This Could Be A Way How We Could Reduce Corruption In India !

About my perception about the wide spread prevalence of corruption in my country, I have wrote some of my hypotheses about it in these columns. If you have n't seen it before, you may have a look at these by clicking the links below:

1. A Corrupt Society ....Trying to Fight Corruption Brings About More Corruption !

2. Best Way to Have a Freely Corrupt Society while Officially Fighting Corruption !

3. Why Corruption Cannot Be Eradicated in Democratic India Now ?

4. Propagating Corruption Through ATM Machines and Preventing It Too !

While people with corruptible minds are every where, it is not possible to eradicate corruption totally from any society so long as such people exist.

But those high profile corruptions which are perpetuated by those in high positions and authority in a democratic system could be reduced to a great extent if the society could some how make certain systemic changes in the rule books.

In democratic India, the Constitution has overlooked one very important aspect of democracy. The Constitution of India is not making a ceiling on the time period for the top elected posts of the country such as the President, the Prime Minister, the Chief Ministers, etc. Though it specifies the term for a particular government, it is not making any ceiling on the number of terms an individual could be in a position of high authority.

For example, in one of the best democracies in the world today, the United States of America, no President can be in office for more than two terms or eight years. However good the President may be, perpetuation of his or her rule indefinitely could be something against the spirit of a true democratic rule !

In effect, a democracy with out a limit on the individual's term of authority is not a democracy at all. It has no difference from the aristocracy that many nations followed in the past. Looking in this perspective, India is not a democracy at all ! It is being ruled now by neo aristocrats in rotation or by mutual understandings. Alliances are nothing but conveniences to perpetuate self interests of a few and are not with any willful mandate of the majority people !

The individuals remain the same, though the titles they hold may change periodically ! Political scientists should invent a new term for this kind of a cracy ! Now for effecting the title changes, elections are held and huge money has to be spend by the title holders.

Now if the title holders have to spend money for this, they have to get back the money some how. They are bound to use their positions of authority for that and that leads to corruption induced by those in high authority. If the fence eats the crop, what could be done ? In a way how could any one blame these individuals because of an original fault in the Constitution that could not be foreseen earlier when it was drafted ?

It is a vicious circle. If any Indian wants to serve his nation and his society, he or she has to spend huge amounts and efforts to get the attention of the people so that the latter could think of electing him or her. If he or she becomes successful this way, then he or she has to get back those amounts that was spent earlier and the system does not have a legal method for refunding the amount spent. The option left is to get back the amount by adopting such methods that are not defined in the rule books. 

There is another danger to this. If the person tries to adopt such a method and get back the amounts, then he or she has violated the rule books and could be caught at any time later when his or her authority weakens. 

So he or she has to do all such things to retain the authority or get back to the authority in the future also till he or she dies. That means a perpetuation of corruption by this individual who has become a member of the demo-cratic system called politics.

Logically, there appears two things by which the Indian system could escape this vicious circle of perpetuation of corruption by those in high authorities.

First, let the rule book be amended so that the term of authority for the top elected posts of the President and the PM and perhaps the CMs are limited to say a maximum of ten years.

Second, let there be a change in the rule books by which there is provision of refunding of election expenses for the winners. Remember, it is the winner who is bound to seek the positions of authority  for trying the illegal means to get back his or her money spend on the elections.

As I have explained earlier, there is no guarantee that this will eliminate corruption.

Perhaps there is a possibility that those who are left with some moral goodness in their consciousness would at least  not try to justify their wrongs and hopefully adopt a path of righteousness. And if it happens, it would be a great milestone of achievement to India !

But again, such a change in the rule book is now possible only when this country is fortunate to get a strong leader at the top who is willing to act saying : ' enough is enough now and let me do it now for my people' !

[Please also take some time to come back and read my previous  blogs and blogs on other topics as well. You can reach to those by clicking the links in this page. I would be happy if you take some time to express your views using the comments facility down below. Please  use the same comment facility to interact with me for any doubts or clarifications that you might have. Here is the page link which gives the   list of all my blogs  where you can open all my blog titles.]