What to do about Corruption?

In our previous post, we described the drama associated with corruption and its removal. We also mentioned that the signs are ominous. We went further and drew the picture of a likely bleak scenario in the foreseeable future. And yet, we also expressed hope that something better will happen.

We pointed out that there are fundamental flaws in our attitude (as a society) to rule of law (in general) and therefore corruption, and that we need genuine social leaders who can educate the society and transform its core. We need to point out that we have not been such a society for long. Financial corruption gained substantial momentum only post political independence, and especially after Mrs. Indira Gandhi's regime.

As an interesting aside, recall that the BJP's mahatma Mr. A B Vajpeyee called Mrs. Gandhi Durga after India won the 1971 war. While we won the war because of the sacrifice and bravery of our soldiers, the credit was given to Mrs. Gandhi! Don't you notice any corruption here?

Anyways, the point to be made here is that it is in the nineteen sixties and seventies that corruption got firmly established and institutionalized in our nation. Before that corruption was there, but it was at least looked down upon. In the new era, corruption came to be accepted and worse still came to be even respected. What mattered was wealth, and how you got it didn't matter! And this got extended to all spheres of life.

Please observe how it permeates all spheres of life. From casting-couch in the film industry, to billionaire god-men, to terrorism inciting mullahs, to multi-bullionaire politicians. Now they do not even need to be shameless, for society doesn't shame them, rather it respects them and follows them! Do we see the gravity of the situation?

However, since the problem is not age old, hopefully we will be able to solve it sooner than later, provided we begin with a firm resolve and persevere. And societal transformation through education is of paramount importance in the long run. This will go a long way in ensuring that we regain our senses and resolve, to remain a free and responsible society.

However, irrespective of what we achieve in societal attitudes, if certain systemic flaws remain then these flaws will engender tendencies towards corruption in the members. Thus, besides societal transformation, there are certain systemic reforms which are needed. We propose our suggestions here. There will be many such suggestions, many of them orthogonal to each other, and we, as a society, need to introspect and debate, to come to a reasonable and widely accepted solutions. We did mention our suggestions earlier too. Now we can try to understand some of the points. One of the important aspects in correcting anything is the facility to identify and fix responsibility. For example, if a crime is committed then we would like all those who are responsible and none who are not responsible to be punished.

Parliamentary democracy claims to function with the principle of collective responsibility. Now, consider the present situation: For the CWG and 2-G scam, if we apply the principle of collective responsibility, Mr. Manmohan Singh and his whole cabinet must also be held responsible. For, we do not know who took the decisions. We are told that Mr. Kalmadi and Mr. Raja are responsible, but how do we know the truth of the matter?

It becomes clearer now that fixing the responsibility is easier when individuals take decisions. The individual can have as many advisors as he pleases, but he and is decides and is held responsible. So we do not get into a situation that Ms. Soniya Gandhi decides but is never held answerable, or that Mr. Manmohan Singh and his cabinet are involved but they can get away by making a Raja or a Kalmadi a scapegoat.

Imagine a scenario, if Mr. Manmohan Singh was elected to be the head of the nation directly by the people, he will have no coalition compulsion! He could defy DMK, he could defy Ms Gandhi, he could do what he wanted and he would be helfd responsible!

So now we copy-paste the relevant part of what we recommended earlier:

1. We need a new constitution.

2. We need a presidential form of government.

3. We need to be republic. And we need to restrict the powers of the elected representatives.

we had also mentioned

4. We need to restrict franchise.

5. We need have debates rather than mere political speeches!

And many more to be added ...

We hope to get opportunities to argue in favor of these recommendations in future. However, the importance of point number 5 can hardly be overemphasized. As a nation of individuals we need to apply our minds diligently and our emotions wisely in appropriate contexts. For most part, we as a nation have been emotional fools. There is nothing wrong in being emotional. And it is natural to make mistakes. But we must diligently and vigilantly learn and not be endlessly exploited due to our emotional foolishness.

Often people ask: Where is the choice? Whom do we vote? All are so bad!

We answer: Exactly! You are absolutely right. But then ... this is your opportunity! To paraphrase what we said earlier:

O people of this country, realize that most politicians are corrupt. No political party is interested in saving you. So you need to choose and send politicians from among yourselves. Make new politicians, make new political parties. Encourage upright people with spine amongst yourselves to become your representatives. Fix their responsibilities and judge them by their actions and not words. Otherwise you will be led by a bunch of Raja and Kalmadi clones. And surely they will lead you to your doom!

So we need to encourage good people amongst ourselves to join politics and take interest in the governance of this nation. If a politician tries to bribe you to vote for him then accept his bribe and then do not vote for him. He is out there to cheat you so do not get cheated and if possible cheat him instead!

We also need to become brave. If politicians threaten us we must be in a position to retaliate. Thus we also recommend that the New Constitution enshrine freedom to carry firearms as a suitable right. We must recall that we have been a very very brave nation for ages. These new breed of politicians and leaders have emaciated us, to meet their own ends. We need to understand their bluff.

The Drama in the name of Corruption and its removal!

Currently there are a handful of major players in the nation and each is trying to be the cleanest of them all on the issue of corruption. These players are: the political parties: Congress, Communists, BJP, and others; the media: newspapers and the tv; the self proclaimed cleaners: Anna Hazare types. The public is both a player as well as the observer.

Please note that we are discussing only financial corruption here. Ideologically or in a larger sense all these players are corrupt and it would need a much bigger article to deal with. However, financial corruption, namely misappropriation of funds, poses a serious as well as complex challenge in itself.

First of all we need to understand that the general public itself has very ambiguous norm on the rule of law, corruption is a part of that. For example, breaking the queue to get something out of turn. I am sure a very large percentage amongst us have a very lax standard regarding this. Then come other favors and so on. We can never hope to have a corruption free society unless we work at these roots. But again, let us leave it for the moment.

Given that we have a relaxed norm on corruption, it gets noticed only after it crosses a fairly large threshold. We are sure that most of us are aware of what goes on in government offices, for example, public works departments, electricity boards, land-records, and so on. Ordinary clerks in PWD (public works department) own houses which can shame, say for example, a principal in a government school. Needless to say that executive and superintending engineers make palaces for themselves! Ditto other departments. When such is the case, why would only teachers restrain themselves? Thus there are tuitions and other such activities. The list is long and well known. The point is that all this happens, all of us know, and we are silent observers. In exactly the same way as we were silent observers when 26/11 attacks on Mumbai happened, and even in the aftermath of it. Although, we do have the habit of sloganeering "Enough is enough"!

So what is it that is making corruption an issue again? Recall that about a decade and a half ago, there was Hawala case, Jain diary case, Lakhoobhai Pathak case, and they all amounted to a few crores to a few tens or hundreds of crores. Bofors itself was miniscule in comparison, and during 1989 election Corruption at High Places was a big issue!

So there seems nothing new in Corruption, except that the scale has increased dramatically, and has attained astronomical proportions. Tens of crores have turned into thousands or lakhs of crores. We are sure that these days if a politician is accused of misappropriation of anything less than a hundred crore (2010 value in Rupees), he will take it as an insult to his status!

Then what is it that is going on? Congress removing A Raja and Kalmadi, BJP trying to save itself from the taint of Reddy brothers, Communists doing likewise, and so on; what does it all indicate?

Have we had enough? Do political parties realize that they need to change? Are they going to change? We believe that the answers to each of this question is a NO. Then what is going on? What is going on is just a big entertaining drama! The pot calling the kettle black. The people watching the show and yet nobody doing anything!

Then when will we change?

This is a difficult as well as a dangerous question to answer. The signs are ominous. We all saw the massacre of 26/11 and yet we did nothing. The safety of the nation is as much compromised today as it was prior to 26/11. We see the Rajas and Kalmadis removed from ministerial posts. But they won't be convicted. They will re-enter as party office bearers, and when they become older, they will become governors! Many of our pilots are those who do not certified skills to fly planes. They have obtained fake licenses. Ditto many engineers as well as doctors, lawyers as well as architects. We know how the bullet-proof jackets for the Anti Terror Squad were substandard. We know, how some of the ATS officers, did not even know how to wear helmets!

Do we realize that we are sitting on a bomb? No, no, we are sitting on a huge pile of explosives, and we are smoking cigars! If we are such imbeciles or callous, then what will wake us up? Surely, only an explosion will wake us up. But remember, and mark our words, it will be much bigger than 26/11, much larger scale than 2-G or CWG!

We sincerely wish and hope that we wake up sooner rather than later. Before a catastrophe rather than after it. Until then, it will be as it has been for so long: A Drama in the name of Corruption, and its removal.

BJP President snubs Sushma ...So what?

The BJP is becoming a comic party. While the Congress and the rest indulge in Corruption with finesse and shamelessness; BJP attempts comedy and bashfulness!

In a recent interview, Ms Sushma Swaraj stated that she was not the protector of Reddy brothers, of the infamous OMC (Obalipuram Mining Corporation). Ms Swaraj stated further that Mr. Jaitely, and Mr. BSY (Yeddyurappa) were in-charge then, suggesting that the blame, if any, must lie with them.

It looks, as if the Reddy brothers, for no reason, call Ms Swaraj, Thayee! Mr Gadkari, the president of the BJP, has apparently snubbed Ms Swaraj. Not to let such opportunities go, past BJP-president Mr. Rajnath Singh has uttered his wisdom as well!

If the issue is corruption, these games, frankly speaking, are irritating the people, and making them boil inside with rage. If the issue is "damage-control", the exercise looks laughably infantile.

It is high time that these leaders exhibited some sincerity.

Make up your mind first Mr. Hazare!

The self proclaimed Mohandasian, Anna Hazare, gave a clean chit to Manmohan Singh while pointing his accusing finger at the "remote-control" possibly meaning Ms Sonia Gandhi. At a gathering in Bangalore, Anna (not Kournikova folks, Hazare!) had this to say: "Prime Minister is a good person. Prime Minister is not bad. Problem comes because of the remote control."

Wow. What pearls of wisdom. What would a "good person" like Anna do if he found himself heading a government Mr. Manmohan Singh is heading? Wait for another Anna (hopefully Kournikova?) to give him a clean chit? Or would he expose the perpetrators, including the alleged "remote-control"? Or, at the very least, resign? Mr. Hazare's answer would clarify his own stand and his own self on the matter of corruption.

If Hazare would have stuck as PM then he is not as clean at all! And if he would have resigned or exposed the perpetrators then Mr. Hazare's praise is a lie, again showing Mr. Hazare is bad, rather true, light.

Mr. Hazare, what you speak on Mr. Manmohan Singh, does not throw any light on Manmohan, it throws light on your character.

Mr. Hazare's recent remarks about Gujarat and Modi, alleging corruption in Gujarat, have already dented Hazare's image. Hazare fell just short of addressing a press conference with the cleanest of them all, a curious IPS officer: Sanjiv Bhatt. Had he done that, it would have belled the cat, that is himself.

Hazare's other remark is even more frivolous: that there is more liquor than there is milk in Gujarat, it being the state of Mohandas. Mr. Hazare, why don't you chastize Congress for liquor in India, the nation which Mohandas "fathered"?

And remember, it is not merely the "remote control" (Sonia Gandhi) which is "bad". The TV (Manmohan Singh) and the DVD-player (Rahul Gandhi), along with other infrastructure like the dish-antennae, and so on, are bad too!

Mr. Hazare, you are making a buffoon of yourself in public life. Before you speak up, first make-up your mind.

The lessons from Osama, Pakistan and Islam ...

Thus, Osama was finally put to rest by the American Navy Seals. Agreed that the photographs are not shown and so on, let us for the moment, let assume that the job is done. So what lessons should we learn from this?

Some Facts:

1. Notwithstanding whatever we may claim or believe about ourselves, we need to face the stark reality that as a political entity we are a sissy nation! Kandahar, 26/11, Afzal Guru, are a few amongst too numerous cases which prove the point.

This was further demonstrated by the fact that post-Osama operation, Pakistan threatened India against attempting anything like US while some in India claimed that Indian forces had the capability!

2. Osama stayed in Pakistan not far from its capital city for many years!

3. Pakistan is ruled by ISI. ISI rules the army, which in turn rules the civilian government, which pretends as if it is ruling Pakistan. This charade is done to attract billions of dollars of aid from stupid western nations. So as a political democracy, Pakistan is a failed state. Needless to add that corruption is even worse that that in India (Did you ever imagine that it was possible!)

4. Islam was the founding principle of Pakistan (Pakistan literally meaning a pure/holy land!)

Lessons:

1. If we want to survive, we need to shed this sissy-ness and become strong as well as courageous. That is, we must figure out what needs to be done, and set about doing it!

2. Pakistan was founded on Islam. Since Pakistan is a failed nation, Islam is a failed ideology as far as its ability to sprout a democratically thriving and economically prosperous nation is concerned.

3. Muslim terrorists, however cruel they may be, are fundamentally pussillanimous.


Conclusions:

1. We need to shed our Socialist Secular farce and move towards a Hindu-nation based on Sanatana Dharma. We repeat our call to the people.

2. We need to realize that Islam is an evil ideology and we must not allow it within our society.

3. We need to imbibe strength as well as educate the non-Muslims world about the dangers of Islam. We have suffered the atrocities for the longest period. Please see here to read about the persecution.

And most importantly we must not lose hope. Let us bear in mind the great Upanishadic verse meaning ... Arise Awake and Stop not till the Goal is reached.

When Sissy (BSYeddy) meets Fishy (HR Bharadwaj) ...

That B S Yediurappa is a sissy has been known for long. And that Hans Raj Bhardwaj (is it Kans Raj Bharadwaj?) has a fishy character has been known for even longer. This former law-minister (should have been called law-sinister!) has had no love lost for BSY for ages now. Being a Congress-man (Congress-eunuch) (s)he has no qualms about stooping to any level. In any sane democracy, persons like HRB will be flushed in less than a few years; but here we have our beloved Secular-Socialist nation that has nourished him for decades like it may unfortunately do - though we earnestly hope not - Rahul Gandhi too.

To cut a long story short, this no hold barred, Congress-eunuch recommended sacking of the BSY led government in Karnataka, and then retracted. What shamelessness! O Eunuchs! Please excuse us, HRB does not deserve to be compared to you people.

We were surprised to see BSY not crying his heart (tears) out! Good development. But if BSY is man enough, he must now strive for sacking of governor HRB.

About Congress, the lesser said the better. As Ajay Singh pointed out at Governance Now, Congress and Congress-persons can stoop down to any level. It is indeed a bottomless pit.

Here, we would like to mention that Hindus must opt for Presidential form of Republic rather than a parliamentary-democracy. Possibly a four year term like in the USA, and ditto for the states. We are currently facing a crisis in governance. The whole machinery seems to be collapsing. The heinous crimes, various scams, mismanagement during 26/11 Mumbai attack, are all symptomatic of a much much deeper crisis than mere corruption.

Anna Hazares are not going to solve these problems. They are too busy foisting themselves as Mohandasians on the people.