On Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 1:28 AM, Raj Shekhar <[email protected]> wrote:
> This anecdote is a bit hard to digest. Or maybe I have dealt with more
> hardened bureaucrats.
The comments in the blog cover this actually. For a change this being
the World Bank blog, the comments are actually useful.
Some quotes:
{
I would think the very presence of the zero-rupee note in the
conversation/transaction would alert the briber that the bribee is not
the only one who knows he's trying for a shakedown. Zero-rupee notes
dont magically make their way into the hands of the poor... Exposure
(and therefore the possibility of publicity and punishment) is a good
motivator!
I would presume most people would not be retaliated against due to
this reason alone...
}
{
To those who scoff I would repeat the old Chinese adage,
"It is better to light one small candle than to cry at the darkness".
Society is largely dependent upon emblems and the Zero note is
emblematic of the injustice of such bribery. People respond to
concrete symbols which offer tangible evidence of their
duplicity and which cannot be overlooked.
}
{
Any attempt to break the shackles of bribery even by one link is to be
commended. The 5th pillar approach by itself may not solve all the
bribery related problem in India; but it makes a bold statement
against it. Similar and more such actions can make a difference.
}
