2010 - The Year of Leaks, Fixes & Cheats!

It won't be an exaggeration if we term the year 2010 as the year of clandestine fixers. What sort of started with the Pakistan Cricket Team's biggest match/spot fixing scandal continued on with the Radia leaks and literally exploded with the wiki leaks revelations.If the former was a shocker than the ones to follow were nerve wreckers, Infact every single of these gigantic fixes, leaks or conspiracy theories are all a full fledged case study in themselves. And a deep rooted analysis of each of these shameful acts reveals that every single of these horrendous act have been going on for a while now, so certainly these aren't those earth shattering discoveries, rather they are all timely inventions breeding on the eternal greed.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time that the Pakistan based cricketers have been found guilty of match fixing, they (Pakistan cricketers) have been doing this for as long as one can remember, it's just that the ways, means and the names have changed with time. Same goes with Niira Radia, she is a known fixer and has been around for two decades now, fixing deals for the rich and the famous. With most of her clients being the reputed corporate houses, only now it has transpired that she has politician clients as well and may be some clients in the media too. And what wiki leaks has stumped the entire world with, is certainly a shocker but definitely not the first timer. They have been constantly coming up with various dubious theories on part of the US (government) vis-a-vis different nations and agendas, it's just that this time around they (wiki leaks) have revealed a bit too much and all in one go. So in all these clandestine fixes, probably the packaging, presentation and timing has changed but the very essence still remains the same.

So to defend and tackle these irregularities or exposures through the weapon of 'Breach of Right to Privacy' is a serious misuse of the law because there are stages where the laws of privacy, however sacrosanct, need to take a backseat. And in such a scenario, whosoever has advised Mr. Ratan Tata to go to the Supreme Court yelling for his breach in right to privacy, has done him a serious disservice. If Tata is trying to stop more tapes from coming out, he is only making the public even more curious about what they may contain, which eventually in all probability will do even more harm to Tata's image than if the tapes were actually revealed. Insinuation causes far more lasting damage than actual revelation because that’s when your business/professional rivals get a free hand to float any rumors they want. And, as we all know, rumors cause greater damage than facts.

But the bigger question is, Why people like Radia flourish? or What makes wiki leaks reveal so much? or What makes these Pakistan based players so deeply involved in the vices of cheating and match fixing? Well it's an age of deceit, double standards, distrust and corruption and if we talk just in terms of our own country, we have ourselves created a system so disgustingly corrupt and dirty that it’s impossible for anyone to survive in any business or trade without having to necessarily resort to fixers and middlemen. That’s why people like Radia flourish. Not only because there are corrupt business houses eager to grab special favors from politicians and bureaucrats forever ready to offer them but also because there are also honest business houses who have no idea on how to navigate a system as venal as ours. They need an astute guide through the stormy waters. They need people who can advise them on how to deal with each rascal who tries to extort them at every stage. The system breeds its own Radias who, in turn, approach and compromise people, even good people.

So rather than pointing fingers at these middlemen or fixers it would be probably a better idea that we all got together to clean up the house. This must begin with dismantling the corrupt system and exemplarily punishing the guilty, not just booting them out. But the biggest hurdle in this clean up act is our thought process which professes that 'what can I do alone to cleanse this deep layered filth'. So if we can combat this demoralizing thought process of ours, half the battle is won. The least we can do to be a part if this cleansing act is by not subscribing to the easy but corruption led route of getting things done in our day to day life. This route can be a bit cumbersome and painful but the long terms effects of this approach can be really worth all the pain.So instead of cynically talking about moral codes for lobbyists, let’s repair and restore our institutions in a manner such that we can combat corruption. But first let’s start by believing it’s possible.

We all thought Terrorism in Punjab is beyond repair, corruption and crime in Bihar is beyond redemption. But with a firm belief and true hard work on the part of the administrators, the results in both the scenarios are for all of us to be proud about. So it's all about the self belief and a few tough steps against these chronic vices of corruption and fixings. And it's high time we fix the fixers rather than getting our system fixed by them.

Perspective: Understandably the Radias, the Kalmadis and the Rajas are the culprits of various offences, but all of us who are breeding these corruption mongers through our lackadaisical and accommodating attitude are also equal partners in crime. And unless we change our approach towards governance and routine chores we can't stop the influx of new Radias and Kalmadis.

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