Seeing corruption beyond proofs : Question of ethics and morality
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 03, 2012 -

Corruption. A single word which needs to be seen beyond the purview of 'proof', 'evidence' or even the question of the legal.

Trying to understand this term sans the essentials of ethics and morality would be missing the trees for the woods.

A single word which has morphed into a trend, nay a culture, and which has adversely impacted on the lives of all the 25 odd lakh people of Manipur and to a large extent this explains the pathetic state of affairs here.

The coming together of different political parties to corner the Government on charges of corruption should therefore be seen in its correct perspective.

Whether the charges are proved or otherwise, the spirit of the fight against corruption should not be lost on the people who matter.

Legally there may be nothing wrong in the appointment of the better half of the honourable Speaker of the State Assembly to the Assembly Secretariat as a person belonging to the Other Backward Classes, but take this case beyond the realm of the strictly legal or official procedures and there emerges a wide space for debates.

Only the conscience of the honourable Speaker can answer the question of whether the muck that has been wracked up should go beyond the legal and the official and come into the realm of ethics and morality.

On the other hand, the question of ethics too should be taken into account while fighting the menace called corruption. Is it ethical and morally right to personalise corruption ?

There may be no answer in black and white for the grey areas are many. But still this is a question that should not be discarded.

As things stand now, K-Pro is no longer the name of just another company but has been portrayed as 'corruption' being played out across the water expanse of Loktak Lake.

A clear statement on how huge investment can take the form of corruption or breed grounds to raise charges of corruption and the onus of explaining the status quo should obviously lie on the Government.

Corruption need not only be seen through the scope of questionable appointments, siphoning off of development funds, bribery etc.

It should be seen in how the affairs of the State are being run and managed. An under trial prisoner lodged inside a high security jail being in a position to direct assaults on media persons is an example of the arm of corruption out pacing the proverbial long arm of the law.

The direction of the flow of corruption too should not be lost on anyone, concerned with this menace. It flows down from the top to the bottom and not vice versa.

When Government jobs are bought, then here is the perfect script to demonstrate the cascading effect of corruption.

The roads that break down in no time, the money that have to change hands at the time of moving a file, the lobbying that is needed to get a plum posting are different avatars of corruption.

All these cannot be proved within the understanding of 'proofs' or 'evidences' or legally, but its impact is felt everyday in the life of each individual.

All the more reason why the argument that corruption should be understood within the realm of ethics and morality too gains credence.