The Economy Of Corruption
Ever wondered what the undoubtedly well meaning Mr Anna Hazare's attempts to force the Government of India to pass a new law to curb corruption will achieve?
I asked myself if anything would change. While I am generally a positive person who thinks that it is better to achieve something on your way to greater things and that the all or nothing approach is not practical, in this particular case, I am very sceptical.
I am afraid very little will change for us in our daily lives. I have two recent examples that support my claim that precious little will change any time soon.
Tenant Verification
A friend of mine rented a house. As per police guidelines, it ix necessary for every tenant has to get his bonafides, antecedants, address and whatever else verified by the police station the house falls under jurisdiction of.
He went to the police station and was asked to return with photographs. He got photographs and returned to the police station and went through the formalities.
All was in order and my friend should have walked out. But the policeman calmly asked for Rs 500 as standard charges for the service. The charge is not standard. My friend did not get a receipt for it. The demand was made in plain day light, in plain sight of everyone around and it is considered normal. My friend said to me later that he felt very squeamish handing over the money as he had never done anything like that. The money was accepted with no sense of shame or remorse by the policeman inside the police station.
House Registration
In another case, another friend of mine bought a house and went to get the house registered with the local municipality. We all went together and were told to go a lawyer's office a little distance from the registration office.
There, we were asked to pay 1% of the value of house. In the case of my friend, it came to about Rs 70,000. The lawyer was not intimidated by the presence of people with press identification. He said that the money goes all the way - I don't know what he meant by "all the way". He was clear that if we did not pay the 1%, my friend's house had no hope of getting registered as it was impossible that my friend would be able to meet all the set conditions for approval.
This is when house registration has been "computerised" with great fanfare.
Address Verification For Passport
In another instance, a local policeman went to a friend's house for address verification for his passport application. The verification process completed, the policeman happily asks for money for services rendered. My friend responds by saying that he does not have to and is not used to paying where he does not have to. The policeman simply says "You have to pay, there is no option". And my friend paid Rs 500.
Driving Licences
It is said that there is no way anyone can get a driving license anywhere in India without paying a bribe. There is just no way. Having said that, my mother recently renewed hers without paying any bribe. But then, she is an exceptional woman. She would have taken the officials apart, had they dared to ask her for a bribe.
It's everywhere
On M G Road in Delhi-Gurgaon, I have seen on numerous occasions, policemen accepting money from truck drivers - all in the open. I am sure the truck driver did not have all his papers in order. I am also sure that there are legal fines that are supposed to reach the exchequer instead of the people. But the Goverment is for the people, right? What is wrong in the money going to the people directly?
There are all kinds of illegal vehicles plying on Delhi's roads - Gramin Seva, for example. There is no way they can operate in the open without the connivance of the local authorities and the personnel on the ground.
There are shops opened everywhere in our cities. Places that start off as pure residential areas, turn into shopping centres by virtue of people selling or renting ground floor houses to aspiring shopkeepers.
I asked one such shopkeeper many years ago how he managed to open a shop in a residential building and if the municipality and police did not stop him. He said shopkeepers like him are encouraged to open shops in such areas - so that the officials concerned can get their monthly stipend and the occasional sackful of goods for home. It is that simple. It is all about back scratching.
Well oiled machine
The system of corruption and sharing of loot is so well established, that it seems almost impossible to break it.
Every rule and regulation is another opportunity for people in the right positions to benefit from.
How will it help?
Will the Lokpal or Jan Lokpal or any other Pal help us on the ground? Whatever shape the Lokpal is constituted in, how will be different from our already functioning courts?
The Lokpal will swing into swift (envisaged) action only if a complaint is filed. None of the above affected people are going to complain. It is just not worth their while. It is a practical, everyday reality. There is no reason for anyone to get on their high horse and start making speeches about how everyone has to fight corruption.
Shortage Of Legal Eagles
It is reported that we are already short of judges and courts. Why don't we increase those instead of adding more authorities and confusing people? Why can't we, instead of letting judges retiring at a set age and then looking for retired judges to head all kinds of commissions and other investigative and interrogative panels, simply extend the retirement age for judges and have more judges in active service? It is quite silly to increase the number of institutions requiring lawyers and judges when existing institutions are short of people and have huge backlog of cases.
Public Service
Mr Hazare would be doing us a service if he could find a way of ridding us of this daily terror. We have enough laws. We do not need another law, another institution. We need people with rock solid, old fashioned principles and the spine to stand up for their principles.
Which is more that we can ask for.
Cheers!
Ever wondered what the undoubtedly well meaning Mr Anna Hazare's attempts to force the Government of India to pass a new law to curb corruption will achieve?
I asked myself if anything would change. While I am generally a positive person who thinks that it is better to achieve something on your way to greater things and that the all or nothing approach is not practical, in this particular case, I am very sceptical.
I am afraid very little will change for us in our daily lives. I have two recent examples that support my claim that precious little will change any time soon.
Tenant Verification
A friend of mine rented a house. As per police guidelines, it ix necessary for every tenant has to get his bonafides, antecedants, address and whatever else verified by the police station the house falls under jurisdiction of.
He went to the police station and was asked to return with photographs. He got photographs and returned to the police station and went through the formalities.
All was in order and my friend should have walked out. But the policeman calmly asked for Rs 500 as standard charges for the service. The charge is not standard. My friend did not get a receipt for it. The demand was made in plain day light, in plain sight of everyone around and it is considered normal. My friend said to me later that he felt very squeamish handing over the money as he had never done anything like that. The money was accepted with no sense of shame or remorse by the policeman inside the police station.
House Registration
In another case, another friend of mine bought a house and went to get the house registered with the local municipality. We all went together and were told to go a lawyer's office a little distance from the registration office.
There, we were asked to pay 1% of the value of house. In the case of my friend, it came to about Rs 70,000. The lawyer was not intimidated by the presence of people with press identification. He said that the money goes all the way - I don't know what he meant by "all the way". He was clear that if we did not pay the 1%, my friend's house had no hope of getting registered as it was impossible that my friend would be able to meet all the set conditions for approval.
This is when house registration has been "computerised" with great fanfare.
Address Verification For Passport
In another instance, a local policeman went to a friend's house for address verification for his passport application. The verification process completed, the policeman happily asks for money for services rendered. My friend responds by saying that he does not have to and is not used to paying where he does not have to. The policeman simply says "You have to pay, there is no option". And my friend paid Rs 500.
Driving Licences
It is said that there is no way anyone can get a driving license anywhere in India without paying a bribe. There is just no way. Having said that, my mother recently renewed hers without paying any bribe. But then, she is an exceptional woman. She would have taken the officials apart, had they dared to ask her for a bribe.
It's everywhere
On M G Road in Delhi-Gurgaon, I have seen on numerous occasions, policemen accepting money from truck drivers - all in the open. I am sure the truck driver did not have all his papers in order. I am also sure that there are legal fines that are supposed to reach the exchequer instead of the people. But the Goverment is for the people, right? What is wrong in the money going to the people directly?
There are all kinds of illegal vehicles plying on Delhi's roads - Gramin Seva, for example. There is no way they can operate in the open without the connivance of the local authorities and the personnel on the ground.
There are shops opened everywhere in our cities. Places that start off as pure residential areas, turn into shopping centres by virtue of people selling or renting ground floor houses to aspiring shopkeepers.
I asked one such shopkeeper many years ago how he managed to open a shop in a residential building and if the municipality and police did not stop him. He said shopkeepers like him are encouraged to open shops in such areas - so that the officials concerned can get their monthly stipend and the occasional sackful of goods for home. It is that simple. It is all about back scratching.
Well oiled machine
The system of corruption and sharing of loot is so well established, that it seems almost impossible to break it.
Every rule and regulation is another opportunity for people in the right positions to benefit from.
How will it help?
Will the Lokpal or Jan Lokpal or any other Pal help us on the ground? Whatever shape the Lokpal is constituted in, how will be different from our already functioning courts?
The Lokpal will swing into swift (envisaged) action only if a complaint is filed. None of the above affected people are going to complain. It is just not worth their while. It is a practical, everyday reality. There is no reason for anyone to get on their high horse and start making speeches about how everyone has to fight corruption.
Shortage Of Legal Eagles
It is reported that we are already short of judges and courts. Why don't we increase those instead of adding more authorities and confusing people? Why can't we, instead of letting judges retiring at a set age and then looking for retired judges to head all kinds of commissions and other investigative and interrogative panels, simply extend the retirement age for judges and have more judges in active service? It is quite silly to increase the number of institutions requiring lawyers and judges when existing institutions are short of people and have huge backlog of cases.
Public Service
Mr Hazare would be doing us a service if he could find a way of ridding us of this daily terror. We have enough laws. We do not need another law, another institution. We need people with rock solid, old fashioned principles and the spine to stand up for their principles.
Which is more that we can ask for.
Cheers!
