DailyPost 2277
PURCHASING POLITICAL INFLUENCE
Of all the things sold in this world, the most complicated purchase would be a service known political influence. What the purchase will finally deliver no one knows, by going by the track record is has always delivered well. What politics can deliver for business and what business can deliver for politics is not the issue, the issue is the subversion of democracy, where decisions are not made for the largest good of the largest people. The FTX scam is on a different trajectory undeniably, the nitty gritty has already been broadly been in the public domain, what is not being discussed are the political donations made and its impact.
What are political donations made for? While people might complicate the matter in a variety of ways, the one simple answer is that it is made to purchase political favour. This queer mix of politics and business has never been unraveled by any objective and empirical research in any democratic country till the present time. There is prevalent feeling and quite rightly so, is that political donations and meant to purchase political influence to get government decisions in your favour, is a nexus which cannot taken lightly. It is one of the core reasons of non-delivery and also the comfort level politics emanates, without putting your money into it.
How is any way the political donations made by FTX help in they doing what they did, one thing is for sure, that people and companies which make political donations are emboldened. There are business houses who make donations to various political parties, expecting a favour when any of these parties come to power. This exercise is not limited to US or a one or two other countries, this is malaise is playing havoc with the very basis and spirit of democracy. One underlying feeling accepted by one and call, is that decisions can be influenced. If decisions can be influenced and the route is known there will always remains takers as much as the givers.
That the democracies would have a day where the political donor remains anonymous and the money is used in the most pious way for electioneering and running a political party, then we are living in a fool’s paradise. Anonymity through whatever electoral financial tools are not going to happen, nor is that the intention, the giver and taker are well known to each other, most of the money goes to the party, where there is a likelihood of influenced decisions happening. Otherwise, why should anybody donate to political parties, where there are social organisations which can put the money to better use. The business companies themselves know how to go about it. Besides for the official political donations, most of the political activities are paid for. The financially porous political parties can breach democracy to a level, that it cannot be redeemed.
PURCHASING POLITICAL INFLUENCE IS ANTITHETICAL TO THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
Sanjay Sahay