Corruption and Jan Lokpal:

Human beings are a bundle of instincts, emotions and intelligence. Fear, greed and ego corrupt human nature and we all are human beings any where; in parliament or in the civil society. Generally man is not satisfied with less. He or she wants more and more depending on his or her desire and ability. Corruption is rooted in human psyche because of these instincts; in some less in some more and in some exceptional ones to the point of none. Another egocentric aspect of corruption is power. It is well said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Those who are ambitious aspire for more and more power. Money becomes an important means to get them in power. In the race of acquiring and remaining in power rationale is lost and all becomes fair for them in the “love and war for power”. They start accumulating money flouting their own laws, adopt foul means, make weak laws and corrupt the governing system thus keeping the power in the hands of a few who exploit many to work and earn for them. Governance “by the people and for the people” thus becomes a farce and government a legal mafia of politicians and babus. Politicians keep coming and going through elections while babus hold the corrupted system for them. Servants become rulers. Public has little choice after they cast their vote.

Politics has become family domain of those who have been in power for long, super rich who have crores of rupees to fight elections or the criminals with muscle power and government a nexus of all these combined. Once they are in power, they consider themselves maharajas of the past and not the servants of the public who elects and send them to those positions to look after the welfare of the public. They get busy in looking after their own interests. The politicians and administrators (service class) are a class in them selves who with a little exception has been swindling tax payer’s money at all levels for a long time without being accountable for their misdeeds. They would not like to change this corrupt system that benefits them. How can we expect them to enact laws to rein and punish themselves? Politicians know that today they are in opposition; tomorrow they would be in power, in another coalition. The service class, the babus will remain in service for a long time to benefit from the present corrupted system. They will not support a change in system. Some one else has to ensure this.

Our democracy needs drastic change in legal and administrative system. Crime and corruption which has reached the present heights can be eradicated and controlled to a very great extent by making strong laws; like rape and stacking black money in India and abroad punishable with death; confiscating black money as national property; robbery and theft punishable by cutting one hand of the culprits. And then fast implementation of justice. Then see how many would dare to commit such crimes. Present laws and their implementation are so weak that there is no fear in the minds of the culprits to flaunt them. Fear is the key; better use it. Make strong Jan Lokpal; make strong laws; make lokpal also accountable. Strong lokpal proposed by the civil society seems to be an alternative. We have a democracy and politicians in general would not like the Jan Lokpal of civil society.

Today the political parties are controlling their vote bank through Grampanchayats at village level. Anna and the civil society want to remain non-political. They do not have a political party or means to fight elections or an infrastructure to create a mass movement to implement their ideas at the village level to awaken the masses against the loop holes in the present system which is damaging the public and national interests. The majority of the masses is not aware of Lokpal Bill; even the young educated working in call centers are not fully aware of it.; and how many will sit on fast for how long? Fast-to-death by people like Anna Hazare has and would create turmoil in the masses but not a sure way to ensure what he wants. Therefore they should take along with them the political parties who are ready to accept the Jan Lokpal Bill and make them agree to include it in their manifesto for the next election and simultaneously pressurize the UPA government to accept and implement it. Political parties and Anna should join hands to ride the anti corruption wave and create mass movement on these grounds; make it a “mudda” and fight elections. In parliamentary democracy we have to follow parliamentary ways to implement the voice of the people.

Wing Commander Vishnu Singh (Retd)
Vishnu.2008@gmail.com