Politics is defined by the dictionary as the sum total of activities undertaken to remain in power. A wag once said, trifle harshly - “who says crime does not pay – why would otherwise politicians have so enthusiastically sought re-election”. Till the “tehelka” episode, we in India had given up all hopes about politicians ever admitting to any wrongdoing because proving a crime required evidence and who on earth could have got it against these powerful lobbies? The result was a gagged populace silently bearing the hardships that were imposed on it by the politicians and their cohorts. Can politicians anywhere in the world ever be honest? Is being unethical an essential requirement for being in politics.

Has the definition of honesty changed?
The murky atmosphere of corruption and nepotism around us has changed the modern definition of honesty. Like a drug addict who no longer gets excited on small doses and looks for bigger quantities to give that “kick”, we too have become immune to smaller crimes and dishonest practices. Giving hundred bucks to get a berth on a crowded train or giving a small bribe to escape getting booked by the police for minor traffic offences are no longer considered unethical practices. Anyone who does not indulge in these is not considered “street-smart”. After the “tehelka” tapes, the main topic of discussion amongst most of us was not about the brazenness of the act but the foolishness of Mr. Bangaru Laxman in having accepted such a small amount in-spite of being the president of the party in power. So some acts that our grandmother told us were improper are no longer so, because everyone indulges in them. An act has to be more dishonest today for it to be classified as dishonest. Politicians have helped us “raise this threshold”.

Personal honesty versus public honesty
We are happy if a politician is personally honest. The justification given by politicians that they are collecting money for the party and not for themselves, satisfies us easily. Who will draw the fine line between public and personal honesty? Many including the Central Vigilance Commission have suggested that it is essential to make donations to political parties, open and legal so that a major source of corruption can be demolished. Why are politicians dithering on making a law that will allow the finances of a political party open to public scrutiny and subject to audit, just as the income of a commercial corporation is? Obviously they are happy at perpetuating a system which can be milked at will.

Upright persons shun politics.
One way to improve the abysmal standards of morality in politics could have been to inject “goodness” (in the form of upright persons) into the system. Unfortunately, the entry barrier of any political system anywhere in the world is so low that it becomes the first choice of many scoundrels. Politics is the only field where no educational qualification is required and the capability of earning money does not depend on ones skills other than the unmentionable ones. How does a society provoke its more competent members into entering such a field?

Why do politicians all over the world find it difficult to be honest?
Politicians get elected in a democracy on the basis of support of different lobbies and need to “repay their debts” thereafter. This is usually the beginning of nepotism and unfairness. The more powerful the politician becomes, more unfair he/she tends to be, until as the maxim goes -“absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

Is there any solution to this nasty problem?
There are many and these have been suggested from time to time. We just need to have the will to implement them.

• Harsh exemplary punishment for those found guilty. Fast track courts for political crimes.
• Debarring those found misusing public money from entering politics ever again.
• Making it compulsory for all political parties to audit their income and outflows.
• Allowing anyone to donate money to political parties and allowing some part of this as deductible expenditure.
• Simplification of laws, across the board.
• Withdrawing the power of appointing heads of public sector corporations that is presently vested in the hands of the ruling party.
• Empowering citizens committees to check easily measurable specifications like the “height of the dam” or the “thickness of concrete on the road”, to bring in more transparency in financial approval” of projects.
• Right to information” for all citizens and protection to “whistle blowers”.
• Allowing “none of the above” option in ballot papers.
• Bifurcating the police department into two: one handling “law and order” (under the home minister) and the other responsible for “crime investigation” under a professional cop without a political master.

But to my mind the best short-term solution that will lessen this muck surrounding us is to set one group of politicians against the other. Political parties need to be spurred on by all of us to prove themselves “clean” by unearthing a scandal in the cupboard of their political rivals. There is so much “dirt” beneath every clean exterior that any department or project being scrutinized will easily reveal “murky” details. Let us make it clear to the politicians that we are not going to vote for them the next time around unless they have some exposures of scams to their credit –bigger the better. Let them prove themselves “honest” by unearthing the “dishonesty” of their brothers. Doesn’t traditional wisdom say that a thorn is required to unseat another, embedded in the flesh?

Mr. Prakash Shesh, the author, has done his MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad after his Masters in Physics from I.I.T. New Delhi. You may send your feedback to him by choosing an option at the top right corner of this page." He can be reached at creative_ngp@sancharnet.in