03.06.11 The 10th Organisational Consequence of Corruption

10. Tarnishing the Image of a Faction or Entity

As already mentioned elsewhere, the corruptive tendencies of an official can tarnish the image of his or her family members, clan, tribe, race and even nationality.  There is a local parable which says that ‘one rotten fish causes the entire pack to rot’.  By portraying himself as corrupt, Daudi was destroying the image of his lineage before the masses.  It is therefore crystal clear that corruption leads to stereotyping and labelling certain entities as corrupt; and the consequential segregation of communities, tribes, or nationalities.  It can ruin the image of a society, organisation, nation or community.  Corruption can destroy the ‘unity in diversity’ that all nations seek; resulting in serious political, social and economic repercussions, some of which have been fatal.