essay on public participation promoting integrity and combating corruption
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It is extremely unfortunate that though India is the world’s largest democracy, the nation’s reputation is at stake because of rampant corruption. Eradicating corruption is not a task that can be accomplished by a single person. Instead, it needs to be become a public cause. It is only through active and persistent participation of the people that any anti-corruption campaign can be successful. There are many small ways in which each citizen can make a difference.
In today’s modern world, people are always running short of time. That is the reason why they try to bribe their way out of problems. For instance if an individual gets a ticket for speeding violations, the person would probably prefer bribing the cop on the spot instead of having to go through the entire process. However, when people change their lifestyle a little and try to live life at a slower pace, there will be no desperation to save time, thus bringing down corruption and improving the overall quality of life, including health.
With not many people having the time to pay attention to principles, value education is undergoing a crisis these days. If parents across the nation decide to actively promote integrity and values within their own homes, it will definitely make a difference. It will stop them from bribing officials and will also help the next generation grow up into righteous citizens. Each individual and more so, each educated child is a potential agent of change.
Further, given the high levels of illiteracy and general ignorance in the nation, it is but obvious that many people do not have access to or lack the ability to source reliable information. As a result, they fall prey to the false promises made by touts and middlemen who in connivance with unscrupulous government officials, charge them exorbitant fees for services that should be rendered for free or for much lesser charges. If people share correct information with others, there will be lesser chances of others being cheated, thus checking corrupt practices. Also, the citizens should be aware of whom to approach officially, in case of any such grievance.
Besides promoting awareness, there is also a need to ensure that whistleblowers in graft cases are able to live safely after exposing the corrupt officials. The bureaucracy in India is unfortunately so powerful that anyone who spills the beans is targeted. There have been numerous cases of honest IAS officers being harassed for publicly opposing the wrongdoings of others holding government posts. If there is a strong public reaction against any such victimization of honest people, those doing unlawful things will get the message and mend their ways, to avoid being apprehended and then sentenced.
The government in a democratic country has to take cognizance of the issues raised by its citizens. Hence, if the general public wants, it can easily build pressure on the government to formulate stringent anti-corruption laws, including laws to check tax evasion and hoarding of black money in international safe havens like Switzerland. With the laws in place, the judiciary needs to ensure that each case of reported corruption is dealt with sternly, keeping in mind the interests of the nation. Interference from the top brass should not be tolerated. Also, the embezzled amount should be recovered from the guilty, by attaching any properties if necessary. Doing so will not just set a good precedent, but also get the tax payer’s money back to the national treasury where it rightfully belongs.
Furthermore, the public must learn to vote in a sensible and responsible manner. People need to wake up to the fact that a politician who has been part of a scam is not trust worthy and should not be voted back to power. There needs to be a consensus at least among the educated population, to outright reject any candidate who has been indicted in a case of corruption. The nation needs to rise above favourism in terms of petty factors like religion and caste. It would be very helpful if the Election Commission forbids such candidates to fight election altogether. That again is something that public mandate can ensure.
There is a lot of scope for the public to effectively promote integrity and eradicate corruption. Given the rare possibility of the state of affairs improving on their own, the onus of ushering in a change lies with the common people.
