PARALLELS Between Corruption Hatavo And Garibi Hatavo

One can draw some parallels to the present wide spread public support to the Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement under the slogan of “Corruption Hatavo” (Eradicate corruption) to the 1970’s Indira Gandhi’s slogan “Garibi Hatavo” (Eradicate Poverty) that gave her the massive public support and the great political power.

In this connection, parallel between the Jan Lokpal Bill and the Nationalization of the public sector Banks Bill and its legislation in the 1970’s, cannot be ignored.

The Jan Lokpal legislation if given all the power it needs can become draconian and may lead to “Emergency” Law like situation. Therefore all of us at present supporting the anti corruption movement led by Anna Hazare and team should see to it that the same mistakes does not happen.

My Other Blogsites:

IT To Root-out Corruption

http://i-opinion-about.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-to-root-out-corruption-2011-revised.html 

Drunk Driving DUI Root Cause

http://alcohol-research-misconduct.blogspot.com/2011/03/drunk-driving-root-cause.html

Alcoholics Cure well

http://alcoholicscurewell.blogspot.com/2011/03/alcoholics-curewell.html

Blaming Common-man For Submitting To Corruption

Some anti-corruption advocates claim corruption exist because people do not fight against corruption when they see it around, blaming commonman for submitting to corruption saying “if they don’t pay bribe at all such corruption automatically will stop”! However the truth of the matter is that the commonman neither have the important “backing resources” nor the TIME and energy to effectively fight corruption. If tomorrow one starts to fight corruption which he/she encounters everywhere in day to day dealings, he will be immediately branded as “trouble creator” by the people around, disturbing the traditional status-co peace of the situation, therefore get thoroughly victimized, which the common man very much afraid of.

Most importantly it is not the responsibility or the job  of the public to prevent corruption it is the responsibility of the Government to prevent and stop corruption everywhere by bringing in such anti-corruption monetary measures (or whatever you have) that will make anyone indulging in the economic crimes (corruption) including paying and taking bribe extremely dangerous to all the parties involved because every such corruption made to leaves its concrete physical evidence or the money trail track records. Its details in http://i-opinion-about.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-to-root-out-corruption-2011-revised.html

My Other Blogsites:

My Other Blogsites:

IT To Root-out Corruption

http://i-opinion-about.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-to-root-out-corruption-2011-revised.html 

Drunk Driving DUI Root Cause

http://alcohol-research-misconduct.blogspot.com/2011/03/drunk-driving-root-cause.html

Alcoholics Cure well

http://alcoholicscurewell.blogspot.com/2011/03/alcoholics-curewell.html

POVERTY: GREATEST CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

Subjecting small children to extreme poverty is the greatest “Crime Against Humanity”. The middle class and the above classes who frantically write and agitate when they see violent crimes or sex crimes, remain almost silent when they see the people around especially the children subjected to cruel miserable abject poverty  mainly because they have absolutely no fear of the poverty affecting them or their children like the violent crime or the sex crime.

According to the World Poverty Statistics the income gap between the rich and the poor go on widening; 40% of the world population own 90% of the wealth, forcing the majority 60% to live in a meager 10% resource. 20% of the top rich own almost 80% of the wealth while the 20% bottom poor forced to live on less than 1%  resources  their condition with the rising inflation  getting worse day by day.

Around 3 billion people in the world today live in poverty (India ranks among the top) as they can’t even afford  their basic necessities  like adequate food, shelter, health, education etc. More than 800 million of them including 300 million children go to bed hungry each day subjected to such abject poverty conditions. Its most horrifying fact  can be seen in the UN world children poverty reports; ‘around  50,000 people including 25,000 innocent children under the age of  5,  DIE each day due to being subjected to gruelling poverty’. It is the ruthless greed of the riches to make more money  BY HOOK OR CROOK to maximize their business profit, income and wealth at the cost of robbing the  lower-class poor of their livelihood directly results in such  a wide income disparity, CORRUPTION and extreme poverty,  which finally results in such gruesome deaths of the children. The Governments ruled by the “rich class interests” which includes the well-to-do middle class and above are basically responsible for this greatest Crime Against Humanity.

It is possible to eradicate most of the poverty by eradicating corruption

By providing the poor children and their parents enough money for a decent standard of living thereby ensuring a good future for the children. However the worlds Governments make the public to believe that it is impossible to eradicate poverty like the corruption. It is mainly because there is no political will with the Governments ruled by the corrupt “rich class interest” to do so. In the meantime let me suggest an alternative solution to "lifting people above the poverty line" in the next article below.

Lifting People Above The Poverty Line 

(Second article in the this poverty series published on 11^th May 2011.)

Extreme poverty is the most serious and horrible of all human problems. Internationally it has been recognized as people “living below the poverty line”. According to most recent (2010) PPP estimates 1.4 billion people in the world subjected to abject poverty, which is having to live less than $1.25 a day ‘. To lift these people above this poverty line, the UN in collaboration with the world Government agencies and leading international organization (NGO’s) engage in many poverty alleviation, aid, development programs however with not much success.  Hereby under “IT To Root-Out Corruption” anti-corruption, let me suggest an alternative abject poverty reduction program which can definitely lift everyone in the world successfully  above the poverty line.

Every single person in a country (or world) from the moment they are born till they die, rich or poor should be given a monthly sustenance allowance of a minimum above the poverty line amount (say $50 in the Indian context), deposited directly into their bank account, most importantly having the unassailable biometric identity. The Govt. can get all the money required for this program by having this MANDATORY Biometric Identity in all banks as it will prevent all-most-all bogus or fake  bank accounts, which in return will significantly stop fraud or misuse of the bank money in benami accounts, Money laundering, black money etc corruptions thus more than enough money for this program . Money directly getting deposited in everyone’s bank account all having biometric identify and  brining in every one (rich and poor) under this program will most importantly avoid all kind of discrepancies leading to the corruption that usually happens in every poverty alleviation, aid relief or poor welfare programs. Let me  briefly mention only the two most important points of this program  in the following:

1). Even though the amount of money given to the rich and the poor under this program is equal, nevertheless in reality compared to their incomes the poorest of the poor (finally the poorest child) will gain the most (say 100%) while the well-to-do, rich will gain the least (say 1 %) or almost nothing! However as the recipients it will make both the rich and the poor equal before it.

2). In a developing country like India the monthly  money requirement to implement this program is massive, roughly $60 billion (for roughly 1.2 billion population). Some economist will argue it will  financially ruin or bankrupt the entire country within months! However, if you compare it with the national gross monthly income it may fall only between 1% to 5%. Moreover, it will provide  the enormous amount of purchasing power mainly in the hands of the poor population resulting in  tremendous monthly economic growth, production in the essential commodity sector generate huge number of rural employment. The money will be circulated in and out every month therefore immediately get reinvested rather than remaining as a dead stock.

Before concluding, let me give a simple example of how having a biometric identity in all bank account can totally prevent people from having all their ill-gotten black money valuables assets, deposited under many fake or bogus accounts. Suppose the finger prints of the people taken as their main biometric identity in the bank accounts. Now the main bank computer will regularly investigate if any of the fingerprints matches any other finger prints in the bank account of the entire country (or world) registered under any different persons name and address. If it finds one, its serious investigation conducted and the guilty severely  punished this will definitely deter everyone in engaging in all such frauds.

Valerian Texeira.

(PS. Rough draft subject to further revision)

My Other Blogsites:

IT To Root-out Corruption

http://i-opinion-about.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-to-root-out-corruption-2011-revised.html 

Drunk Driving DUI Root Cause

http://alcohol-research-misconduct.blogspot.com/2011/03/drunk-driving-root-cause.html

Alcoholics Cure well

http://alcoholicscurewell.blogspot.com/2011/03/alcoholics-curewell.html

Questions To Anna Hazare Lokpal Bill

To Hanna Hazareje, and the team, with due respect  I question, how can all your, anti-corruption legislations, Bills  including the Lokpal prevent corruptions big, medium and small going on all over the county that the public encounter every day in life. You know very well that corruption (basically illegal or illicit money transaction)  leaves no concrete evidences or money trail records most of the times,  therefore its  perpetrators can easily escape the law and the common man knows it too well, so  forced to except corruption as a way of life.

 

In today’s world if you are a businessman/women big, medium or small you cannot survive  without submitting to corruption of varies kinds. Even a poor rickshaw puller or the street cart vendor forced to submit to extortions, bribes, if he/she wants to survive in that business.  

Now let me take a very sensitive corruption matter because it  points to  hundreds and thousands of your middle and upper middle class white collar anti corruption Lokpal supporters. Apart from many other corruptions  in which they reluctantly participate many of them I believe (if not the majority) indulge in some Tax evasion whenever they find the opportunity. I cannot go into its details except to say it is because corruption mostly leaves no concrete evidence or money trail records  This is the main reason that encourage most people to engage in corruption and to make some (or lots of) easy money..

Do you have any comprehensive anti corruption proposals or concrete measures that can  make sure most (if not all) of the corruptions made to leave its concrete evidences of the illicit money trials so all its perpetrators can be  potentially arrested and convicted on the basis of the available  concrete evidences  that  get rid of majority of corruption.  You may say it is impossible make all those corruptions to leave it concrete recoded evidences so to get rid of all those corruptions, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTS THE PUBLIC TO BELIVE! It is contrary to the truth according to “IT To Root Out Corruption”.

(PS. Rough draft only needs editing and revising. )

Valerian Texeira.

IT To Root-out Corruption

http://i-opinion-about.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-to-root-out-corruption-2011-revised.html 

My Other Blog-sites:

Drunk Driving DUI Root Cause

http://alcohol-research-misconduct.blogspot.com/2011/03/drunk-driving-root-cause.html

Alcoholics Cure well

 http://alcoholicscurewell.blogspot.com/2011/03/alcoholics-curewell.html  

Janlokpal Cannot Deter Majority Corruptions

(Revised edition 15^th August 2011)

I fully support Anna Hazare Civil Society activists anti-corruption movement, uniting the public to fight against corruption under the banner of Janlokpal (Citizen Ombudsman) Bill. However I do not agree with their claims that it can bring the majority corruptions in India under control or deter it in any significant way mainly for the following reasons.

 

The Janlokpal Bill mainly aims to stringently punish those top brass  politicians and bureaucrats who are involved in prodigious scale of scam, fraud, graft, kick back, kind of colossal corruptions, which clearly shows its apparent, impropriety favoritism, nepotism,  etc evidences. However on the other hand it will not be able to deter the overwhelming majority politicians, bureaucrats IN THE CORRUPTION OPPORTUNE JOB, POST POSITION, ENTRUSTED WITH THE DISCRETIONARY POWER  to sanction contracts, projects, permits, licenses, jobs, positions (also to judge innocence, guilt punishment, fine, compensations) etc in return accepting perhaps a RELATIVELY SMALLER AMOUNTS OF PAYOFF that does not show any such obvious signs of  impropriety or favoritism and most importantly does not leave any such illicit money trail track record evidences necessary to prove it. These majority politician, bureaucrats also show no such conspicuous or outward signs or evidence of having amassed any such “considerable” amounts of disproportional wealth therefore will never become the target suspects of corruption investigation unless someone conducts a sting operation on them and they are so greedy and foolish enough to carelessly fall into such traps. By the way the Janlokpal will make these majority more cleverer and smarter in the future while engaging in corruption, they will become extra cautious and careful NOT to show or leave any such illicit money trail track record evidences to anyone to prove it in the court of law.

In today’s business corporate world, companies can gain or lose millions dollars of business profit income from a single discretionary judgment of the top government brasses or the judicial officers make decisions on their business. Whatever good quality product of services the company may sell or the business practices they adapt still it makes a good business sense that at least a small portion of the profit secretly shared as their “contributions” especially with the ruling Govt. ministers, legislators, top officials bureaucrats to keep them happy and entertained to express their gratitude for allowing them the projects (if not their rivals willing to pay many times more to snatch the project) or to run the business smoothly, without any troubles. There may not be any such kind of  impropriety, irregularities or favoritism involved but simply a reward for performing their duty promptly! Even a very honest person in the job can finally succumb to their own family welfare pressure and end up in taking the payoff bribe. A few lacks (hundred thousand) in cash or in kinds indirectly channeled to their into their private families accounts from some third party somewhere, that possibly does not leave any such MONEY TRAIL TRACK RECORD EVIDENCES to prove it. Therefore the majority of those top brasses in those corruption opportune jobs, posts having discretionary power positions never can be suspected, accused or charged with any such corruption so continue to stay and retire as honest person in their prestigious post.

It is only when some over-greedy people like Kalmady, Raja, Maran,Yeddyurappa etc., get emboldened by seeing all the political corruption around them become extremely callous and crazy daring to take hundreds of cores of kick-back, graft money that leaves its glaring impropriety and also perhaps the graft money track record evidence in the bank money transaction accounts, all of which draws the public media attention calling for its immediate corruption probe that may be followed by their imminent arrest and incarceration for the time being. However these people  still will mostly go scot-free or get away with some few years of lighter prison sentences because there are still no such direct money trail track record evidences to prove that any part of the money as a kikback went into their private accounts or into their close family partnership ownership account. It is in such cases a honest, powerful, independent anti-corruption investigating agencies like Janlokpal or the Lokayukth headed by extraordinarily honest and courageous people like Justice Santhosh Hegde of Karnataka,  can play a major role, given the powers to investigate  in such big corruption scandals it can uncover enough such money trail track record evidence linking to their private accounts of many of them, so to sent them to long years of rigorous imprisonment.

Unfortunately however in this system even the Janlokpal never will be able to recover the huge amount of the corruption money, which they have wisely hidden or given for safe keeping in some secret locations, not to mention the bribe money which they have taken in cash or in bullions which has not come before the court because there are absolutely not any such money trail record evidence to show it thus  never ever will be uncovered.  Recovering all the graft, kickback, bribe money which belongs to the public is most important goal of the anti-corruption mission than sending the guilty behind the bars. However the law agencies including the Jan Lokpal mostly fail to recover the most part of the graft, kickback, bribe money but only may succeed in sending perhaps many of those involved in mega corruption to  long years in prison.

By the way, I don’t  deny that there are some extraordinarily honest (super hero) minority politicians, bureaucrats, who will never except any such favor/gift/bribes of any kinds also strictly prohibit any of their family members  or subordinates from doing so (anyway, in this system it is impossible for them to know any others accepting the illegal “favors” without their knowledge) also fight against the corruption they see in the Government. However such people are extremely rare, rather an exception than the rule. In my opinion such extraordinary honest people simply not able to continue in the politics much longer, they get victimized, isolated and become helpless against the majority crony corruption hypocrisy, they mostly resign come out to fight, disgusted by the top to bottom corruption in the system .

If the Citizen Ombudsman Civil Society people really serious about deterring the majority in power indulging in any kind of corruption, most importantly they should BRING IN “TRANSPARENCY” IN EVERY INCOME AND PAYMENT THAT PEOPLE MAKE AND THE WEALH THEY OWN.   Install MANDATORY e-money transaction with Bio-ID# code in it that leaves the concrete money trail track record evidence of every money transaction. Its Technology already there, which can fully enable the anti-corruption agencies like Lopal first of all to easily know exactly the total amount of money, property ,wealth assets and its exact locations (including their relatives, friends, businesses  etc) of any people suspected of corruption,  “with a quick glance  into their Bio-ID# bank accounts available in the central banking computer (servers) without the need of raiding their homes or without any such coercive physical interventions (confiscation, interrogation, witness, confessions etc) to the extent the suspects never even know they are being investigated for corruption. This anti-corruption Technology or the IT will enable the Lokpal or the Lokayukth to  effortlessly find out if there are any clear cut illicit (bribe) money transactions in the peoples bank accounts or in their total wealth documents so they can absolutely prove the innocence or guilt of any corruption suspects  in the courts of law by the money trail track record evidence that the DIGITAL or e-money leaves behind in all their bank accounts and the Bio-ID# health records. On this basis first of all immediately exonerate the innocent and arrest only those people guilty of corruption on whom they have concrete illicit money trail track record evidences, which can definitely prove their crimes in the court of law thereby  send them  to long years of rigorous imprisonment and most importantly easily confiscate and recover all the ill-gotten corruption money assets and wealth  all of them (family, friends etc) have made. What is needed is the POLITICAL WILL to bring in the mandatory Bio-ID e-money transaction Tech solution to root out corruption and most other crimes from the world.

I have explained this subject matter in details  in my paper titled “IT To Root-out Corruption” first published in the year 2008, I had send it to the Indian Government ruling party and opposition legislators also to many other world leading Governments, International agencies and  leading international anti-corruption organizations NGO’s and I am sorry not much response from them so far.  One can find the revised version of my main paper “ IT  To Root-Out Corruption” its web link  http://bit.ly/jk3olU  . Another very important post in my other blog: “Anti-Corruption Fight”  its web link  http://bit.ly/jk3olU also see the rest of the post in the blog particularly   http://bit.ly/k8bIhR and http://bit.ly/mLJBXd

Finally, I commend Anna Hazare civil society team for bringing in the demand for a strong  lokpal  bill, it is a milestone in our countries long  fight against corruption. At least doing something  is better than doing nothing.

Valerian Texeira.


IT To Root-out Corruption

http://i-opinion-about.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-to-root-out-corruption-2011-revised.html 

My Other Blog-sites:

Drunk Driving DUI Root Cause

http://alcohol-research-misconduct.blogspot.com/2011/03/drunk-driving-root-cause.html

Alcoholics Cure well

 http://alcoholicscurewell.blogspot.com/2011/03/alcoholics-curewell.html

Anna Hazare On Fast To Press On Lokpal Bill

Veteran social activist, Anna Hazare reported to have began his fast unto death from today, April 5 2011, to press demand on the Lokpal bill.  I greatly admire his fight against corruption and wish all the best to him and to his movement.

However here are some of my thoughts. I am sure he will not die from the fast. Sooner or later the authorities come and negotiate a compromise on ending it, if not they will arrest and force feed him. It would be a miracle if the Government immediately agrees to the Jan Lokpal demand. However it may eventually agree to it if the public pressure mounts.

Suppose the Bill gets sanctioned still the corruption in this country will continue more or less as much as today (if not more) without any significant change. First of all there will be political pressure, corruption in the selection of the Lokpal committee members no matter what transparency they propose to bring in, mainly because  the root-cause or the monetary structure that facilitate corruption in the system still remain intact. Nevertheless I agree at least some anti corruption measures are better than having nothing. Of course more stringent punishment may deter some people from engaging in such corruption but we know the crime statistics reveal it would not reduce the crimes any significantly as long as its root-causes remain and there will be more chances of miscarriages of justice given the poor resources available in the hands of the justice system.

However my biggest concern is, the volume of corruption reported in the country is not even the Tip of an Iceberg. Considering the Indian populating around more than one billion so on a conservative estimate perhaps there are more than 100 million (10%) corruption cases(basically illicit money transactions) small or big, occur in every day (365 days in a year)  in which not even 0.1% (100,000)of  these cases get reported on a given day, in which not even 0.1% go to the court  out of which perhaps less than 1%  get convicted which  is something 0.0000001%  in total, nothing significant even by such a great Jan Lokpal Bill.

The most important fact of law prosecution of  corruption,  say bribery is far less compared to other such economic crimes like stealing or  robbery. A criminal  may rob10 houses on a given period before being caught. By the evidence found on his possession and other things the police make him to talk extract confession thus further collect  concrete evidences of most of his previous robbery and he will be prosecuted on all those robbery accounts. However a bureaucrat  may have taken bribe thousands of times on average before getting caught red handed on the last but it is mostly impossible for the police to collect any concrete evidence of his  all previous  bribe taking crime accounts. So he will be prosecuted only on the last and mostly set free as he got lots of  corruption money to fight it out in the court of Justice!

Unless we have a monetary system, which keeps  all money transaction records of every person  so when any person accused of corruption it can provide the concrete evidence for or against that person when its public or legal investigation ordered, there will be no end for  corruption.

I commend Anna Hazare and his team for bringing-in the Jan Lokpal bill it is a milestone  in our countries long  fight against corruption.

Valerian Texeira.

My Other Blogsites:

IT To Root-out Corruption

http://i-opinion-about.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-to-root-out-corruption-2011-revised.html 

Drunk Driving DUI Root Cause

http://alcohol-research-misconduct.blogspot.com/2011/03/drunk-driving-root-cause.html

Alcoholics Cure well

 http://alcoholicscurewell.blogspot.com/2011/03/alcoholics-curewell.html

Anti-Corruption Jan Lokpal Bill

Veteran Social Activist, Anna Hazare has given an ultimatum to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to enact stringent anti-corruption law – the peoples “Jan Lokpal Bill” and has announced a fast unto death from April 5, 2011 in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill after not receiving positive response from the Government of India.

Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal, this Bill has been refined on the basis of feedback received from public on website and after series of public consultations. It has also been vetted by and is supported by Shanti Bhushan, J M Lyngdoh, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare etc. The salient features of the Bill in the following.

1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up

2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.

3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.

4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.

5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.

6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.

7. But won't the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won't be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.

8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.

9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.

JAN LOKPAL BILL will act as deterrent and instill fear against corruption

(This movement claims that it is neither affiliated nor aligned to any political party)