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CWG - Corruption Wealth Games
Written By Naveen - 6 August, 2010
Politics Sports Corruption Analysis India Others governance Politics government
Finally, heads begin to roll after a week of denials - see this report.
It's indeed a shame that we have become the laughing stock for the rest of the world with repeated debacles of this kind. Where is our national pride to excel ? We do not seem to have any even after 60 years now & keep pardoning our corrupt leaders again & again, repeatedly. Sports Minister Gill seems to want to continue with IOC boss Suresh Kalmadi though as the head, he is directly responsible for this mess, not to mention the delays in completion as also the shoddy patch work of stadiums his committee has produced, spending 10s of thousands of crores of the tax payers' money, much of which has been diverted into the pockets of officials of the IOC.
The govt is clueless on how to handle this other than to continue with the status quo - what a disgrace !
After the IPL fiasco & this CWG debacle, it's time now for a complete revamp of the way sports bodies function in the country with corrupt bearucrats & politicians heading them instead of sports personalities or professionals.
There is now, the danger of all other nations boycotting the CWG - many foreign atheletes are said to have already withdrawn out from the games - the India of today is far worse than the India of 1982 for sure when at least, we managed to conduct the games satisfactorily.
COMMENTS
idontspam - 7 August, 2010 - 07:51
This is probably a good enough summary of why we dont care for this tournament.
That, finally, is the reason why none of us have any ownership of the Commonwealth Games. We don’t see them as a great national enterprise. We see them as a money-making activity run by a group of discredited sleazeballs. That’s why none of us is really surprised by the corruption allegations. When you put bank robbers in charge of the bank, how astonished can you be when they rob the bank blind?
murali772 - 19 August, 2010 - 12:26
Both CWG and IPL involved scams. But, the big difference is that whereas the CWG involved tax payers' money, the IPL involved only private money.
And, as far as the public is concerned, the only complaint against IPL can be from the I/T angle - matter perhaps of a few hundered crores - chicken feed compared to the colossal loot (of tax payers' money) in the name of the CWG, and similar ghotala's. Check this also.
Besides, the quality of every product, service, show (including even the cheer-leading - arguably, one may add), connected with IPL, had set new standards, comparable to the best in the world. Whereas, the CWG has its own story to tell, even here.
Perhaps it's time for an altogether fresh look at government's role in the management of sports and sporting events, like with everything else, in fact.
Please don’t cheer the 2010 loot-fest
murali772 - 1 September, 2010 - 09:46
If we, the Indian people, support these Games, it will be a big mistake. This is a golden chance for citizens to put this corrupt and insensitive government to shame. Usually corruption issues are local in nature and they never really get the national traction or resonance that these Games have offered. The CWG is an amazing opportunity because all Indians have been robbed at the same time. Add to that the fact that the government is desperate to save face. Now is when we can get them. And the way to do it is simply what the father of our nation pioneered in his time — noncooperation. Yes, and i’ve deliberated long before saying this — do not watch these Games. Do not go to the venues. Do not watch them on TV. You cannot become a cheerleader to an exercise in cheating. The Indian people have been exploited enough, but to expect us to smile through it is a bit much. If they can walk out of Parliament, we can walk out of stadiums.
For the full text of the column by Chetan Bhagat in the Sunday TOI, click here
I think I agree
idontspam - 3 September, 2010 - 06:24
Interesting read - Our games, their games
Some excerpts
China has “satellite vision” whereas we tend to have “in the well” vision. China scans the world to see what is “best” and then sets out to better it. Take the high-speed train network that it is putting in place—when it is finished in 2020 it will be the world’s largest, fastest, and most technologically sophisticated
Contrast with our train network where we have to fight to explain why automated block signalling is a necessity not a luxury.
Even if you set aside the implementation snafus, the vision itself is limited, the aim being simply to have something better than what we had before. How can you dazzle when you aim so low?
We should extend this to all infrastructure we build for our cities. We need a new motto for our city builders - Get it f***ing done, get it done f***ing good. You can choose a "U" certificate motto but thats the general idea.
Killing corruption is necessary, but not sufficient
I wouldnt also believe everything is spic & span in China but the outcome is evident. We cant get screwed on the outcomes as well while we figure out a way of cleaning up the racket, working on value systems etc.
Naveen - 6 August, 2010 - 09:36
More trouble - opposition parties attack govt in Lok sabha & accuse it of allowing "loot" of public money.
After an hour-long impromptu debate, Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the House ahead of the lunch recess as heated exchanges between opposition and treasury benches continued with the latter protesting vociferously for not listening to the government's version.
CPM leader Basudeb Acharia demanded setting up of a JPC on the "large-scale corruption scam", alleging that while a cricket stadium in Hyderabad was constructed at Rs 90 crore, the renovation of Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi cost over Rs 961 crore.
"There is no accountability. No one has been held responsible. Government says it does not have money to supply foodgrains," Acharia said, with Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) saying this was "a loot of public money" as over Rs 50,000 crore was being spent on the games.
"What is happening today is total chaos and disaster, bringing the country to shame. ... You (government) are proving to the world that India is incapable of holding the games. Shame," he said.
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