We, and many others, breathed a collective sigh of relief when, two weeks ago, Indian politicians resolved the Anna crisis by doing what politicians do best: placating an angry public through high minded rhetoric and vague commitments. No doubt they will find a way out of fulfilling these already weak commitments. Or, at least, we hope they will. As horrible an affliction as corruption is, it is no excuse for violating the constitution and the democratic ideals of the country. Nor, for that matter, is it grounds for doing away with private enterprise as some have suggested. (For all the money lost in the 2G scam would anyone seriously prefer that we go back to the old days in which a single state-run company controls all telephone services?)
Fortunately, there are remedies for the sickness of corruption that don’t involve killing off the patient. Recent debate over corruption has focused largely on what form the new anti-corruption body – Lokpal – should take in order to punish the corrupt and to act as a credible deterrent. The activism surrounding the Jan Lokpal bill has mostly resorted to high decibel rhetoric, such as calls to gherao politicians’ residences, demands to hold a referendum etc – which we feel sets a dangerous precedent for constitutional democracy in our country. While punishing the corrupt is certainly an important component of controlling corruption, it is only part of the solution. If we are to have a real impact on corruption we must not only punish offenders but also reduce the incentive for people to engage in corruption in the first place and make it easier for the media, courts, and even ordinary citizens to spot and call attention to instances of corruption. In the high pitched battle over the Lokpal, there are a few basics that the public debate seems to be missing at the moment.
In this piece, we mention a few ways we can restrain corruption without restraining democracy:
- Excerpt from our piece published on livemint
Fortunately, there are remedies for the sickness of corruption that don’t involve killing off the patient. Recent debate over corruption has focused largely on what form the new anti-corruption body – Lokpal – should take in order to punish the corrupt and to act as a credible deterrent. The activism surrounding the Jan Lokpal bill has mostly resorted to high decibel rhetoric, such as calls to gherao politicians’ residences, demands to hold a referendum etc – which we feel sets a dangerous precedent for constitutional democracy in our country. While punishing the corrupt is certainly an important component of controlling corruption, it is only part of the solution. If we are to have a real impact on corruption we must not only punish offenders but also reduce the incentive for people to engage in corruption in the first place and make it easier for the media, courts, and even ordinary citizens to spot and call attention to instances of corruption. In the high pitched battle over the Lokpal, there are a few basics that the public debate seems to be missing at the moment.
In this piece, we mention a few ways we can restrain corruption without restraining democracy:
- Excerpt from our piece published on livemint
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