Essay on Bribery

Bribery can be defined as consideration given for obtaining favourable decisions. Efficacy of bribery is rooted in the well-entrenched motive of self-interest in human beings. Since bribes cater to the self-interest of people, they have become a generally accepted means of getting things done. Bribery is a short-cut resorted to by the needy people who are likely to be at a comparative disadvantage if the decision is delayed. Increasing resort to bribes in ail walks of life is due to the growing belief among general public that every man has a price, that is to say he can be made to deliver a favourable decision if he is paid the price for it. 

Many people still attach a stigma to the practice of bribery without realising that they often unwittingly practice it themselves. A child is promised a toy in return for good performance in his studies. Gods are offered bribes in return for compliance with the wishes of the devotee. Many unscrupulous and rich people build temples for gods to win their favour. Whatever may be the publicly pronounced motives for such undertakings, strong motive for winning favour from gods cannot be denied in most cases. 

The appeal of bribery is directly proportional to the desire for money both on the part of giver and the recipient. Although money is sometimes called a means to an end that is life, it has been increasingly perceived as an end in itself by a very large part of humanity. Money can buy not only the necessities of life like house, food and clothes; it can buy comforts and luxuries too.

There is almost no limit to the refinement of clothes, variety of food and magnificence of dwelling houses which money can procure for the wealthy. Money is now almost universally accepted criterion for social status. The topmost politicians and the civil servants don't fight shy of being seen in the company of the ill educated and the dishonest businessmen and industrialists. 

Bribery among the government employees is the most talked about form of corruption as it affects a very large number of citizens. It is much more resented in a democratic regime where bureaucrats are seen as servants of the people rather than as rulers. Citizens have to bribe the peons of civil servants to get admission to their chambers. There is nothing odd therefore, in their presumption that they would be able to get their work done by offering bribe to the civil servant. In many cases, the civil servant gets offers of bribe for doing the legitimate work. Since he does not violate the rules for doing the work, he gladly accepts the bribe. With income from bribes, a civil servant can maintain a higher standard of living. Once he gets used to lavish life-style, expecting and accepting bribes becomes a compulsion with him and no longer remains a matter of discretion. He will therefore seek to retain position or acquire postings where opportunities for making money by the misuse of his position are more frequent. 

Some people may think that people taking bribe may be living in anxiety or suffering from an uneasy conscience. Such a supposition fails to take into account the pervasive impact of the institution of bribery in our society. Luxurious life-style of tax- officials, businessmen and industrialists is sustained by an almost predictable receipt of bribes and evasion of taxes. Very few industrialists have ever been jailed for evasion of income tax or excise. Not even 10% corrupt tax officials get punished.

Businessmen consider the corrupt officials more amenable, agreeable and friendly and invest in them gladly to keep them on their side. Both parties benefit at the cost of national exchequer. A relatively honest man is seen as an inconvenience and is avoided by his colleagues as well as clients.
Opportunities for obtaining bribes in an occupation are over-riding consideration for joining that occupation for most of the recruits. Many youngmen prefer the jobs of Inspectors in Customs and Central Excise Department to the well paid jobs of Officers in Nationalised Banks.

A common citizen is surprised to learn that officers of Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Revenue Service command dowries running into tens of lakhs. It is not on account of the meagre salaries they get but on account of great scope for making money illegitimately through misuse of their official positions. 

Over the years people have got accustomed to getting things done by paying bribes. It has become perfectly normal to bribe the conductor to get a berth in railway- train or to pay speed money for getting a motor licence. Many social and economic classes have emerged and are now almost well-entrenched through their earning by graft. The foreign investors make abundant provision for bribes to concerned officials and Ministers while taking up their projects in India. General acceptance of bribes by officials and authorities make their behaviour fairly predictable. 

If a sudden unexpected change occurs in the response to bribes on on the part of the decision makers and they become allergic to bribes, the business and economy may not absorb this change easily. The prosperity of manipulators may nose-dive, fixers may lose their jobs and the entire work culture in government and private sectors may be transformed. Poor returns on investment in bribery may compel many to wind-up their business. 

Certain departments of government systematically maintain pools of bribe money collected by inspectors from industrialists and businessmen. This money is divided among the officials in a pre-determined ratio. Since both the subordinates and superior officers partake of their share nobody experiences any feeling of guilt in making use of the ill-gotten money. Such a system reinforces the belief of the business community that 'every body has a price' and government officials are purchasable commodities. 

The capacity to extort bribes and augment income is no longer a subject for disapproval. Rather, it excites admiration and envy of the colleagues. Dishonest and rich officials are looked upon with awe and respect by their colleagues, friends and relations. Because of their numerous acquisitions in form of flats, cars and gadgets they enjoy a higher status than what their position in the departmental hierarchy would suggest. They are also, at times, able to help monetarily their friends and relatives which reinforce their greatness in the community. In money making departments, the honest and the conscientious are considered incompetent fools and almost contemptible. They are marginalised and are avoided by the ambitious and the powerful. Nobody would appreciate a poor shabbily dressed man just as we would normally feel contemptuous toward a weakling or an ugly person.