Bribe payers' index , by Erik Pevernagie, oil on canvas,(100 x 130 cm)  xx

When we want to judge the solidity of the democratic level of a country, it is useful to look at the Bribe Payers Index (BPI).

If many are enticed into paying 'cash for access,' it is because they are not conscious of their irrevocable petrifying downward spiral, and a steady descent into the abyss of cryptic lobby gates.

These gates may be accessible for clandestine money receipt through executives' meetings. Since much capital can be involved, it is essential to restrain all elements that perk up the corruption system.

Some may remain imprisoned in a gridlock of lies or keep on blurring the lines between facts and fables. They expect us to buy their life's debilitating and fake narrative until they eventually end up on the chopping block of the inexorable truth. Be that as it may, one can "fool people some of the time, but not all of the time."

It takes our breath away when we see how many cards some people have got up their sleeves. Using deceptive or manipulative tactics, they are out to gain our confidence or take advantage of our inattention. “Chicanery” operates in the dark net but is often also undisguised. Its maneuver ground is so impenetrable and the strategy so unpredictable that it has, undoubtedly, become an arresting buzzword in our world.

To counter ethical abuse, people expect systematic research on the integrity and conduct of all parties involved, including honesty, fairness, and intellectual property.

To prevent a situation in which "our form of democracy is bribery, on the largest scale" ( Gore Vidal ) or to avoid a position where "the American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money" ( Alexis de Tocqueville ), we have to take care of watchful and unflagging goalkeepers, who thwart all ill-intentioned maneuverings from malicious and fouled circles.

Phenomenon: Corruption

Factual starting point: three plotting men + bribery chart