Politics: Criminalization

Criminality in politics, use of money and muscle power for winning elections and grabbing power, pose a difficult challenge for the institution of democracy to grow healthy roots in many developing countries.

Analysts believe that poverty, illiteracy and weak democratic structures are the reasons for the growth of this malaise. While transition of power and regime change take place smoothly and without spasms of political violence in mature democracies in the developed world, many fledgling and young democracies in developing countries exhibit disturbing symptoms during times of political upheaval and change. The violence that usually accompanies such periods of churn has brought into focus a term - democide, meaning political murder - that was first introduced by political scientist, R.J. Rummel.  His research reveals that as many as 262 million people have been killed over the last century because of democide.

Apart from murders and genocide, intimidation, injuries, rape, money laundering and other forms of political crimes are damaging the socio-economic dynamics of many countries. Despite globalization, the communication revolution and awareness about political crimes, the trend cointinues to gain strength and gather pace. Among the regions most prone to political violence, Latin America ranks at the very top. So endemic is the bane of political crimes in the region that even governments of many Latin American countries are known to offer aegis and shield and dangerous criminals right under their noses. Regular power tussles in many African countries resulting in frequent bloodbath don't raise eyebrows any more, so immune have people become to the perpetration of such gahstly crimes in those parts. The corruption-riddled politics in South Asian countries too offer a perfect setting for such nefarious deeds to thrive with impunity.

Now, it looks that even the developed nations are not immune to such acts of political corrosiveness and if the trend is not checked even these countries might one day go down the path of their infamous counterparts in Latin America, Africa and South Asia. The first signs that criminality in politics has sneaked up on the US came during the US presidential election of 2000 in Florida. It sparked off allegations of widespread rigging by George Bush’s brother (and then governor of the state) Jeb. Matters came to such a head that the Supreme Court of Florida had to order a recount!

In Europe, the Russian organized crime groups pose a bleak picture not only for the political future of their home country but also to the international community at large. These are mostly transnational mafia kingpins operating across the world from the Mediterranean to South America as well as in the impoverished states of Africa and Asia. Italian drug lords and money laundering criminals are known to enjoy patronage of the country's political bigwigs. All of it proves that political criminalization is growing fast and is no longer confined to dictatorships and pseudo-democratic set-ups. Even the more advanced nations need to wake up to the challenge and overhaul their political systems in the larger interests of their people and their country's future.