Is Corruption Hereditary or Contagious? (MECA USA Case Study)

We all know that Africa and most third world countries are very corrupt. We also know that every country in the world is very corrupt but in the developed world corruption is more refined. In Africa and third world countries we do it without shame. But what I don’t understand is, is it hereditary or contagious?
The law enforcement: police, gendarmes, even the army are very corrupt. If you have all particulars for the car the police is angry and they call you malchanceaux (badluck man). If you do not have, you are their friend; they call you “Asso”. You put them at the gate they take bribe, to make your ID card they take bribe, you want them to arrest a criminal they take bribe, they arrest you and you want to run away you give them bribe. These fellows are a disgrace! Where did they get this: from their parents, friends or the environment?

Ok let us go to the office in ministère de l’éducation. You knock and thick madam is just looking at you as if she is not picking your height. You greet she asks you if we eat greetings. You spy through the office as she takes files into the office but you see only a boss’s coat; he is in the beer parlor eating and drinking with prostitutes. Where did they get this: from their parents, friends or the environment?
To enter into the National Team one must have a godfather or a godmother no matter their talent. If you bribe the Minister of Sports your name will be on the list. If you bribe the head of FECAfoot then your name will be there. Now they each have 23 names totaling 46 names for one and the same team for one and the same country. They start to fight and FIFA says I will suspend them. The president will have to intervene. Where did they get this: from their parents, friends or the environment?
You go to the hospital with someone who has been hit by a car. The nurse passes you with her little dirty cap on the head as if she is not seeing you. She drags her body and pulls her legs on the floor as if to attract attention. Tacitly he is saying “This is a nurse passing are you guys not saying anything”. Then you turn and say madam please help us my brother has been hit by a car. She turns and asks you if you have some money. You say our father died years back we are orphans struggling. She will tell you: let him die at least you will live to fight for him. You finally see the doctor and he prescribes you medicines and then they sell you the medicine. You turn and look at it, it says: “échantillon médical, a n’eut pas vendre”! To see the doctor in addition to your billet d’entrer you must choko (bribe) the nurse. The choko is shared between the nurse and the doctor. Where did they get this: from their parents, friends or the environment?
You are at the airport: very excited about coming home. The custom and airport agents start to go through your bag and when they see a flute they like, they take it and say: mon "petit fils va aimer ceci”. When you refuse then they start to complicate matters for you and when you give it to them they help you carry your bags to the gate. Where did they get this: from their parents, friends or the environment?
For you to go to a government secondary or high school nowadays you must bribe the principals. I mean for a government school that was there to help the poor people get education. Then you go to the university and no matter how much you read, those who do not even come to school make higher grades than you who does all your work. Women make the highest grades because they spread their legs or can give money and men have to try and give some money too. I know if the Colonel’s wife is reading she knows it is true. I gave her my assignment which she merely changed the name. She made 14.5 while I made 10. 5. The same assignment; two different people and two different grades.
If you did not go to school they will say: “Look at you; lazy man, your friends are in school you are here eating and drinking like kpakanda man”. Then you go to school and graduate but there is no job. They say concour (entrance exam); you write but those who did not write pass and you who duly registered and wrote fails. If you come to a place where they are hiring, and they just hear your accent you are finished. They tell you at once that there is no job. Where did they get this: from their parents, friends or the environment?
Elections are conducted but before they vote they already know the winner. Let me use the recent Manyu Elements Cultural Association (MECA) elections scenario. They are living in America so we suppose their sense of justice is at least better than the folks back home. Now listen to what happened and tell me where they got it: from their parents; friends or the environment?
There are ten members in their Independent Electoral Committee (IEC) and six are supporting the incumbent while two support the challenger and two are neutral. Three of the six members of the electoral committee are running with the incumbent. The wife of the vice of the incumbent sits in the IEC. Is that still an independent IEC?
They have 97 absentee ballots and there are chapters which had more absentee voters than the number of members in that chapter. How can the number of votes be more than the number of villagers? That is only in Africa! The IEC coordinator had only one eligible absentee ballot. She was taking more than 15 minutes to remove just one ballot from her handbag. She was making as if she was conducting fortune telling and was looking for the right shell to pick. When she picked it, it was a bad envelope. So the election was disrupted. The Manyu People in America held a convention but could not vote. The police they themselves hired drove them from the hall like squirrels on a roof.
There is an organ: Council of Chiefs aka Council of Crooks (COC) that was supposed to be the arbiter in terms of dispute but there is no constitutional provisions giving it that privilege. The head of that institution has been there for more than 16 years. Six of the ten members support the incumbent. The elections did not take place but COC declared the incumbent the winner to rule for another two years. Isn’t this only in Africa where elections do not take place but someone is declared the winner by default? Where did they get this: from their parents, friends or the environment?

Until then, fighting corruption should begin with individual transformation.

Prince & PA Hamilton Ayuk.

“Bonyfish beware because the same net that caught the jawless fish, caught the cartilaginous fish” (Hamilton Ayuk).
Beware earthly paradise seekers because there is a serpent in every paradise"(Hamilton Ayuk).

Comments

[nke]

You are right about corruption in our Cameroonian groupings, and very right about corruption overall in MECAS-USA. But becuase, you fail to point out the dozens of non MECA-Georgia members your chapter registered to vote for your candidate,completely counters your rightful advocacy against corruption.

Mr. Hamilton Ayuk; will you agree that MECA-Georgia and the candidate you support clearly registered non-participating members to vote in the DC election?

[Hamilton Ayuk]

That was the allegation but finally only one name was pointed out as coming from out of state. Instead MECA GA found their chief whip registered as a member in another MECA Delaware of Dr Besong for absentee ballots. The said candidate explained that when he visited Atlanta that was when the family registered him in our chapter. The chapter again via their chief and executive explained to the entire Manyu people that their exponential growth was due to the fact that it was an election year (where aggressive recruitment of members is done) and also because of the many projects and brotherliness they should within the past six months. They elucidated by saying that two members: one child and one mother died and they shipped the corpses home and gave the family extra money to keep in their pockets. That encouraged even their doubters to come and register to be part of such a loving and friendly team.
Until then, I am aware and I hope I have cleared out your worries.

[Samm]

To answer your questions where did they get this: from their parents friends or enviroment? the second part of your question gives a partial answer but not fully. Yes they got some of it from one if not all of them. When you say enviroment i guess you mean the broader structure which includes the socio-judico economic and moral structures. THe truth is that man is more the procut of his enviroment than even of himself. What most chidlren learn from their parents and enviroment is what they become. Besides we can argue that personality and temparent cannot be underated Sammy

[Hamilton Ayuk]

Thanks a lot sammy. This is what we mean by an academic debate. Your pioints are very valid.

[ngong]

On another note; you have written your article, why not step aside and let people comment as they see fit? If you have to come back after every comment to respond, then your original article was incomplete... Stop being too defensive, let the people talk.

[mbianda's Dairy]

Mr. Ngong
Thank you,
From all indications Mr.Ayuk Hamilton seem to be bias in his article. From the point you just raised, and secondly, he failed to inform most of us that he actually is a member of one of MECA'S branch. He wrote the article seemingly from a neutral chair or perspective. He ought not to even attempt to contribute to commentaries make concerning the article he wrote. He too is corrupt if I may add.

[Hamilton Ayuk]

Kong and Mbianda, have you seen me comment on most of my articles? I am interacting with readers today because to me it is a special day to do so. Furthermore, when you ask questions I clarify the situation not to leave you in the dark. How do you think when someone is confused he or she would be clarified if I don't comment? By the way; why do you worry about me commenting?
If you do not want to read my comments just come and write tomorrow

[nke]

Mr. Hamilton Ayuk is clearly biased in his writing. He is right about corruption within MECA-USA. But he fails to see the corruption that comes from his side. I see the election corruption coming from both sides. This game of increasing membership in each chapter has been noted year after year. To suggest otherwise is wrong. Not until Mr. Hamiltion Ayuk accepts the electoral fraud they engaged in, he remains in my view very incredible, and must be doubted by everybody about his crusading for peace, and justice.
This is exactly the same syndrome plaquing our country. People become heavily blinded by friendship, and cannot critizing close friends for fear of losing favor, or any other gains. I am particularly troubled by the position of Mr. Ayuk. We as a people will struggle for a long time to strenghten our democracy. Electoral processes are never perfect. We have seen this in the USA. But Mr. H. Ayuk who was seating at the electoral comission on behalf of his candidate, refused to participate in the election. According to him, by noisely disrupting the process, he will win the election or change the bad rules. Well, i am glad to accept that by disagreeing on the rules midway in the game, raised the issue of electoral malpractice within the greater MECA-USA. I applaud your stance on wanting free and fair elections. What i will not accept, and urge other forum participants who may not be conversant about MECA-USA politics to hold Mr.Ayuk accountable fOR his and their part in registering ghost members to take part in the electionS. How can somebody be part of a problem but claims victimhood? The opposing team to Hamilton's understood that the camp he supports will register ghost members, and to not come in an election lagging behind on votes, they too got into registering voters to participate as absentees. Not until MR. Ayuk and his group saw that they will fall short on election day based on which group successfully registered the most absentee balots, did they result to disrupting the election.

My psoition is clear, there must be a clear and honest way to verify membership in each chapter before the next election. Though Mr Ayuk does not agree with the current team, atleast he can work with them to strengthen the process. He must accept that, we are only beginning the learn how democracy work within our own community. That by standing by and criticise the team will not improve the process going forward. We may be bitter about the whole show, but Manyu community will be the ultimate loser.