By Barnes Mawrie
Demonetization according to PM Modi was aimed at tackling corruption, especially by crippling black money. Definitely, corruption is a major problem and perhaps the worst evil in our socio-economic life. Getting rid of corruption is a welcome move from any sector of society. The outcome of demonetization as seen in these last 50 days, has not been very encouraging. In fact it has been a dampening experience for the citizens of India. First of all, untold misery and suffering has been brought upon the public especially the poor section who live in rural areas. So many innocent persons have died in the process. Secondly, demonetization as seen today has not put a stop to black money culture. Corrupt persons are outsmarting the Government and they have discovered ways to evade the law and go on with their malpractice. It is true that the media presents us with a few reports of cash raids done by the IT Department. But let us not be fooled by what is being presented for what has been discovered is only a tip of the iceberg. Even with the new currencies there are still large hoardings of black money. So the conclusion is that, the rich and corrupt people still have a lot of cash, while the poor people are left cashless and in danger of survival. What is more pitiable is the fact that the innocent millions of Indians who have earned through the sweat of their brow, have been transformed into culprits overnight because their white money has been forcefully transformed into black money by this process of demonetization.
Now if we talk about stopping corruption, no amount of legal measures or economic steps taken can really root it out. The current demonetization measure has clearly proven this fact. Corruption has more to do with attitude than mere mechanical acts. It is a state of the mind, a behaviour that has been acquired and become a way of life. You do not expect a corrupt person to stop being corrupt and live an honest life just because you introduce demonetization or an anti-corruption law. For example, you do not expect a thief to stop stealing just because you enact a law or enforce a punishment against theft. This sort of reasoning is too simplistic and cannot be subscribed to. This is exactly what the Government is doing now, trying to root out corruption by mere introduction of legal measures. Instead we should be aware that corruption because it is an attitude more than a mechanical act, is to be corrected by character formation. It is here that education plays a vital role. If education is understood in its true meaning, as inculcation of values (human, moral and spiritual), if it is understood in Dewey’s terminology as “character formation”, then it is the right medicine for corruption. However, looking at education in India today, one is left with a great premonition of a national disaster for the condition is not ideal. Education in our country today is not about value or character, instead it has degenerated into a commercially pragmatic system where degrees are sought after. The cut-throat competition seen in schools and colleges reveals the presence of an unhealthy system. The manner in which a person’s worth is measured by the score he or she secures, is another fault line in our education. Our education appears to be more knowledge-oriented than value-oriented. Knowledge is always good but knowledge without value is a dangerous tool in the hand of a person, just like fire in the hands of a child. Knowledge must be tempered by character. It is character that will channelize knowledge into something constructive for society.
Fighting corruption in India, is to be done in a holistic manner and that is through correction of attitude which education alone can do. Education to honesty, sincerity and transparency must be done in the families and in schools and colleges. In my opinion, the swach bharat movement is doomed to fail miserably as long as our citizens are not educated to a sense of cleanliness. An example of this is easy to give: every morning the municipal people come to clean our streets, but by evening they are as dirty as ever. Why does this happen? It is because people have not acquired a sense of cleanliness. It is the same with fighting corruption. The Government may introduce rules and laws against corruption but be sure corrupt people will always find a way to circumvent these legal measures. Instead, let us educate our young generation with value of honesty and transparency and then corruption will have been dealt at its root. Unfortunately, the BJP Government today is trying to suffronize education (as clearly seen in the new Education Policy). This is an attempt to suffocate the very spirit of education itself. Education should not be polarized on religious issues but it should be purely knowledge-based and value-oriented. I do hope that the Government will give more attention to improving our education because it is the only valid and effective long-term strategy to foster the right attitude in our citizens and to root out corruption from our land.