Corruption is a threat to democracy, and public perceptions of it are a major factor in determining how widespread and detrimental it is. Talk about it. (Answer in 150 words)
Answer: Transparency in administration is a sine qua non of participatory democracy and has gained prominence as a commitment of the state towards its citizens. It has the following significance for governance: Good governance: Disseminating information is crucial to good governance as it reflects aRead more
Answer: Transparency in administration is a sine qua non of participatory democracy and has gained prominence as a commitment of the state towards its citizens. It has the following significance for governance:
- Good governance: Disseminating information is crucial to good governance as it reflects and captures the government’s activities and processes. It also leads to accountability.
- Participative democracy: Every citizen of the state has the right to access information under the control of public authorities and evaluate whether it is in consonance with public interest.
- Economic and social progress: Transparency is the key not only to the architecture of good governance but also to a country’s ability to usher in rapid economic and social progress.
- Balancing power: Transparency can empower marginalized communities to battle the circumstances in which they find themselves and help balance the unequal power dynamics that exist between them and the government.
In this regard, the Indian government has come up with several initiatives towards open and transparent governance over the years like the Right To Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act), the National e-Governance Plan, 2006, National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy, 2012, the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014, etc. Despite the importance of transparency, withholding of information from the public becomes important due to the following reasons:
- National security: The RTI Act provides that certain sensitive information may be withheld from the public if the public authority in possession of the information thinks that the same is likely to jeopardize national interest or violate trade secrets. Also, the Official Secrets Act, of 1923 states that spying, sharing ‘secret’ information, interference with the armed forces in prohibited/restricted areas, etc. are punishable offenses.
- Privacy: Information that unnecessarily violates the privacy and confidentiality rights of individuals should be curtailed. For instance, sensitive information like the identity of victims of sexual abuse.
- Maintaining public order: Sometimes released information might lead to undue stigmatization of individuals or groups within the society and create issues with regard to public order. For instance, during violent upsurges, certain sensitive information is withheld to ensure peace and stability in society.
- Preventing misinformation: Some information, if released, might lead to the spread of rumors and consequently lead to panic and chaos. For instance, the spread of misinformation was rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thus, there is some merit in withholding information from the public. However, before withholding critical information, other issues must also be addressed such as reducing the misuse of RTI exceptions, broadly defining ‘national security’ and ambiguous terms used in the Official Secrets Act, 1923, etc.
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Corruption is a multifaceted phenomenon, linking multiple issues together such as abuse of entrusted power for private gains, lack of integrity, taking bribes, maladministration, fraud, and nepotism. It is a challenge to democracy in following ways: It tends to threaten the basic social and economicRead more
Corruption is a multifaceted phenomenon, linking multiple issues together such as abuse of entrusted power for private gains, lack of integrity, taking bribes, maladministration, fraud, and nepotism.
It is a challenge to democracy in following ways:
The citizens estimate corruption in several ways, for example, citizens estimate the trustworthiness of the public organizations, social institutions as well the government of the country and in turn their acceptability and hostile attitude as well participation towards corruption shapes up. Further, the citizens watch how frequently the different forms of integrity-violating actions take place in public administrations and how deep rooted they are.
This estimation and perception of corruption by citizens can have following impact, which is harmful and help in widespread prevalence of corruption due to following reasons:
Thus the proper diagnosis of the causes and logic behind corruption play an important role in combating it. Maintenance of diverse forms of citizen participation, independent and self-regulated media, a high level of education, ensuring transparency and accountability will contribute towards a lower level of corruption.