Are you serious about removing corruption?

I tried for about 18 minutes to listen to this talk, but quickly realised that this man has absolutely no clue about economics.

Had he just been a Keynesian economist I would have understood why he wants to the government to print money to ensure that every poor person has money to go into the hotels (!), but when Ramdev was talking about a transaction tax – which is severely regressive – and I recalled later that I had come across this model earlier (http://www.arthakranti.org/home) and rejected it outright, I basically stopped watching further. No time to wast.

I see no reason why India must violate the results of CENTURIES of study of economics just because a quack “economist” is put forward by Baba Ramdev as a “solution” to India’s problems.

I’d urge Anil Bokil (apparently a chartered accountant – which means he is otherwise very capable) to start reading basic economics texts, and when he has done that, to start reading Adam Smith and Hayek (among hundreds of others).

After he has done that we can discuss. He would have realised well before that stage how foolish is his model.

In searching for this man on google I also came across a critique of Anil Bokil’s proposal by Sharad Bailur, a classical liberal whose views I respect: http://sbailur.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/03/arthakranti-by-anil-bokil.htm

Sharad Bailur blows the Baikul model apart.

It is important that Ramdev take advice from REAL economists, not quacks.

We are ill-served by re-inventing the work of thousands of specialists. Let us make use of the tools already invented and use them in India.

The public finance system I recommend for India are outlined here:

http://sabhlokcity.com/2009/11/a-liberal-perspective-on-taxes-%E2%80%93-part-i/ and

http://sabhlokcity.com/2009/12/a-liberal-perspective-on-taxes-%E2%80%93-part-ii/

This article is an insult to the intelligence of common man. Its an article which is marginally better than my 2 yr old daughters essay. Only dfference is my daughter’s essay say that her dad is the best person in the world and here this author says he is the best person Indian politics can get. Honestly, the mosquito story was disgusting, actually it could be used as an analogy for all cases, let alone the author’s case. Such advises sound hypocritic. It is hypocritic when you say ‘Stop criminals from rules’ is stupid and ‘allow good people to be rulers’ is intelligence. And Sanjeev Sablok obviously doesn’t like Baba Ramdev’s drape color, it shows up in this article. Simply put, there are tactical short term and strategic long term solutions for any problem. Brining black money, preventing criminals from politics etc are tactical and they provide faster benefits. This doesn’t mean Qureshis and Baba Ramdevs don’t want good people like Sanjeev Sabhlok in politics (well, some people like me may not want too good and extraordinary noble like Sanjeev Sabhlok to rule us), but it only means they are addressing short and medium term. Your formula of allow good people in politics is a theoritical wish list, has no practical reach, and has no connect with common man. If only election happens amoung intellectuals, your steps might work and good people like you could get selected. But in democracy, its the common people who vote and elect leaders, there are lot of emotions involved, not just brain, this is reality. Even if all your recommendations are implemented, I can bet my life and say you will not get selected as you will hardly make any sense to 99.99% of common men.

Dear Nanda.

Economics all over the World is same .. its same for 100% of the India and world.

Similar policies bring any country out of poverty and corruption.

Take Indian Govt policies in Singapore and Hongkong .. I assure you they will be more corrupt than us.

Indians usually are most ethical of all. The proof is ..inspite of so many restrictions there is still a social decorum.

Doesnt matter If people listen or not understand or not … Satya meva jayate (The name of this blog)

Regards,
Vijay

“false gods to which the Hindus of India are accustomed to pay obesience.”

False or not, as long as the gods are from the West then the Hindu will spontaneously pay his respects. Now that Sri Marx is no longer in vogue, Neo-liberal theologists Friedman and Hayek are the new prophets of these brown apes of the West. I’d take an unproven prescription by an Indian who seeks inspiration from an Indian perspective and context any day over imitators who derive second-hand ego-validation by latching on to this or dominant economic/political ideology dominant at the time. We may fail in the short term but we will learn from failure to evolve an economic system that is suited to the Indian environment and which will not merely turn us into another ugly caricature of the West. It would do well for these people to take a closer look at the past thirty years at what has happened to the Western Economies which have followed the Hayek / Friedman path. The chronic economic instability, booms and busts, the nearly all pervasive economic insecurity, disparity between the handful of rich and nearly everybody whose quality of life continues to suffer, the denudation of essential public services and the ongoing effort to privatize basic human necessities like water, the daylight robbery of entire nations (e.g. Iceland) by Financial thugs… the list is endless. Sure, socialism is a failure. But so is absolute capitalism / neo-liberalism / classical liberalism. It is disheartening that all these simplistic Indian imitators can seem to do is latch on to another western teat that is even now starting to sputter dry, now that the Marxian one has nothing more to offer. Do the hard work, put your brains to the task and come up with something better. My vote for such people and not self-important “saviors” of India in the name of their Western economic Gurus/economic religions.

@G

You are clearly taking a dig at Sanjeev’s liberalism and Nehruvian socialism which have exhausted their usefulness. As Hindu philosophies go, there are none that have been so worthy of study that they are on offer at Indian universities. It is as well to remember that they were made exinct in the Muslim rule of India. The British established universities which you deride so much are the only ones bequeathed to India. Without them and the new ones established on modern lines, India’s achievements would be a flat zero. Now I am all in favour of some reaching out of India’s past, but any program will have to be fashioned for the needs of modern times. That is how Roman law was renewed in the West.

@Sudhav

You make precisely the same point which has excised legislators in the UK. The UK has wisely steered clear of funding. To the extent that politics has been accomodated in the scheme of things, the major parties are give free air time. This costs taxpayers nothing and came abouth through accomodation and without legislation. A British election can be conducted without funding from the state through the funds of the local membership. MPs are not required to spend their own money and are helped by an army of helpers who support the parties cause with no thought for their own advancement, at their own cost and without pay. In India except for the BJP which has been assisted by the Sangh (and I am sure the Muslim parties are similarly helped), Congress etc purchases their votes. State finance would have to be found to do all the bribing that is done in Indian elections to put in people and parties into power who have no right to it. Clearly, Sanjeev has not thought things through on the finance question.

@G

India has functioned in the past without elections for Parliament, courts etc. as a motley collection of states under the sway of foreign powers for the previous two thousand years. If that situation obtained today, Pakistan would overrun Kashmir, and then neighbouring states until the whole of India was swallowed up into an Islamic state. So where is the idea of a Hindu superstate to come from if it does not come from the service of the Hindu people? This has to come from the Vedic teachings of dharma as a social contract enjoining Hindus to the preservation and the defence of the motherland. Where rot has set in with this ideology is attempts to include Muslims et al in the narrative. That can come from the other Vedic injunction that the “world is a family”. That is as far Hindu universalism as a religion should go. We should not entertain some of the fancy notions that the Hindu right hold dear of the universalism of Hinduism which embraces the pre-Christian world as if there was deep understanding that permitted the ancient world. History shows that one of India did not even know much about the other end let alone the world.

India at this point in time is in a crises of identity. The same causes that are toppling Muslim regimes and straining many others has manifested in India under despoting rule, even as it enjoys sanctions of elections. In the West, the Indian scams would have brought down the Government but Indian politicians and India is not beholden to any moral code. A moral crusador in Anna Hazare has risen to the fore to challenge the politics. The Lokpal legislation is no substitute for the politicians who are brazen enough not to resign. There are no shortage of court orders which the state has refused to execute. For a revolution which is what is being sought, a point will be reached where fore will have to meet force. We have already seen that the Government is not shy of using all the power at its disposal and it is not going to meekly submits its resignation and offer itself for re-election. In the absence of it being forecefully removed from power, it will not implement the law that will make the present category of politicians redundant because this is what this is all about.

For the Christians of the West, and Muslims the justice of a cause like this is clear to the extent that the present Government cannot continue any longer and its removal by force is warrented: martial law, fresh elections etc. If Anna Hazare has found fault with the regime, he is certainly not standing to replace it. There is no replacement in the wings and this is why there will be no change without the intervention of the military which will only take place with the complete breakdown of order. I do not envisage such a situation which is most unfortunate for India, as the voice of the Indian military is too feeble by far.

Sorry, didn’t have time to pursue the comments in detail but there was some scepticism about state funding of elections.

Note I’m NOT asking for ADVANCE funding, but post-facto reimbursement.
Second, state funding is pointless without a very strong disclosure of ALL expenditure.

I know most people don’t have the attention span sufficient to read a book (BFN) or to understand basic economics, but you might dip in and out (depending on your interest) of these posts:

http://sabhlokcity.com/2011/08/rahul-gandhi-no-no-government-funding-of-political-parties-but-payment-based-on-valid-votes-polled/

http://sabhlokcity.com/2011/08/why-limiting-expenditure-on-elections-is-a-very-bad-idea/

and of course http://sabhlokcity.com/how-to-remove-corruption-from-india/

Note also that state funding (with full disclosure) operates in almost precisely the way I have recommended, in Australia. And it is very successful in reducing corruption.

For the period 1 July to 31 December 2010, the funding rate is $2.31191
per eligible vote (http://www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/public_funding/funding-guide.htm)

Sabhlok raised some good points but I was shocked to see his self centred views. In two three places he mentioned himself as the ideal candidate. I agree with Nanda on this.
I liked the analogy to the malaria infested pond but the parallels dont work in reality.
What actually put me off was the closing line,”….And so, this is the end of the lesson called Corruption for Dummies by Sanjeev Sabhlok…”
When Shatanu Bhagwat introduced Sanjeev as his colleague from FTI I was willing to read on. Now I know what to avoid here on Satyamev Jayate.

@Harsh Jain: Prahlad Pandey is a good friend of mine. I never agreed with his views and have always said he himself is knee deep in corruption. Shirking one’s duty is a form of corruption.

Do read: A Primer for Corruption Fighter by Gurcharan Das..

Somewhat related and worth a close read: 5 yrs back, India ‘legalised’ political corruption. Now, the time to end secret funding is here by Shekhar Gupta, 17 Sept 2022 from which a brief excerpt:
…
Even when the late Arun Jaitley brought in these electoral bonds in his 2017-18 budget, he had conceded that it was only a partial reform. This was just the first step, he said, to take black money out of electoral funding. That was a reasonable point as until then rich individuals, corporates good or not quite so, property sharks, mining barons, criminals, smugglers, thugs, just anybody could bring cash in suitcases or wheelbarrows and give it to the political parties and leaders they believed in — or needed to cultivate. Now they were able to buy bonds from the State Bank of India from their white money.

Now you understand why we say the 65-year battle against electoral corruption was lost on 1 April 2017 and why the new electoral bonds, instead of cleaning up the system, ended up legalising it.