Articles
Can Corruption be Eliminated?
Dt: 18/2/14
Can Corruption be Eliminated?
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
There is not one political party or leader not denouncing corruption; even Sonia Gandhi and Lalloo Prasad have also expressed to zero tolerance to corruption. Parliament’s committees, laws, inquiry commissions, court cases have been galore to eliminate corruption. Yet nothing has been thriving in this land, as corruption. The reason is, it simply is natural and as eternal as noise and poverty. The amount and extent can vary with time and social and governmental morality. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts and criminalises. Pitirim Sorokin, a Russian intellectual researched power of kings, presidents, Prime Ministers, dictators and demagogues spanning about thousand years ( Power and Morality- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan) and showed that criminality and corruption and immorality were in direct proportion to the power one had. Governments have the utmost power especially those professing socialism, communism, poverty elimination, empowerment and inclusiveness of aam admi. Legislatures are turned into law factories; government offices become rule makers. The clever helped by accountants, tax consultants, lawyers, MLAs and MPs, public relations women, “paid news” papers and journalists –for-hire “milk” the public exchequer (?). Rajaji, Munshi, Ranga and Masani, eminent patriots and politicians floated the Swatantra Party in the nineteen sixtees. Its main philosophy was “least government” for ministers and government officers wielding power, are the originators and beneficiaries of corruption. Unfortunately Swatanra flamed in a few states and expired too soon.
2. The Nehru-Gandhi rule has been becoming “socialistic” and garib-friendly ( in discourse). To capture power, parties have to choose “winning” candidates. Winnability has been increasingly dependent on “spendability”. A prominent MP of A.P several times frankly pronounced in public that he was spending every time about Rs. 30 cr to win and the expense is going up. Every candidate for election from Panchayat to Parliament is
distributing cash to every voter/group of voters. The latter accept from all candidates to please them but vote according to their own pleasure. All this amount is “black” money. In addition to this cash distribution, parties and candidates spend huge money on public meetings, rallies, posters, processions and transportation of voters to rallies and polling booths. The winners have to earn several times they spend an d that is through corruption .
3. Unabashed Corruption: The Steel Minister in the UPA-II government held a Consultative Meeting in Lucknow (!) on 03-02-2014 to augment country’s steel output. 1000 person drawn from dalits, BCs and minorities were invited and were given cell phones, cash and other gifts for the advice they gave to boost steel production to 300 mln tons P.A by Y 2025! The Minister told the Rajya Sabha that next year he would invite 2000 persons – all from his constituency. If squandering government money in this manner is not corruption, what is corruption? If in disgust, the rich avoid or evade taxes, will that be corrupt and criminal or amoral?
4. A large amount of election related expenditure can be saved and so the need to corrupt gains, by use of information technology in the following way:
· All canvassing for votes by candidates and parties should be over TV channels. There are over 800 of them spread over all languages. All channels as a condition of licence, maybe required to allot specific time-slots, every day, from the date nominations are accepted (after scrutiny) upto the date of election. Candidates and parties may talk on these channels and take question from viewers on toll-free telephone lines ( so that they need not pay; but the election commission or the government pays the telephone companies). Amount of time allotted may be related to the estimated party’s strength/popularity. Public meetings should be permissible only in auditoria, marriage halls only.
5. Voting may be electronic; over the Internet from voter’s own smart phone or Internet booths, which will be existing, like public telephones, in all villages and several locations in urban areas. The voter stands before the EVM and looks into the camera. He keys his identity number, the EVM compares the identity; if ok, a light comes ‘go ahead’. He/she presses the button assigned to his candidate. Vote is registered and a proper receipt is printed from which he can ascertain correct registration . All the EVMs in the constituency are linked/networked. The result can be flashed at all the ballot-booths with details of who polled how many votes.
The I.T based elections will reduce the need for corruption. But corruption resorted to because of greed to accumulate money, wealth would remain. This can be reduced only by the highest in the society are moral. If for example the ruler of this country, Sonia Gandhi and her family members ( Wadra included) put details of their wealth and income tax returns on a public website and challenge all ministers, MPs/MLAs and government secretaries to do like-wise, a beginning will be made to largely reduce corruption.
6. Noise, poverty and corruption can never be eliminated; they can be reduced but that is possible only if the rulers are not corrupt themselves. The less the government involvement in business, the less the need for permits, licences and quotas, the less will be corruption. (854 words)
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