Re:Internet disrupted in Pakistan amid arrest of former PM I...
by yipbub on Thursday May 11, 2023 @01:02AM
(#35897760)
The word is commonly used to mean abuse of power, The original usage of the word in this conversation clearly meant that usage of the word:
> Modi is corrupt. The guy does not have the interest of the country at heart, he just cares about the Ambanis and increasing the wealth of his political allies.
Deciding whether Modi is corrupt or not based on technical differences between political gains and personal gains seems purely motivated to keep his image "squeaky clean".
It’s not meant to be.
> in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain
You’re quoting Wikipedia [1]; see the “definition and scales” section. Personal gain in this context is contrasted with political gain. Using state power to openly reward boosters is not corruption, though it might be an abuse of power. Using state power to illegally use violence as a political tactic, similarly, is not corruption. It’s authoritarianism, possibly fascism.
It’s important for the word to have meaning, particularly in India, where overexpanding corruption to mean anything one doesn’t like could be particularly corrosive.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption