Imagine if you had to pay a bribe to see your newborn baby, get your water supply connected or obtain your driving licence. It's an everyday fact of life in India - but campaigners are now fighting back, using people power and the internet。
"Uncover the market price of corruption," proclaims the banner on the homepage of ipaidabribe.com。
It invites people to share their experiences of bribery, what a bribe was for, where it took place and how much was involved。
Launched in August, the site gives Indians a chance to vent their frustrations anonymously and shine a spotlight on the impact of corruption on everyday life。
"I did the driving test correctly but still the official said I was driving too slow, I realised his intention so gave him 200 Rupees and got the thing done," is a typical example of a posting。
The website was the brainwave of Ramesh and Swati Ramanathan, founders of a not-for-profit organisation in Bangalore called Janaagraha which literally means "people power"。
"Bribery is routinely expected in interactions with government officials", Swati Ramanathan told me, "to register your house, to get your driving licence, domestic water connection, even a death certificate."
Having lived in the US and the UK for several years, they were dismayed on their return to see how widespread corruption had become and decided to do something about it。
The website has evolved into a consumer comparison site where people can also get information and advice in different languages on how to avoid paying bribes。
So far, nearly 10,000 bribe experiences have been reported across 347 cities and 19 government departments。
Solving the problem of bribery in India is not going to happen overnight. But ipaidabribe.com shows that ordinary people can be turned from the victims of corruption into part of the solution。
想想吧,如果看看你新生的宝宝需要行贿,通自来水、考取驾照也需要塞钱的话,你会是什么心情?在印度,这就是严酷的现实。但反腐败人士正利用大众的力量和网络对此发起反击。
最新创建的“我行贿了”网站的首页横幅上写着:“揭开腐败的市价。”
该网站邀请人们分享自己的行贿经历、行贿原因、地点、以及金额。
网站于去年八月创办,使印度人有机会匿名发泄自己的怨气,而且警示了腐败对日常生活的影响。
比如某个很典型的贴子写道:“我考驾照时没出错,但考官还是说我开得太慢了。我明白他的意思,给了他200卢比,就办妥了。”
拉米什和斯瓦特•拉马纳坦想到了创建该网站的好主意。他们还曾在印度班加罗尔创建非盈利性机构Janaagraha,意为“人民的力量”。
斯瓦特•拉马纳坦对记者说:“在和政府官员打交道时,行贿成了惯例。登记房产、考取驾照、家里通水、甚至办死亡证明都要行贿。”
两位创办者在美国和英国生活了多年,回到印度后看到腐败盛行非常沮丧,于是决定为此做些事情。
该网站已经演变为供消费者的互动交流平台,大家在这里可以得到多语种的如何避免行贿的信息和建议。
目前,网友已公布了近一万条行贿信息,涉及印度347个城市和19个政府部门。
在印度,解决行贿问题并非朝夕之功。但“我行贿了”网站表明,普通人可以从腐败的受害者变为腐败问题的解决者。
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