Corruption

One of the questions people keep asking me since my entry into politics is what we can do about corruption. What would I do, one citizen recently asked in an on-line chat, if I became the "concerned authority"? No such prospect -- the Vigilance Commissioner isn't a Member of Parliament! -- but in fact corruption is a national malaise and a social ill, not just one that a "concerned authority" can solve. We are all complicit -- those who demand bribes and those who give them.

But one of the things that intrigues me is the extent to which corruption is a middle-class preoccupation, when in fact the biggest victims of corruption in our country are in fact the poor. For the affluent, corruption is at worst a nuisance; for the salaried middle-class, it can be an indignity and a burden; but for the poor, it is often a tragedy.

The saddest corruption stories I have heard are those where corruption literally transforms lives for the worse. There are stories about the pregnant woman turned away from a government hospital because she couldn't bribe her way to a bed; the labourer denied an allotment of land that was his due because someone else bribed the patwari to change the land records; the pensioner denied the rightful fruits of decades of toil because he couldn't or wouldn't bribe the petty clerk to process his paperwork; the wretchedly poor unable to procure the BPL ["Below Poverty Line"] cards that certify their entitlement to various government schemes and subsidies because they couldn't afford to bribe the issuing officer; the poor widow cheated of an insurance settlement because she couldn't grease the right palms ... the examples are endless. Each of these represents not just an injustice, but a crime, and yet the officials responsible get away with their exactions all the time. And all their victims are people living at or near a poverty line that's been drawn just this side of the funeral pyre.

One of the reasons that I was an early supporter of economic liberalization in India was that I hoped it would reduce corruption by denying officialdom the opportunity (afforded routinely by our license-quota-permit raj) to profit from the power to permit. That has happened to some degree, especially at the big-business level. But I underestimated the creativity of petty corruption in India that leeches blood from the veins of the poorest and most downtrodden in our society. No one seems to be able to do anything about it, but I'd like to try. I'd welcome any ideas readers might have to set me on my way.

This blog was originally posted on www.indipepal.com on May 8, 2009

Comments

[jaysan]

Shashi, one of the first things you could do is to highlight the corruption that is endemic to your own party, the Congress Party of India. The most glaring example of this is the ugly Personality Cult formed around the Nehru-Gandhi family by legions of bootlicking sycophants, and their chest-beating fanatical allegiance to the Family.

Why don't you promote a more open culture of public debates between politicians, as occurs all over the developed world. In the USA, UK, Canada, and so many other countries, the rival candidates from opposing parties go out and debate each other in front of the public. Our completely inarticulate and inexperienced Sonia has always ducked any public debates. This has robbed the people of any chance to see leadership candidates taken to task on what their beliefs and policy stances are. I, for one, would look forward to seeing a public debate between Narendra Modi and Sonia Gandhi.

[hpobserver]

Mr.Shashi Tharoor,
Congratulations!
I think I am the first huffingtonpost reader to congratulate you on your victory.
Please read all comments that begin with "If you are elected' as "now that you are elected"!
I hope you can bring the voice of a modern generation to the Indian parliament.

[hpobserver]

Contd:

2) Maybe it is worth the Government's money to invest in simple technology - low to medium tech- in public office buildings where citizens go to get services from the government, like transportation departments, registrars of deeds, the hospital you mention where the poor pregnant woman was turned away. Have an electronic token system where customers can pick up a ticket and are automatically assigned a number and can wait their turn. Install plenty of security cameras that will show people being harassed. Post plenty of signs, showing nobody is to ask for money and make it easier for people to complain. Change the layout of the office and make it look like a bank teller, like it is in western countries. It is a little difficult to ask for a bribe in full view of onlookers and cameras.

[hpobserver]

1)First, eliminate 'peon' like jobs and simplify government procedure. Why should someone be paid just to guide a person from one point to another? I assume there will be vehement opposition to this. But I don't see how corruption can be eliminated when one individual is given the power to move your piece of paper from table A to table B. And the money does not stop at that individual. There is a 'cut' that goes to his boss, his boss' boss and sometimes all the way up to the MP (Sorry to bring that up).
I remember when I first went to get a driver's license, I simply didn't know what to do. There were no signs of any kind. It is that simple. If instructions are posted clearly as to what documents are required and where they go, no middleman is required.

[Blitzkrieg]

Shashi, the first step in curbing the corruption in India is to remove the power of Police Department to collect fines. The police should not be entitled to collect any fine what so ever in nature. The biggest corrupt group in our country is the Police Department. If you are elected just try if possible to address this issue. I think you will face unbeleivalbe opposition. But the first step should start with the Police Department, and then the others.