Fighting Corruption Starts with Us: A Call to Civic Action
When Citizens Speak, Corruption Loses Ground!
By Daniel Ritchie, Partnership for Transparency
The William A. Keese School of Continuing Education at Asbury
On April 7, Daniel Ritchie spoke to a group of residents at Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, Maryland about one of the world’s most pressing challenges: corruption—and what everyday citizens can do about it.
Joined by former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Prudence Bushnell, Dan shared powerful stories from Kenya, where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s. Dan discussed how corruption robs nations of critical resources, hits the poor hardest, and erodes trust in government. Ambassador Bushnell recalled confronting Kenya’s Finance Minister about misused U.S. aid.
Dan focused the conversation in three principal pillars:
1. Civil Society Must Step Up
Civil society—nonprofits, media, business associations, academia, unions—plays a crucial role, especially when traditional checks on power are weakened or complicit. What can you do? Join organizations. Donate. Write to your representatives. March, organize, Speak up.
2. There Is Strength in Numbers
One NGO, one activist, one journalist—each can be targeted. But networks of organizations working together are harder to silence. PTF’s global experience shows that united civil society coalitions can push back effectively against even the most powerful governments.
As Benjamin Franklin put it during America’s own fight for justice:
“We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
3. Context Matters—So Remember Yours
America has its own history of civic struggle and renewal. The opening words of our Constitution—“We the People”—is not just ceremonial. They remind us that government power flows from the people. Our civic voice is a defining feature of our democracy—and we must protect and use it. We’ve seen it before: when civic voice rises, equilibrium can be restored.
The evening closed with a lively and thoughtful Q&A session. Many in the audience had long careers in international development or diplomacy, and their perspectives added depth to the conversation.
What struck the most from this session? Even in retirement, these citizens weren’t done fighting the good fight. They were asking the right questions and looking for ways to act. At the end of the day, the fight against corruption isn’t just for watchdog groups or government insiders—it’s a fight for all of us. Citizens matter. And when they engage, they make a difference.
Corruption thrives in silence. But when citizens engage, speak up, and stand together, real change is possible—anywhere in the world.
You can watch the full event through https://vimeo.com/1073699613
