Hi Bhargavi,

I understand your viewpoint and agree with you on many of them. It is true that we in India were expected to internalize corruption as a bitter pill, the moment our late PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi stated in Parliament that corruption is a "global phenomenon" and pretty much left it at that.
Few people know that Singapore, a City State was plagued with rampant corruption in the 1970s-80s. However, unlike our celebrated politicians, the leaders of Singapore decided to fight against the systemic corruption which started affecting its economic growth and international perception. Since 1990s SG has been a model govt for many a democracy, with several CMs of India wanting to convert their cities on the lines of SG. But, as someone who has travelled to South Asian countries, I feel our politicians won't get even close to that ambition. Even Bangkok, the poorer cousin of Singapore, is way ahead in city planning, infrastructure, housing, etc. Even the biggest metros of India, such as Delhi and Mumbai are decades behind in devt compared with Bangkok, and I won't even bother to compare it with Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, which are one of the best planned and developed cities nearby.
Coming back to corruption, it has seeped into the political and administrative system from top to bottom. Citizens like you and I see the ugly face of corruption at the grass-root levels when we visit a police station or any other govt office. But, what's been frustrating people in recent times is the corruption at the very top, including the highest office of the land - the PMO. As the Supreme Court rightly admonished the PMO in the 2G scam case, inaction amounts to abetment of a crime.
More so because people have been faced with increasing inflation and other hardships in making ends meet, while the netas and babus have been flaunting their ill-gotten wealth plundered from the exchequer.
I have been a reluctant supporter of the recent agitation by Anna Hazare on the Lokpal Bill issue. I have mixed opinion about such agitations which seek answers outside the system rather than make the existing system work. Moreover, after reading the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by the civil society members and aides of Anna Hazare, eminent persons such as the Bhushans, Arvind Kejriwal, Justice Hegde, and perhaps Kiran Bedi, I am appalled at various inherent impractical provisions in the Jan Lokpal Bill. It has as many loopholes as the official draft, if not more. The Jan Lokpal bill draft seeks to vest too much power in the hands of one institution (hopefully not in one person, if and when the Bill sees the light of the day !). It is always dangerous to vest the powers of investigator, prosecutor, and judge in the same person / institution, and is arguably even undemocratic in the basic sense. Absolute power can corrupt the best of human beings.
I believe we already have enough laws to fight against corruption in public life. Where we lack is in its enforcement and implementation in letter and spirit. The US Constitution is one of the shortest, and India's is one of the most voluminous one in the world. That doesn't make Indians better and more law-abiding citizens. In fact, most of our laws including the pillars of our legal system - the Indian Penal Code, and the Criminal Procedure Code - were enacted during the British rule, that too in the later half of the 19th century. It is remarkable that neither the founding fathers of our Constitution, nor their illustrious successors thereafter, ever thought of replacing such archaic laws and replaced them with more relevant and enforceable legislation in "free India". Being obedient followers of the same old British era laws, bureaucracy, judiciary, etc. I wonder why we celebrate Independence Day at all !! Though the British rule ended in 1947, it has remained in force in both letter and spirit thanks to the myopic vision of the leaders we have had since then, who never introspected its relevance or tried to overhaul the complete system of governance or administration.
Perhaps the problem of corruption has risen to be like the Frankenstein's Monster due to its all-pervading effect on our political, administrative, social, and moral systems. There is no sphere of our life which is untouched by corrupt practices. Unlike in the 1960s or so, people are no longer stigmatized for giving or taking bribes. In fact, the social system has undergone such radical changes that people flaunt their capability of amassing wealth through such ill-gotten means. Hence, for any crime to be outlawed it needs to command as much social sanction as a legal one. Unless people are ashamed of taking or giving bribes to jump the queue or seek/give undue favours, and are ostracised by society, the disease of corruption will grow into an epidemic.
I suggest a simple exercise. Just think of 10 neighbours or relatives and cross your heart and say how many of them are not corrupt. That would be a fair indication of how deep-rooted the problem has grown into.
In my humble opinion, what is needed is stricter enforcement of existing laws and making governance more transparent. The answer to a failed system or legislation is not more legislation. Hence, I wish Anna Hazare had petitioned the PM / Sonia Gandhi (his latest hobby, I gather from the media) to enforce the rule of law and strengthen existing mechanisms and institutions like the CAG, CVC, CBI, CAG, and make them autonomous and answerable only to the Parliament. Such radical changes alone can make a more wide-spread impact. Getting one more institution or layer of bureaucracy won't make up for the deficiencies of other similar institutions. Let's hope good sense prevails on all concerned in this regard.
Regards,
Ramesh