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Anti-Corruption Movement in Mexico

June 20,1999

1) Any phenomenon viewed in its own context will give a subjective idea.

2) An objective view can be wider, wiser and therefore can be more powerful.

3) Corruption is a moral ethical phenomenon in national life.

4) An ethical understanding cannot yield ethical power, though it can somewhat aid that process.

5) To gain power over a process one should move to a wider context and should strive for an understanding of the phenomenon from that wider point of view.

6) A social view is wider than an ethical view, though one can argue that the latter is more valuable.

7) It is possible to push one's view beyond that of the society.

8) It is the view that reduces social forces to primary energies.

9) A view wider than the ethical can give us a better understanding.

10) Corruption, as other aspects, can be studied in its historical context. It can remove from our minds certain impressions, illusions and enrich our understanding, all empirically. That must be enough for any nation to solve its problem of corruption.

11) A study whether it is historical, empirical, social or from its first principles can only give knowledge of the subject, not the power to handle it.

12) Such a power issues either from the strategies in piecemeal or from the social will if it is to be complete and powerful.

13) Power exists even in another form which is not known to the world now in this domain. Presently that type of power is seen only in science. It comes from a knowledge of the process.

14)  We shall endeavour to acquire the power over corruption by learning the social process by which it came into existence and later disappeared from several nations or sectors of life.

15) There is still a power beyond this and it need not be our concern now. It is the power that comes from knowing the essence, the essence of the social structure.

16) Though the power we seek comes from the knowledge of the process, our knowledge will also have the benefit of its essence.

17) Thus we can approach corruption from its historical perspective the process of its generation, existence and dissolution.Knowing the essence of its structure in terms of the structure of the society.

18) Granting that we have the right knowledge in enough measure, to combat it effectively we need scores of strategies one for each facet of its existence.

19) It is possible for us to acquire the knowledge and the requisite power. Together they may be enough to wipe it out from the nation. But, however successful, it can only be a transitory phase, effective for a few years.

20) Its permanent solution depends upon the SOCIAL WILL of Mexico.

21) With enough facts or all the facts, it is possible to assess the measure of that Social Will.

22) A further question which does not by itself arise in this context is whether such a will can be created or fortified when found in some measure. Theoretically, it is possible.

23) The fact that the leadership benefits by corruption now stands in the way of its abolition.

24) Corruption is generally a top down phenomenon. We would like to know to what extent corruption has saturated the administration.

25) Has it become a way of life?

26) Has it organised itself into a system?

27) The more organised it is, the more difficult to uproot it.

28) If it has become a system, it will break from inside.

29) Corruption as a way of life can be given up in favour of another way of life.

30) An administration saturated with corruption can give it up with difficulty to saturate itself with efficiency.

31) Corruption at the top that has grown up from the bottom - and thus reflecting it - will be more difficult to eliminate.

32) Physical leadership claims the lion's share. Robber barons were the harbingers of organised governments. What they took away from the population as of right continues till this day in several forms, and is called corruption when it is taken away without the same right.

33) Corruption is what the leadership reaches to possess in a prosperous period after the society has become acquainted with civilised ways.

34) The leadership that feels entitled to all the excess wealth in the country takes only that portion which it can lay hands on.

35) Corruption spreads or grows only when the society subconsciously approves of it and even adores it as an opportune moment.

36) A wave of prosperity greater than can be sustained by the evolved value system of a nation, overflows as monetary corruption.

37) Monetary corruption is accompanied by favouritism, nepotism, and more significantly the corruption of rules and laws.

38) Corruption has no future in any nation as it is liable to break from inside.

39) Corruption that seeks fringe benefits can be eliminated by tightened administrative measures.

40) Corruption that has the blessings of the system that has to fight it can, with difficulty be contained by changing the system.

41) Corruption that is fostered by the leadership can still be fought if in that leadership a few strong clean elements are present.

42) Corruption that is enjoyed by a society cannot be wiped out till that society outgrows it.

43) The redeeming features in Mexico are sometimes they have fought it, there are some clean elements at the top and its nearness to USA.

44) Mexico's proximity to USA may persuade her to let corruption grow as it did in a previous century in USA.

45) In the measure Mexico wants it, it can be abolished or at least contained.

46) Assuming that there is a public announcement, however half hearted it is, to abolish corruption, administrative measures can wipe it out 25% in 3 months.

47) This is possible if simultaneous measures are taken up to wipe out gangsterism as it is an intimidating source.

48) The Mexican is emotional. An emotional commitment can have great results, though temporary.

49) To create a new activity like housing where the emotions are prominent and hand it over to scrupulous personnel from the beginning, is one effective way of handling corruption.

50) To study nations that were in a similar period will give us several ideas.

51) No nation has failed to pass through a phase of corruption is a consolation.

52) Corruption is a way of life where as a nation there is little self respect.

53) Time was when people prided in owning their knowledge and refused to part with it.

54) Corruption is a phenomenon when the leadership refuses to part with its ‘prerogative' to claim the lion's share within or outside it.

55) It is good to remember that corruption was once an ideal and pride.

56) The fast movement of information can be used as a weapon to fight corruption if the nation is above the line.

57) There is a stage of social growth where corruption is a positive instrument.

58) The respect ill-gotten wealth commands is a measure of its strength.

59) Law replacing mob violence is the negative brute individual quitting the social scene in favour of collective conscience for peace.

60) Superstition held sacred by organised quarters of knowledge is corruption of sacred knowledge.

61) Law of the lower plane reemerging in the higher plane corrupts.

62) The absence of Mexican civil service puts Mexico in Administration on par with nations that enjoyed military dictatorship.

63) Surely as a nation, this shows, the mental organisation is not born.

64) Therefore new reforms are easy to introduce.

65) Corruption is a live social force like market forces, communal self-preservation, gregariousness etc.

66) To tackle a Social Force like corruption one must follow it own path, try to contain it by other social forces like public conscience.

67) Trying to handle a Social Force by any other means (as by human ingenuity) will compel corruption to reveal its genius. Corruption will not only evade such efforts but will reveal its genius to grow at a faster rate.



story | by Dr. Radut