Bribes and How To Avoid Them

Bribes, dash, baksheesh, backhanders, sweeteners, kickbacks. They all mean the same thing: giving someone something that isn’t included in the official price. Just the number of names for it gives a clue to how widespread the practice is.

So you’ve been asked for a bribe? Join the club! Aid workers are often asked for bribes – at police checkpoints, at border posts, by traffic wardens, government officials and others. In fact anyone who has something that you want is able to ask for one. It poses a dilemma as to how to respond. Should you show integrity and refuse, or do you feel you need that visa or permission or signature so much that a little cash “facilitation” is justified?

There is also the question of whose ethical standards should apply: if it is ingrained in the local culture, why not conform to that, instead of imposing your own standards from outside?

It can be a difficult problem – yet most aid workers quickly develop ways of avoiding paying bribes, and still are able to maintain good working relationships with those who ask for them.

So, why not pay bribes? For the following reasons:

• It is usually against the law, and aid workers are bound by the law in the country in which they are working.
• It encourages corruption, and corruption is something that usually hurts the poor by denying them free and fair access to the services that they are entitled to.
• Aid agencies are bringing in free help for people who need it, and it is morally wrong for officials to try to divert some of the resources intended for the needy.
• Paying one bribe usually leads to demands for more bribes. It is best never to start.

In some countries the state has virtually ceased to function, and officials such as border police have received no salaries for months, sometimes years. In these cases a system of charges serves to provide them with an income. Aid agencies will sometimes regard this as necessary and understandable. In this case they may discuss the issue together, and agree on a joint position that ensures that everyone pays the same charges for the same services, and gets a receipt for any money paid. This compromise approach at least ensures that there is some accountability and transparency.

Some people claim that corruption is unavoidable – for example one travellers guide says that a certain country “is built on the practice of dash (bribe money) so don't even think about avoiding it.” Most experienced aid managers disagree with this. Many have found it possible to work for years in countries that have serious corruption, without ever paying a bribe.

How to avoid paying a bribe when asked for one? There are a thousand and one ways, and the important thing is to choose a way that suits your personality and is appropriate to the local context and culture. Some examples:

• In answer to the question: “Have you got a little present for me?” answer: “Yes – a smile” – and smile broadly as you do so.
• Good humour, the time to talk for a minute or two and have a joke together – these are sometimes quite sufficient to persuade a soldier at a checkpoint not to insist on a bribe. Often he is bored, and is grateful to be treated as a human being.
• Explain why you are not able to pay the bribe. Have various simple phrases that do not sound like an accusation of corruption – for example: “My head office doesn’t allow me to pay any fee that isn’t official.”
• If a soldier is insistent, say that you are not able to pay the bribe, but that you are willing to speak to his commander. (The soldier will often not want his commander involved.)
• Be prepared to wait. Patience cures many problems, while impatience often increases the pressure to pay a bribe. At a checkpoint when you have reached an impasse, be prepared to wait an hour or two, while you keep negotiating politely, if it’s important to you to get through. Otherwise, consider turning back, and trying again another day. In the meantime, you could inform the higher military or police authorities of the problem that you faced, and get them to do something about it.
• The patience principle also applies to bureaucratic processes, such as NGO registration with the government authorities. In some countries this can take a year or more, leading to a temptation to try to hurry the process up.
• Remain courteous, respectful and – if possible – friendly. Some officials who normally insist on a bribe seem flattered and pleased when treated kindly, and waive the bribe as a result.
• Ensure that all your paperwork and documents are in order, and that you have copies of them with you at all times, so that if an official challenges you, the document is there to show. This may mean always having a bulky folder with you – a small price to pay to avoid the hassle that you might otherwise face.
• Keep some picture postcards with you, and give one of them as a “present” of minimal value.
• Some people like to keep a packet of cigarettes on them – even if they themselves don’t smoke – so that they can offer one (or two or five!) to the soldier at the checkpoint.
• Ensure you or your driver knows the traffic rules and respects them. Otherwise it is an open invitation to a policeman or traffic warden to threaten dire penalties – unless you offer a little present.
• In general, ensure that you and your colleagues respect the laws scrupulously, so that you are less likely to be accused of wrongdoing and therefore put in the power of law enforcement officials.

If you or one of your colleagues gets into real trouble, and you don’t know how to handle it, consult other aid managers in the same area. The chances are they will either have faced the same problem themselves, or that they will know one of the officials involved. They will probably be able to help you a great deal. And at least they will cheer you up and help you feel you’re not alone.

Corruption is here to stay, but it needn’t ruin your day!

Your say...

Do you have other reasons why not to pay bribes? (Or why to pay them?!)

Do you have a favourite way of avoiding bribes?

Email  exchange@aidworkers.net or join the discussion online at http://oldforum.aidworkers.net/messages/258/245.html

Barney Mayhew is an independent consultant based in London. His work focuses on helping to improve the effectiveness of interventions in emergencies, particularly through training, coordination and support to field managers.