SHAKE THE BASE OF CORRUPTION

Rocked by public exposure of scandal after scandal, involving hundreds of billions of rupees in recent months on one hand and beset with increasingly tougher challenges of answering demands of anti-graft and anti-black money mass movements of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev on the other, the decision making machinery of the UPA government seems to have come to a creaking halt. Unfortunately, this is happening under the country's finest living economist prime minister, who should be only too aware of the costs of a thriving corruption as also future costs of a limbo in decision making. Frankly, while the government and society concur on the evils of corruption and black money, particularly earned through reprehensible ways, what is lacking is political will and this is applicable to all political parties; though, those in the opposition are intent on deriving maximum mileage from the predicament of the government. This is because elections are the basic roots of corruption in a democracy, more so in developing countries.

Black money is total black, lacking shades of colour: it could be money earned legitimately but involving evasion of taxes or it could be money made illegitimately from corruption, smuggling and extortion. Again, the money could remain within the country or it could be stashed away abroad. Corruption money, besides that from smuggling and extortion, is to be despised most as rampaging grafts lower ethical and moral values in the society; it is like cancer that saps into the basic fabric of the society.

At the moment, it is corruption money that is in limelight. While the society does not have control over 'outlaws' and their shady activities, we, the law abiding citizens, do have a role in banishing corruption from our midst. Legislations would no doubt help, but what is more important is commitment from the receivers and, more importantly, from payers' side not to corrupt. Whereas receivers have all the temptations to get some undeserved extra money, givers are also equally responsible as without their connivance, corruption cannot exist. Sadly, we are all part of the dishonest system: ask anybody, whether he or she has at any time greased the palms of a peon, a traffic constable, some priest in a temple and the like to get out-of-turn favours and regrettably the answer would be "yes". So, what is required for getting rid of corruption, particularly in government, is cleansing the behaviour and attitude of citizens in all strata of society, apart from enforcing laws diligently at all layers of administration. Though it would look like a Utopian dream, if this happens we would not need the Anna Hazares and Baba Ramdevs; in fact, everybody would be on vigil, decontaminating the very environment that nurtures corruption in the government sector.

Incidentally, a robustly growing, deepening telecom sector, which has been showcased as the biggest achievement of the post-reforms era for successful private sector participation, is mired most in corruption charges. Lastly, as we have been underlining in these columns corruption is an evil, but governance paralysis, where no decisions, right or wrong, are taken by bureaucrats fearing scrutiny is a bigger evil for a developing country, as it would mean halting development, which a poor country like India (in terms of per capita income) can ill afford.