By Boxter Kharbteng
If we take the title for what it says, it means that each time you take somebody’s money (including state’s or public money) without permission and without the right to do so — no matter how (smartly, not-so-smartly, but all the same: shamelessly) and how much (one rupee or lakhs of it) — you are committing a crime. Simply put, you are a criminal. Accordingly, you should be punished. Thus says the law of the state and country!
Why is there so much corruption? It’s all due to selfishness. It’s about greed. But greed is just another form of selfishness that’s become uglier. Corruption is selfishness that expresses itself at the expense of another person, including the government or any other entity.
Corruption is a multi-headed dragon — meaning: it appears in different forms. Bribery is one of those; manipulation of financial figures (cooking the books!), submission of false expense reports, or any other crafty, deceitful means of making dirty money for the benefit of the self.
The recent reports about the collapse of the dome of the new-but-yet-to-be-completed Rs177.7 crore Meghalaya state legislative assembly, the leakages of the ISBT building, the allegations of corruption that have been doing the rounds in MeECL, the illegal but still-operating toll gates, the structurally compromised bridge on the Shillong by-pass “due to the overloaded trucks ferrying illegitimate coal”; the illegal mining and transportation of coal enabled by those who have the official and legal power to stop such an operation, and so on are troubling. These cases are just the tip of the iceberg, but the exposure is large enough to show how deeply-rooted and widespread is the culture of corruption in our beloved state of Meghalaya.
The timing of the collapse of the dome in question is just as significant. Were this collapse — God forbid — to take place at the time when the assembly was in session, when lawmakers along with their assistants were milling about under the dome, imagine the horrific tragedy! NEIGRIHMS would be overwhelmed for days. Just the thought itself sends chills down my spine and gives me goosebumps. The implications and fallout are frightening! The eyes and ears and thoughts of the rest of India would be trained towards Meghalaya’s legislative assembly building at Mawdiangdiang — certainly not for the display of the good and the beautiful but for the exposure of the frightening beast called corruption.
Where does corruption begin? If it takes place at the bottom, the one at the top can effectively do something about it; but if it takes place at the top, then we’re dealing with some kind of a malignant “cancer”! What can the head say if he himself is corrupt? He has lost his moral voice because his own morality has cratered. How can he pull up on someone for corruption when he himself is involved in the same act? That would be like letting the fox guard the hen house. The deeds of a corrupt official are telling the rest under his charge and influence that corruption is all right — provided you are not caught, and especially if you are not punished. So, make hay while the sun shines.
The Church’s Role in the Kingdom of Corruption
In their recent articles on corruption in the government of Meghalaya, published in The Shillong Times, both Bah Albert Thyrniang and Bah Toki Blah pointed to the civic responsibility of the churches and Christian denominations. Both are convinced that the churches must be proactive to ensure that we have a clean government. They reproached their respective denominations for their aloofness and indifference to corruption in public life. And may I add one more voice (mine) from the side of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. If their churches have been guilty of being silent and indifferent to government-related corruption, so is my church. Perhaps we could say the same thing of other churches and denominations — big and small. Many churches solicit from their politicians material and financial help for church events and needs. And politicians are more than happy to contribute — even to those churches they least like — because they treat it as an investment that will translate into votes in the coming elections.
Unfortunately, our church leaders’ vision seems to be no longer than their noses because they regard what they get from politicians on behalf of their church as part of the politician’s duty and responsibility. When you get a politician to donate money to your church, you are likely to shy away from criticizing him (or her) when there is a need to do so. Your vote for him in the next elections might simply be based on the fact that he contributed something to your church and not because you think he will make the most significant contribution to your area or village or town. Then there is also the question of legitimacy and legality in soliciting public money for religious purposes. Should we? Does the law allow us to do that?
I wholly agree with the mentioned writers’ observation that the church’s vision in this instance is myopic and self-centered; that it needs to look beyond itself, beyond its denominational boundary and identity. It needs to be more inclusive in its role. Every church and denomination needs to work for the common good without caring who gets the credit. So the clarion call to the churches of Meghalaya is clear: help retool our politicians to make them better and more effective in their service for the common good. If we fail to do that, we allow politics to degenerate into another form of a highly profitable business which, all the more, encourages corruption.
The work of the Khasi-Jaintia Church Leaders Forum (KJCLF) on this matter has just begun. At least that’s how I would like to frame their initiative. They have fired their opening salvo and more is expected of them. Let’s prayerfully hope that they are also watchful of fatigue because it will do what it always does: stop, give in and give up. From time to time, we need to be reminded of these words of Jesus: “You are the light of the world.” If 75% of Meghalayans belong either to this or that church, if every one of them were to become a light bulb, imagine the amount of light Christians can shed over the landscape of Meghalaya that is covered with a thick fog of corruption! The critical question is whether or not the church will harness and translate its electoral power into moral power and influence? This is where the rubber meets the road! And this is the need of the hour. Respected church leaders, bless your heart for taking up the challenge to bring this transformation!
Corruption is a degrader and a drag. It generates disillusionment and hopelessness in the lives of our young people — who are the future of our society and state. They should have heroes to be inspired by rather than villains to contend with. Corruption is a race to the bottom. No wonder why Meghalaya’s national ranking in every sphere of development continues to hug the bottom. Oh, I wish that our state were at least “the cleanest dirty shirt”! One authority listed eight reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire (27 BC-AD 476). Reason number seven says: “government corruption and political instability.”
Material things are meant to meet our needs, but a corrupt person turns them into the goddess of materialism and zealously worships at its shrine. ‘Needs’ have their modesty and limitations, but ‘wants’ don’t. Like the arms of an octopus, they keep spreading and grabbing.
I conclude this article by pointing to theologian Carl F. H. Henry’s analysis of the essence of sin. He observed that it is comprised of pride and selfishness. This is to state that for Christians, corruption is a double-edged sword: it is a crime as well as a sin. In the case of the latter, it is the breaking of the eight commandment: “Thou shalt not steal.”
(The author of this article is a retired professor of theology, ethics, and philosophy. He can be reached via email: [email protected] or by phone: 9436560077)