What would you do if someone knocked on your door and told you they were carrying out a survey about the perceived level of corruption in the country?

Presumably you?d invite them into your house and agree to play the game.

What would you reply to the question as to whether you felt the country was more corrupt now than last year? I am willing to bet my new bicycle (a brand new mountain bike) that you would say yes.

Don?t worry, I am not losing my bike to you - one doesn?t have to be a mind reader to guess this - everyday you open the newspapers and you read about the arrest of a municipal councillor, of a police inquiry into irregularities at the National Housing Development Company and what not. So you deduce that corruption is everywhere and, after reading such and such headlines, you probably sigh, put the newspaper away and ask yourself what the world is coming to. Right? Probably. But are you right in jumping to that conclusion? No you?re not.

You?re very wrong.

I?ll tell you why you are wrong. Because you didn?t pay attention to what you were reading. You read that a municipal councillor was arrested. You read that the police was inquiring into allegations of malpractices and corruption in a parastatal body. You also read about other police or ICAC inquiries because some action at some level is being taken against those thought to be mixed up in those malpractices. Because you see, newspapers as a general rule would not print mere allegations unless there is some kind of police inquiry underway because otherwise there would be a risk of defamation.

That?s why you hear of those stories. Because generally some action is being taken. Of course actions are not always taken and, of course, some cases of corruption usually when they involve very high profile personalities, you will rarely read or hear about because there is still some level of impunity depending on who you are. Which is why the arrest and continued police inquiry into the municipality of Quatre Bornes bribe affair is very good news.

If truth be told, I was very surprised that the police had arrested a councillor who is a member of a political party in power. I was even more surprised - pleasantly so - that the police was pursuing its inquiry apparently without political interference. This is very good news indeed.

You see, integrity and values and honesty are not taught at school. Even if they were, they couldn?t fight and win against human nature. Men - and women - will always be tempted every time money is involved. But we already knew this; how many times have we ourselves said knowingly, "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely"? But we have just been shown that there is hope. That institutions can work, if only we let them.