'Corruption is no longer an issue' (SPECIAL)
By Rupa Chatterjee, Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) From landless farmers to wealthy industrialists no one denies that corruption is eating into India's vitals. And many concede that the blame does not belong entirely to the much-maligned political class, though others inevitably point the finger of suspicion towards those in power. No Indian was really surprised by the latest Transparency International "corruption perception index" that showed India remained among the countries seen as the world's most corrupt. But what is beginning to worry some is that this serious blot on India's reputation does not seem to bother most Indians. "The tragedy is that we are all complacent about corruption. We no longer condemn it as an evil. Corruption in polity and bureaucracy is no longer an issue. We do not feel outraged when we hear of corruption," moaned Mazhar Hussain, a Hyderabad-based voluntary worker. "Politicians alone can't be blamed for this evil. Everybody is indulging in corruption at some level," agreed Abdul Waheed Naoman, a computer applications student at Hyderabad's Government City College. Concurred Manoj Mohapatra, a third year science student at Utkal University in Bhubaneswar: "We are all responsible for making India a corrupt country. Politicians alone cannot be blamed. When we go to a government office, we offer bribes to officials to get our work done quickly. We need to correct ourselves." Said Tarun Khanna, an industrialist based in the Uttar Pradesh city of Kanpur: "We all are to blame for corruption -- both those who give money and those who accept it." Vece Paes, hockey Olympian and father of Indian tennis star Leander Paes, sees a difference in the nature of corruption at various levels. "At the low level it is about earning the extra buck while at the higher level it is the greed for big money," Paes said in Kolkata. Said Sanjay Singh, a Delhi University lecturer: "Corruption has structural roots. India is still not a genuinely democratic country and we are still deeply feudal in character. That is why for those in power to appropriate money never becomes an ethical question." Most still blame India's politicians, pointing to the spate of bribery scandals that have rocked government after government since the 1980s -- the kickbacks involving Sweden's Bofors company, a money-laundering scam and a stinging military corruption scandal uncovered by a Web portal last year, to name a few. Said Meena Nair, a housewife in New Delhi: "India, especially our politician, is unquestionably corrupt. And the worst part is that the common man appears to be least bothered." Agreed Subash Panda, the owner of a hotel in Bhubaneswar: "Today the aim of all politicians is to mint money. They do not think of this corruption." "Indian citizens are administered the poison of corruption every day. Politicians and bureaucrats are responsible for this," said N.P. Mishra, a retired professor of Patna University now based in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Rued Sawai Singh, a Gandhian in Rajasthan's capital Jaipur: "For an ordinary citizen -- the person on the street, farmer, labourer -- there is a parallel government of corruption. It is a dangerous indicator." "There are no values among people in top positions in India who indulge in crimes and corruption and yet manage to go scot-free because of money and muscle power," remarked Arunima Rajkhowa, a college teacher in Guwahati, Assam. Hyderbad's Mazhar Hussain felt the economically disadvantaged sections bore the brunt of corruption. Parvati Devi, a landless woman tiller based near Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow, couldn't agree more. Even two years after she was allotted a plot of land, she hasn't been able to till it to earn a living because she has not paid Rs.2,000 in bribe to an official in the revenue department. "Every now and then complaints are made against my allotment and I have to run from pillar to post to save my land," Parvati Devi complained. Said a leading Kolkata-based industrialist who did not wish to be identified: "Corruption is thrust upon those who don't want to be corrupt. Today if I don't pay bribe, I'll simply not have a job done. As I can't afford this, I have to pay. It is a vicious cycle. "The question of who is to blame -- the giver or taker of bribe -- is like the chicken-or-egg case." Added Hyderabad housewife Usha: "It is the consumer culture being propagated through the media which is to blame. We have become greedy." Summed up Kolkata-based Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee: "We have become more materialistic. This has resulted in a higher demand for money. As income sources for most people are limited, they are forced to take recourse to corruption." (With inputs from Sanjib K. Baruah, Nityanand Shukla, Mohammed Shafeeq, Sharat Pradhan, Krittivas Mukherjee, Jatindra Dash, Syed Zarir Hussain and Soni Sinha.) --Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
