Let the Public Know the Real Truth: A Call for Transparency and Accountability
An opinion piece questioning transparency, foreign connections of leaders’ families, and public trust in democracy, calling for accountability and disclosure.
India (PC- Social Media)
Many countries across the world keep doing one innovative thing or another. It would be more appropriate to call these actions rather than experiments, because experiments remain experiments, whereas these are decisions put into practice. We, on the other hand, continue to live in a state of experimentation in many areas—and in many others, we are afraid to experiment at all. It is like being trapped between the two stones of a grinding mill, with the public—people like us—being crushed in between.
China is certainly not a model for us. Yet, it has done something innovative enough to demand attention. Whether it is right or wrong can be debated among us. Nevertheless, China’s all-powerful Communist Party introduced a rule that any ruler or senior official whose spouse or children live abroad must be removed from the system. This was not merely a rule on paper. Declaring zero tolerance, dozens of senior officials with overseas family connections were charged with corruption and serious disciplinary violations and removed from their positions. China labeled such individuals as “naked officials.”
This systematic purge extended from ministers to mayors, bank governors to top university officials—everyone was brought under scrutiny, and the pace of action continues to accelerate. There is a logic behind it. Live here, rule here—but settle your family abroad, keep transferring wealth overseas, keep buying property there? No, that will not be allowed.
But this is precisely what is happening in our country.
The Unanswered Questions
Leaders, ministers, bureaucrats—those in power and those in opposition—many have conveniently settled their children abroad in the name of education or employment, most often in the United States. Someone should ask them plainly: If you constantly lecture the common public about national progress, becoming a top economy, strong security, and countless other achievements, then why are your sons and daughters living in America? Why not call them back here?
Solve another mystery as well. What is that miracle by which your children effortlessly secure admission into top universities in Europe and America? Our children, on the other hand, struggle endlessly, and even if they manage to get admission, they are burdened with massive education loans. How much money do you have that you can instantly pay exorbitant fees? Our children fight for scholarships, while yours obtain them effortlessly. What magic wand do these leaders and officers wave? We would like to know.
Privilege and Protection Abroad
When our children go abroad to study, they drown in debt and somehow survive. But the children of our ministers, leaders, and bureaucrats are never seen washing dishes in restaurants, working at petrol pumps, or delivering pizzas. Why? Education aside, they also manage to secure elite jobs in top multinational companies with remarkable ease. What kind of magic is this?
There must be something behind it. When curiosity arises, questions must be asked.
Is it that you know some harsh truths about this country, which is why you have secured your children elsewhere? Do you yourself know the hollowness of the rosy picture you keep selling to us? You expect us to shoulder the responsibility of national security, but what guarantee is there that your children, living abroad, are not involved—directly or indirectly—in activities that could harm national interests?
Foreign Assets and National Loyalty
You have safeguarded your future in foreign banks and foreign properties. Why is there no disclosure of this? When you have such deep foreign connections, what is the guarantee of your patriotism?
If nothing of yours is truly at stake in this country, why would you genuinely care about it? Why would you work sincerely or think deeply about its problems? After all, people do everything for their families and children—and you have already settled them outside the country. So why would issues like air quality, inflation, crime, environment, or social divisions matter to you?
We have a complete right to know. We must know the foreign connections of those to whom we hand over the governance of our country, our states, and our cities through our votes.
The Trust Deficit
Another question arises: why this obsession with foreign lands? Is it merely affection—or something else? Perhaps it is a lack of trust. Maybe you do not trust this system yourself, which is why you have extended your roots abroad. It is like restaurant staff refusing to eat their own food, hospital owners seeking treatment elsewhere, or school teachers sending their children to different schools—because they know the reality of their own institutions and do not trust them.
The Case for Transparency
The solution is simple: transparency.
Just as we examine criminal records and property details in election affidavits, why not add another column? A column that reveals how many children of those seeking our votes are studying abroad, working abroad, or hold foreign citizenship. The same disclosure should apply to bureaucrats holding powerful positions.
This is a serious matter and deserves serious answers. No one else will demand these answers on our behalf, so we should not expect anyone else to do so.
Democracy Demands Disclosure
We need not treat China as a role model. But when we talk about adopting American roads, Singapore’s traffic systems, or Brazil’s sanitation practices, why not adopt a system that scrutinizes “foreign connections” as well? Let this also become part of our call for nationalism—and let the precedent begin with those in power.
This is not a question of any one country, party, or ideology. It is a question of trust. In a democracy, power is granted on credit, and its biggest guarantor is public trust. If policymakers have secured their future, family, and capital outside the country, asking questions is neither a crime nor an act of jealousy. It is a simple civic right.
We must know where the future of those holding the keys to our present and tomorrow is locked away. Ask yourself— is it not true that transparency is not a favor, but the minimum requirement of democracy?