Over the past fortnight, a new war for independence was fought all over the country. Some participated, some supported from far, some were not bothered and some felt we cant get anywhere. I feel all these are people are correct in one way or the other. The government has cleared the decks for a strong lokpal or so it may seem. The politicians showed great sign of maturity in the parlimentary discussion y'day gaining some respect back. The Lokpal has still some way to go before it becomes a law and how effective it would be will only be known in a few years from now. At this point, we got to give credit to the government to have taken a bold move to sign on their own potential arrest warrants.
I want to highlight on the view of a middle class Indian. The middle class to a large extent still feel they can afford to pay a bribe. I am sorry to say, we are exactly the people who cannot afford to. The poor dont know what to do and the rich are probably forced by the officials. The middle class are educated and know what to do, but hardly take up the issue head on. The positive trend in the past fortnight has been that the average middle class Indian has come in support of anti corruption. In the last few decades this is probably the only time when the middle class has asserted that they matter in the political equation of the country. Twice in the last decade, I saw that the middle class did not matter. First When BJP was voted out of power with their India Shining campaign and and again when Congress was voted back to power based on their pro-poor and pro-rural policies. With swelling middle class numbers in the country, asserting their position and taking political views is a positive sign for the development of the country.
I am of the view that the Lokpal in itself is not the only solution. There has to be much more done to address the issue of corruption. The events in the past year have surely made me feel we are on the right trajectory albeit moving slowly. Scams were always happening in this country, but we have seen some changes now. Some ministers chargesheeted, some behind the bars and a CM biting the dust. The politicians are surely not proactive in acting against the corrupt, but at least reactive and under pressure to act. I think we need to believe that we are on the right track and positively moving towards a corruption free society.
I strongly believe, the middle class has a lot more responsibility than the others. We must not only take political positions and participate in rallies but take a vow to end corrpution in our own lives. We are educated and we must know the means to end corruption and take steps towards it. I would want to highlight on some simple things we can do. I am sure there are a lot more things we can do and I would like to hear from you.
- Vote. As I said we were never a part of political equations, its high time we make it count. Its our responsibility. Read about your candidate, know his views on things and come out to vote. Most representatives have websites, so you dont need to go out to get information. If a representative doesnt have a website, then middle class is not in his equation.
- Dont break rules. This according to me is the first step where corruption begins. Be it traffic rules or getting some work done, go by the rule. All govt agencies have their websites and FAQs Read through them, understand what needs to be done and go by the rule book. Avoid roping in an agent at the first go at least.
- Speak up. Most of the government agencies have "Citizen Charters". Download them and take them with you when you go for work. If your work is not going as per the rulebook, raise your voice. Give it a shot. The officials generally fear assertive ppl and those who know the rule.
- Own up. In the worst case you have to bribe, own it and report it. Use the media if possible or report it on websites like http://ipaidabribe.com/. At least somebody else can fight on.
We are equally responsible for making the system corruption free. The government can make and pass a law. They can bring in transperency with technological advancements. But end of day, we the people have to wake up and take responsibility. We are a nation looking for heroes always, its high time we look for a hero within us.
