Pay and get paid

“Many men stumble across the truth ... but most manage to pick themselves up and continue as if nothing had happened.” Winston S Churchill

When I applied for my driver's license, I learned that I had a choice. Either I could take the test, fail and then pay a bribe for a license, or I could bypass the test and simply pay the official a bribe and receive my license. Judging from the standard of driving in here, I would say that most of us chose the latter course.

      Everything is legal  in Kashmir as long as one doesn’t get caught. And the good news for corrupt guys out here is that nobody ever gets caught.  All  know what is happening behind the closed doors, but no one feels the need to blow the whistle. Why? Because we understand nothing is going to change. On the contrary you might be the one to get punished. Corruption here is as much a tradition as the winter Harisa – A must have! In our offices there is more greasing going on under the table than in a red light area.  If the new building is having trouble passing a Municipality rule, the chief there might find a new Ford Icon in the driveway and the problem is solved.

            Corruption is present in many forms, namely political corruption, bribery, trading of influence, graft and undue patronage. Other forms include nepotism and cronyism, electoral and voter fraud, embezzlement, kickbacks, unholy alliances, tax doggeries and tender rigging. In our setup, corruption is not only an offshoot of collapsed social and governmental institutions, nor is it just the result of a hostile economic environment. The roots go much deeper and are symptomatic of the gradual but residual breakdown of our societal values and morality. It is the result of our failure to distinguish right from wrong, and of a collective refusal to condemn dishonesty. It reflects the wrenching reality of a city of shame. This stems from the fact that from a peon to the top echelon, this predatory organism has eaten away our integrity and bit each and every stratum of people.

              We are a society full of people with no scruples. Most of us go on a rampage and binge on endless quantities of lucre, trying to milk out everything and anything to the best of our abilities. All rationales crumble in the face of our greed as we are determined to rip off at all costs. We have become just mini-me effigies of our heroes who are at the helm of the affairs in higher authority - the central government administrators.

              Of course it is much easier to condemn corrupt practices than to actually eradicate them. But we can start by enforcing the many laws that already exist to fight the kickback culture. We can also use motivational techniques to rectify the apparent lack of civic duty among those guiding the workforce. And, of course, promote leadership at all levels of society that actually set a positive example worth following. From our streets to the Ministers, from individual families to big organisations to the communities, transparency must be nurtured and groomed because it is corruption’s worst enemy and, therefore, the most effective tool in fighting it. 

           Corruption is in the soil, and pruning the stray branches won’t get the job done.  So to eradicate corruption, one must tackle both the givers and the takers. Egregiously corrupt, high-profile, public figures and institutions must be singled out for harsh treatment and thus demonstrate that no one is above the law. The strengthening of institutions is of critical importance including the police, the courts, the tax authorities and the media which must be subjected to a massive overhaul. It most probably would entail the replacement of most of the current, irredeemably corrupt personnel. But to believe that we can fix it completely and get it out of our blood would be unrealistic unless there is an attempt of moral revolution to destroy the quagmire in which we are stuck in today.

Dr. Rubina Lone is Assistant Professor Department of Microbiology at SKIMS Medical College and can be reached at rubynask@gmail.com