Corruption

Anna is again on a fast unto death to fight corruption. Protests across the country are flying thick throughout and even though people mostly not much bothered by things are talking about it on social networks and amongst themselves.

I am writing this post for my own self, because in all of this I myself am not sure what my stand is. And it is important that I have a well defined and clear stand on this issue.

Corruption is rampant in our country. Everyone knows that, everyone has taken part in it. Almost everyone I know who has a drivers license or PAN card or Passport or a Vehicle has been a part of it. They have paid bribes, asked for favours, broken laws and then tried to pay their way out of trouble. And I have been no different. This is base level corruption which every citizen faces. And the scams that were unearthed in the recent past, money bamboozled to the tune of tens of thousands of CRORES are the other end of this wide spectrum.

The Lokpal bill demanded by Anna has been there on the table since the 70s. The govt. version is absolutely impotent, no doubt. But Anna's version is all powerfull and with too much teeth. Can't there be a compromise? No Anna is not having any of it. Nor are the people.

And what about me? So here is my take on it. Why does the govt shiver in its boots when someone talks of going on a fast unto death? I mean that's a peaceful protest! What's the harm in it. Can't the govt even give some public land for an old man to fast as sign of protest? What if the govt acquiesce? And what if Anna dies of hunger then? Mark my words there will be pandemonium, riots everywhere. Oh and hell this is India, the riots are not just gonna be general good natured looting and burning stuff, this is India, its going to be gruesome, there WILL be murder, there WILL be rape and the communal sentiments WILL get churned and this country is all too familiar with communal riots, which WILL happen. Riots on a country wide scale is exactly what our country cannot afford. The London Riots were a fucked up joke as compared to what we have had in our country in the past. No wonder the govt, scared shitless, arrested Anna. But of course the people are not going to think this far into the future, for them the only prominent fact visible is that the tyrant govt. did not even fulfil such a simple request of an old man. This is what the media is showing and this is what the people see and then agitate against. But they are not realising that in effect Anna IS holding the whole democratic process at ransom. There are ways to bring in change. Yes they are slow. Yes people who try to get things changed get kicked out in due time since the process is too slow thanks to corrupt people slowing it further. But taking the speedier way out by figuratively holding the govt at gun point is absolutely undemocratic. Its a wrong way to bring in change even if the change itself is essential and badly required.

In any case the govt has agreed now to let Anna fast, albeit for 2 weeks. Enough time for the movement to build momentum and strength so that the govt has to bow and accept the Jan Lokpal which Anna is touting.

Which brings us to the bill per se. Its a law against corrupt politicians, how can it be bad? A powerful law against politicians will ensure that they not get corrupted by the power that they get when they step into office. The problem with powerful laws are that they can be very very easily misused. POTA, MCOCA and the Armed Forces Act have been used many times in the past for cover up encounters etc. This law will get misused and a lot at that. The finer details have more subtle coarseness related to the statistics and feasibility of implementation. Just because a law has been drafted and a suitable body made to see that corrupt leaders are nailed does not mean they will. The corruption in the top brass will only get eradicated when we have Leaders with integrity and conscience. Bending a corrupt powerful politician so that he toes the line is not going to work in the long run. This WILL fail eventually. Electing honest Leaders will not. Damn right that's going to take a lifetime, but this bill won't be as effective as we all are thinking. Call me an idealist, but corruption will only stop when every citizen of this country lives with integrity. No one wants to pay bribes and no one would have if people in govt institutions would have worked with a conscience. An office worker would not have bent and accepted bribes hadn't he seen that his/her colleagues do the same work only after taking a bribe. Yes its easier to support Anna than to lead this kind of an ideal life. But there is just a threshold we need to cross, beyond that herd mentality will take care of corruption at ground level. Honest Leaders at the top, which we have to elect, and an honest citizenry is the only way corruption is going to stop.

Probably its all too idealistic for many. And this is not going to happen any time soon, so should I, for the time being, support Anna and the stronger bill? Maybe I should and see where it all goes. Because even though its always better to learn from other's mistake, this seems to me, to be a time when we will have to make this mistake. 'Cause seems like there's no other way to learn. If all this talk of going against corruption would persuade people to have more integrity, not offer or accept bribes, be honest and carry out their Fundamental Duties while enjoying their Fundamental Rights, even then a huge good would have been done to the people of this country. That's what I am going to hope. That's why I am going to support Anna.

Times are Changing

Scam after scam being unearthed, money totalling into billions known to be swindled. Money which people like our fathers and mothers pay as taxes to this government, money like that paid by you every time you watch a movie or every time you eat a pizza. It seemed like there wasn't even one avenue which wasn't dug up by these corrupt machines.

And then came Anna. Like a shining beacon, guiding that energy, that dissatisfaction of the people towards their politicians, into something constructive. Something called CHANGE. Few people understood this change, me included, but almost all wanted it. The status quo was so bad that it seemed better was the only way things could move. People rallied with Anna. Me included. We said down with the hubris of politicians. We want a body who can investigate independently. We want the Jan Lokpal. To attack this cancer of a government Anna went on a fast unto Death. We all believed in Mahatma, still do, have always abused him, still did. Fasts, silent marches, candle light vigils, the works. The results were splendid. The government baulked. People were ecstatic. Time passed, the government evaded the bill and is now trying to make it impotent. Anna has understood this. He says he is going on a fast again if by Aug 15th nothing is done about this. But that's besides the point.

All this while people were being vocal of their support for Anna. There were some who disagreed with his tactics. They were countered by saying: "COME ON now..!! This is the Gandhian way. If we don't do this the politicians will never listen to us". I thought so too. And I said so too. On facebook, on Twitter, with people during coffees and lunches. I too went and lit candles.

And then Baba Ramdev happened.

And everything changed.

Baba Ramdev, scantily clad in saffron, showing his hirsute body on TV, encouraging people to do Yoga. Yoga is good for the body, proven. Millions follow him. Take his "Ayurvedic" medicines in the hope that their diabetes, their failing kidneys will get better than new. But is his bhasma, churan really going to cure 3rd stage cancer? Some quantity of ash curing terminal patients with GENETIC diseases? I am a student of Science and these claims are just hogwash for me.

This self proclaimed godman with a business empire worth hundreds of crores wanted to open a political party some time back. We should have been alerted then itself that the power this person holds has already corrupted him.

This man now resurfaced, in style, walking down a private jet, meeting none other than the PM of this country. Threatening he will go on a hunger strike if all the black money hoarded outside is not brought back. Good cause. Would have been better if the cause hadn't been about money but any cause out of about the 100 other equally important issues, but whatever, good cause, seemingly. In short the demand wasn't met, he went on a hunger strike, didn't have to wait too long, 'cause the police broke this peace protest in the dead of the night and caused absolute mayhem.

Ramdev is now hogging as much of the 'limelight' media time as possible in print, tv, news, whatever. When the media did not follow him to Haridwar, he went to them to Noida. He now addresses 'his brothers' in the media rather than the people in his rallies.

Godman? Yoga Guru? Or a powerful man with an agenda? You decide, because you can decide now, since its a democracy, tomorrow if someone holds a fast unto death against your decision then you wont even be able to decide anything then. Like our flaccid government cant decide anything now. Its besides the point that it couldn't decide anything anyway, either because of the coalition threats or because of some other reasons.

Anna unfortunately supports Ramdev and so they are now anna and ramdev. These are the leaders of the revolution people want.

I wonder was it like this during independence? Which leader of the 1900s was even remotely similar to any of our present leaders? If the present leaders lead us into a revolution then what will be the purpose of that revolution? Is anyone clear about that? Do not say corruption, because the present leaders are ALREADY corrupt, like our hairy baba.

Real change cannot be brought about by changing people, but by replacing people. Replacing a corrupt leader with an honest leader is change. Forcing corrupt leaders to not be corrupt via a Jan Lokpal is not change, its calibration, manipulation, adjustment. Replacement of leaders in our democracy occurs every 5 years. Unless leaders who are not corrupt, have integrity, are honest and do care about this country stand up for elections, and we elect them, there's going to be no change. Currently no such leader stands up, but then we all don't vote either. Saying there's no good leader. And I don't blame you. I don't vote either.

What is happening now, people following blindly, as they always do, some man who has set out to 'blackmail' (sic) the government, will only result in the destruction of our democracy.

We desperately NEED real leaders, not the ones who will eventually turn corrupt but the ones who will have the integrity to see this country through whatever comes its way during their tenure. We NEED to elect them, we NEED to Vote. I now realise that holding candles is really not going to help at all.

Change can be for the good but it may as well be for the bad. Be Aware.

Is it worth the effort?

I am asking this question to myself in particular and to everyone in general.

Is it worth finding cures for rare genetic diseases which affect just 100s or 1000s out of the 7 billion of the worlds population?

In nature, say in a population of wild bison, such rare genetic disorders would just manifest themselves and soon the individual will die, if the disease is terminal that is. Or else it will just maintain the low gene frequency. Not altering the robustness of the gene pool in general.

But what about Humans?

Finding a cure to ANY disease involves millions if not billions of dollars. Pharmaceuticals do not invest in such diseases primarily cause they will never recover the cost of finding the cure due to the limited market. Such diseases rely on academic research for possible cures.

Looking at it from the larger gene pool point of view, is it beneficial to just let these individuals die before they procreate? Sooner or later the faulty gene will be extinct. And 100s of people is not a large number, after all that many have died in terrorists attacks in Mumbai alone. Many many more have died in natural disasters in the past year alone.

But what about diseases which are not terminal? They will be passed on in the children of the patients. Should the patient be responsible and not procreate by their own will?

And what about the patients themselves? They will ask me : What if you had this disease instead of me? Would you be writing this blog?

However less be their numbers, they do have a right to life. And if the bigger whole is being examined, then they are fighting for their survival just as so many others in nature do. Despite their illness. If they survive and procreate then they have won. Despite their illness. Who am I to decide whether a cure should be found or not?

This is a sensitive issue no doubt. And I don't have an answer to this question. I don't even know if I am aware of all the factors which affect this issue. And I am the least qualified person to declare what should and should not be done.

All I can ask of you is to give this question some thought.