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We are back to square one again. It is we who make the Government as we vote to bring someone to power and pull down someone else from power. Hence, the question is who has the real power, the Government or we?

Almost every other day we curse the Government, legislative and judiciary for corruption and lapses and call corruption a part of the Executive machinery. It is inevitable because we make it happen. We give the bribe to get things done in a jiffy because we don’t have time and we don’t find the need to change the system. Hence, the levels of corruption are going beyond any comprehension. There is corruption even at the burial grounds or electric crematoriums. How despicable we are?

The Consumer Act stipulated by the Government does have checkpoints to avoid these situations and nullify corruption. Absence of information on these checkpoints create the necessity for bribing the system to get work done or the desire to require a service from the Government without fulfilling the essential procedures to obtain it. We don’t make an effort to learn them.

For example, I need an Indian National Passport to go abroad in a few days time and I approach a tout to get this done because I need to pay him only 2000 rupees whereas Tatkaal costs a little more than this.   The tout is happy with Rs.2000 because he is happy with the money and I am happy because I am getting it for a lesser price. Little do I understand the moral responsibility of being a citizen of this country to avoid doing such things and go the right way. This is only a drop in the mighty ocean called corruption. Touts have a field day not only at Passport offices and RTO offices, but almost everywhere. Not to miss the private organizations, where corruption exists; the degree may be less.

If I chose to pay a little more and get the tatkaal instead of making use of the tout and other devious methods, wouldn’t I have proved myself as a better citizen of this country than remaining guilty of my cowardly act of bribing the system? How many of us today prefer to ask for a receipt of fine paid from the traffic police when we get caught jumping the signal, over speeding and not carrying the relevant papers? We are scared of going to the Police Station and hence avoid it by paying what the traffic constable asks us. What will happen if you go to the police station with the constable? After all what is it that he can do?

If we don’t have the courage to stand up and object to corruption how is we are able to sit in our drawing rooms and curse the Government of India? After all, the touts and those involved in receiving corruption make a living with what we give. So how can we complain about corruption? Let us remember, if there is someone to be blamed for receiving bribe for a service, the one who pays is as much to be blamed.

We want to change we make the beginning