The current unfolding of the slew of corruption which shook India has left the country in a paralyzing dismay. So far the swindle-beaten Indian population has received the government peculations in a resigned acceptance, till Anna Hazare waged the crusade against corruption. What we envisioned and pledged as youths, were brought into action by this almost octogenarian. The result was an upsurge; a never-seen-before mass upsurge of Indian middle class, after independence, with a collective agenda against the corrupt. I will not hesitate to confess that I felt ashamed and small, as Bengal remained silent.
While I ate the reports on television beaming every aspect of the ‘Jan Lokpal ‘referendum put forward by Anna, I sensed an uncomfortable feeling of helplessness devouring me. The feeling was familiar. I felt bad at my ineptitude to make much difference when the situation called for. My tryst with the section officer at the Bengal Secretariat had put me in such predicament, several times. Each time he turned a deaf ear to my request, my fury started buzzing and burrowing under my skull. My slightest revolt resulted in a noisy confrontation. At last when he delivered, I had lost 2 days. The staff’s indifferent behavior and reluctance to respond frustrated me to call for an influential help even knowing that the crony-culture runs upstream the bureaucratic hierarchy. All of this, to get my academic certificates attested by the Home Department- a matter of 30 minutes.
If corruption is a carcinoma, my problem is at an atomic level of the disease. The scariest part is that the disease is so widespread that there’s barely any area unaffected. Today, unearthing a new scandal is no different from swatting a bothering mosquito. People have learnt to chew corruption with their morning toast without a frission of surprise. They are happy in their cocoon of promised life. My feeling goes out with million others who are thinking like me and not daring to act. What is at stake? Perhaps my self-respect which, will be taken off my skin any which way even if I don’t protest. What if I protest? Will they yield to my rebel? Can the ‘Jan Lokpal’ Bill be my answer?
The bill suggests installation of an external governing body to check the nation’s legislative and judicial proceedings. This means a new set of laws to police the functioning of existing laws, central to the bureaucratic hierarchy of the ruling government. This is like cleaning the visible surface of the affected body. The challenge lies in putting the entire body under a microscopic probe, which certainly is not feasible.
The truth is, corruption cannot be irradiated. One might recover the visible damage but that can easily be the tip of the iceberg. Corrupts are immune pathogens who survive irrespective of vigorous cleansing process and in case of humans they are evolved. Amending laws or deploying social vigilance will not bring the desired change, for all will come back to where it started.
The situation needs a much closer attention than heeded to, as it is not the system which is at fault. It is the intricate nature of human mind which deserves the blame. Yes, we all are corrupt at some level and when situation calls, we fall for it inadvertently. It is our basic instinct. A fallout of being human. (Look back and we will realize our bits and parts of corruption. Be it a mere admission in a college or gaining a majority in election , corruption in diverse forms is all pervasive. A range of scandals spiraling from Watergate Scandal, House Banking Scandal, Yellowcake forgery in the US to Bofors, Hawala, Commonwealth and 2G scams in India backs this statement.) But this cannot be an excuse for cheating on a billion population, as we are social beings and the basis of our society is an implicit mutual trust.
A corruption-free society is an ideal case and hence not possible. But there are societies which are great examples of organized, crime-free and healthy coexistence. Where people don’t have to think twice before approaching a policeman for help, where women are free to dress their way without a nasty stare, where vehicles stop for a pedestrian to cross the road. From my experience I can mention, Amsterdam, Berlin and Annandale, the suburban area where I live now as some such places. How can people here live with dignity? They just do their job because the price they pay for a single breach of rule is more than the average income of an Indian middle class. People in these societies cannot afford to slip, let alone a conscious crime. They are scared of being penalized for any sort of defined impropriety.
Laws are everywhere, but to follow them or not is a commoner’s choice. The problem arises when the governing bodies get a choice to ignore the commoner in question and goes scot free. It’s a mutual agreement amongst the citizens, the policemen, the government and everyone under the ambit of law, to follow the laws to keep things organized- to maintain a balance. India today needs an overhaul of the implementation of social policing tools. A failure of action should be reprimanded with a heavy penalty. The message should be loud and clear. One cannot afford an excuse to compensate irresponsibility.
No comments:
Post a Comment