A Case of Law Breeding Corruption

By Max Coutinho

“Never break the law...go around it” - I have always been told. 

I love the Law and the law. Rules, codes of conduct, are important in any society to keep Human Impulses under control; but those regulations are slowly becoming redundant. 

The law is imperfect because it is made by men, and it can be very interesting to bend, without breaking it but what I have been observing these past two years is that people break the law blatantly and the Authorities responsible for enforcing it do not care, contributing thus to the gradual erosion of societies. 

Examples

Governments Exploiting People

Scott Morgan, writing about the Equatorial Guinea, shared how members of the Military Body and of the Civil Society send out citizens as Refugees to Europe and America to work as Sex Traders - who is going to defend those people?

Governments Violating People’s Human Rights

In Portugal, the government decided not to give Immigrants a Social Security Number if they so requested, by themselves, for free. 

The Portuguese law states the following:

• A foreign comes to Portugal to work and he has to discount for 12 months if he wants to have a Residence Card 

• To discount he needs a Social Security Number (NISS)

• After getting a job, the hiring entity must give him a contract and request a NISS to Social Security Services

• Then the foreign citizen needs to submit an Expression of Interest to the Immigration Services

Reality:

• A foreign comes to Portugal to work and discount for 12 months hoping to get a Residence Card

• He needs a Social Security Number (NISS)

• He gets a job, and two things happen: 

• The hiring entity does not give him a contract, thus it doesn’t apply for NISS, or

• The hiring entity gives contract, applies for NISS but deducts a charge from employee’s wage for the service

• He resorts to Agents to apply for NISS and pays €150-€750 (depending on the crook du jour) for something he should be getting for free

Immigration is a Business

In Portugal, reports emerged that SEF (the former Immigration services) received circa €10,000 per each migrant arriving in the country. These funds were to be distributed by the organisations that deal with migrants, but apparently less than half reached its destination. SEF is suspected of having embezzled the money - but based on what I learned, I could bet SEF as a whole is innocent. 

€10,000 for each migrant: from that amount migrants, especially those asking for asylum, only get €273 +/- (from the Catholic Institution called Santa Casa da Misericórdia - Holy House of Mercy...how ironic) with which they are supposed to pay lodging (in a room where 10 live crammed together), pay for food, transportation and clothes. 

Calculations (based on the cost of living in Portugal):

• Room: €150-€180/month

• Transportation: €40/month

• To Eat and dress: they are left only +/- €50 for the whole month 

Yes, there are associations that help with food: but in a country, like Portugal, where Pork is the main course (and many Migrants are Muslim)...people risk being under-nourished in a Western Country. 

So, where is the rest of the money going to? Which nefarious programme is it truly funding? 

The Law…?

The law, as we know it, is becoming a joke - this sad state of affairs reflects the level of corruption pervading societies on earth. And governments are pushing people towards lawlessness...dangerous times are coming. 

N.B: a while ago, I tried to denounce criminal activity to the Immigration Services in Portugal and one of the Inspectors there practically accused me of doing it for the sake of removing “competition”...so the wheel of corruption turns...

(Image: Plaza of Commerce in Lisbon )

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