‘Parivartan’ in Goa

While India ranks 95th on the ‘Corruption Perception Index’, Goa’s ‘parivartan’ Government talks about an 80 to 90 percent reduction in corruption within six months. ‘Parivartan’ is the art of presenting facts upside down or in a twisted manner. Thereby the assurance about reduction in corruption is not without a clarification that ‘zero tolerance to corruption does not mean zero corruption’. This is only a way of stating that even though the Government professes to be intolerant to corruption it does not necessarily mean a firm ‘No’ to corrupt practices. The unspoken declaration is that Goa will continue to have 20 to 30 percent corruption, which means a lot in terms of a State budget of several thousand crores. This is besides the opportunities for a huge whack on the sidelines provided by the license raj and tender raj on which it is difficult to put a price. There is a little known non-Congress technique in Goa, which is corruption by proxy. The masterminds never soil their hands but get it done by the extended family. So all one can expect to tumble upon is some non-significant party official or a bureaucrat trapped in a sting operation only to be immediately disowned and dropped like a hot potato by the political party. We are made to forget that there also exists a corruption whereby political party cadres are favored in recruitments for key Government departments like the police, education and information & broadcasting; local body elections are rigged, transparency is denied and accountability resisted in tendering of public works, indiscriminate use of land acquisition laws, preferential treatment is given to certain constituencies for development while depriving others, upright government officials get harassed, wresting of absolute powers and finances with ministers, bribing the media with schemes and turning a blind eye to illegalities and so on. So witch hunting to destroy political opposition is not about tackling corruption, it is a way to absolute corruption. The perception about corruption fluctuates depending upon which political party is in government. So what sort of corruption is going to be reduced in Goa? Absence of public information on corruption gets construed as absence of corruption. The guilt of a government or a politician is established not by the courts but by the quantum of noise and emotional frenzy one is capable of generating in public. Reduction of 80 to 90 percent transparency in Government functioning can definitely aid claims about reduction in corruption. The prowling RTI activists can be temporarily kept in the dark by causing the controversial files to go missing. Delay in providing timely information to the public is a handy tool in corruption. Out of turn promotions and appointments in public office will ensure that the information sources are closely monitored and regulated. Highlighting infrastructure development is used as a smoke screen to conceal rampant corruption. Those who are not distracted will get labeled as blackmailers and anti-nationals. So if the Goa government is really serious about tackling corruption then one cannot go by mere verbal jargon and absence of news reports on corruption. Commitment to tackling corruption will be manifested when rightful powers and finances get devolved to the local bodies and no Sarpanch or Municipal President has to approach any Minister, MLA or bureaucrat on bended knees for development funds. All public officials will be required to declare their assets and liabilities every year. All job vacancies in Government will be rooted through an independent agency like the Goa Public Service Commission and choice of candidates will be purely on merit and aptitude. All tendering of public works will be done in a transparent manner. All development work in Village Panchayat and Municipal areas will need the approval of the Gram Sabha and Municipal Body before implementation and after completion. Every Government department and local body will have a website which besides other information will declare the nature and status of the inward and outward correspondence on a day to day basis. Special Panchayat and Municipal Commissions or Ombudsman will be put in place to tackle complaints and disputes in a time bound manner. Boards will be displayed at the site of every project specifying the type of project and whether it is carried out from State or Union funds. The public grievance authority responsible for any complaint on work being executed will also have to be mentioned. And top on the agenda should be the introduction of a Panchayat and Municipal window in the Annual State Budget specifying financial provisions for every Village Panchayat, Municipality and Corporation under every Ministry. Devolution of powers and finances increases transparency and accountability. Has the present CM this measure of sincerity and courage to introduce these reforms? Only then will the public be able to ascertain the levels of corruption in parivartan governance. If not, all claims about reduction in corruption can be expected to be mere rhetoric. Soter D’Souza http://www.heraldgoa.in/newpage.php?month=6&day=12&year=2012&catid=14 Published on 12/6/2012