|
VIEWPOINT: POLITICALLY CORRECT
Trashing Myths
Corruption in India is much like an epic studded
with myths that ensure its longevity
By P. Chidambaram
The mythology associated with corruption
in India
is as fascinating and imaginative as the Ramayan
and the Mahabharat, the two epics that resonate throughout the country.
And just as Ram and Ravan and the Pandavas and the Kauravas must have
been and, I believe, were living persons, the principal characters of
the contemporary epic of corruption are also real persons. Corruption
in India is a long-running epic and there is no end in sight. Many characters
have played their part and departed, some hold centrestage today and many
are waiting in the wings to enter or re-enter the stage.
Mythology, to hold the attention of the audience,
depends on myths. The more inventive the myth, the more spellbound is
the world. Take the Ramayan. It could have been told as a simple, straightforward
story of an obedient prince who accepts banishment to the forest, whose
wife is kidnapped by a besotted tyrant, who rescues his wife after a heroic
battle and who returns triumphantly to his kingdom to be crowned the new
king. Would you listen to this endearing fairy tale and, even if you do,
would
you listen to it being told and retold a million times? Yes, you would,
if it was enriched with myths.
 The
genius of the author lies in myths that defy natural laws and science,
myths that are negated by unassailable evidence of the state of human
and technological development during that age. The myth of the pushpak
viman (flower-bedecked aircraft) and the myth of the war weaponry, questionable
but unquestioned, make the Ramayan a truly absorbing and enduring epic.
Let me examine some myths about corruption in
India which make this subject the most gripping human drama of the present
time:
Corruption is universal
True or untrue? Of course, it is untrue. There are many countries
in the world where normal, daily transactions are not at all tainted with
corruption. It is so in India as well. Thousands of people get their train
tickets, ration cards and driving licences without paying a bribe. There
are thousands of government servants who walk the straight path throughout
their careers and are content to retire to their villages or modest flats
with their meagre savings. We have had, and have even today, ministers
who are of unimpeachable integrity. When there is a sudden rash of exposes-Bangaru
Laxman, Jaya Jaitly, Koujalgi, B.P. Verma, V. George-the entertainment
just becomes more lively. It does not mean that everybody is corrupt or
that we must be resigned to corrupt governance.
Corruption is not an obstacle to development
The myth-maker will usually cite the example of China. Of course,
he has no hard proof except the episodic evidence recounted by visiting
journalists. Besides, one can never prove the counter-factual. What would
have been China's rate of growth if it had cracked down on corruption?
Higher or lower? All empirical evidence shows that countries which are
open, transparent and generally corruption-free have made rapid progress
and virtually eliminated poverty. At the other end of the spectrum are
African, Latin American and some Asian countries where corruption is endemic.
We can make our choice.
There can be a trade-off between corruption
and efficiency
This is a myth sedulously propagated
by the PLU (people like us). We heard this argument when there were allegations
against
P.V. Narasimha Rao and we hear it again when there are allegations against
George Fernandes. The argument is an outrage perpetrated on the PLT (people
like them). Corruption denies to PLT the road or drinking water or the
primary-health centre for which they have been waiting for 50 years. When
Rajiv Gandhi estimated that only 15 paise out of every rupee reached the
beneficiaries, he was measuring the value of the goods and services that
were actually delivered, and the value of the goods and services that
were cruelly denied to the poor, leaving them without even the basic minimum
needs.
Corruption is a legal issue; the law will
take its own course
What do the myth-makers mean when then
say the law will take its own course? They mean that given the state of
law in India and past experience, no one will be convicted of a corruption
charge and actually sent to jail to serve a prison term. If this is the
unarticulated premise, then there is obvious merit in dumping corruption
cases in the courts. The two communist parties (aided by parties like
the TMC and Congress) valiantly try to make corruption a political non-issue
so that they can join hands, if necessary, with a Jayalalitha or a Laloo
Yadav. Corruption is a legal issue only between the prosecuting state
and the accused. For you and me, it is a political, moral and ethical
issue that has a direct bearing on good governance.
With elections scheduled in five states, the
myth makers are having a merry time. Enjoy the entertainment while it
lasts, but vote wisely.
(The author is a former Indian finance minister.)
|
METRO TODAY
Web
Exclusives
