Naming and shaming a corrupt official in the newspapers is a controversial and sensitive issue in our society. On the one hand, a group of people opposes this idea, saying it brings a lot of damage to the corrupt official's name and to his family and relatives as well, especially in a conservative society like ours. This group also says that naming and shaming a person who has been guilty of corruption won't be a deterrent to others who are involved in corruption. On the other hand, another group, the proponents, including myself, believe this punishment will go a long way to reducing corruption. An official would think twice before getting involved in corruption. He would know that his action would bring shame to his family's name and reputation. Many advanced countries name and shame criminals in the press because they have found that this policy helps in reducing crime rate. For example, the United States and the United Kingdom keep a list of rapists and sex predators who have been convicted by the courts. They even have websites where one can see the pictures and names of rapists and sex abusers and information about crimes they have committed. By doing so, they protect people from those criminals. The number of crimes like rape, sexual harassment, and blackmail could be reduced if the criminals are named and shamed. I believe that greedy and deceitful businessmen who cheat customers should be named and shamed and so are money launderers and those involved in fake Saudization because they are doing a lot of damage to society.
