ON CORRUPTION

Among the four “ Purusharthas” Artha or money is the most important! Without money Dharma cannot be practised nor Kama or desire satisfied! Money that is utilized for righteous causes is the best use for money. Worthy desires too can be realized through proper use of money. But the desire for too much of money leads to an obsession and man strays away from the righteous path! Kama or an insatiable desire for money lands man into trouble! The inner enemies Lobha or miserliness and Moha or attachment come into play and he wants to accumulate money as much as possible. He would like to see the money in his iron safe and worship it daily! With the help of money he is prepared to do anything for selfish reasons! Thus bribery and corruption come into play in human life. Corruption is not anything new. It is old as earth! From time Immemorial this bug has bitten man and has taken a very deep root in society. It is practically impossible to root it out of existence! “ Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter may endanger morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.” (Karl Kraus).

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely is familiar statement. Perhaps the fear of losing power leads to corruption. Corruption becomes a dangerous menace when the government is ruled by incompetent, corrupt, or vile men. “The world will not be destroyed  by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything” remarks the renowned scientist Albert Einstein! Why is it that we are unable to contain corruption? “ The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need but not every man’s greed” says Mahatma Gandhi. Arshad Warsi says, “ Dealing with corruption and staying calm is a talent most of us in India have mastered and learnt to live with!” It is not charity alone that begins at home but corruption too. According to Plutarch, the Roman historian, the abuse of buying and selling votes crept in and money began to play an important part in determining elections. Later on this process of Corruption spread to the law courts and then to the army and finally the republic was subjected to the rule of emperors. The lure for money is very great. It traps the weak people from saying the truth and hence corruption continues endlessly!

How to control and contain corruption? Is it impossible? No, we have not made any concerted effort so far! Corruption cannot be rooted out suddenly by magic! It is hydra headed and has spread its tentacles to every field of activity! Top to bottom it has its sway over everything in life! Though the worst disease in the world today there is a cure for corruption and that is transparency! Those who fight corruption should be clean themselves! You cannot afford to be a silent spectator. The youth of the country should rise to the situation and challenge it. No doubt it retaliates and challenges you. Who can play a major part in freeing the nation of the scourge of Corruption? Our ex president of India, Abdul Kalam reiterates, “ If a country is to be corruption free and become a beautiful nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel that there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother, and the teacher!” “No legacy is so rich as honesty” says Shakespeare and the father, mother and the teacher are the best to inculcate honesty among the children.

Corruption cannot be eliminated by political machines. They breed corruption just like garbage  breeds flies. The experience of Singapore in rooting out corruption is a lesson for all corrupt nations. In 1982, in Singapore, Lok pal Bill was implemented and 142 corrupt ministers and officers were arrested in one single day. Today Singapore has 1 % poor people and no taxes are paid to the government. Literacy rate is 92%! Better medical facilities are available. Prices are cheaper. 90% money is white. Unemployment is 1% only!! Can India implement a similar method to cut at the root of corruption? It is question for calm contemplation!

Our Ministers and their offices are raided by the IT officials and incriminating documents are seized! But they continue their jobs with impunity! No action is taken on them!  Politics and the government has become a hotbed of corruption. Our Parliamentarians revel in their criminal records. Most of them have pending criminal cases of corruption and money laundering.  There are more crorepatis who act according to their whims and fancies! Democracy is only for namesake! The poor have become poorer and the rich richer! It is a strange version of democracy in India! For the first time a serious attempt is made to arrest corruption and Black money through demonetization that has rocked the nation! Much unaccounted money has been traced. Aadhar card has been introduced to check black money and transactions. The latest weapon to destroy corruption is the one tax for the entire country- GST. The corrupt nation is  shocked and cannot believe what is happening! Anyway the serious and sincere fight against corruption has started well in India. Well begun is half done! Let us offer a helping hand to the efforts of the Government!