Integrity

(Baonghean) - Life is full of injustices. Those who are well-educated remain unemployed for a long time, while dishonest people, without any education, still "live in luxury"! As if still not satisfied, the street vendor added: "Those people are strange; they have power and authority but lack integrity." This resentment had been building for a long time, ever since her grandchildren graduated from reputable universities with good grades and still couldn't find jobs. Now, hearing about some commune officials in Hung Nguyen and Thanh Chuong districts using fake high school diplomas to obtain positions in the commune system and receive state salaries for many years, she became so angry that she became irritable.

How can one not be angry, irritated, and frustrated when thousands of healthy young men and women, all masters and bachelors graduates from "regular, modern" universities, remain unemployed for so long? Meanwhile, those few individuals don't need to study hard, don't need to struggle in exams; they just need to use connections, bribe their way through, and spend a little money to obtain their degrees and then brazenly become "public servants." The fault for this heartbreaking and shameful situation lies not only with those using fake degrees but also with the "legitimate public servants" who, either unintentionally or intentionally, allowed these individuals to enter the civil service.

Why bother checking or reviewing when people from the same village and commune already know?It's all about it. Even people know how many chickens are in their neighbor's coop. How much more so with big, important matters like education and academic achievement? Everyone knows who studied, who passed, and who didn't. Yet, people turn a blind eye and act recklessly. And then, when the truth comes out, how shameful it is. Some say they might not even feel ashamed, because they knew beforehand that their actions were dishonest. And dishonesty is certainly shameful. If they knew shame, they wouldn't have done it. That makes sense. But shame is a minor issue. The bigger, more serious problem is the erosion of trust and the resulting contempt for the officials. And officials are the representatives of the government and this system. Therefore, the harm is immeasurable.

The more I think about it, the more I realize the old woman selling drinks was right. Only those without integrity would do such a thing. Integrity is about having a pure character, knowing how to avoid doing things that would bring shame. Being a person requires integrity, and being an official requires it even more. Because officials without integrity not only harm themselves but also seriously damage the entire system.

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