The government will carry a lot more conviction if it first enacts a law that minimises the scope for corrupt and criminal elements from contesting elections
The government will carry a lot more conviction if it first enacts a law that minimises the scope for corrupt and criminal elements from contesting elections
Forms that corruption took in the age of the licence-permit raj in India have given way — in the period after the reforms of the 1990s — “to newer opportunities for corruption, ones associated with specialisation and expansion of our economy”, says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who appears dead keen to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act to bring the private sector into its ambit.
No one denies any of this, and it is a good thing to stop corruption wherever it may exist. Indeed, in advanced capitalist countries of the West, most notably in the United States and Britain, it is a crime for companies to pay bribes to win contracts or orders, and the monitoring is tight and penalties stiff. We too should not fall behind in emulating international best practices. The trouble is, however, in the context.
Any changes in the law to take in acts of bribe-giving by corporate outfits and others are best brought in when times are normal. In this country, that is far from being the case. The past two years have been spent battling perceptions of rampant governmental corruption, as well as intense corruption of the political class and those with high political access. In a nutshell, the government will carry a lot more conviction with the people if it first enacts a law that minimises the scope for corrupt and criminal elements from contesting elections at any level — from the panchayats to Parliament.
A number of proposals on this have been advanced by the Election Commission in the past decade. These are gathering dust not necessarily because of governmental lethargy alone but due to perceived resistance by the entire political class. Once we have good people — those free of obvious taint — coming into political office at all levels through fair, transparent elections, the bureaucracy too is likely to be far more cautious about indulging in corrupt practices. Being the best weather-vane, it will know getting away will be difficult as sharing of spoils is not on any longer.
There is another matter to consider. We are a democracy that has excellent laws in every field, but these are hardly ever properly implemented. When political masters are above board, this sorry aspect of the profile of Indian democracy will begin to change, and governance will improve. Addressing the 19th anti-corruption seminar organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, Dr Singh said the bribe-giver gets away when the act of corruption is “consensual”, while the bribe-taker may be caught. This appears a grossly inadequate appreciation of Indian reality. The harsh truth is that monies are paid only when these are demanded. There is no consensual love here.
