Moral Corruption and Shiny Shoes

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article on an Indian politician and how the US embassy cables characterize her as ‘corrupt’ and a ‘virtual paranoid dictator’. These leaked cables come to us courtesy WikiLeaks.

This did not come as a surprise to anyone. That she focused on the ‘messenger’ rather than the message also was not a surprise. A person who spends millions on erecting her own statues has some audacity in calling Mr. Julian Assange a candidate for a mental institution. This is a classic symptom of projecting one’s own problem onto others.

While there are many reasons for corruption and why it is rampant in a country such as India, I marvel at the absolute lack of common sense displayed by this corrupt politician. The article described how she once sent her private jet to Mumbai to retrieve a preferred brand of shoes.

Why would she not forgo getting a new pair of shoes, especially when she already has hundreds in her closet? Why would she have the state incur these extravagant expenses for a mere pair of shoes? I think the answer is not corruption. It is the absence of a thought process that aligns you in a world along with the rest of the people. It is also to not have known contentment, peace and above all a value system. This act speaks to her moral vacuity, leadership deficit and shameful disregard for her position of a public servant.

That we have such politicians and that they have even an ounce of power is what is most offensive. That they are in a position to harm others because of the corrupt manner in which they govern is such a tragedy.

Since this sorry excuse for a politician hurled accusations at Mr. Assange, he has responded in the very same tone. He has vouched for the authenticity of the cables and even offered to bring a range of the finest British footwear were she to send her private jet for him in England. [Complete article can be found here.]