[HumJanenge] A short discourse on Corruption

http://www.morungexpress.com/write_wing/57424.html

The Chief Minister of Nagaland has rightly pointed out, during the
Vigilance Awareness Week, held from October 25th to November 1st that
"Corruption perpetuates inequality". It is commendable on the part of
the government for enlightening the people with such meaningful
initiatives and hope that the conviction to check corruption at all
levels remains on their priority list of every department. The
question I ask is do we always need such kind of programmes to remind
us that corruption is bad? When will we stop complaining or
procrastinating and take a proactive stance against it? Let me first
make it clear that the short discourse which I am about to embark does
not in any way aim towards any particular individual or group; it is
approached in a realist manner.

According to the Oxford dictionary, 'corruption is a dishonest or
illegal behavior and it is the action of corrupting someone or the
state of being morally corrupt'. Transparency International, a global
civil society against corruption, also defines it as 'the abuse of
entrusted power for private gain' It further goes on to differentiate
between "according to rule" corruption and "against the rule"
corruption. Facilitation payments, where a bribe is paid to receive
preferential treatment for something that the bribe receiver is
required to do by law, constitute the former. The latter, on the other
hand, is a bribe paid to obtain services the bribe receiver is
prohibited from providing.' In its 2010's Report on Corruption
Perceptions Index, nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the
index score below five, on a scale from 10 (very clean) to 0 (highly
corrupt).In this context Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are tied
at the top of the list with a score of 9.3, followed closely by
Finland and Sweden at 9.2. At the bottom is Somalia with a score of
1.1, slightly trailing Myanmar and Afghanistan at 1.4 and Iraq at 1.5.
India comes at 87th rank with a score of 3.3 which is a clear
indicative of being a substantially corrupt country. Corruption and
cronyism is so conspicuous in India, that it has become a part of our
everyday lives. Bribery, nepotism, favoritism seems have to have crept
comfortably into our lives. Today India claims itself to be fast
tracking towards a high GDP growth rate, riding amongst top economies
of the world and to outrace China's economy in the near future. But in
reality the liberalization of the Indian economy, after the end of the
cold war, has benefited only a small stratum of the Indian population.
Of course, the government on its part has introduced many assorted
schemes and programmes to ameliorate the rising rate of poverty, among
other social and economic factors, in order to alleviate the
downtrodden. It becomes a matter of concern when the funds for the
various schemes, which are meant to benefit the right people usually
ends up in the wrong hands. The list begins from top politicians,
bureaucrats, government officials, to the bottom of the hierarchical
structure which leaves out hardly anyone. Red tapism and stringent
rules plays a stumbling block in providing transparency and
accountability of the government to the people. Even the Right to
Information act (RTI) implemented in 2005, which was supposed to bring
about greater accountability and transparency, also fails, most of the
time, to deliver justice especially to the common man. It becomes an
onus task in the process of filing an RTI application, even if the
application is accepted; the time taken to get the required
information is overwhelmed due to the procrastination of working
officials. These kinds of corrupt practices which are prevalent today
are just a tip off the much larger iceberg. At this juncture, the role
of the media is very important in checking the menace of corruption,
in the recent years, the media: print as well as the electronic media
has gearing up, building the momentum for truly carrying out its task
as the forefront of Vox Populi. The media is an indispensable tool for
creating awareness, disseminating information, and most importantly as
the watchdog of democracy. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that
the media always remain independent and objective in its views, free
of amalgamation of any kind.

Our own Nagaland is not far behind when it comes to corruption. Even
though officially much of the corruption issues are watered down and
becomes ambivalent. The apocryphal floating around tell us that the
levels of corruption in our society is disheartening. So what can we
do about it? Well, the blame game seems to be the order of the day; it
is so easy to sit comfily, spirits flowing freely, and engaging in
rhetoric of critical polemics of whom; The government bodies? The
administrative officials? In a way it is perfectly ok for them to get
the blame as they have taken the oath to serve the people, the very
people on which the basis of the very foundations of democracy stands
upon. But if we contemplate the situation carefully we find ourselves
rocking in the same boat. For instance, When was the last time you
didn't pay off a bribe to make your work easier, when was the last
time you voted for the right potential candidate without taking a
reward? I am not saying that we are short on people with higher
convictions, but there are many of us who indulge in such practices
.Also do you realize that the amount of money pumped during elections
by the candidates is, well, excessive. And where do all these cash go?
Well, I guess we all know the answer to that too. It seems to be a
clear case of I quid pro quo. I, as a youth find it appalling that the
young people are used as a means to an end by some candidates, for
carrying out their 'liabilities'. The time has come for the younger
generation to take a reality check and realize that immediate bonanzas
are insignificant in the long run and should focus on investing in
knowledge which pays the best interest as rightly said by Benjamin
Franklin.

It is time that all of us realize that corruption is nothing but a
hindrance to progress in our society. The need to compel the forces of
corruption down to its knees should be the sine qua non for every
right thinking individuals of the Naga society. Let us start by taking
a proactive approach instead of just being critical. Let us give the
Nagas a chance to shine in today's ever changing world. Let us strive
together, notwithstanding our petty feuds and differences, to achieve
the objective for a common good. I have been told a number of times
that, if I join the civil services then I am predisposed to become
corrupt but I say ,Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, the renowned American
lecturer, essayist and poet 'To be yourself, in a world that is
constantly trying to make you something else ,is the greatest
achievement'.