Under the table -1

We may have won the World Cup this time around, but this was despite the team’s longstanding fielding woes. It’s common knowledge that Indians make the worst fielding side in cricket. This must have something to do with all those greased palms.

Graft is such a big part of Indian society. There’s hardly a day when we don’t have screaming headlines in newspapers that take great pride in having exposed corrupt bureaucrats. Well, that’s rich, coming from a media fraternity that has been dogged with paid news scandals and playing power broker for money in the government cabinet.

So is there is any way out of this never ending cycle of bribes, kickbacks and under-the-table shenanigans? Is there a chance for greater transparency?

This is why 2005 was a defining year in our six decades of statehood. That year, the government passed the Right to Information Act, the first move towards greater transparency in the system.

Activists describe this act being “being more powerful than a gun.” Every public office is required by law to put records of all public spending up for public access. Any of these details can be accessed with a simple letter to the information officer, who is bound to reply in under 30 days or be penalized.

The RTI has shaken up the political establishment and several activists have blown the lid off some of the biggest instances of public money fraud. Often, this has come at a price, like Amar Nath Pandey’s case, for instance. The 55-year-old social worker was shot at on two occasions and attacked after he used the RTI Act to uncover fraud in a government scheme for the poor.

However, the common man needs to realize that he can fight corruption with RTI application. Most often, it’s a sheer lack of will that deters people from taking on the system through these legitimate means.

Another way to tackle corruption is the establishment of regulatory mechanisms in the different sectors of bureaucracy and government. The Lok Ayukta in Karnataka achieved the impossible when they initiated the investigations against Chief Minister Yeddyurappa late last year. We need to build mechanisms to real teeth and not limit their powers.

The media in Indian need to be held accountable as well. Outlook’s editor recently admitted that several journalists are on corporate and government payrolls, including the late Ayub Syed and R.K. Karanjia, whose list of “bosses” even included Colonel Gadaffi! It’s important that the media introspects and cleans up before its casts another stone at the government. The Radia tapes showed just deeply entrenched our media is in the mire of corruption.

Finally, the ultimate drive against corruption can only come from the masses. It’s time we said no to pay the cops off every time we jump a signal. It’s time we refused to slip the clerk at a land office an extra 200 rupees to get our work done faster. It’s time we stopped whining about “the system” and actually did our little bit to change it.