The dictionary definition of the word "politics" is: sum total of activities undertaken to remain in power - I hope you have noted the absence of any moral or ethical tinge to this definition.
I vividly remember how sad I had felt [I was only about 14 years old then] one afternoon when we received news of President Kennedy's assassination at Dallas. From his debonair looks - an ideal family - beautiful & rich wife, he appeared to be an honest person & a role model, at least to a young teenager like me - thousands of miles away. Some years ago I read in Reader's Digest [the report was based on declassified information - apparently USA has an endearing rule which compulsorily declassifes all information after 30 years] that President Kennedy's family was deep into bootlegging and running brothels - in fact his Presidential election was financed mainly from this income; that he himself was a womaniser [though this last one isn't particularly deplorable by moral standards prevalent in that country]. I was reminded of a saying in Marathi : दिसत तस् नसत (things aren't as they appear) and realised that this is absolutely true for politicians everywhere in the world.
Politicians do not have an opinion of their own: They do not like to be painted into a corner because one never knows when one will have to come out in support of something that is diametrically opposite (remember everything is justified to remain in power - let principles go to hell). By nature therefore they have to be "chameleons" - changing colours and pretending as if they were on the winning side all along. So we have Congress aligning with Jayalalita once and with Karunanidhi immediately thereafter only to talk again to Jayalalita, if the situation so demands. LK Advani's support to Pragya who is an accused in the Malegaon blasts was also finalised by the BJP think tank after a market research indicated that there is a groundswell of sympathy for her amongst Hindus in the country. The acid test for a political party before finalising its stand on any issue is to ask itself "Will I get more votes if I say so?" and never "What is the truth?" It is absolutely true that politicians make strange bedfellows. In a lighter vein somebody has hit the nail on the head by saying that "a politician shakes your hand before elections and your confidence thereafter.
Politicians are dishonest when it comes to MONEY: They are after all "human" and like मेनका enticed विश्वामित्र they too are surrounded by so many monetarily corrupting opportunities, that they would need to be super humans, not to succumb to these temptations. The vicious circle is perennial because laws reducing corruption need to be passed by these very politicians - who will ever agree to kill the golden goose? Those who appear "honest" have carefully cultivated that image and ensured that they never got caught. Approving illegal things to be carried out by ones henchmen does not absolve any senior leader from the blame. Political parties in a coalition government routinely demand certain ministries based on their estimate of how much unaccounted money they could generate. There is no end in sight to remove this malaise unless we fully empower departments like Central Vigilance Commission and remove "crime investigation" arm of the police from under a political appointee like the home minister.
Power corrupts: Unless we have fast track courts to settle all cases of corruption against politicians (realising that they indeed are the fountainheads of corruption) , they will continue to live in the safety of their self given immunities and mock the laws of the land. The immense power that resides in them due to the public offices they enjoy must be accompanied with maximum accountability. So intoxicated with power they sometimes are that all opposition is sought to be silenced -the nexus with criminal elements is a natural offshoot. An apolitical judiciary outside the influence of these politicians together with quick disposal of cases should be able to mitigate this problem considerably. However as recent exposures suggest, the judiciary itself is falling prey to this malaise.
Politicians forget that they have been appointed and not anointed: The immense political and monetary power is addictive. Soon politicians think they are Gods. It is aptly said that diapers and politicians need to be changed often and for the same reason. Experts in political science call this "anti incumbency" factor. Raj Thackeray has amply demonstrated that to be on the front page of all leading dailies of the country, you do not have to buy advertisements like corporates do. The easier method would be to smash taxis (belonging to someone else) and beat up others. I think he has shown sharp business skills in cornering costly newspaper space by creating news rather than buying ads.
Friends, I sincerely feel that politics is a universal vocation where success demands intellectual and monetary dishonesty - don't ever think corruption in politics is restricted only to India. Do send me your innovative suggestions on how to tackle this rot and also your ideas about how to motivate honest people to enter politics so that the "average honesty" of this group creeps upwards??
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4 comments:
I think it will make a big difference if the educated middle class momentarily gives up its skepticism and starts voting. This will be significant especially considering how "young" India today is. But how to awaken a whole section of society at once?
The answer lies again, in corporate India. If corporations make a policy to ask all its employees to vote (maybe offer some minor incentives like some hours of paid leave) the word can get around. I would put it as a smaller, corporate version of the Australian law that makes voting mandatory. More than umpteen yatras and door-to-door campaigns, I think this will work because the young generation responds better to corporate directions. As the tsunamis showed us, the young work force surpasses most others in society when it comes to working for the greater good.
This will work because the entire vote bank of these politicians, which they assume is too poor, illiterate and gullible will suddenly change (at least the perception will be so, since the middle class seems both educated and smart). As you have rightly pointed out, vote banks is the only driving force for these politicians, and its time we used it against them.
Dear Prakash,
I must admire your viewpoints and ability to take up very thought provoking topics.
Do please keep it up. It will hone up your capacity to be a public thinker of very high caliber
There are three types of people in this country. One - the smart and intelligent. These are the capable types and can also be classified as winners. They dont take shit from others and therefore you can find them taking care of their own business or businesses. They are highly educated and are also responsive to the needs and happiness of others. They work hard, earn a lot of money and spend on growth and charity.
Second - the mediocre types. They can be found in all offices - business, governmnet and NGO. They work for others, have an opinion about every thing but will not act on anything. They are quite as long as they get their salary in the first week of the month. When that stops, they start agitation on the streets. They work hard at increasing the population, are very god fearing and time-pass is their favorite occupation.
The third are the weak and poor people (monetary as well as intelligence), who are mostly on or below the poverty line. They put up with slums and other in human conditions because they cannot imagine comming out of it.
Now the politicians are the cunning characters belonging to the second category of people. They fear the smartness of the first category people and therefore dont want them in politics. They only use the money of the first category people in return for benefits to their industries. But they feed on the lack of vision and initiative of the second and third category people to stay on in politics.
After independence, we have been ruled by mediocre people. However they are not to be blamed. We deserve the politicians we have elected because we have not taken the whole issue of governance and democracy seriously. We dont have leaders, we have only pigmys putting up an act. And we the public who vote for them are even smaller in stature.
Power corrupts is perhaps the obvious explanation but this ubiquitous and always adaptive nature of this simple phenomenon baffles yokels like me and you.
Let be in their shoes: Will we be equally corrupt if given power ? My answer is YES ... you take your call.
My yes is because i am a produce of the system which has made me to yearn for power and use it for self benefit when i acquire it. It is not new, it is as old as HUMANE RACE is.
My this opinion may find NO SOLUTION out of this labyrinth but unfortunately that is the state today and we are not ready to change. Perhaps we can't change.
A light of hope can be from the basic tenets of management Fayol favored delegation and that’s the way we can dilute the power center and give chance to every body in the system to show his character. It may sound chaotic but that will take away stability factor from the power and that perhaps create a fear losing power on the first detection of corruption. This delegation do not calls for lose ended RTI but it is about empowering the educated voters to bring down corrupt power center in swift action. A politician accountable to last voter and Shall be allowed to live only like a Syanshi without any monetary benefits , without any personal interest just devoted to Desh Seva.
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