Indian Politicians 2-20-1017

20, February 2017                    Indian Politicians 

India is a country mired in endless contradictions. It is puzzling that a nation which prides itself in being the epicenter of spirituality ignores honesty and integrity in conducting its day to day activities. Many seem to believe that a quick stop-over and donation to the local temple will absolve them from their many sins.

In western democracies, the whiff of a political scandal would bring a swift end to a political career. Witness Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu fighting corruption charges or his predecessor Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who was driven from office on bribery charges.  Or Richard Nixon who famously claimed that “I am not a crook” but then resigned in ignominy.

Perhaps, Donald Trump may buck the trend and escape punishment – in the near term but his ‘Russian connection’ may yet doom his presidency. In his soon to be released new book Milan Vaishnav, “When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics” argues that in India, politician’s criminal behavior is generally considered to be an electoral asset. Vaishnav, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, states that most countries hold their politicians’ in low esteem but not in India where law makers who have been charged or convicted of serious crimes are three times more likely to be elected than those with a squeaky clean record. India’s lower house the Lok Sabha is stacked with murderers, blackmailers, thieves and kidnappers.  A staggering 34% of members of parliament (MPs) have criminal charge sheets and the numbers is rising dramatically.

Part of the problem is the overburdened Indian judicial system which moves at glacial speed - with a backlog of 31M cases. Even serious crimes can take a decade or more before they are tried. Legal postponements are lubricated by a system of graft that is so effective that many defendants die before their cases are reviewed. Following independence in 1947 thuggish businessmen seeking lucrative import licenses, state concessions such as mining rights, were able to bribe politicians with relatively ease. 

Rivers of money would flow into Congress Party coffers enabling them to hold onto power for extended periods. But during the 1980s the Congress Party lost its political edge opening up new business opportunity to Indian dons who cut out corrupt politicians and ensconced themselves in positions of power.

A weary electorate were no longer inclined to expose dishonest lawmakers but were more interested in gaining access to political power. Vaishnav states that a candidate who has been charged with serious crimes is 18% more likely to win than a “clean” candidate. The more serious the charge the better the electoral boost. Caste appears to have less of a role than in prior elections. Much like American elections with the absence of campaign finance laws, deep pocket dons have become a permanent fixture in India’s new political landscape. How Mother India must be weeping!