Thursday 26 June 2014

Is No Corruption Possible?


There is one group in Indian politics that has taken a stance of offering corruption-free country, if they were to come to power. This is a new entrant in Indian political arena and whether they will come to power at all, anytime in future or at-least at state level (definitely not at the centre) - can't be commented on right now. What they do, when they do come to power, will be seen. However, I am putting forth a concern with their basic offering: "corruption-free country". It is a good notion, highly saleable as well - it is scalability of this idea that is my worry.

As written in one of my earlier posts, I am a cynic and can't see an improvement coming (particularly w.r.t. India, especially Indians). In this case, I am not looking at the concept of corruption-free country as a cynic would. For a change, I am being hopeful that this will bring some freshness to our systems and ruffle some feathers. 

Unfortunately, corruption is not a plague just for the government managed offices, rather in almost all offices. Degree, volume & value differs from office to office - but there is hardly any corruption free office. To be fair to 'office' going crowd, they are not the sole custodians of corruption...

In sports, corruption is unapologetically practiced by many sportsmen & sportswomen. In some cases, outcome of the competition is compromised or influenced and in some cases - part of the performance is. This is not restricted to individual sport - but is fast making in-roads into team sports.

Our religion / spiritual managers, a.k.a. - the Godmen, out-perform everyone in this field. They not only manage to be corrupt, but also portray being spiritual leaders who neither want much, nor need much for themselves. At least there is some shame passed on to other corrupt offices and sports-person - but the beauty of religion / spiritual managers ' corruption is that they get only blind following.

To be cruelly honest, I believe corruption is present in families as well. In personal dealings and is inside almost every individual. Kids learn the advantages of dishonesty to their gain just as quickly as they learn to understand language, parents try hard - can't help but offer bribes (as gifts / promise of future leniency) to get kids to do the things they want done. These things-to-do could be as simple as finishing a meal and the gifts could be anything from allowing additional time with iPad / TV to taking kids to a special outing.

I can't see any possible way for the toddler political party to achieve much success in their endeavour to remove corruption from our system. My worry isn't about a small group bringing in big changes - rather, it is that corruption seems to have gone to our roots and without it, we might not function at all!

Having said this - I still support their ideals, out of hope...more to prove the cynic in me wrong and simply because without the will to change, nothing would anyway!



No comments: