A Criminologist’s Diary-19

Bribery and Corruption

There is so much uncertainty and fluctuation in the climate in Arkansas that no one can make any prediction of what will be the climate tomorrow. The weather forecast is as good or as bad as the weather forecast in our country. When I went to the body fitness center in our apartment complex, there was very good sunlight and the temperature was -1 degree Celsius. After about 40 minutes, when I returned from the Center, there was snowing. I had then a feeling. The climate change here is almost like the corruption, corrupt practices, corruption money splitting, corruption money fixing, bribery etc. at the lower or middle level of Government administration. Of course, in an age of corruption and malpractices, it is only through corruption and malpractices that the wisdom can rule. People are prepared to be subjected to corruption as they find that there is no other option left with them. My studies about corruption cases in Kerala give me ample proof that-

1. People are well prepared to offer corruption money in a 'decent' manner. However, they do not favouir 'indecent' demands and exorbitant amounts which they cannot afford to.
   
2. Like a black mailer, the corrupt officer repeatedly demands corruption money at each and every step to be taken further in the same file- without any morality or moral principle.
   
3. Accept corruption money and do nothing for the actualization of the promises made prior to acceptance of the corruption money-in other words, when corruption within corruption is noticed.
   

   Kick-backs or nexus dealings are accepted as 'good and glorified' trade practices or transactions. In the present scenario in Kerala, people helplessly approach the Vigilance Departments only in rarest of rare cases – just before their drowning in the deep sea- when they are cheated – or in situations enumerated above. The cases registered per year by the Vigilance Department and given in the CRIME IN INDIA publications of the Government of India show that they are of negligible numbers. Is there corruption even in the registration of cases? The staff in the Vigilance Department may be handful although they may be overburdened with small-small cases. Anyway at Bentonville city in Arkansas, I wish to sing with the English poet:
   

   "If winter comes, can spring be far behind". No, it can't. Likewise, if there is bribery in an office, can corruption be far behind?
   

No. It cannot be, because the BRIBE of the British India was intended only for the lowest level of functionaries in Government services. The expression BRIBE is a disgrace for the high, higher and highest level officials. It has no status and for them, 'corruption' is the word used. If there is bribe in an office, certainly there is corruption at higher levels. If that is certain, the ordinary people have still uncertainty in another aspect. Like the climate in Arkansas, can we predict the nature? No one in Kerala except some astrologers (exaggeration admitted) there will be able to say something about the fluctuations and uncertainties of higher corruption centers in Government offices. When one offers money, there will be bright sun light; immediately after wards, there will be snowing, icing and what not?

 

A Criminologist’s Dairy-18

The Aged and Their Safety

Today is a sunny day- a Sunday and Neethie took us to church- the nearest Catholic Church, St. Stephen's for services. A beautiful abode of God in every sense. I found many old women ( no men) ,beautifully dressed and lovely in look, A rough estimate of their age conservatively calculated would be ' above 70,above 75, above 80 or '70-80' and they came to church alone- no one to accompany them- even to drive their cars. I noticed that many of them donating 50 or 100 dollars to the church as their offerings for that Sunday.

I asked Neethie: "Why so many old women? - no one to look after them? - no one to help the? - coming with a lot of money to offer! - walking with sticks –driving in difficulties- coming to Church?"

She said in reply that they could be the old folk who lived alone- without any one to look after. Their children might be away or would not get time to spare. This is a curse here. Amidst the riches and wealth, no one has any time or interest to care the old! SUFFERINGS, SUFFERINGS, SUFFERINGS!

Yes, immediately I had a flash to our State and country. Just before I left to America, I wrote an article about the murdering of the old who stayed alone in the State. At Ernakulum, four or five women who lived alone were murdered during a week and many senior police investigators tell me that an investigation of such murders is difficult. The reasons are-

(1)There is no one to say anything about the modus operandi of the murder or the property lost, if any.

(2)No one is interested in the progress of the investigation.

(3)If at all children are there for the murdered victim, they are least interested.

(4) Most of them want to dispose of the dead body and to leave the Country or State by the next available flight or train, as the case may be.

(5) The investigation becomes just a police 'baby'. No one else will be coming forward to help, cooperate, support or give evidence.

I asked Neethie: "Are these old people safe and secure at their homes? Or apartments?"

She said: "Every house might have an alarm fitted and the police will come within 3 minutes if the alarm is heard. Moreover, many homes or apartments here do not have gold ornaments or cash in dollars. They might have a laptop computer and a T.V., washing machine and a few credit or debit cards… The thief or murderers do not want them. The Malayalee families here have gold ornaments and there were reports of burglaries there."

Yes, there is a point in what she said. Our homes in Kerala may be richer in gold and cash in rupees. Certainly, they attract thieves and murderers for gain. Hence, take them to safe places or bank lockers and that is the only way to reduce the plundering and murder of the old living alone in the State.

 

A Criminologist’s Diary-17

OLD AGE LIFE OR A GARBAGE CULTURE

 

During 1986, I visited a friend of mine at New York and he had a love affair with a white lady. She had her old mother and an aunt. Seeing the aunt staying in an apartment at Bronze,

I asked: "Why is she alone?"

"No one to look after her "- my friend's fiancée said.

'We have a use and throw culture"- she continued." The garbage will be collected by the collectors of garbage"- she laughed and said casually.

Thus a number of old people living alone or old age homes everywhere in America could be seen. It is there many of the Malayalee nurses used to work during their initial days of American life at that time. Earlier, Bishop Mar Clement Thottungal, C.M.I. of Sagar diocese told me when I was doing my M.A.in Criminology and Forensic Science in Sagar University, Saugor (1971-1976), that his apostolate in USA was with the old who had no one to look after-forlorn and forsaken. He used to narrate to me his most touching experiences when he used to administer extreme unction to the dying souls. The dead bodies of the old had no place in the home of their children. Now, I do not know how the old is treated in USA and what I learn is that everything has gone from bad to worse from 1986 to 2011.

What about Kerala? And to some extent, India? During 1986, we did not think much about the problems of the old. They were looked after very well by their own children. As time elapsed, home nurses were employed to nurse old parents, amidst objections from the parents. Now, they are admitted to old age homes and one sees old age homes for all categories of people from all walks of life – from the poor to the rich. It has become almost a business for some although some do it as humanitarian service. The old are neglected and many live a lonely life without any one to talk to them. I have visited some old age homes and seen some in televisions. I have read articles about the life of the old and I have written articles about it. Old people are a real problem in our culture too and the "garbage culture" is spreading very fast there. The "Use and Throw" attitude make many desperate and many children have no option and guilt feelings to throw their parents to old age homes and they visit 'Jyothishaalayas' to find out the best day to transport the old to a ' home'. "Thinkalazhcha Nalladivasam"[ Monday, the best day], " Allkoottathil Thanie"[Alone in the Crowd] etc., were films showing the ill fate of the old in Kerala culture. I, for one, think that the Government must come forward with good plans and programmes to offer care and protection of the old. This is so because, we are now fully westernized in that sphere of life as in America- everything goes from bad to worse as far as the old age is concerned.

 

A Criminologist’s Diary-16

MISSING CHILDREN and THEIR FATE

In WALL-MART store at Dallas, I found a Board which contains two dozen photos of children from five years to fifteen years of age exhibited under a caption MISSING. I made an enquiry about the what, why and how of the MISSING and I thought that it was put by the police just like they publish the photographs of missing persons including children in railway stations, bus stands, newspapers and television networks. I was told that they were the photographs of the MISSING children from the WALL-MART store there. The parents go there with children and they are found to be deeply immersed in looking for items to be purchased by them. They may forget their children for a moment and the children may go here and there. Sometimes, the kidnappers of children cast their net and see to it that the children are kidnapped. Occasionally, they are found to be MISSING owing to other reasons as well.

At Thiruvananthapuram, when I visited a Mall, I was told by the employees there that sometimes, children would be found MISSING there too. The story was almost the same as we heard in the WALL-MART store at Dallas. People may be alike in all countries and cultures. The human nature may be the same everywhere down the millennia. But, most unfortunately we read in newspapers and listen in T.V. telecasts that the children kidnapped by beggars disfigure them for the purpose of begging. There is a Malayalam movie ' Kakoothikavile Appoppanthadikal" in which a similar story is depicted. When I saw it years ago, I thought that it was only a fiction. But the news appearing in these days confirm the saying (cliché in fact) that 'facts are stranger than fiction'.

What happened to that child in Alappuzha,Kerala ? His case was investigated by the C.B.I. for a long time. Nothing is certain and nothing is proved! Are the kidnappers of children an organized group? For what purpose do they abuse or misuse our children? The number of children who is found RUNNING AWAY from their homes, schools etc. too is on the increase! The number of young girls kidnapped too is incredibly high. Girls of tender age elope with their lovers or fake lovers or go with people who promise them employment, chance to act in films, T.V. serials, song albums, modeling, anchoring etc. too is found to be on the upward trend. Although the girls thus kidnapped, promised employment are seen sometimes in brothels, found dead and their dead bodies thrown as anonymous, abused for blue film production and other pervert sex works in sex industry. The boys are seen sometimes among the pickpockets, hooch producers, and illicit traffickers of girls, carriers of drugs and among those involved in all other sorts of nefarious activities. Are our parents aware of these evils and do they take appropriate steps to check the problem? Do they need information and if so, what do the education, police, N.G.Os and the Governments do in this regard? Think about it and think about it loudly.

A Criminologist’s Diary-15

Filth that cuts the bone

Neethie showed me a BLOG when we were in Dallas and it was all about a religious institution. Many Malayalees are members of that organization and the BLOG contained filth-abusive words-foul expressions against some religious leaders and community leaders. The language is so mean and cheap that it is difficult to hear such penetrating expressions even in the fish markets in Kerala. When I read the BLOG,I felt so sorry about our fellow brethren in USA-that they have come all the way from that subcontinent to shout against one another, in filthy language!

Can aggression go to this extent of calling abusive words? Let the Psychologists who studied verbal aggression in abnormal and criminal psychology answer the question. Certainly, there might have been something wrong in the developmental period of those who employed such verbal slaps to maintain their homeostasis at the moments of frustration. What is wrong in our culture?

Political aggression, communal riots and religious bigotry ,labour disputes, students' unrest, agrarian clashes, interdenominational fights, fights among political parties and among communal forces, terrorism ,Naxalism, fundamentalism, regionalism-and everywhere we hear slogans of all categories, jhadhas and demonstrations, shouting of verbal abuses etc.so much so that aggression-physical, verbal, sadistic, vicarious- has become a part and parcel of of our social life and cultural upbringing. Children who are born and brought up in such a culture continue to behave in the same way even in a foreign land ,if that is possible, forgetting that they are being watched by the whites ,blacks, Mexicans and others form very many countries. What an impression they will have about the culture and finer aspects of life in God's Own Country!

Decency and common sense do not permit me to reproduce the filthy expressions in the BLOG here. If I do so, I will be doing an injustice to myself, my country, my people and my brethren living in USA. My humble advice to them is not to wash the dirty linen in public- not to publicize their negative feelings and ill-feelings in BLOGs in full or part indecency. When one humiliates another, he humiliates himself and his behavior affects all in that community adversely. Why should they preach religion if they can't have religious thoughts? The BLOG is a mixture of religious thoughts, functions, prayers, prayer songs etc., and filty, abusive, indecent expressions and words which the most wretched people on earth or in any culture will be afraid to use. May God forgive them and let them project the noble and the sublime culture of Kerala-Malayala Nadu-everywhere.

A Criminologist’s Diary-14

Terror Causing 'Isms'

In Dallas, Texas, we have a home of our own and it is in a community having 15 Malayalee families. For THANKSGIVING, we decided to go to Dallas,6 hours' drive from Bentonville. We started at about 9.30 a.m. and had our breakfast on the way in Oklahoma State. Neethie and Martin-they drove the car and we reached Dallas in time. On the next day, a Malayalee friend came to our home. Mary offered him a cup of tea and we had some Malayalam chit-chat outside the family members. He came for collecting a contribution – I.e.,$ 100/- for the X'mas celebrations in that community.He phoned to Martin earlier and came at the appointed time.

I asked Martin:" Do you have contributions?" He said: "Yes, for functions like this in the community". "Fine"-I said and sighed. Martin asked me: "Why do you sigh?" and then I told him about the coercing and compulsory contributions/donations in our State. In my view, they are not contributions or donations; rather in criminological terminology, they are 'TERROR CAUSING 'isms' which is very much different from terrorism. Kerala State is almost saturated with' isms'-namely, Marxism, communism, communalism, Leninism, Naxalism, Goondaism, regionalism, socialism, rationalism and what not? And to them, we may add "terror causing' isms' "too. Some people unknown to us come to our homes demanding compulsory contributions for the political party meetings, demonstrations, conventions; for literary and linguistic activities; for religious festivals; for cultural programmes; for labour union activities; for charitable works and thus goes the litany of needs. The usual modus operandi of these people is to come in groups with printed receipts. They cruelly demand money and if we give less than what they ask, then they look at us harshly- so harshly that we get frightened or threatened. Some utter filthy or foul words whereas some others express them with their body language, eye-contacts, facial expressions etc., and thus we have an unsettling of the human mind. We start worrying whether or not they may damage our property, stone at our home during night hours, handle us on road etc., and thus the terror caused by them is technically called "TERROR CAUSING 'isms' " by me.

My questions areL

1. How do the people in other parts of the world manage their political activities?
   
2. How do the people in other parts of the world manage their literary and other cultural activities? Certainly, they are not via compulsory, coercing, causing terror in people unknown to them. Why can't we follow the same strategy?
   
3. What is the compelling necessity or interest for the people who are no way connected with such activities to contribute money for their party works, festival celebrations, charity activities etc.
   
4. Why do they come-showing no respect to others-without permission and coerce the people to contribute?
   

   Once, I had seen a person dressed well showing his privates when the demanded donations were denied. People who come home to collect contributions by causing terror must be checked by law, if needed. We should not allow vandalism to thrive amidst us in any manner only those interested in special or specific activities may willingly or voluntarily contribute and leave aside those who are not interested or connected. Will it ever happen since it is the politicians and political parties who sponsor such activities?

A Criminologist’s Diary-13

ROMAN KINGS AND ABOVE THE LAW

Waste management is a developed science and there are universities which offer Master's Course in that branch of discipline. I am told that the students who study M.B.A. in waste management do not waste their time in seeking placements. Any way in Bentonville and for that matter in the entire USA, I think that the waste management is well programmed. In THE LINK at RAINBOW CURVE apartments here, there are, it appears to me, more than 100 apartments. There exist extremely fine arrangements for waste collection and disposal. In Singapore, the arrangement is still better and in Dubai and Sharjha, it is indeed fine. If all these countries can perform a responsibility in an enviable way, why do we fail miserably in that area? Hygienic environment is a human right and no authority can deny it to the citizens.

In Thiruvananthapuram where I stay, the waste management is far away from being satisfactory. Wastes are thrown to public roads, to public lands, to water, to road sides, to private property, to railway tracks, to road side drainage canals and where not? When I go from Mannammoola to Peroorkada (about one kilometer) I find waste being thrown to road sides-smelling and many a time with nauseating smell. From Peroorkada to Kaudiar ( two kilometers), even dead dogs, intestines of chicken with feathers, market wastes, decayed vegetables, rags, human excreta, dead animals, rats …. may be seen. The entire city is contaminated with waste of all descriptions and kinds/categories. Public protests are seen and heard against waste disposal. People suffer the foul smell and many have skin diseases. The environment is polluted, the water is dirty, vegetation around is smelling and the T.V. Visuals are horrible and public anger-causing. There are laws prohibiting the polluting attitude and activities of the people. I am told that the punishment is Rs.10000/-or so. The law is not effectively enforced and the people are worried at the callous indifference of the authorities in the matter. Foreigners visiting the capital city ask:" How do the people live here? "The position is not different in Kochy, Trissur, Kozhikode and all cities in the State. In rural areas, waste collection, control and disposal is unknown. No enforcement of the laws! What to do?

When the public agitation is there, the police enter the scene. Cases are registered against the strikers and the peace is disturbed. While cases are registered against even innocent people, but agitating-aggressive members of the public, the bureaucrats/ officials who are to perform their duty are not proceeded against. No case is registered against them for their inaction, lethargy, omission to perform their responsibility. Are they above the law? Or the law can be enforced only against the enforceable? Yes, all these officials having power and authority are the ROMAN KINGS and ABOVE THE LAW!