Dear Friends,
For a long time now I have been trying to attract public attention to the very important and much neglected issue of corruption in the private sector. I have written a series of articles under the omnibus title "Thieves Of The Private Sector" on this issue. Through these articles I have tried to highlight and underscore the fact that the genesis of the corruption in the public sector lies in the greed of the private sector.
I have given numerous examples of blatant corruption and looting of public money by the private sector in these articles which can be read on this blog. And now, It is heartening to note, that one of the biggest crusaders against corruption of our times, Magsaysay Awardee, Arvind Kerjriwaal has highlighted the same problem in his recent book "Swaraj". The newspapers report that in this book Kejriwal has dwelt at length on how the MNCs and the big Corporates use their cash-muscle to force public servants into being corrupt.
Even the great Hindi writer, Premchand, in his story "Namak Ka Daroga" has dealt with this theme of how the rich and powerful people in the private sector force honest public servants to become corrupt and how they play with the lives and careers of those who refuse to tow their line. If corruption in the public sector is like the branches of a tree, the corruption in private sector is like the big, deep tap-root that feeds those branches. Pruning the branches is a good idea. But a better idea is to attack the root. Once the roots-thieves of the private sector-are destroyed, the tree of corruption will automatically wither away.
My congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal for attacking the root of all corruption in this country.
Sir,an interesting reading...an article in the Hindu.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article2470835.ece?homepage=true
Gaurav, I would want to add that, using the Game theory it can be mathematically demonstrated that once a rule is made, the incentives for breaking the rule are always greater than incentives for living by the rules. What this implies is that once the collective of Private sector gets a law passed, those among the private sector who manage to breach the law by some clandestine means will stand in advantage than those who conform.
ReplyDeleteThis implies that the more the rules, the more the scope of corruption.
One way of overcoming the problem is by way of reducing the number of rules. Obviously , it is tentamount to asking the Govt Authority to rein in it's power, perhaps voluntary.
Alternately, set a big financial punishment for even a slightest breach of rule once it is made.
Another way, allow the rule to be big enough to
encompass most citizens to live with in so that their need for violation may reduce.
ReplyDeleteprivate sector corruption is perhaps the best signature of corruption being our cultural norm.
we need to develop some very objective standards for what is corruption, what are ethics, etc..Presently we go by personal standards on these issues and these standards are derived from our religious beliefs , cultural practises . That leads to confusion and helps bring about more or corruption as a snowball effect.
This happens because when One person A sees Person B doing something which by A's standards in wrong, while B hol'd it a organisational need, A is propelled to admit and accept that such practises are acceptable in the organisation. Thus he introduces another not mal-practises into the organisation as the organisation need from his POV. the avalanche sets in leading to decay of organisation and all sorts of wrong things to happen.Corruption also finds its legs in the same mud.