Right to
Know and Right to Speak, in a Democracy.
Is right to life includes the opportunity to use all the mental and intellectual faculties and pursue all existential purposes of a person, flourishing with freedom of choices and innovation....
And who is the sovereign ....most powerful... whose choices matter ...in a mature democracy..
Adherence to the highest standards of
ethical conduct is inherent in the mission (fundamental purpose) of government organizations. Ethics is the founding principle of public administration where
the personal sphere and public sphere are separated ( Perry,2015, Cooper 2012).
Public administration Ethics focuses on two values: bureaucratic ethos and
democratic ethos ( Pugh,1991).
In a democracy the
elected representatives and appointed officials work as agents of the public,
solely for the well-being of the public ( Eisenhardt, 1989; Gomez-Mejia &
Balkin,1992). Agents are compensated for acting in accordance with their
Principal’s best interests
( McColgan,2001). The public thus have every right to know what
each and every one of their agents are doing and agents have a corresponding
obligation to satisfy all the needs of the public.
Shaking and dismantling this
foundation of public administration is first and second order corruption, which
are events of unethical behavior of people in positions of power serving the
public. Second order corruption does more long term harm and thus affects adversely the well-being of more people .
Agent is not expected to do
anything which they can not disclose to their principal. Therefore, if agents
do anything which they are unwilling to tell their principal or punish any
agent who speaks to the principal about any unethical behavior by any other
agent which affects the safety or well-being of the principal, is evil
administration.
Two instances of
administrative evil from the twentieth century include the systematic planning,
implementation and perpetuation of the Holocaust by German bureaucrats and the
1986 NASA space shuttle challenger disaster ( Adams and Balfour,2015; Zanetti
and adams 2000). Stanley Milgram’s 1963 experiments on obedience also depicts possible
impacts of an evil administration.
Principal could demand steps to
get information about certain agents, if there is information asymmetry, from
other agents in the form of whistle-blowing, through peer to peer supervision. (
Shapiro,2005, Eisenhardt 1989) . Increasing the principal’s access to
information by introducing peer to peer monitoring in the form of whistle-blowing mechanisms increase fear of detection of corruption and
unethical behavior.
Research in Public
administration has identified 12 causes for corrupt behavior. Social influences, greed and ego-centrism are
the major causes ( Belle & Cantarelli,2017). Promoting practice of
democratic ethos such as citizen empowerment, social equity, justice, public
interest and benevolence by all public servants would reduce corruption. New
public governance arrangements characterized by a decline in nation-state and
the rise of market-based governments by outsourcing of basic public
administration functions, threaten ethical public organizations (Adams &
Balfour 2010). Thus there is an imperative of knowing why and how contracts are made or certain procurement or projects are done; only insiders at the higher levels of administration have the information. If they disclose it to the principal before damage is done, it is in public interest.
Pro self – oriented individuals
in positions of power care about maximizing their benefits and are not
concerned about the outcomes they cause to others. Also greed stems from a
perception of inequality where the individual tend to take actions to restore
equity ( Adams,1965). Pay differentials and wealth abundance in the environment
is addressed by taking big bribes and spend on lavish life at the expense
of public exchequer. Whenever the victim
of corruption is not identified by the corrupt administration, the persons in
power has no affect-based assessment of harm to any victim ( Yam and Reynolds,
2014; Gino, shu,& Bazerman 2010); sometimes rationalize the unethical behavior as beneficial to others (Gino, Ayal and Ariely 2013).
Breaking all the social
relations, in-group loyalties and colleagues’ displeasure, reporting internally
often is ineffective in checking unethical behavior of fellow-agents. Reporting
a wrong doing resulting in no action against the wrong doer, often brings
retaliatory actions from the agents having power. The benefactors and accomplices of corruption gang up , against their common threat. Any internal voices of dissent will either be submerged or silenced in administration where second order corruption is endemic. Therefore, in organizations
which has not internalized the democratic ethos, effective remedy is to speak
to the principal, which has sovereign power. This was the rationale and logic
when four judges of the Supreme Court, spoke to the people of the country
through mass media in January 2018, when they observed wrong doing inside the
system.
Constraining or punishing such a conduct
of talking to the principal through the mass media, is against the very edifice
of democracy and its principles. The citizen who works inside also has a duty while enjoying
the fundamental rights, to ensure that the principal is not defrauded by any
agents and their well-being and life with dignity are safeguarded, by telling
them if there is a harm. Acts of Corruption being criminal offenses, every citizen has a duty to take effective steps to prevent. Only
through collective action, erring agents at higher levels can be dissuaded from perpetuating
corrupt behavior.
Jacob Thomas
.
after reading this
Mr. Jacob Thomas IPS was sacked. I think in January this year(or December last year?). It gained some media attention. But what so.
The 'anonymous' shall remain proud to be Indian. However, I, being a regular customer of Supplyco and a college lecturer was interested in the sudden changes that could be perceived then. I was happy that the public enterprise is going in the right direction. But what so.
Who is there to support him. Only powerless public among a few who are aware of the real situation. But to know the real situation is an onerous task even if one wishes so. Why? Because ordinary citizens are more involved in trivial matters. They also strive to thrive in this world by reaching to get their own rights viz., basic necessities. In between this struggle who has to provide them with the correct information. Sure, it is the elite political class especially in Kerala. Alas, what is the state of affairs of this political class in Kerala. Well. They are increasingly goaded by the hidden philosophy and principles of acquing more money. It would be worthy to note down that the great left politicians who want 'eradication of corruption' played the pivotal role in throwing out him. Many medias in that time had told about the connections between both the left and right in ousting him mercilessly. Actually, is he who was mercilessly stamped out. No and never. He is an IPS officer, who can very well prove himself and change another bad scenario into good. So the merciless attack was on the common people of the Kerala State. Please read the recent political developments in Kerala where corruption in different fields was highlighted. This would definitely give us an idea of how the recent political class has become classless. Even the left front who has the history of pro poor has proven to exist so but in words alone.
Then who should have had brought the issue to lime light. Yes it was the media. Did media play correct role. No. Why? May be because they have to protect their own interests. Or they were not knowing the actual situation. But are we so naive to assume that our elite media was not knowing the actual situation. No we are not. Media are interested in protecting only their own interests. Isn't it. I would even say that the media group that had then apparently supported Mr. Jacob Thomas IPS was doing so not because of their love for a corruption free Public distribution system. Instead they were doing that simply because somehow their larger interests were meeting with these.
Will the world ever change. May be. When will we change into a dignified society. God knows. Why these politicians are speaking about 'understanding the reality' now and then so as to highlight their stances to be correct in the existing circumstances. Doesn't they have any role in creating a real situation. In reality, isn't that our own actions lead to reality. Are our political class and the bureaucrats, to a lesser extent, so ignorant and short sighted. Yes. I feel so. This is an era where people initiate into politics as a career unlike our great past leaders who had dropped their career and entered into politics, raising voice against injustice and fighting brutalities. Then it was not politricks. Now, the political elite - even in the so much acclaimed educated Kerala - are the main perpetrators of injustice. What they all have to show off and cover up is nothing but their own hypocrisy. Can a Jacob Thomas uproot the rotted system alone. In order to achieve an egalitarian society we need a responsive youth that cannot be bend or mend by political, religious, class, race or any such affiliations. Instead we need, those who values human beings as human beings rather than manipulative objects and who loves their fellow beings, if we have to revolutionise ourselves into an egalitarian society.
I appreciate your comment on my post and more so your concern for the state in which India is today. I also share your helplessness in being unable to do much to change the scenario.
However, each of us, however powerless we might seem individually, can surely make a difference, if we try to ie. You being a college lecturer can actually do a lot. I have had the good fortune of having teachers who did not just teach stuff from the book, but also inculcated in me ethics and pride of being an Indian. I am sure you could also deviate occasionally from the textbooks to impart knowledge to your students which would make them a better human being.
I on my part would continue trying to bring out to the world gems like Dr.Jacob Thomas who are trying in their own way to make a difference. Apart from walking my talk.
Hoping for a better India.
Thanks,
may i contribute something
Dr. Jacob Thomas IPS is an excellent personality. A really down to earth person.
He always stays away from publicity but keeps up his promises. He does rather than speak.He is the master minder behind the well known project funded by European Union in Kerala, namely "Kerala Horticultural Development Project" (later renamed as "Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Kerala Limited" after coming into the direct control of Government).He is a friend and is a patron for all the co workers and subordinate. I can't write about him in a few words. This is not to flatter him.So I like to remain anonymous. Dear friends, isn't it our responsibility to give Dr. Jacob Thomas his due creidt, although, he likes to stay away from publicity. I think it is becuase giving him the right publicity is required to motivate the less motivated commons.
So what can we do? Any idea?
But I am proud to say an Indian