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 Editorials | At Issue | September 2006 
Hassled for a Bribe? Press the Panic Button
 Reuters
Atizapan, Mexico - In a country where minor corruption is commonplace, Mexican water consumers are reaching for the panic button to sound the alarm when municipal officials demand a bribe.
The arid town of Atizapan set up red plastic buttons, linked to an alarm, two weeks ago on customer service counters at the local water utility so residents can denounce graft.
Alerted by the alarm's shrill buzz, the town near Mexico City has already fired two employees for demanding kickbacks in return for lowering customers' water bills.
"This is good. Unfortunately we're in a country where corruption is at its worst in government offices," 63-year-old Jose Diaz, a public transit worker, said after paying his bill.
Facing long lines and tedious bureaucracy at government offices, Mexicans often fork out "mordidas" or "little bites" to cut through red tape, lower the cost of paying bills, obtain a driver's licence or receive a building permit.
Mexicans paid close to 115 million bribes last year, according to a study by Transparency International. That is more than one per person, including children, and averaged about 175 pesos ($16) per pay-off. Mexico was in 65th place out of 158 countries in Transparency International's 2005 corruption perception index, better than many developing countries but behind most industrialised ones.
The water utility's alarm is not popular with customer service clerks.
"Of course they're under a lot of stress," water department general director Enrique Espinosa said on Tuesday. "This is kind of rough, but corruption is also rough." |
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