The Now Quietened Din to Root Out Corruption

First it was Baba Ramdev who escaped in the garb of a woman as police lathicharged and teargassed his supporters in his demand for clean governance. And then, it was Anna Hazare, the self-proclaimed Gandhian and darling of the media, who went on a fast, got arrested, continued fasting to relent only after the Parliament spent 3 full days discussing exactly how to put an end to corruption that is present in almost all aspects of life in this glorious country.

For one, I would much rather not have had this whole Anna drama, because it wasted too many days of the Parliament as the Opposition stalled the workings of the Houses, all at a cost to taxpayers like me. Two, much money was also spent on mobilising security for that fasting so-called Gandhian, or rather, in anticipation of all the trouble it could cause. Once again, coming from government coffers that are filled up by taxpayers. And I am sure that at his age, Mr Hazare does not pay any taxes. Come to think of it, has he even held any job since he left the Army decades ago? Or is he a full-time Gandhian?

For two, I am no fan of corruption. But let us think about what corruption is. Is it when the clerk in some government office demands some under-the-table money to push forward a file, which is actually his precise job? Is it giving an officer somewhere some money to win a contract? Does it include you when you pay a traffic policeman something for his wallet rather than the actual, higher penalty for jumping a traffic light? Or when you get in to a reserved compartment in a train without a valid ticket and then indulge in "setting" with the TTE?

Except those who are too scared to try bribing a traffic cop, everyone has done it at some point or the other. Or at least tried to. When you have to take the train, you have to take it and if you can get a seat, why not get it? If it is cheaper for you to pay the TTE or the traffic cop for their personal gain rather that pay the actual fare or fine, and the end-result for you is the same for all practical purposes, it could be said that you are making the rational choice. And you are also indulging in corruption.

I am not trying to justify such behaviour. I am merely pointing out with these examples the reality of life, and how most people are extremely used to it. Like most other things in life, we like to indulge in corruption ourselves when it is convenient for us, and scream and rant against it when it affects us adversely. I only chose two random examples that first sprang to mind, but you can think of others too, I am sure. It percolates our own lives, by our own volition, quite thoroughly, and if we want to end it, it is as they say: charity begins at home.

What the above mentioned gentlemen were campaigning for is something different. They demand an end to corruption at all levels, with the main thrust being on things such as the big-ticket multi-crore scams that have come to light in the last few months. Basically, they want the big fish to be in the net, fish that currently escape the net since it is those very fish who pull the strings. Sure. The monies involved are beyond what I can realistically imagine, and yes, it is also money from taxpayers like me. That money could well be used to at least partially solve some of the problems that plague the country. And there is no reason why some already fat political cat should make their stash bigger with money that has many better uses.

But you can never have a clean system when the individuals both in and outside it are not clean themselves. We, the common people, indulge in corruption in our own small common ways. But the mindset is the same as the fat-cats. They have bigger opportunities, so they play for bigger stakes. Put them behind bars, and one of us takes their place, and the cycle repeats itself. So if you must be a part of the moral brigade on this one, first turn the moral police eye on yourself. Then comes the world.

In my personal opinion, campaigning for maximum transparency in government actions is a far better aim. It will achieve an end to big-ticket corruption as a side-effect, along with various other benefits.