Forget about corruption
In cultures like India’s, where corruption is everyday and inescapable (I would say the majority of Indians are corrupt or corruptible), it is wasteful to spend national energy — media reporting, audiences watching, courts aggressive, parliament dysfunctional — on this.
We will not be rid of corruption if this entire lot of leaders is overthrown tomorrow from the Gandhis to Mayawati to Jayalalitha.
It will recur in the next generation, and the next, and the next. We are fighting it in the wrong place — politics — when it germinates in society. Our energy is spent chasing the latest scam, not in examining why the scams are omnipresent and not episodic.
The second thing is that Indians have the wrong focus on the thing. Our focus should be corruption (bhrashtachar — an invented word, it doesn’t appear in my dictionary of classical Hindi), rather than on bribery (rishwat-khori). What’s the difference? What is corrupted in the act of corruption is the office. It is degraded, thus affecting society. But that’s not what concerns Indians.
Our anger is about bribery — the giving and taking of money by individuals — which is the more immediate and less important aspect. It is the anger of one who has missed out.
The classical words for bribe are ‘upchar’ and ‘upada’. They mean practice and gift. Both are of normal usage, lacking the sense of something immoral. It appears our culture accommodates the practice of giving and taking. A brilliant SMS forward I got was: “Kya yeh corruption... kuchh le de kar ... Khatam nahin kar saktey?” (Can we not end corruption, with a little give and take?)
If we were to speculate on root causes, my view is that in India, religion is separate from morality. This may need more space than is afforded here, but briefly: The corrupt person in India will believe himself religious and will be devout. He will make an offering to God. The Karnataka minister Janardhan Reddy, in jail for illegal mining and bribing judges, gave a crown worth Rs450 million to Tirupathi’s deity. The temple’s priests assured him he was blessed because of this act.
Muslims say “Sau choohay kha kar billi Haj ko chali”. The strong moral resistance to corruption that comes from religion in the West is missing here.
In the absence of moral regeneration, and I do not know how we will bring that about, corruption will remain commonplace in the subcontinent. We can continue being angry at the new scam — and there is one every week — but it won’t stop.
This is not to say we shouldn’t be worried about or shouldn’t be reporting about corruption. But for it to get more debate space, as it surely does, than education, than health, than the economy, is absurd.
Our single-minded focus on it as the primary political issue in India is damaging us, even if it isn’t a total waste of time, which I think it is.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2012.
COMMENTS (31)
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@gp65
I stand corrected on the textual inaccuracy of the 'Yudhisthira' quote. Thanks, certainly I was in a hurry to flaunt my knowledge(?) of Mahabharata.Stupid me. You are right, I meant 'Manusmriti' which is also known as 'Manu-samhita'.
'all examples you have provided are of questionable morality but do not involve corruption, hence in my opinion do not constitute a valid rebutal of Arijit’s point.*'
In my humble opinion corruption has an umbilical attachment to the state of moralty in a given individual.That's where it starts. One can be immoral without being financially corrupt, but he has to be immoral to be corrupt. Is it possible to look at the 'transactional part of corruption' in isolation, without looking at the moral aspect of it? As regards 'validity of my rebutal of Arijit's point, I quote him below,
'that until the Islamic invasions, we were a highly morally and upright society.'
You can see why the 'morality' thing came into my rebutal in the first place. A far better rebutal of @Arijit and the @Author came respectively from @Rakib and @BlackJack. I must emphasise here that 'corruption' as a subject has widely differing connotations across different societies at different times. It is impossible to discuss the whole gamut of corruption within the scope of a random article and a few random comments here and there
@Cynical: "Going by your usually high standard, I find it a little over the top. Remember, how Yudhishtir conned Dronacharya in believing that his son died in the battle by saying, ‘Aswathama Hato, Iti Gajo.’ Also, how Abhimanyu was killed in violation of every rule of engagement in a war. Certain section of Manusamhita comes to mind as well but would desist from quoting them as they are debatable. My doubt is only academic. Regards."
Certainly do not agree with @Arijit in stating that there was no corruption before Islam. As mentioned by @Rakib, Muslims did not invent human nature and corruption is part of human nature. At the same time I agree with @blackjack that systemic solutions to institutionalise transparency are needed as one cannot depend on heroic individuals to root out corruption.
Having said that, all examples you have provided are of questionable morality but do not involve corruption, hence in my opinion do not constitute a valid rebutal of Arijit's point. Incidentally you mention munusamhita - did you mean Manusmriti or Brahma samhita? I am not aware of anything called manusamhita
Incidentally the Yudhisthira statement you qupted is certainly a great example of half truth but we were taught that he said "Ashwathama hata:ha iti, narova kunjarova”
Corruption is the misuse of public office for private gain. Agree that bribery may be linked to culture or religion in some countries, it is still a form of corruption and it impedes economic growth and widens the gap between the rich and poor, increasing income inequality. Especially bribes taken by public officials for purposes like tax evasion. Also, corruption among the top politicians is grand corruption and is definitely a concern for developing countries. Corrupt behavior in the form of rent seeking activities, hinders the growth of an economy as public resources are diverted to unproductive rent seeking activities; this reduces the investment in education, health, and social programs. Corruption whether petty (in the form is bribes) or grand, (practiced by head of states) impedes economic development of an economy.
Another jewel written by Aakar Patel! We should all convert to christianity to save our soul and also get rid of corruption as a side effect. I guess Sonia Gandhi must be suffocating in this corrupt environment because of her catholic background but she has sacrifised so much for the good cause of India that she is some how bearing it.
I don't think westners use religion for seeking morality. In order to be a good human being you don't have to follow a particular religion, constitution or a code of conduct. Conscience is naturally embeded. What I think drives the west ahead is probably their patriotism, the will to carry on the legacy of previous generations and becoming role models for younger generations.
@antanu g:
was the use of the wrong spelling of the word chimera intentional, or unintentional?
just curious, antanu g.
@Arijit Sharma
"Anecdotal information suggests that until the Islamic invasions, we were a highly morally and upright society."
Going by your usually high standard, I find it a little over the top. Remember, how Yudhishtir conned Dronacharya in believing that his son died in the battle by saying, 'Aswathama Hato, Iti Gajo.' Also, how Abhimanyu was killed in violation of every rule of engagement in a war. Certain section of Manusamhita comes to mind as well but would desist from quoting them as they are debatable. My doubt is only academic.
Regards.
good idea
very right Mr. Patel. In Pak opposition and media, though themselves corrupt, are always drumming government corruption. It will help military find a cause to derail the political process which result in bigotry and religious fanaticism.
It is unnecessary, irresponsible and out of place, when you deliberately and without valid proof, make a claim as to how the priests at the great temple at Tirupathi absolved Mr. Reddy of all transgressions when placed in a position to accept a very large offering. What temerity to propound that both the temple and its guardians are somehow corrupt or corruptible You lack the guts to associate other faiths to similar charges, but Hinduism that is a different kettle of fish and al is fair game with it. By the way we do not use the term million or billion in India. We still have our lakhs and crores and are quite comfortable with it. The use of the word million was particularly chosen to curry favor with your Pakistani audience. And so was the entire article.
All great journeys start with a first small step and consider this as a first small step. Complaining about corruption and doing nothing about it cannot be an option.
Corruption with good governance is acceptable, Corruption with bad governance ( like at present ) is not acceptable....
@Author
Why is there corruption in Latin American countries. Are they not of the same religion as in US and Europe?
Moral resistance to corruption does not come from any religion, it comes from being a good citizen and loving your fellow country-men.
It is not abberation in western countries. You missed UN report where more money passes hands in rich countries. Indians have gotten used to evading taxes this way and get things done this way. They were not corrupt under British rule as British were not willing to change operations with some greasing of palms. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/sep/12/topstories3.mainsection?INTCMP=SRCH Organised crime: the $2 trillion threat to the world's security Billions of dollars worth of bribes paid each year go into the pockets of public officials in rich countries http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/oct/24/governments-must-address-corporate-corruption Governments must address corporate corruption, says report http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jan/11/west-fights-corruption-development-world-watching Waiting to see if rich countries 'fry the big fish' over corruption
Another confused piece. I agree that a lasting solution to corruption cannot be the post-facto identification of scams and their perpetrators - however, it needs to be through building greater transparency and reducing the role (and size) of government; the writer does not seem to have any productive suggestions on how to re-channelize these national energies whose waste he rails against. The second half of the op-ed is plain malarkey (to quote Joe Biden); do all religions teach the same morality? if yes, then it disproves the writer's point as a secular code would do just as well; if not, then whose religion becomes the template? Further, the West was just as corrupt some decades ago as we are today - is the writer indicating that they have since seen the light which has guided them in the right direction? The least corrupt nations re Transparency International (with Denmark, Sweden and Finland coming at #2,3 and 5) also contain the greatest percentage of non-believers (same nations appear at #1,3 and 7) - to bolster this argument.
@Arijit Sharma:
Anecdotal information suggests that until the Islamic invasions, we were a highly morally and upright society.
Muslims did not invent human nature!! I wonder how Chanakya got influenced by Islam of the future when he talked of "Daam", obviously meaning Bribery, as one of the 4 pillars of his Policy (Neeti)? Very same man in his Arthashastra recommended high wage for magistrates & customs officers, not for the hard work they put in, but to prevent corruption. And the punishments too are graphically described....chopping of hands & all! Implicit in the prevention of a crime is acknowledgement of its very existence. Not to encroach on space here but even a fellow like me with only nodding acquaintance with ancient literature can reel off instances of palm-greasing in the days before the first Muslim ever peeped in to the subcontinent.
And if "Islamic invaders" taught them the Locals were more than willing to learn in double time & carry on. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda (Reign 1875 to 1939), the man with the finest image among the enlightened Rulers & popular with the masses, was not a Mughal nor influenced by them considering their rule was practically over more than a century ago. As a kid he was tutored by Dewan Madhav Rao and it was the English Elder FAH Elliot who taught him clean administration & ethical practices. And yet he continued with the practice of the Baroda court which required a Probationary Officer, upon Confirmation, to present himself in a special dress to be worn only once in life time. It consisted of silk dress & stole, Mahrashtrian style silk pugree & shoes. The young hopeful had to walk forward in a bent posture towards the king with a Gold coin of prescribed weight in hand as an Offering to the Maharajah to receive in turn the Orders from the hands of the Highness confirming his service. A case of employee bribing the employer for a job! The young Officer's starting pay was around RS.60/-p.m. those days. And the Tailor as appointed by the Palace where every Probationer had to get his regalia made for the ceremony and from which the Palace would perhaps get a kick-back,charged Rs150/- per set. Almost 3 months wages! Now, if the Officer was placed in one of the Revenue Services of the State, what were the chances of the young man being idealistic enough to resist the temptation to make good the loss suffered by him?
Aakar,people are same everywhere,be it west or east.even a westerner would not think twice in testing his luck in the sphere of corruption, if the conditions are so conducive as they are in our sub continent, for a potentially corrupt person.French and Russian revolution were just a natural reaction of the widespread corruption at all levels in those countries.only difference is that,being educated they deliberated and produced such legislation which could effectively curb corruption.in our country most of the people are literate but not educated and hence unaware of their rights and duties.artificial problems of caste and religion only compound this problem.this creates a big loophole in the whole system by giving the authorities enormous power to interpret legislation according to their own will and those at powerful positions do not hesitate to make a quick buck out of this whole disorder. you have not given any particular reason why we people are so prone to corruption,while a westerner is not..talk of religion is meaningless in my view as no religion including Hinduism and Islam permits any kind of corrupt behavior.may be lack of quality education is the real cause...
This article prompted me to reproduce a recent tweet on the Robert Vadra corruption case:"Dialogue from the last century - Meri Paas Maa hai, Dialogue from this century - Meri Paas Sasu-Maa hai"
Why do I feel your taking pm mms line .....that agitation on corruption is spoiling the investment climate in India
Indian people doesn't have a civic sense. I can give one example. Take the issue of garbage disposal at a home. By default your next door neighbor's property is your personal garbage disposal ground. People don't have the foresight to see that rotten garbage is your immediate neighbor can seep into your own well. "Me first" mentality is the root cause of corruption.
As a side note, large scale corruption in India and Pakistan has its genesis in the later Mughal empire period around the time of emperor Shahjahan, but that doesn't justify the present day corruption.
Very true..I am wondering, what would be the demand of their Patwari, when our revolutionary burger party comes into power? An IPad or laptop? Our current Pawari is happy with few Desi Chicken and some fodder for his animals.
I agree with the author that the current crusade against corruption seems to be misguided though I wouldn't go as far as to link religion to it. . I believe that one overlooked tool to reduce corruption is the definition of clear processes. I was pleasantly surprised during my recent experience to renew my passport. I was told to employ an agent but I decided to try it myself and filled up the application online and also got an appointment online. The appointment itself was on time and the process took just about an hour and was conducted in a pleasant manner. . If a substantial dent to corrupt practices has to be made in India, it must entail a significant change in financing for elections (campaign finance reform). Corruption as is prevalent in India seems to be a means towards the development of a significant kitty towards the next election.
@author: " ... The classical words for bribe are ‘upchar’ and ‘upada’. They mean practice and gift. Both are of normal usage, lacking the sense of something immoral. ... "
The lack of "morality" you find is because those two words are used in context of gift giving not the greasing of palms.
Anecdotal information suggests that until the Islamic invasions, we were a highly morally and upright society. In an atmosphere of death, plunder and loot survival is top priority; considerations of morality come last. It will take a while to undo a few hundred years of behaviour.
Until the top leaders are corrupt, there will be corruption. Simply because the lower levels of the society are not left with any option. A person can try upto a certain limit when it comes to living a clean life.
Mr. Patel.
Corruption is fundamentally a systemic problem. And the system is a creature of govt. which is formed by politicians. Thus it is a political problem.
Our govt. energy is mostly spent on making schemes for embezzling and executing those embezzlement, then defending those acts of corruption. Almost every act of corruption leads to serious erosion of public wealth which otherwise would be used for national progress. The largesse available attracts wrong kind of folks to politics and our system is full of thugs nd criminals in politics.
Corruption also requires systemic support, so folks end up corrupting every sphere of public space. First thing to be fixed is bureaucracy, next is the courts, lastly the fourth estate, so we in India see a large amount of paid writers for political party and filthy rich journalists, who are also wheeler dealers.
Thus the systemic collapse becomes complete.
The only way we can set on path of improvement is to address political corruption first.
This was a senseless to the core.
or, maybe because the corruption charges are levelled on your favorite congress party. had it been any other party, you may have compared us with the west, and would have proved that we are corrupt to the core because of our religion.
You are better than this Mr. AAKAR.