By Thangkholun Haokip
In this Land of ours while a helpless poor person who commits a theft to feed his hungry children is promptly put behind bars with third-rated (neglected) citizens while those who plunder the country (looting the people) goes about as Honourable citizens basking in unwarranted glory... merely because they happen to be political bigwigs.
Different scholars may have pointed out different causes of political corruption. But my contention here is that the main factor is the emergence of political elite who believe in self-oriented rather than nation-oriented programmes and policies.
The question is what type of acts of politicians can be called corrupt? Though the term corruption has wide connotations but the following patterns of behaviour can be described as corrupt within the provisions of law: (i) acceptance of gratification as reward for work done in an official capacity. e.g. - granting licence, assigning a project etc. (ii) obtaining any object (car, house, fridge etc) or pecuniary advantage illegally, (iii) fraudulent misappropriation of public money/property (iv) being in possession of financial resources, or property disproportionate to one’s known sources of income, (v) misuse or abuse of official position, (vi) borrowing money for purchasing a costly article from someone with whom one has official dealings, (vii) accepting gifts from persons, and (viii) to use unfair or foul means to get into power and get elected, depriving the people’s voting rights by forfeiting the democratic norms is what matter-most from where corruption originated. “Because corruption is the off-shoot of corrupt and dishonest politicians”.
It would be interesting to refer to some major political scandals in thousands of crores of rupees involving top-politicians a few decades back in the Union Government. Mostly it is the Chief Ministers, Central and State Ministers, and leaders of political parties who are reported to be involved in the scams. But hardly anything has been done to uncover, trace, apprehend, prosecute and punish the culprits, on the plea of lack of evidence.
Some of the notorious scandals involving political corruption pertaining to years 1985 and 1996 such as Bofors Pay-off scandals, Hawala scandals and the Animal Husbandry or Fodder scams.
The Bofors Pay-off Scandals: It was in the year 1987 in which a total amount of Rs. 1,750 crores involved in the purchase of guns from the Swedish firm for the armed forces. It was alleged that a sum of Rs. 64 crores had been paid as kickbacks, though one estimate puts the figure at Rs. 160 crores, and another estimates it as high a figure as Rs. 204 crores. High ranking politicians, including the then Prime Minister were alleged to be involved in the scandal. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was appointed in 1987 to find out the nexus between politicians and recipients of kickbacks. It submitted its report in April 1988 that Bofors had not used any middlemen to win the contract, nor had it paid any bribes. But a South Indian newspaper (The Hindu) pointing out the hollowness of these conclusions made many disclosures of commission paid to middlemen including politicians.
Following the publication of these documents an enquiry was ordered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Enforcement. However, no action had been taken against anybody till date.
The Hawala Scandal: This scam which surfaced in 1991 not only rocked political circle but also the whole country.
— to be contd
In this Land of ours while a helpless poor person who commits a theft to feed his hungry children is promptly put behind bars with third-rated (neglected) citizens while those who plunder the country (looting the people) goes about as Honourable citizens basking in unwarranted glory... merely because they happen to be political bigwigs.
Different scholars may have pointed out different causes of political corruption. But my contention here is that the main factor is the emergence of political elite who believe in self-oriented rather than nation-oriented programmes and policies.
The question is what type of acts of politicians can be called corrupt? Though the term corruption has wide connotations but the following patterns of behaviour can be described as corrupt within the provisions of law: (i) acceptance of gratification as reward for work done in an official capacity. e.g. - granting licence, assigning a project etc. (ii) obtaining any object (car, house, fridge etc) or pecuniary advantage illegally, (iii) fraudulent misappropriation of public money/property (iv) being in possession of financial resources, or property disproportionate to one’s known sources of income, (v) misuse or abuse of official position, (vi) borrowing money for purchasing a costly article from someone with whom one has official dealings, (vii) accepting gifts from persons, and (viii) to use unfair or foul means to get into power and get elected, depriving the people’s voting rights by forfeiting the democratic norms is what matter-most from where corruption originated. “Because corruption is the off-shoot of corrupt and dishonest politicians”.
It would be interesting to refer to some major political scandals in thousands of crores of rupees involving top-politicians a few decades back in the Union Government. Mostly it is the Chief Ministers, Central and State Ministers, and leaders of political parties who are reported to be involved in the scams. But hardly anything has been done to uncover, trace, apprehend, prosecute and punish the culprits, on the plea of lack of evidence.
Some of the notorious scandals involving political corruption pertaining to years 1985 and 1996 such as Bofors Pay-off scandals, Hawala scandals and the Animal Husbandry or Fodder scams.
The Bofors Pay-off Scandals: It was in the year 1987 in which a total amount of Rs. 1,750 crores involved in the purchase of guns from the Swedish firm for the armed forces. It was alleged that a sum of Rs. 64 crores had been paid as kickbacks, though one estimate puts the figure at Rs. 160 crores, and another estimates it as high a figure as Rs. 204 crores. High ranking politicians, including the then Prime Minister were alleged to be involved in the scandal. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was appointed in 1987 to find out the nexus between politicians and recipients of kickbacks. It submitted its report in April 1988 that Bofors had not used any middlemen to win the contract, nor had it paid any bribes. But a South Indian newspaper (The Hindu) pointing out the hollowness of these conclusions made many disclosures of commission paid to middlemen including politicians.
Following the publication of these documents an enquiry was ordered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Enforcement. However, no action had been taken against anybody till date.
The Hawala Scandal: This scam which surfaced in 1991 not only rocked political circle but also the whole country.
— to be contd
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