Interesting idea, but the site didn't open. J.A.P.
On 30 October 2010 16:58, Charles Haynes <[email protected]> wrote: > I love this idea - I've always been baffled about what the going rate > was and what sorts of bribes were appropriate or expected. What do > other people think? How do you know how to bribe? > > -- Charles > > A Goan is compelled to pay a Rs 70,000 bribe for permission to rebuild > his family home in Margao after he is told, “Can’t be done, sir, not > until...” > > For refusing to pay off a municipal employee, a 45-year old man in > Ahmedabad is kept waiting a year to get his birth certificate. > > A New Delhi resident buckles and palms a 100-rupee note to a policeman > accusing him of illegally operating his car as a cab while driving a > foreigner friend to Agra. > > IPaidABribe.com registers an astonishing assortment of first person > anecdotes detailing bribe-giving across India. From Agartala to > Vijayawada, it is a first-of-its-kind chronicle of you-and-me Indians’ > brush with an array of corrupt government officials. By graphically > detailing and recording the universality of this Indian problem, > IPaidABribe wants to analyse patterns, change processes and tackle > corruption. > > Launched six weeks ago, IPaidABribe (IPAB) is already making waves on > the internet. It was set up by the Bangalore-based Janaagraha, a > non-profit that works to change the quality of life in urban India by > working with both citizens and governments. In the short time since > its launch, thousands of Indians have gone online to record their > experiences under a laundry-list of headers: I paid a bribe, I didn’t > pay a bribe, I didn’t have to pay a bribe, I don’t want to pay a > bribe. > > On its website, IPAB asserts that it wants citizens to “uncover the > market price of corruption” and illustrates it with a graphic of a > corporate employee bribing a policeman with his official entitlement > of Sodexho food coupons. The numbers, types, locations, frequencies > and value of bribes paid provide a snapshot of the extent of > corruption in different cities. Janaagraha then uses them to argue for > improved governance systems, tighter law enforcement and stricter > regulation, thus reducing the scope of corruption. > > According to Janaagraha co-founder Swati Ramanathan, recording a > bribing incident is like owning up a sin in a confessional. She says > IPAB is a “mandi”, a marketplace where prices for various services are > openly shared. In order to encourage more ‘confessions’, IPAB does > maintain the anonymity of the bribe-giver. It does not unmask the > bribe-taking government official’s identity either — it aims to change > processes and not target individuals. > > As an early endorsement for its crusade, Janaagraha has just received > a $3 million grant from the social philanthropy investment firm, > Omidyar Foundation, backed by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of auction > website eBay. This is the foundation’s first grant towards government > transparency outside the United States. Enthused by the responses to > IPAB, Sunlight Foundation, an American firm that works in digitising > government documents in various US States, is talking about launching > a similar initiative in the United States. The Foundation said the > website would help heighten awareness about the subtle forms of > corruption rampant in the United States. > > The results are already beginning to show. Karnataka’s transport > department has gleaned details of the bribes collected by transport > officials based on the locations mentioned by the bribe givers. It has > sent show-cause notices to 20 senior officials. > > The initiative is headed by T.R. Raghunandan, an upright IAS officer > who quit the civil service to join Janaagraha. In the “Ask Raghu” > section of the website, the former official provides advice on how to > deal with a policeman demanding a bribe or how to get a driving > license or a passport without giving a bribe. Often, average people > pay bribes because they do not have access to information on either > the process or the fee to be paid for a particular service. > > The website is supported by a dozen volunteers from Bangalore’s IT > industry. To get more Indians involved, the website will launch in > several regional languages. By speaking up, Indians will perhaps shame > the system into reforming. The Goan who paid the bribe to restore the > family home speaks up on IPAB: “I am Indian, but I’m ashamed of this > bribery culture in all walks of life.” > > -- J. Alfred Prufrock "Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle, hooded I do not know whether a man or a woman - But who is that on the other side of you?"
