Corruption: Who Cares? by Brian Lightowler
Published by Caux Books and Grosvenor Books, 2003.

Corruption: Who Cares?
By Brian Lightowler
Published by Caux Books and Grosvenor Books, 2003.

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First printed in DISHA (a publication of Initiatives of Change (India), October 2003

Corruption has become so endemic that many, believing it to be too difficult to tackle, have reconciled to accepting it as an inevitable fact of life. In his book, “Corruption – Who Cares?” Brian Lightowler gives stirring real life stories from many cultures and countries; including India, Australia, Taiwan, Kenya, Korea, U.K., U.S.A., Canada, Italy, Norway, Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu; on how individuals NGOs , governments, business and institutions have taken courageous effective actions and succeeded in fighting corruption. Some of the episodes like that of the Police Commissioner Ray Whitrod’s 7-year struggle to expose corruption in the Queensland Police and Mary Noelle Ferrieu- Patterson , Vanuatu’s first Ombudsman’s five year heroic battle against all odds to expose corruption among the top leaders of the Pacific Island are gripping.

It is fascinating to read how one initiative led to another. In April 1989, six people in Australia’s “sunshine state” started a grass root action to make Queensland Corruption Free. This inspired a small group in Taiwan to launc the highly successful Clean Election Campaign in 1992 which again sparked similar campaigns in Brazil (1994) and in Kenya (1997 and 2002). If you want to know how much illicit money is circulating in the Globe and the threat posed by the nexus between Global terrorism, the narcotics trade graft and money laundering, you must read this book. Interpol’s chief , Ronald Noble , speaking at the Tenth International Anti-Corruption Conference in New York in October, 2001 stressed that terrorism cannot be beaten without dealing with corruption. “If customs, police and security professionals are corrupt, no expense on high-tech devices will provide our citizens with the security they deserve”. The most sophisticated security systems and dedicated personnel would be useless if undermined from the inside by a simple act of corruption.

The great value of the book under review is that the author does not stop with just stating the grim facts and posing the problem. In the apt words of Jeremy Pope, Executive Director of Transparency International’s Centre for Innovation and Research, “ Brian Lightowler has done us all a very great favour in illustrating the range of abuses and their consequences, but also in underlining a message of hope by setting out examples of reforms won by those with principles and the courage to challenge the corrupt. His message? Together, we can – and we shall – overcome.”

For all of us who are concerned and engaged in the fight against the scourge of corruption Lightowler’s book is a timely, powerful and handy weapon. I would like the book to reach and be read by every student of management and public administration, and every decision maker in government, business, industry, trade unions, NGOs, the media and leader of civil society. “Without the initiatives of incorruptible men and women”, asserts Lightowler, “no reformed standard in human consciousness, nor tighter banking and investment controls nor more effective police work by themselves, will prevail in the fight against corruption…A start has been made by Transparency International, the World Bank, the worldwide movement of MRA-Initiatives of Change, and by the integrity, courageous decisions and actions of countless individuals, many of whose experiences are related in this book. If enough people are seized by the vision of a world based on integrity and are ready to pay the price involved it is achievable in the decades ahead. The choice is before us.”

Reviewed by V C Viswanathan

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This review appeared first in The Southeast Asian Times on November 6, 2003.

BOOK REVIEW

This small but very powerful book written by Brisbane-based journalist Brian Lightowler cannot fail to influence your view of life.

For many of us, corruption is simply a small and unimportant part of the bigger picture of business, government or politics, and happens mainly in other countries in the normal course of human activity. This book will change your mind.

Lightowler essentially argues three main points. First, he demonstrates that corruption is a major 'disease striking at the heart of society'; it involves many billions of dollars as bribes or 'gifts', which threaten to undermine the public and private integrity which is so vital for normal interaction in the community.

He identifies the initiatives, agreements and strategies taken by governments and institutions worldwide, as they actively and effectively respond to corruption.

He provides a number of fascinating case studies of individuals and institutions which have opted for the integrity option and refused to be part of the corruption process in different parts of the world, often at personal expense.

Lightowler believes that we could well be at a turning point in the humanity's long wrestle with corruption as new global standards of integrity and disclosure are adopted.

His extensive background in Moral Re-Armament (now Initiatives of Change) confirms him as a voice of sincerity an authority on issues of corruption and integrity.

Reviewed by Rod Jensen
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Brisbane-based journalist Brian Lightowler cares sufficiently to have written this very readable and informative book which should be required reading for all. A long time campaigner for integrity, Lightowler forcefully argues that corruption is a "clear and present danger [and] ...should be seen as an issue of national security." He supports this conclusion with a wide range of summarised case studies from across the globe. These are balanced by a summary of responses from government and official organisations (e.g. The world Bank, NGOs, business and individuals). He concludes on an optimistic note, arguing that there is considerable evidence to suggest that the tide is turning and suggesting that "if enough people are seized by the vision of a world based on integrity and are ready to pay the price involved it (eliminating corruption) is achievable...The choice is before us."

Reviewed by Grahame Leonard