By Barnes Mawrie
Jennifer Lawrence, the Hollywood actor has rightly observed “We need to tell each other our stories – we need to show that everyone, our neighbours, our families our community leaders, everyone we know is touched by corruption.”
Way back in 1867 Karl Marx published his famous Das Kapital where he speaks of a social revolution and the rise of the working class and thereby the emergence of an ideal state where capitalism would give way to socialism in which the working class would rule. In the socialist state there would be total justice and equality. History however has proven that it was wishful thinking, something far from reality. The Soviet Union which adopted such a political philosophy could not last even a century and it collapsed in 1991. As long as we are human beings, we have to live with our limitations and negative inclinations. In short, we humans should never dream of a utopian existence for we are bound to drift into one extreme or the other.
It would be interesting, if someone could show us any government in the world which qualifies as “clean and corruption free.” Even the western countries like Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden, qualify only as “least corrupted states” but not “corruption free.” We have seen and heard in the media how even the US is steeped in corruption. When it comes to India, we can only feel ashamed about the degree of corruption that exists in our country. Therefore, what I want to say is that it is absolutely humbug to speak of clean politics anywhere in the world and much less in India. We have witnessed how the AAP party came to power on an ideology of “clean politics” but see what it has become today. From being a clean party, it has tainted itself with many corrupt practices and as a consequence it lost in the last assembly election.
Without any malice towards any political party, I am highly amused when people speak of a party that would bring clean politics in Meghalaya. That is wishful thinking or better still a political hallucination. Politicians who campaign on this ideology are in fact hypocrites. We have heard such vain speeches ad nauseam. I recall here the quote from H. L. Mencken who remarked “The most dangerous man to any state is the man who thinks things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally, he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are.” This is an existential danger posed by politicians who claim that they can solve all existing problems and who through their charisma can brainwash the public. When charisma is preferred to character then democracy is on the precipice.
All right-wing political parties that we witness today all over the world, have the same agenda, that is, to topple the governments they call “corrupt” and to claim to be the panacea to all societal maladies. However, in the process they cause more harm and bring in more chaos. The clearest example is what the US has become today under Trump. This right-wing government has accused the Democratic government led by President Joe Biden as “corrupt” and “inefficient” but see what is happening now. In just a few weeks of their governance, they have caused so much political chaos not only at home but in the whole world. Trump and the GOP who had campaigned on Make America Great Again (MAGA) slogan, are achieving just the opposite result. As they say “uncle Sam has become uncle Scrooge.” So frankly speaking, I do not believe in the “clean politics” slogan but I would be more inclined to believe in the “better politics” slogan. I pity that section of the public who are easily duped into accepting such a false ideology. It is my opinion that no political party and no politician has the moral mandate of claiming to be “clean” or “corruption free.” Corruption in politics has become a systemic virus or an institutional sin that no politician can escape its influence.
We have seen so many good willed politicians who entered clean into the system but they always came out soiled on the other side. All we can do is to choose the lesser evil, to vote for a party that we think can deliver better than others. But to harbour under the assumption of having a “clean” and “corruption free” party is like expecting a leopard to change its spots. To adapt the words of Theodore Roosevelt to our Indian context “when they call the roll in the Parliament, the MPs do not know whether to answer ‘Present’ or ‘Not Guilty’.” This is basically because humans are limited beings who are easily lured by wealth and power and they will easily sacrifice principles for personal gain. So, I would conclude by saying “do not hope for ideal governments for there is no such a thing as clean politics.” Let me end my arguments on a humorous tone with the quote from Mehmet Murat Ildan “instead of politicians, let the monkeys govern the countries; at least they will steal only the bananas!”