Friday, February 04, 2011

Does corruption matter ?

Let us first read what our Home Minister says:

On the penultimate day at Davos, Home Minister P Chidambaram spoke to P Vaidyanathan Iyer of The Indian Express about the India show at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and asserted that no foreign leader or investor has raised any issues on corruption back home. Excerpts:


Some WEF participants have raised issues relating to governance deficit and corruption in India. Any comments?


No foreign leader, investor—and I have met dozens of them over the last few days — has raised with me any issues relating to corruption or money laundering. Nobody has spoken to me about these issues. It is unfortunate that a section of the Indian media is playing up this issue. In fact, we have discussed issues relating to investment, international economic situation, and the crisp growth rate that India is recording, even in a time of uncertainty.


Now let us read what the Prime Minister feels: ( A report in The Hindu quoting the PTI)

With his government under attack over various scams, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday spoke out against corruption, saying that it strikes at the roots of good governance, dents the country’s international image and “demeans us before our own people“.



“This is a challenge which has to be faced frontally, boldly and quickly,” he said addressing the annual conference of Chief Secretaries of States in New Delhi.


He said, “Corruption strikes at the roots of good governance. It is an impediment to faster growth. It dilutes, if not negates, our efforts at social inclusion”.


“It dents our international image and it demeans us before our own people,” Dr. Singh said
Serious concern has been expressed in many responsible circles about the lack of ethical conduct and probity in public life, he said.

Who is right and who is wrong ? One thing is clear. With such dysfunctional divergence of views at the top, the corrupt in the country can continue to feel totally safe.


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