Corrupt Government

How Corrupt Governments Affect Their Citizens

The fundamental purpose of the establishment of democracy was to create a fair and just ruling for all citizens. However, in many nations around the world, corruption has seeped through and infiltrated the workings of the government. Countries such as, North Korea, Sudan, and Somalia are filled illegal acts that facilitate lawless societies, restrict their economic growth, and create strife among citizens. North Korean citizens live under totalitarian control with restricted freedom and lack of expression. While in Sudan and Somalia, a lack of unbiased guidelines gives corrupt individuals the freedom to misuse their power.

In North Korea, many of their citizens are denied their fundamental rights,

The country gained independence in the 1950’s and since then has been governed by a mix of both democratic and authoritarian styles of government. The main cause of chaos in Sudan is due to the oppressive rule of President Omar al-Bashir, who appears to have a stronghold on all the citizens. He is known to deny the people many of the basic fundamental freedoms as well as ban most sources of media in Sudan. The citizens are forced to obey his laws or face serious harm to them and their families. The level of corruption committed by the President is so grave that the International Criminal Court has filed ten serious charges against him, including crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. Many studies indicate that the corruption in Sudan is “deeply embedded in the norms and expectations of political and social life” (Transparency International, 2017). In addition, Sudan has been listed among the top ten countries to have the worst human rights record and one whose citizens endure the most hardships. Researchers explain that in a nation like Sudan, laws are made to restrict the citizens and unfairly impose a totalitarian rule.There is an absence of the rule of law in Sudan, which means the “the country has not yet transitioned from a personal-based regime into an impersonal one” (Transparency International, 2017). This means that civil servants are

The government is a majorly corrupt, which has led to great instability in the country. The first area that has suffered greatly from this lack of transparency is economic growth. In Somalia, many strong and influential businesses monopolize the market, through varied corrupt strategies, such as political power, embezzlement, and bribery. Surprisingly, Somalia has laws to protect against these crimes, but they fail to be strictly enforced. Researchers also found that “Somalia’s provisional constitution criminalizes severe forms of corruption [...]; however implementation is non-existent” (Gan Integrity, 2016). Unfortunately, the judicial system also ties into the corrupt circle and appears to be almost powerless. The justice system in Somalia is a mix of traditional sharia law as well as modern institutional law. Therefore, there are often disagreements between the courts and religious leader, causing lack of uniformity. The citizens of Somalia are left without proper clarity and continue to live in fear. Additionally, the police force is also highly corrupt in Somalia and often receive hefty bribes from violent groups in exchange for their support. In order to stay protected from crime, companies are, “forced either to cooperate with violent groups or to arm themselves against threats” (BTI, 2016). Several groups commit