Let's not Hurry... Too many in the anti-corruption bandwagon

Interestingly, with the initiation of the Lokpal Bill or the Jan Lokpal Billl, certain politicians, never heard of before are finding voice. They argue the lacunae in the proposed bill and say that politicians, rightfully, have a say. They are right. They need to have a voice. Everybody needs to have a voice. No clique should be allowed to make this Bill its property.

However, let us look back a little and see why this bill's idea came into the picture in the first place. It was the frustration of the common man, in which he/she saw that the people who they have voted to power have appropriated all that was public and made it into a personal fiefdom. The experiences aren't recent – these have been happening since Independence.

Morally, Indian politicians, as a breed, have slowly but surely denied themselves the right to be heard in decent, law-abiding fora. That they are a bunch of self-seekers has been proved beyond doubt. No number of columns by politicians will wash the blood off their hands, not even in elitist dailies that purport to uphold high values even while failing to explain how their niggardly business modules and revenues can justify such high salaries and other expenses. No amount of debate will suddenly wash away the stench of decades of corruption that the public has seen the politician delve into. The idea of the Indian politician as a shameless, corrupt, self-seeking, amoral, sub-human species is there to stay. How many decent, educated youths of today, brought up in decent families, would want to go a mile near politics?

Then, that the Indian sense of probity, too, is frail, is proved in the Shanti Bhusan land scam. The very nature of the Bill forming mandarins are in doubt.

So is all of Indian society in doubt? No really. There are millions of decent, law-abiding, god-fearing people around. That is why the country as we know it runs. It runs DESPITE the corruption. Not because of it.

Look at all the systems instituted in independent India to serve the people. Name one institution that hasn't gone corrupt. Name one set of office bearers or babus in any office where bribes have not found its way in. If you are an 'ordinary' citizen, without 'connections' you will come up against huge walls that will break your zeal, will force you to compromise on your sense of decency. If you wish to stay upright, you will also stay poor. This has become one of the most corrupt nations on earth and something needed to be done about it.

Hence the Lokpal Bill. But now we have corruption within the formation of that bill. When you see this you realise how far reaching and how deep this malaise is.

My idea is to not hurry with this Lokpal Bill. Let it go through debates and arguments and counter-arguments. Let us rfealise what we are making before it becomes another white elephant on our backs, claiming its existence in taxes. Let us not make for ourselves a device which legalises the illegitimate. Let us be a little more patient. The Politicians won't be more corrupt by then, the Judges will anyway get their land, the administration will keep taking its quota of bribes, but finally maybe there will be a way out.

Let us not hurry.