Shun corruption

SO entrenched is corruption in the Indian social and political reality that any resolve to counter it instantly runs into thick clouds of pessimism. A sense of resignation with regard to the status quo runs deep. Yet, for hope to filter through, the significance of terse plainspeak at the highest echelons cannot be overstated. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna’s call to reinforce systems of accountability and fairness is a reminder of how the citizen continues to be let down. Corruption as a hydra-headed monster that undermines public trust and hinders the ideals of democracy is an apt description. Equally crucial is the CJI’s emphasis that the success of the anti-corruption ombudsman, the Lokpal, hinges on public trust and citizen engagement. It’s the ability of the little man or woman to hold the big and powerful accountable, as he put it.

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It’s indisputable that corruption can be rooted out only with the help of an educated and engaged citizenry. What’s essentially missing — and that’s the hydra on the ground — is institutional support. The social contract between the government and citizens to safeguard against corruption remains breached, and the gap is only widening. The referee agencies have been found wanting. Public trust is the sum total of the efficacy of the systemic reaction and action on complaints and grievances at every level. Nothing less will suffice.

What the citizen has come to recognise is the futility of standing up against corrupt practices, small or big. Nothing weakens the national character more than a social sanction to graft and an official stamp, as it were, to the right to cheat. All organs of democracy are to blame. If you truly desire change, revitalise the institutions. Else, expect a more shrivelled moral and ethical fibre in an average Indian.