[Reader-list] "Is the nation in a coma?"

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Bipin bhai

I would agree partly with what has been mentioned in the article, but it
fails to go in detail about the entire problem. Maoism is not just due to
corruption, for if that were the case, then the lack of school and health
facilities to the poor (admittedly due to corruption and inefficiency of the
Indian bureaucracy) would have engulfed more than half of the country. It's
the lack of dignity of those who are being troubled by India's development
plans which has got more to do with Maoism. Even if corruption were not
there, these skewed development ideas (which in reality do not constitute
development by any means whatsoever), are going to lead to Naxalism
developing.

Having said that, yes, corruption can lead in future to violence on the
streets, and that in turn will enhance corruption and rent-seeking behavior,
and not bring it down. Therefore, violence is no solution to corruption, and
yet, we can go down that wrong path.

Corruption is basically due to the practice of individualism and the idea
that 'money is everything' and can help us. I don't subscribe to the theory
that only those who get lesser salaries are corrupt, for by that record
politicians who earn millions shouldn't indulge in corruption. The intention
to earn as much as one can for one's own family and ensure they can misuse
power while justifying it on the basis of pragmatism is shameful indeed and
should be thoroughly exposed. Equally culpable is the media now which is
enjoying this route of corruption to get massive funds.

Corruption is not just about getting bribed but about the degradation of the
inner soul of the person himself/herself. And when the soul itself is
corrupt, there is no use of a Prevention of a Corruption Act which will
itself get mired in corruption during implementation.

I remember having read an article by R.K. Raghavan, the former head of the
CBI. (Currently in news for heading SIT which is investigating Gujarat riot
and Godhra cases of 2002). He had said that there is no hope of making the
current generation non-corrupt. What can be done is to teach the children
and make them realize that corruption is unethical and a wrong thing to do.
That is where through some serious understanding on their part, the students
who become future citizens tomorrow can bring about improvement in the
situation. This is for the future.

Right now, we have a limited option only. Bring out all information in the
open. We can't stop individuals from taking money, but let us take steps to
force them to give back that money. Use the RTI to get the documents and
make them public so that another person doesn't have to use the RTI. Let any
discrepancies be put out in public. Let they be used in courts to get the
money back. Introduce social auditing of all schemes implemented by any form
of govt., be it Panchayat or the Central Govt. Let us involve the people
back using the slogan

Janta ka paisa, janta ka hisaab.

Let people be taken action against and let us use our own participation in
the media to force it towards raking up issues which make our politicians
uncomfortable but are extremely important towards ridding away the problem
of corruption. That is when you can see this problem going away to a certain
degree.

Rakesh