Corruption has been the bane of our system of governance and administration since independence. It is not astonishing that we have secured 34th slot from 42nd in the corruption index according to transparency Internationals report. I think the credit for being 34th in the list goes to both the government and civil society. There is no doubt that the government is complicit with corrupt bureaucrats and ministers who have plundered the country. On the other hand, the scourge of corruption is quite common in the civil society as well. People are trying to loot as much as they can without realizing their responsibility to the country. This is our collective failure. SYEDA ASMA HUSSAIN, Rawalpindi, November 2.