Designing counters, not corridors for tackling corruption

There is a silent revolution taking place in the country which might get ignored in what some might call  cacophony at  Jantar Mantar but which has indeed served a purpose. The revolution is about the realization that people must speak up, that it matters. The habitual inertia, cynicism is giving way.  We should remember that when Jaya Prakash Narayan gave the call of Total Revolution way back in 1974-75, there was a much wider awakening, thousands of people went to jail during emergency and a vast majority chose to succumb, `crawl, when they were asked to bend’, as was said then. What have we learned from Janata Government after that and several other governments since?  If Ministers after ministers decided to allocate resources under their charge to those places and people whom they liked ignoring public interest or maintaining the objective criteria of allocation, did any popular protest take place. People accepted that discretionary power of this kind was ok. Recently when head of a national party wanted such discretionary powers to be given up, the government of that party disagreed. When head of organizations like CAG and other constitutional bodies start speaking at public platform that people should be more vigilant and without their support, these bodies may not discharge their responsibility, may be we are asking for a cultural revolution.

But let me revert to the lessons of Total Revolution which tell us why the institutional renewal, in the true sense has not been taken up in the right earnest. Why reports of Police Commission, Administrative Reforms Commission, Education Commissions etc., gather dust and piecemeal changes are effected if at all, Is not because the recommendations are considered  good but no body wants to rock the boat of expediency and short cuts.

Several  lessons still stare us: why did JP not insist that an agenda of institutional renewal and reconnect with masses  be taken up, why did he lose interest, just as Gandhi did after independence. Not many may remember that Gandhi did not want the rulers of this country to live in New Delhi’s  big bungalows, and wanted Rashtrapati Bhavan to be converted into a hospital. Why do leaders like JP and even Gandhi fail in remodeling institutions, why do colonial structures continue to rule our minds and daily life still. May be they did not fail, we failed them.  We did not take recourse to frugality, accessibility, accountability, and affordability in whatever we did. We designed corridors and not counters.  We started expecting that since some one in position of power was known to us, we should get our way through regardless of merit. We would not wait in queue even while visiting a temple, not to say while waiting for bus. Who lost, who suffered. The one who  was weaker, who could not elbow out the stronger, mightier commuter, richer devotee. Where do we begin then?

In every role, we start speaking out when the situation so demands and willingly suffer the consequence. But will it happen, will opportunism go away just because some people wish it to be. No, it will not go away. We ought to go through a cathartic process and let all those who believe in corruption free India start with making confessions to their children( or younger colleagues) first: when did they cut a corner, when did they teach without doing justice to the class or the students, when did they bend polices or their interpretation to suit particular interest, when did they recruit head of institutions  or other key role players on grounds other than merit, when did they deny genuine request of some well meaning change agents and when did they succumb to parochial, regional, religious,  or sectarian temptations…..

The list is long and the time is short. I hope some will begin this process and earn a right to bequeath a cleaner India to their children,  and younger colleagues, and also a deeper sleep, lighter journey ahead…..

One man or one institution  with no matter how much power or righteous, even if lokpal, can not rid our country of corruption. We need to repair every puncture in the tube, because there are so many. One patch, no matter how big, and strong will not do. To say that all institutions   are corrupt does not help, are we doing away with democracy, and multiple institutions, no matter how faulty?While Lokpal is needed, but  this alone will not stem, the rot. Sorry, Anna, if I can not let the greater purpose  of institutional renewal off the agenda, I know, you also want it. But not all those who accompany you may…….

Anil K Gupta