Corruption in India

Corruption comes in many forms for a plethora of reasons and a vast majority of these have been on display in India. From the embarrassing debacle at the Commonwealth games to the telecommunications 2G scandal that has cost the Indian government approximately $40 billion, the world is seeing some of the worst corruption on the subcontinent. As someone with Indian ancestry I can’t help but wonder if nationalism has played a role in this.

I realize America is one of the most developed nations in the world and comparing it to the relatively new democracy of India is difficult (Less than a hundred years after independence Americans were killing themselves in the civil war). Nonetheless, America is known for being one of the most nationalistic states in the world. A poll asking respondents if they would lay down their life for their country revealed Americans would, second only to Palestinians. So how is the corruption in America? Well, it isn’t perfect, but in many cases corruption in the United States is far less than much of the world. The sheer size of America’s economy means that corruption usually comes in the form of billions of dollars, but these Enron type catastrophe’s are usually fewer and far between. On the other side of the spectrum Warren Buffet, an extremely rich and successful businessman, has prompted American billionaires to join “the giving pledge”. Despite being only 26 years old Mark Zuckerberg has already signed and dedicated $1 million to New Jersey schools. There is no real stipulation where the money must go, just that the money must go to help someone else in need. Fifty-seven billionaires have lined up to give their hard fought fortunes, but how many of them were Indian? Not enough. So why is it that India’s billionaires, where 66 of the top tycoons operate approximately 1/5 of India’s GDP, cannot give back to the community in larger numbers? When approximately 800 million people live on less than $2.00 a day it should come as a no-brainer to help bring these people out of poverty.

One reason could be nationalism, which is a phenomenon that seems to be lacking in India. That isn’t to say Indians are not proud to be Indians; quite the contrary. However, if one knows anything about how diverse India is ethnically, linguistically, and culturally one can easily see where the problem lies. Travelling from state to state usually yields not only different languages, but different scripts altogether. Imagine the difference between Latin to Cyrillic scripts between American states and one can easily see why nationalism has yet to flourish completely. Not only that, but these ethnic groups have been fostering their individual identity and culture for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Only a few hundred years ago separate Indian states were begging the British to help defeat the princely state next to them.

A very intelligent British minister of European Parliament, Daniel Hannan, discussed how a lack of nationalism in Nigeria was affecting the collection of taxes and other concessions to the government. He said:

“The territory is so large, the tribal identities so dominant, the institutions so remote, that no one feels any loyalty to the state. “If you love your country, pay your taxes”, says a plaintive sign in Kinshasa. No one does…. Herman Van Rompuy recently attacked patriotism as likely to lead to war. Mr Van Rompuy, I wish you had spent the past two days with me. Perhaps then you’d understand how people behave in countries where there is no patriotism whatever.”

A personal example of this nationalism came last weekend when a few friends sent me to the local shop to buy some wine. In order to make the famous Polish spiced wine, I was told to buy the cheapest bottle. Instead I saw a slightly more expensive bottle of wine from America, which I gladly shoveled a couple extra dollars to buy. Demand for American goods helps the country I love.

Perhaps I am wrong about this. Perhaps the lack of nationalism stems from a combination of these regional differences and the lack of faith people have in such corrupt officials. It would make sense for the common Indian worker, who labors endlessly to provide for his family, to be distraught at the sight of officials siphoning off millions of dollars. Still, I am hopeful. The telecommunications minister, Andimuthu Raja, quit in November, arrests have been made in the botched Commonwealth games fiasco, and many of the local corruption scandals have been brought to light. The Bharatiya Janata Party, currently in opposition to the Congress Party, has locked the Lok Sabha (lower house of congress) until an inquiry into the telecom scandal begins. Corruption in India has taken a step backwards, but a vigorous economy is yielding an ever-growing middle class which is poised to demand change within the political system. Andras, Tamils, Punjabis, Muslims, Hindus, and Christians need to come together as Indians to defeat this monster.

(Links credit: http://www.economist.com/ , http://www.hindustantimes.com/ , http://www.thehindu.com/ , http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ )