-star reviews the next day. Mayor Richard M. Daley declared it a “grand slam home run,” according to Tribune reports at the time. House Speaker Mike Madigan said it reflected “perfect, big-tent Democratic politics.” Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Obama was “on the verge of getting 100% of the vote.”

State Sen. Terry Link’s review was especially colorful, the Tribune reported: Any prospective Republican challenger would be better off throwing their campaign cash out the window, starting in far downstate Cairo, he said. That way, they could say “they helped some people on the way because that’s about the only good that money would be right now.”

Though the speech wasn’t carried on the major networks, only on PBS, cable news and C-SPAN, the national press soon swarmed — and fawned.

Back on the trail in Illinois, crowd sizes grew, Shomon recalled. Strangers began photographing Obama when he was in public, Jarrett noticed. Durbin recalled meeting Obama event attendees in west suburban DeKalb and even farther west Freeport — “not necessarily Democratic territory”  — who came from Iowa, Indiana and Missouri.

“I said, ‘Well, what brings you here?’ and they all said the same thing. ‘The speech.’ So that speech reached out into America in a way that I didn’t anticipate,” Durbin said.

The possibility that the speech would launch Obama into the 2008 presidential discussion “wasn’t even remotely on our minds,” Axelrod said. But “in baseball, there’s an expression: You look the ball into the glove, don’t assume you’re going to catch it. We thought it would help us raise money nationally and yeah, we knew it would put him in the mix nationally.”

Within days of the speech, the campaign received $150,000 in unsolicited donations, the Tribune reported.

State Rep. Nick Smith, a contemporary of Obama’s in the Illinois General Assembly whose district includes a substantial Black population, said he knew early on that Obama could pull off such a feat, even though “a lot of people, even in my community, didn’t think he had a chance in the U.S. Senate because he wasn’t well known. He was a Black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama.”

But he acknowledged Obama was a beneficiary of tremendous luck, too. “Had he won that congressional race in 2000, he wouldn’t have given that speech and would probably still be in D.C. trying to give a speech like that somewhere in front of a lot of people.”

Though the message hope and change delivered for him, Obama acknowledged Tuesday that such an optimistic approach might not be such an any sell for Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.

“The other side knows it’s easier to play on people’s fears and cynicism,” he said. “They’ll tell you that government is corrupt; that sacrifice and generosity are for suckers; and that since the game is rigged, it’s OK to take what you want and look after your own.”

Still, Jarrett said Obama’s 2004 message was a timeless one. Given the nation’s extreme political temperatures, reaction to the speech today would be even “more profound,” she said.

“I think (the speech captured) the enthusiasm that we’ve seen for Vice President Harris, her messages and optimism and bringing us together and seeing the infinite possibilities we have as a country going forward. I think it is exactly the message that our country has been hungry for,” Jarrett said. “Yes, I think a single speech could change somebody’s life for the better or for the worse, depending on what the message might be.”

Axelrod and others said Obama’s 2004 speech exploded “myths and caricatures” about race, giving hope to young Black men and women about their potential and making it easier for candidates of color down the road. That included Harris, who, Obama noted on Tuesday, knocked on doors for him in 2008.

“Every generation stands on the last generation’s shoulders,” Axelrod said. “Even though Harris is of the same generation as Obama politically, he blazed a trail and it will be easier for her. Not easy, but easier for her.”

On Tuesday, despite touching on the nation’s divisions in his speech, Obama’s trademark themes prevailed.

“Despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws in some books somewhere,” he said. “It’s the values we live by. It’s the way we treat each other. … That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message.”

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Fighting corruption through Open Government Initiatives

Emily kallaur, stephen davenport.

Some anti-corruption efforts aim directly at the problem itself, while others take a more indirect route, seeking to create an environment in which graft and fraud are less likely to proliferate. Open government initiatives tend to fall in the latter camp. Open government consists of public sector transparency, citizen participation in the workings of government , accountability of public officials and institutions, and government responsiveness to citizens’ needs and demands. These components are ideally blended together in a whole-of-government approach that is greater than the sum of its parts. 

Building a stronger relationship between government and citizens can increase levels of trust and social capital , improve policymaking, and increase oversight of the use of public resources. Because of shifting norms of behavior and/or an increasing likelihood of sanction for illegal activity, corruption may decrease alongside an improvement in the effectiveness of public spending.   

A chapter on “Open and Inclusive Government” in the World Bank’s recently published report on corruption pulls together existing research and country experiences to sketch out the connections between open government methodologies and anti-corruption aims. The chapter looks at three common entry points for reformers: 

• increasing citizens’ access to information via legislation or transparency initiatives, so that they can be part of policymaking and oversight of government activities; 
• improving fiscal transparency, which is treated as a separate category of “information” given its centrality to anti-corruption efforts; and 
• facilitating citizen engagement and social accountability as a means to promoting government responsiveness.

There is an increasing evidence that suggests that openness can make a difference in reducing corruption when other enabling factors are present  , such as political will, a free and independent media, a robust civil society, and effective accountability and sanctioning mechanisms. Whether a certain reform or program succeeds in helping to lower corruption is entirely dependent on the context.

It takes time for the fruits of such approaches to ripen. In Ethiopia, a social accountability program empowers communities to hold public service providers, such as schools and healthcare centers, more accountable for service quality. Citizen trust in government was low at the outset of the program (a pilot from 2006-2009), and given the country’s recent political history there was little or no precedent at the time for feedback on service delivery to percolate upward from the grassroots level. Citizens were afraid to report problems they had faced. But by the time the third phase of the program began in 2019, trust had increased considerably, and people had begun to feel more comfortable speaking up.

While corruption was not the target of the Ethiopia program, it may have had some impact, albeit at a small scale. According to Lucia Nass, one of the program’s leaders, “there is a lot of petty corruption, which is especially difficult for poor people… [the program] helped citizens understand what services are supposed to be free and what services need to be paid, and how much they cost. With greater transparency and accountability, corruption becomes more difficult.”

The program also boosted awareness of the role that woreda (local district) councils play in overseeing service delivery, potentially leading to improved oversight of the councils themselves. And, there has been increased participation in parent teacher association meetings at the primary school level, perhaps indicating the kind of rising civic engagement that could curb opportunities for corruption.

While none of these positive effects is guaranteed, neither does corruption occur in a vacuum—it is a feature of a complex ecosystem of incentives and opportunities. By changing that ecosystem, reformers may be able to improve outcomes.

Editor’s Note: This blog is part of a series that helps unpack our new global report,  Enhancing Government Effectiveness and Transparency: The Fight Against Corruption .

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