The recent US corporate corruption scandal involving several major blue-chip companies and a world famous accounting conglomerate came as a shock not only to the Americans, but also to those foreigners who admire the much-acclaimed American management system.

　　This scandal is all the more alarming because the companies implicated were mostly trusted household names and the perpetrators were their highest level executives.

　　Starting with Enron, the largest US energy-trading company, the contagion spread quickly to other heavy-weight enterprises like Global Crossing, Tyco, QWest, WorldCom , Xerox, Merck, Bristol-Myers and Arthur Anderson.

　　These rogue executives' alleged lapses or criminal acts included fraudulent accounting, tampering with financial records, destroying incriminating documents and other serious breaches of sound accounting and regulatory practices.

　　Their main motives were to mislead their company's shareholders and the investing public by dishonestly inflating its equity value in order to protect their own share holdings in the company stocks in a falling stock market.

　　Never in American corporate history has so few employees inflicted so much irreparable damage to the nation's economy and its international image. Their actions have wiped off billions of dollars in their companies' market capitalisations.

　　Many knowledgeable observers of the US business scene believe that what has happened there is merely scratching the surface and that more corporate black sheep will soon emerge, with ramifications of global dimensions.

　　Every one knows that Americans generally adopt a we-are-holier-than-thou mentality towards corruption in the developing world and the former Soviet bloc countries.

　　A worldly African traveller commented gleefully: The amounts involved in our graft cases certainly pale compared with the mind-boggling sums involved in the most powerful economy on earth. We now have one back on them!

　　In Singapore, a senior Asian executive asked his American buddy half jokingly whether Asians or Americans are more prone to corruption? Somewhat taken aback, he replied: I think now we are about the same.

　　No one can dispute that corruption is a universal disease that transcends racial and cultural barriers. But with determination, every nation can make it difficult for the guilty ones to profit by their ill-gotten gains, and to get away from the legal punishment with impunity.

　　Be that as it may, one cannot but admire the US for the resolute and fearless way in which its Government and the courts tackle this wave of accounting frauds, and not sweep them under the carpet. Moreover, as an established democracy, its powerful media and strong pressure groups will ensure that justice would be seen to be done.

　　This is in sharp contrast with the abuse of powers widespread in many parts of the world, where protective umbrellas enabled some public figures to exploit their positions for personal gains, instead of working for the common good of the people under their care.

　　This happens when the pillars of democracy, namely the rule of law, a fair and effective government and an incorruptible civil service, are absent. As a result, rampant corruption becomes a way of life.

　　Take a glaring scenario closer home. The whole world now knows that it is an uphill task to prosecute successfully a disgraced former head of state of a neighbouring country for his alleged graft and that of some of his family members.

　　We have also seen how comically bizarre the government's failed attempts to capture a renowned fugitive of law with powerful connections, and the titbits of his life at large while under hot pursuit by the country's police force.

　　We in Singapore have every reason to be proud and thankful that our country has been rated one of the ten least corrupt in the world. Instead of resting on our laurels, we must strive to ensure that it always stays that way.

(The writer is a retired lawyer.)

　　美国最近一连串的企业舞弊丑闻，不仅让美国人感到震惊，也使向来对美国企业管理制度赞不绝口的外国人觉得意外。涉及丑闻的是一些庞大的蓝筹股公司和国际知名的安达信审计公司。更让人感到不安的是这些企业很多是家喻户晓和人们所信赖的公司，而涉嫌舞弊的竟是公司的最高层决策者。

　　从美国最大的能源交易商恩龙开始，丑闻就像传染病一样迅速蔓延开来，美国其他重量级企业，例如环球电讯、世界通讯、泰科、QWest、世界通讯、施乐、默克公司、布里斯托尔—迈尔斯和安达信审计等也陆续爆出丑闻。

　　这些高级行政人员所涉嫌的失误或犯罪行为，包括会计欺诈手段、篡改账目记录、销毁足以指控他们的文件和严重违反会计和管理条例。

　　在股市全面滑落的时候，他们通过不诚实的手段，夸大公司股票的市值，目的是误导公司股票持有者和广大的投资民众，并保护他们自己所拥有的公司股票的价值。

　　因为少数企业执行人员的行为，使美国的经济和声誉受到不可弥补的破坏，这在美国企业史上是前所未有的。他们也使公司蒙受了数以亿计的损失。

　　许多密切注意美国商业界动向的观察家认为，人们现在所看到的只是冰山一角，更多的害群之马将会被揭发，并对全球经济造成影响。

　　我们都知道，对于发展中国家和前苏联集团国家猖獗的贪污情况，美国人一般的态度是嗤之以鼻。

　　一个来自非洲的旅行者笑说：“美国是世界上最强大的经济，企业舞弊的数额大得令人难以置信，我们国家贪污事件涉及的款项，相比之下简直是九牛一毛。我们终于出了一口气！”

　　在新加坡，一名亚洲高级执行人员开玩笑的问他的美国好友，亚洲人和美国人何者较具贪污倾向？他的美国朋友愣了一下后说：“我想现在大家大概已经没有什么分别了。”

　　贪污是超越种族和文化的一种普遍弊病，我想没有人会反对这样的说法。但是，只要有决心，每一个国家都能够让贪污者难以享用不义之财，并且无法躲避法律的制裁。

　　美国政府和法庭对这一连串虚报账目事件，采取了果断和无畏的对策，并没有掩盖事实，这一点还是值得钦佩的。另外，作为一个历史悠久的民主政体，美国的媒体和压力集团，也会确保人们看到罪犯得到应有的惩罚。

　　这和全球许多地方滥用权力的情况是个强烈的对比。在这些地方，身居高位者不为人民谋福利，却利用保护伞和职权中饱私囊。

　　当民主制度的重要支柱，例如法制、公正和有效率的政府及廉洁的民事服务欠缺时，这样的情况便会出现，结果当然是贪污成风。我们周围地区便有些很明显的例子。众所周知，一个邻近国家的前总统和家人涉嫌贪污，但是要成功的将他们治罪却难如登天。我们看到这个国家的政府，多次无法顺利逮捕一个拥有强大势力和无人不识的逃犯，过程显得荒谬可笑。我们也读到一些有关他所谓的逃亡生涯的趣闻。

　　新加坡长期被誉为世界上最廉洁的10个国家之一，我们应该引以为荣并心存感激。当然，我们不能满足于现状，而应该努力确保新加坡永远保持廉洁。

·作者是一名退休律师·叶琦保译。