Jan 24, 2011
Some of you may cringe when you hear about corruption; some of you may feel that it is an act of sedition greater than Binayak Sen; some of you may be corrupt justifying that everybody is doing it- but we all are united in feeling strongly against corruption. Media seems to be the only crusader against the mighty and the corrupt, trying to cleanse the society of corruption. We despise the corrupt, jeer down their speeches and even voice our opinion in blogs, social gatherings and then when we want something to be done. Is Corruption a part of the Government or is it part of the society? And is Corruption the poison which has only causes harm and no good.
Former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Mr. Pratyush Sinha said, “Only 20% of India is not corrupt. Rest is already corrupt or would become corrupt on any given opportunity.” Well, in that case only 20% of the people have the right to scream and shout against corruption. But the voices are louder than that? Why do we look down upon something in others, though it is very much a part of us?
Though corruption is an act of greed, an attempt to make some quick money, but the reasons for corruption is deep rooted in our cultures and ourselves. Have you ever wondered why people of some cultures have greater tendency to be corrupt than others? Well, I feel that societies which have strong bonding, the feeling of ownership of the entire country prevails, at such times corruption is low! If a company is fully owned by an individual, he would find no reason to be corrupt. A similar feeling existed in the Nationalist Leaders of the 1950s & 1960s, who had defeated the British to have the full country for themselves. They had no reason either to cheat or profit on it. As the feelings began to wane, corruption increased. During times of war, corruption is controlled because of a sense of belonging and a patriotic zeal. But in times of peace, we become individuals, who may be an Indian, but don’t belong to it or own it completely. We may feel greater love for our communities, cities, neighborhood or ourselves. This is the cause of corruption in all sectors be it private or the government sector.
Additionally, corruption is supported and encouraged in the Government by our Laws. Indian Laws are a result of a tendency in our society which I would define as, “Elders know it all phenomenon.” In our culture, wisdom is not gained by education and experience but by age. A man with white hair is said to be in possession of more wisdom than a young man. And Indian elders do not keep their wisdom, but believe in sharing it or rather imposing it. When a parent tries to impose his/her belief on a child, the natural tendency of the child would be to rebel at any given opportunity, a similar situation exists in our nation.
India has the longest written constitution. Everything which could be thought of was written down, leaving no opportunity for the future generations to decide how their country would be run. India also has number of Acts which go into thousands of pages and the CrPc. Everything is controlled, the Government is huge and independence is only with permission of a few. The laws have ensured that few become powerful. Indian Laws are the single biggest reason for corruption.
We like to castigate the people caught being corrupt, some even suggesting that they should be burnt at stake as a lesson to others? But have any amount of punishment tamed corruption in any country. There is always a chance of getting away and most people still are tempted. India has been successful in curbing corruption in one sector- Telecom Services. How many line men were sent to jail? How many CBI raids were carried out on the Indian Telecom Service officials? Did that reduce corruption or a single change in law changed it? Similarly we should change laws to allow competition, free market, reduce government control on everything and corruption would reduce. But to end corruption, everyone should feel he/she belongs to India and owns everything of India from the roads in Mangalore to the hills of Nagaland.
India would not have been what it is, had it not been for corruption. Without Corruption, India would not have the second largest petroleum refinery in the world, a rapidly growing sectors of Civil Aviation & Telecom, even the Commonwealth games would not have been hosted in this country, so many million jobs would not been created and India would have been a poor country.
In the 1970s, Indian Economy was controlled and being on the right side of the Government policy was beneficial. Some people manipulated the rules using corruption as a tool and many poor got jobs in the company which got created, many more benefitted by shares and got their daughters married. There is a huge hue and cry that 1.76Lakh was lost in 2G Auctions. Well, the Indian economy did not have 1.76Laks to buy the airwaves at that rate. Had they been sold at those rates, the call rates would not have been a few paisas’ it is today? Most of us would not have been able to afford the cell-phones and so many employees of the phone companies would have been without jobs.
There was a psychological test, in which boys and girls were asked to run a distance of 100m. In the first round, there were no rewards for winning the race. The girls did well and beat boys. But when rewards were placed at winning, the performance of boys improved while most girls remained at the same level, they were before the rewards. The Indian Administration & Economy remains Male dominated, so the men feel the urge to perform if there is personal reward for effort. Corruption money is like a reward for carrying out some activity. It is not that women are not victims of greed and they can be corrupt, but a more balanced world would lead to activities even in absence of personal rewards.
We all face corruption and see tattered roads every-year and complain that it is because of corruption that it is being built. But if they were not being built, that poor labor would be without work. Corruption money has been reinvested in the economy creating restaurants, factories, schools, colleges, sugar factories and newspapers. Judicial Corruption has saved so many of us from being in jails, allowing us bail, when we clearly did not deserve it. Government departments are clogged, if someone is well connected, he could get his work done easily, but in absence of connection, corruption helps in getting the work done.
But if the entire country from the corrupt to the laborer to the industrialist to everybody benefits from corruption, why is it so despised? Why do we all raise our voices, when it is a disease within us too? Should we not look the other way when it has done so much good for our country?
Our complaints stem from jealousy which is also a part of human nature. We feel that injustice has been done, which is basically a curtain for jealousy. When we see someone else in a bigger car, with a more luxurious lifestyle, we feel jealous and raise our voices. The Media is deeply entrenched in corruption and loves it too. Media is based on winning trust, if you trust someone giving news; you tend to believe it more. So when a media agency seems to act like a crusader against corruption, it builds up the image. It attracts more viewers/readers. This ensures greater revenues and sometimes they can plant false stories, which everyone would simply believe to be true.
So the question is, in the long run has India benefitted more from the honest times when Nehru created 7 IITs for the entire country, or from Corruption which has created 7 Engineering colleges in every city? What do you choose?
I had a thought; I belong to the 20% of Indians who feel they own the entire country. So, what’s the point in stealing from your own treasure? I also do not justify corruption. I feel that if we work together, we will be a better stronger country. I also press strongly for reforms in Government, shirking in its role and allowing people to decide for themselves.
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