Law is the answer to corruption

In India, politicians in power are the richest in that category anywhere in the world. The reason is enormous power and discretion they wield without any accountability. Next comes bureaucrats with lots of power in their hands with very less accountability. Combined, they just loot the nation.  Corruption undermines merit, that results in economic under performance of India as a nation. Corruption today is a high profit and low risk activity. This must be reversed.

• In a vibrant society everything is provided for by law and only a few things are left to the discretion of politicians.
• The law should govern the nation where the judiciary, the police and the civil servants dispense justice and services to the citizens in merit order, with no discretion whatsoever. The discretionary powers must be with autonomous institutions never with politicians. The politicians must be confined to making laws and enforcing them properly.
• But in Indian civil society it is 90% politics and 10% law whereas in American civil society it is 90% law and 10% politics.
• Prosperity evolves by the laws of nature, particularly the entrepreneurial character of the people.
• Redundant institutions like President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha, Governors, Legislative councils etc consume the tax-payer's money without giving anything tangible in return. These must be wound up.
• All public institutions must be headed by well qualified, experienced, meritorious professionals in that field, rather than politicians or IAS officers who know nothing about that organisation.
• Justice delayed is justice denied. There is no justification for courts piling up millions of cases and making litigants wait for their life time to get justice. The procedures could be streamlined and expedited to dispose of cases with in six months time.
• Government must be small so that rule of law is implemented by the judiciary, police and the  civil servants.
• Only mass literacy will make the voter cast his vote to the right candidate. Progress is indigenous. It cannot be imported.
• The main reason for India’s pervasive corruption is material greed. Some 20 million Indians have left India to seek monetary gains abroad. These people were intelligent people and were educated at national expense and they serve foreign countries. This much of talent migration would not have occurred had there been matching opportunities in India. This basic moral defect has to be kept under leash only by law. 
• Indian politics, instead of standing on the legal high ground, opted for huge state power. All powerful ministers, MPs, MLAs and IAS officers amass wealth without any let or hindrance. A tall leader is required to put on the pedestal the majesty of law. Then only corruption will disappear from India. India has to take a U-turn from politics to law, from money to moral rectitude. Political change has always been difficult to effect. Only an ethical society can achieve this arduous task. 
• Economic progress must have a firm legal and democratic foundation. The West too is suffering because of the excessive pursuit of wealth and many are predicting even the demise of liberalism. If the West cannot afford immoral affluence, how can India afford it? 
• To seek to pursue growth on a shaky legal foundation is dangerous. Economic growth in the absence of law has created the present corruption levels. India must strengthen its judiciary. Then judiciary, police and the civil servants will put an end to black money.
• In India, the job of a minister is glamorous with power and pomp, whereas a judge, police and civil servant have to do their jobs in relative obscurity. A minister should realize that her or his job is largely decorative and that the job of the judge, police and civil servant is constructive. True politician must be humble. By a political awakening, a legal illumination and honesty in civil service, corruption can be put to an end. 
• Citizens must become alert and create the right atmosphere for a lofty political leadership to emerge. A highly politicised society has to become a highly legalised society. Politics is partisan, law is unitary. Moving from politics to law is evolutionary progress.
• As politics is deep-rooted in the moral character of a society. An MP who is willing to live on bread and water will not need any bribe. His heart and stomach should be filled by patriotism. Also, economics is a zero-sum came. When the rich live in palaces the poor have to live on the streets. A voluntary tendency to lead a simple life by all will create the right atmosphere for economic probity.
• We cannot create a draconian state to end corruption. The moral transformation of civil society must be natural and based on persuasive leadership. Money should become meaningful, moral and deeply satisfying. If true wealth is found in a rich heart, no one will want to touch money even with a barge pole.
• Law is the fulcrum of democracy and democracy is what holds the people together without force. Law and democracy can combine to form the life of politics to cleanse the country of corruption. Cheap politics has done enough damage to India. India needs Newtons and Einsteins in its politics to make it clean, pure and inspiring. Then the best and the brightest will come to politics to make it a haven of virtue and science.

In a democracy, winning election doesn't confer on winner 
autocratic powers to do nonsense things. He must confine to rule of law.
People may or may not have respect for the law; but they must fear the law.

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In India, politicians life style is more vulgar than erst while kings, nizams and zamindars. Even an MLA's monthly expenditure is more than Rs.10 lakhs! Their spending is outright ludicrous. Political parties and their massive election expenditure is a point of concern. Election reforms must change this by providing level playing platform for all contestants with least expenditure. Political contributions from other than individuals must be prohibited, which is the big source of corruption, crony capitalism, nepotism and quid-pro-quo. Even individual donations must be by bank transfer and all donations received and expenditure accounts of political parties are properly maintained and must be audited.

Rule of the law essential for corruption elimination

• American civil society is 90% law and 10% politics. Indian civil society is 90% politics and 10% law. 
• India has chosen this political model that makes politics profitable to politicians. Indian politicians in power are among the richest in the category anywhere in the world. 
• In a dynamic society everything should be provided for by law and only a few things are left to politicians. The law should govern a nation where the judge, the police and the civil servant dispense justice to the citizen.
• Indian politics took enormous power in its hands in order to promote economic growth. But prosperity evolves by the laws of nature. 
• India has no legal vision that is why a million cases are pending in courts. Law and franchise are two sides of the same coin called democracy, one representing truth and the other popular will.  
• A government must be small. Then only rule of law can be implemented by the judiciary, the police and civil service.
• India is yet to write any document to keep the greedy politicians in check.
• Mass literacy will make the voter cast his vote to the right candidate. 
• Progress is indigenous; it cannot be imported from abroad.
• The main reason for India’s pervasive corruption is material greed. Some 15 million Indians have left India to seek monetary gains abroad. This basic moral defect can be kept under leash only by law. 
• Indian politics, instead of standing on the legal high ground, opted for huge state power. All-powerful ministers, MPs, MLAs and IAS officers amass wealth without any let or hindrance. Can India take a U-turn from politics to law, from money to moral rectitude? 
• Political change has always been difficult to effect. The true dimensions of the task of creating an ethical society must be borne in mind.
• Economic progress must have a firm legal and democratic foundation. The West too is suffering because of the excessive pursuit of wealth. The West ignored its policies and many are predicting even the demise of liberalism. If the West cannot afford immoral affluence, how can India afford it? 
• To seek to pursue growth on a shaky legal foundation is dangerous. The Indian polity is morally weak without any legal restraint. Economic growth in the absence of law has created the present corruption levels. 
• India must strengthen its judiciary. Then, without any fuss and public outcry corruption can be eliminated. The same judiciary and police will put an end to black money.
• The job of a minister is glamorous with power and pomp, whereas a judge and a police officer have to do their jobs in relative obscurity. A minister's job is largely decorative and that the job of the judge is constructive. Realising his true contribution, the politician must be humble. By a political awakening and a legal illumination corruption can be put to an end. 
• Citizens must become alert and create the right atmosphere for a lofty political leadership to emerge. A highly politicised society has to become a highly legalised society. Politics is partisan, law is unitary. Moving from politics to law is evolutionary progress.
• Politics is deep-rooted in the moral character of a society. Any politician who is willing to live on bread and water will not need any bribe. Economics is a zero-sum came. When the rich live in palaces the poor have to live on the streets. A voluntary tendency to lead a simple life by all will create the right atmosphere for economic probity.
• We cannot create a draconian state and end corruption. The moral transformation of civil society must be natural and based on persuasive leadership. A clear definition of a sustainable lifestyle must be voluntarily accepted. Only then the competitive urge to make more and more money will end. Money should become meaningful, moral and deeply satisfying. If true wealth is found in a rich heart, no one will want to touch money even with a barge pole.
• Law is the fulcrum of democracy and democracy is what holds the people together without force. Law and democracy can combine to form the life of politics to cleanse the country of corruption. Cheap politics has done enough damage to India. India needs Newtons and Einsteins in its politics to make it clean, pure and inspiring. Then the best and the brightest will come to politics to make it a haven of virtue and science.

Read the source article

Two things form the bedrock of any open society.

Freedom of expression and rule of law ...  Salman Rushdie

If citizens cannot trust that laws will be enforced in an evenhanded and honest fashion, 

they can be said to live under the rule of men corrupted by the law ... Dale Carpenter

Corruption arises out of discretionary powers vested upon politicians, civil servants and judiciary, without any accountability, which are being misused for amassing ill-gotten wealth. These must be replaced with robust merit based algorithms. Transparency & accountability must be established at all levels. All government expenditure must have prior legislative sanction. Executive sanctioning of schemes, expenditure or anything must be prohibited. Every process of law administration must have legislative approval prior to implementation. Citizen rights must be respected under all circumstances by every one. Courts must deliver judgments within six months. VIP culture must be abandoned. These are few things which must be adopted immediately and refined continuously for establishing a happy society.