I,too,am concerned about the combining of the CVC's ofice within the ambit of the Lokpal Bill and am surprised this concept has not been vetted by a full and diverse panel of lawyers!
It is,however,a good thing to have a Lokpal.I find it odd that you,the author here,have chosen to speak AFTER the event.If you really do have India's interests at heart why did you not make your views known earlier?This is going on my Facebook page and on other Groups where RTI and IAC people will read it. Better late than never?"
media | politics | dissent
At the Risk of Heresy: Why I am not Celebrating with Anna Hazare
At the risk of heresy, let me express my profound unease at the crescendo of euphoria surrounding the 'Anna Hazare + Jan Lokpal Bill' phenomenon as it has unfolded on Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and across several hysterical TV stations over the last few days.
This time around, I have to say that the print media has acted (upto now) with a degree of restraint that I think is commendable. Partly, this has to do with the different natures of the two media. If you have to write even five hundred words about the Jan Lokpal bill, you run out of platitudes against corruption in the first sentence (and who can speak 'for' corruption anyway?) and after that you have to begin thinking about what the bill actually says, and the moment you do that, you cannot but help consider the actual provisions and their implications. On television on the other hand, you never have to speak for more than a sound-byte, (and the anchor can just keep repeating himself or herself, because that is the anchor's job) and the accumulation of pious vox-pop sound bytes 'against corruption' leads to a tsunami of 'sentiment' that brooks no dissent.
Between the last NDA government and the current UPA government, we have probably experienced a continuity of the most intense degree of corruption that this country has ever witnessed. The outcome of the 'Anna Hazare' phenomenon allows the ruling Congress to appear gracious (by bending to Anna Hazar's will) and the BJP to appear pious (by cozying up to the Anna Hazare initiative) and a full spectrum of NGO and 'civil society' worthies to appear, as always, even holier than they already are.
Most importantly, it enables the current ruling elite to have just stage managed its own triumph, by crafting a 'sensitive' response (ably deployed by Kapil Sibal) to a television media conjured popular upsurge. Meanwhile, the electronic media, by and large, have played their part by offering us the masquerade of a 'revolution' – that ends up making the state even more powerful than it was before this so called 'revolution' began. Some people in the corridors of power must be delighted at the smoothness and economy with which all this has been achieved. Hosni Mubarak should have taken a few lessons from the Indian ruling class about how to have your cake and eat it too on Tahrir Square,
We have been here before. Indira Gandhi's early years were full of radical and populist posturing, and the mould that Anna Hazare fills is not necessarily the one that JP occupied (despite the commentary that repeatedly invokes JP). Perhaps we should be reminded of the man who was fondly spoken of as 'Sarkari Sant' – Vinoba Bhave. Bhave lent his considerable moral stature to the defence of the Internal Emergency (which, of course, dressed itself up in the colour of anti-corruption, anti-black marketeering rhetoric, to neutralize the anti-corruption thrust of the disaffection against Indira Gandhi's regime). And while we are thinking about parallels in other times, let us not forget a parallel in another time and another place. Let us not forget the example of how Mao's helmsmanship of the 'cultural revolution' skilfully orchestrated popular discontent against the ruling dispensation to strengthen the same ruling dispensation in China.
These are early days, but Anna Hazare may finally go down in history as the man who - perhaps against his own instincts and interests – (I am not disputing his moral uprightness here) - sanctified the entire spectrum of Indian politics by offering it the cosmetic cloak of the provisions of the draft Jan Lokpal Bill. The current UPA regime, like the NDA regime before it, has perfected the art of being the designer of its own opposition. The method is brilliant and imaginative. First, preside over profound corruption, then, utilise the public discontent against corruption to create a situation where the ruling dispensation can be seen as the source of the most sympathetic and sensitive response, while doing nothing, simultaneously, to challenge the abuse of power at a structural level.
I have studied the draft Jan Lokpal Bill carefully and I find some of its features are deeply disturbing. I want to take some time to think through why this appears disturbing to me.
The draft Jan Lokpal bill (as present on the website of Indiaagainstcorruption.org) foresees a Lokpal who will become one of the most powerful institutions of state that India has ever known. It will combine in itself the powers of making law, implementing the law, and punishing those who break the law. A lokpal will be 'deemed a police officer' and can 'While investigating any offence under Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, they shall be competent to investigate any offence under any other law in the same case.'
The appointment of the Lokpal will be done by a collegium consisting of several different kinds of people – Bharat Ratna awardees, Nobel prize winners of Indian origin, Magasaysay award winners, Senior Judges of Supreme and High Courts, The Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, The Chief Election Commissioner, and members of the outgoing Lokpal board and the Chairpersons of both houses of Parliament. It may be noticed that in this entire body, only one person, the chairperson of the Lok Sabha, is a democratically elected person. No other person on this panel is accountable to the public in any way. As for 'Nobel Prize Winners of Indian Origin' they need not even be Indian citizens. The removal of the Lokpal from office is also not something amenable to a democratic process. Complaints will be investigated by a panel of supreme court judges.
This is middle class India's dream of subverting the 'messiness' of democracy come delightfully true. So, now you have to imagine that Lata Mangeshkar (who is a Bharat Ratna), APJ Abul Kalam (Bharat Ratna, ex-President and Nuclear Weapons Hawk) V.S. Naipaul (Who is a Nobel Prize Winner of Indian Origin) and spectrum of the kinds of people who take their morning walks in Lodhi Garden – Supreme Court Judges, Election Commissioners, Comptroller & Auditor Generals, NHRC chiefs and Rajya Sabha chairmen will basically elect the person who will run what may well become the most powerful institution in India.
This is a classic case of a priviledged elite selecting how it will run its show without any restraint. It sets the precedent for the making of an un accountable 'council of guardians' something like the institution of the 'Velayat e Faqih' – a self-selected body of clerics – in Iran who act as a super-state body, unrestrained by any democratic norms or procedures. I do not understand what qualifies Lata Mangeshkar and V.S. Naipaul (whose deeply reactionary views are well known) to take decisions about the future of all those who live in india.
The setting up of the institution of the Lokpal (as it is envisioned in what is held out as the draft Jan Lokpal Bill) needs to be seen, not as the deepening, but as the profound erosion of democracy.
I respect the sentiment that brings a large number of people out in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill movement. but I do not think there has been enough thought given to the implications of the provisions that it seeks to make into law. In these circumstances, one would have ordinarily expected the media to have played a responsible role by acting as a platform for debate and discussion about the issues, so that we can move, as a society, towards a better and more nuanced law. Instead, the electronic media have killed the possibility of any substantive discussion by creating a spectacle. It is absolutely imperative that this space be reclaimed by those who are genuinely interested in a serious discussion about what corruption represents in our society and in our political culture.
Clearly, there is a popular rage, (and not confined to earnest middle class people alone) about the helplessness that corruption engenders around us. But we have to ask very carefully whether this bill actually addresses the structural issues that cause corruption. In setting up a super-state body, that is almost self selecting and virtually unaccountable, it may in fact laying the foundations of an even more intense concentration of power. And as should be clear to all of us by now, nothing fosters corruption as much as the concentration of unaccountable and unrestrained power.
I am not arguing against the provision of an institution of a Lokpal, or Ombudsman, (and some of the provisions even in this draft bill – such as the provision of protection for whistle-blowers, are indeed commendable) but if we want to take this institution seriously, within a democratic political culture, we have to ask whether the methods of initiating and concluding the term of office of the Lokpal conforms to democratic norms or not. There are many models of selecting Ombudsmen available across the world, but I have never come across a situation where a country decides that Nobel Prize winners and those awarded with state conferred honours can be entrusted with the task selecting those entrusted with the power to punish people. I have also never come across the merging of the roles of investigator, judge and prosecutor within one office being hailed as the triumph of democratic values.
Nothing serves power better than the spectacle of resistance. The last few days have witnessed an unprecedented choregraphy of the spectacle of a united action. As I type this, I am watching visuals on Times Now, where a crescendo of cheezy 'inspirational' music strings together a montage of flag-waving children speaking in hypnotic unison. This kind of unison scares me. It reminds me of the happy synchronized calisthenics of the kind that totalitarian regimes love to use to produce the figure of their subjects. And all fascist regimes begin by sounding the tocsin of 'cleansing' society of corruption and evil.
When four Bombay page three worthies, Rishi Kapoor, Prithwish Nandy, Anupam Kher, Anil Dharker conduct a shrill inquisition (as they did on the Newshour on Times Now) against two co-panelists, Meenakshi Lekhi and Hartosh Singh Bal simply because they were not sounding 'cheerful and celebratory' (Anupam Kher even disapproved of their 'body posture') I begin to get really worried. The day we feel self-conscious and inhibited about expressing even non-verbally, or silently, our disappointment in public about a public issue, is the day when we know that authoritarian values have taken a firm hold on public discourse.
Of course, there are other reasons to get worried. All we need now is for someone, say like Baba Ramdev (one of the worthies behind Anna Hazare's current campaign) to go on a fast on Jantar Mantar in support of some draconian and reactionary measure dear to him, backed by thousands of pious, earnest television supported, pranayamic middle class supporters.
Having said this, lets also pause to consider that Its not as if others have not been on hunger strikes before – Irom Sharmila has been force fed for several years now – but I do not see her intransigence being translated into a tele-visually orchestrated campaign against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. The impunity that AFSPA breeds is nothing short of a corruption that eats deep into the culture of democracy, and yet, here, moral courage, and the refusal to eat, does not seem to work.
The current euphoria needs to be seen for what it is – a massive move towards legitimizing a strategy of simple emotional blackmail – a (conveniently reversible) method of suicide bombing in slow motion. There is no use dissenting against a pious worthy on a fast, because any effort to dissent will be immediately read as a callous indifference to his/her 'sacrifice' by the moral-earnestness brigade. Nothing can be more dangerous for democracy.Unrestrained debate and a fealty to accountable processes are the only means by which a democratic culture can sustain itself. The force of violence, whether it is inflicted on others, or on the self, or held out as a performance, can only act coercively. And coercion can never nourish democracy.
Finally, if, as a society, we were serious about combating the political nexus that sustains corruption – we would be thinking seriously about extending the provisions of the Right to Information Act to the areas where it can not currently operate – national security and defence; we would also think seriously about electoral reform – about proportional representation, about smaller constituencies, about strengthening local representative bodies, about the provision of uniform public funding for candidates and about the right to recall elected representatives. These are serious questions. The tragedy that we are facing today is that the legitimate public outrage against corruption is being channeled in a profoundly authoritarian direction that actually succeeds in creating a massive distraction.
In all the noise there has been a lot of talk about cynicism, and anyone who has expressed the faintest doubt has been branded as a cynic. I do not see every expression of doubt in this context as cynicism, though some may be. Instead, I see the fact that those who often cry hoarse about 'democratic values' seem to be turning a blind eye to the authoritarian strains within this draft 'Jan Lokpal Bill' as a clear indication of how powerful the politics of cynicism actually is.
I hope that eventually, once the din subsides, better sense will prevail, and we can all begin to think seriously, un-cynically about what can actually be done to combat the abuse and concentration of power in our society.
Allow me to pick and choose my revolutions. I am not celebrating at Jantar Manta tonight. Good night.
Trackbacks
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
-
Twitter
-
-
-
Facebook
-
Authors
Shivam Vij
Aditya Nigam
Shuddhabrata Sengupta
subhash gatade
Gautam Bhan
ravikant
Sohail Hashmi
Aman Sethi
Aarti Sethi
mukulsharma
Mahmood Farooqui
Ravi Sundaram
Nivedita Menon
Lawrence Liang
apoorvanand
prashantjha
jdevika
zainab1979
ponni
Sunalini Kumar
Ahilan Kadirgamar
Dan Husain
Shivam Vij
The power structures as they exist do not actually allow for vigourous debate of any really meaningful sort, and thus are not, in the foreseeable future, going to result in any of the changes you list in the last paragraph (some of which are debatable, but that's not the point). With this in mind, your entire article is completely meaningless rhetoric — lots of should, no will.
The entire system seems to be stuck in a downward spiral the end of which is going to be an absolute nightmare. The Jan Lokpal Bill might take us down the spiral faster. Or it might provide some sort of moral spine that'll allow us to bootstrap our society out of its current state. Or make the decline rapid enough to force people into *doing* something. So perhaps the time for drastic measures has come?
I'm quite amazed at your cynicism couched as 'responsible' opinion…
Perhaps you need to study a few more systems of law (besides the ones you may have 'studied' though you haven't bothered to mention any) and note the role of judges/magistrates on the European continent (which by the way does not include the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – just making it obvious given your apparent ignorance of certain matters germane to the discourse). Specifically you could look at France and Spain where certain levels of Judges are the investigator, judge and prosecutor. This may help alleviate your stated concern: "I have also never come across the merging of the roles of investigator, judge and prosecutor within one office being hailed as the triumph of democratic values." Last I checked, France and Spain were fairly democratic countries – if you don't think so I'd be interested in knowing what you consider to be acceptable benchmarks.
Every agitation has the potential to be hijacked by undesirable personalities or causes. One must always be mindful of that to protect oneself or one's cause. But to criticize the methods themselves, one really needs to be sure one is on a sound footing. Your arguments appear to mirror those of some politicians who are calling these methods fascist. I suppose then along with the names of Mussolini and Franco one must add Mahatma Gandhi's name to the annals of history!!!
Hi,
I applaud the tone of your article. Among the ones expressing reservations around the bill, this is probably the sanest voice I found.
I am sure these concerns exist among the organizers of the andolan themselves, not to mention a considerable number of the following. I don't know where this fantasy of an unaccountable body comes from, but the bill is not yet drafted. We have a joint committee drafting the bill, and an entire nation glued to how it pans out. I trust that there will be safeguards against the misuse of this power, because once the bill is jointly created, it will be among the first questions coming up. With half the committee being politicians, who will also be the targets of the bill, I doubt if they will let it pass without being fairly certain of mechanisms in the event of misuse.
It can be misused anyway, sure, but we will be no worse off than we are now – faced with unshakable, institutionalized corruption. What does one layer of pretended credibility more or less matter? Like a bucket of water in the sea. I appreciate your concern that the authority itself being corrupted will provide an even stronger shield for the corrupt. I share it too, but I have chosen to trust that we will ensure that this voice we have fought so hard for will not be squandered. But if that stops us from attempting change, we're screwed before the starting line. At some point, we see that trust is a choice. At some point, we turn suspicions into alerts and cautions and move on with purpose anyway.
What I appreciate is that for the first time, a citizenry cowed into a pessimistic silence through unending exploitation and powerlessness finally found its voice. Finding it once makes it easier to raise it again. For whatever cause. The democracy became participative. If all fails, this is still a treasure in itself. It would have been far scarier for the flood of scams to not have any reaction from the people. In fact, I know I was freaking out at the constant "new news" and no protest from the people, as were others.
One way or the other, once the scams started piling up, this was destined. If it weren't for the Gandhians, it would be the Bhagat Singhs. If nothing had come up, India's soul could be certified dead. No way would the people trust the government – elected or not to police itself, because the government has lost all moral authority with them. The only ways were overthrow, or installing a supervisor. For those calling it undemocratic, you can call the wide support an informal "raise your hands" kind of vote.
The bill is a beginning. It may be flawed, but it is a choice made with consideration for our ground reality and possibilities without throwing the country into a total political collapse. It is a compromise rather than a purist solution. It doesn't replace the purposeful pursuit of values as a country. It will not "fix" everything, but it provides a powerful tool to aid anyone who finds himself overwhelmed confronting the wrongs of an all powerful government. I think what the people are really celebrating is hope, where there was none.
Vidyut
One of the best counter-arguments Ive read in a while. I share your caution and optimism. very well articulated.
agreed. the sanest argument & counter-argument I have read
Exactly, I can't understand why he has written this article stating that he has read the draft.."CAREFULLY" … when what everyone is fighting for is to get few people into committee who will create that DRAFT. Clearly there are 3 judges in it who know more than us or the writer of this article about Indian System. So lets first see the draft and then comment on it and write as many cynic articles as you want.
Thank you for this. You have raised many valid points. A Sanghi, an RSS chap, told me yesterday Hazare is SOnia's man and this is being orchestrated by them! I was a bit skeptical.
Tell me why you think so too. Is it just a hunch, or is there more than a hunch to it?
I am tempted to believe you. They need this posturing now.
First let us go back to Gandhi Ji coming from South Africa and took over congress from others who were simply not totally Ahimsawadis.when Subhash became President of India he was hunded by Gandhi and had to leave,where he was and what happened to him afterWW2 is still a mystery.What happened after Gandhi`s complete takeover of the Freedom struggle is well known,millions sacrificed on altar of division of a nation,which Gandhi did not try to stop by falling into Maun Vrata stance,Congress party thereafter ruled India for many decades with opposition for name sake.At present times due to Ramdev becoming more vocal and aggressive being a Yogi became a copy of Subhash Bose,which worried politicians with principals worst than colonial British.Here comes Anna Hazare a Gandhian with Gandhi cap,who as expected from Gandhian will never ever damage Congress specially if heade by Mahatma Gandhi chum and dearest Nehru dynasty,a great tamasha was created where common man was pushed in background and non voting part of corrupt system Elite and celebrities came forward for support to create Media frenzy,to pass some bill or other and gain brownie points to win elections and to take advantage of Gandhi 2.All was going well as expected,suddenly Ramdev came on stage and spoiled the well staged picnic and lo the GOVT hurriedly accepted but not before the damage to hornet`s nest.Things were stage managed in the beginning ,but the delay due to some activists and their asking janata for assertion dragged it to such state that the Govt cannot meddle with this Bill as they could have done if Hazare was not hijacked by some sincere activists involved with him.This agitation has garnered enough propaganda and awareness in general piblic,it has in reality become Gale ki Haddi for congress,which they will try their best not to swallow.
First the bill is not yet finalized, it will be drafted by the committee with participation of civil representatives and ministers. Second you can give feedback on the bill, suggest changes, recommend measures that help in avoiding the draconian future you refer to. Not being on Jantar Mantar does not solve that problem, and having a weak LokPal as suggested by Govt. also does not.
It is easier to point out what is wrong, difficult to suggest what to do to fix the problem. India Against Corruption is clear that the bill in current form is draft, and it improves and changes with feedback.
Participate and Join to contribute to the bill…
Indian public has once again been misled & fooled. I too join you in not celebrating at Jantar Manta tonight. It is not peoples revolution.
I agree with the writer. I too watched the panel discussion mentioned herein (Times Now) and was appalled at the way the Arnab Goswami just dismissed any view that was contrary to his! Infact he even went out of the way to portray the two who did not agree to rejoice with him, as small minded, jealous, upper strata lot who envy Anna his moment of jubilation! That, from a 'responsible' anchor was appalling.
I am struggling to deal with corruption even as this mass movement is on! On refusing to pay the bribe, the official has been sending me back and forth asking for a new document every couple of days! This has been going on for a month now! And I am told that I cannot question him as the position has 'complete discretionary powers'! That goes to prove the authors point that Power corrupts…complete power corrupts completely.
We MUST therefore be wary of the concentration of power in the hands of a few. They may well be worthy at this time, but who can say that some degenerate will not sneak in, in the future? You just need to compare the political leaders in the early years of our democracy to those in power now to understand!
Pallavi,
Our past had been a disaster. In the present scenario our future too looks the bleakest. This movement is for NOW. We should give it a chance. And this is just the beginning. If another monster arises out of this projected bill then there will be other ANNA'S in future. And yet again, then too, cynic's will raise their heads in arguments, whatever…..
I dare say, Me SenGupta's logic seem to reflect a paranoia of the unknown. His willingness to equate a LokPal with being the sole conserver and an all powerful entity with dictatorial tendencies, is far fetched. Leaving that aside, the reluctance to accept that the cabal that runs this country today is far more insidious than any LokPal can ever be, is mind blowingly naive. An institution where the stake holder ( a single individual ) is bound by law of the land is easier to confront, than multitudes that make the ruling elite. It is far easy to confront aberrations of an institution when they as an entity deviate, than confront a bunch of politicians who have perfected the art of the slip. I do know that danger of subversion of democracy is real, but if that is the only reason that the author writes, I would welcome his take on the current. Is not what is being done by our elected representatives subversive ? Are they not undermining the very foundations of the institutes they profess to represent ? Is it no fair to say, that if not provided with redressals the very nature of what we know as parliamentary democracy will cease to exist ? Is it also not fair to say that if folks have gravitated to this radical approach of Ana, the reason is there disgust at being irrelevant ? Is it also not fair say that money drives elections and representatives or the options that a common man are limited to a few powerful ? Is it also not fair to see politics become a career, rather than an extension of social service ? Is it not fair to say that all scams reported all day every day and the lack of any accountability smacks on the effectiveness of what the author is trying to defend, the institutions? Mr SenGupta , if you are really concerned with preserving this democracy the way it was cherished , rather than what it is , you have lot's of other thing to worry about , than a LokPal.
I would go further .. Your point on other reforms that need to be done and may be more effective are well received. Yet the issue remains that though one has known a need to address them for ages now, the ruling "elite", b'coz of inertia or sheer incompetence or other hidden/malicious agendas does not seem to move on any of those. No body desires to go without food for days, I have other work to do than file this reposte, I am sure folks who have thronged Jantar Mantar have other things to do. Yet it seems until and unless some drastic steps are not taken the government sleeps.
"Let them eat cake" is the traditional translation of the French phrase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", supposedly spoken by "a great princess" upon learning that the peasants had no bread" . The French revolution followed. It is the disgust at how removed the cabal is from what a common man goes through every day, that is the most disconcerting .
If issues known are addressed by due process, why would anybody resort to these histrionics. And if they do, do you believe that those would gain any traction with the common man. Yes, for you this may seem an overreaction, and it may ultimately be one, but than no action to redress any grievance has been forthcoming and what would you want common man to resort to other than peaceful blackmail.. I hope you understand the alternative.
Agree with you 100 per cent… The people, and especially the youth who have forever been taunted as disinterested and apathetic, need an outlet… And the occasional spectacle like hazare will only bring brief respite…
In demanding monitors for the monitors of our democracy, we end up retransfering power to covert, unknown, indistinct groups, which completely negates the point of their appointment anyways…
Thank you very much for writing something that should be read by all of us who have not lost our faculties of perception and reason. Philosopher kings were not a good idea even in Plato's time. I have one small point to add to your brilliantly written piece.
We always see the solution to a problem in India is to get a new problem. If roads are clogged by traffic, we build flyovers. If state universities do not work we create IIT's. We live in a ongoing saga of never having to fix an existing problem. If the political system does not work, we build Lokpal Bill flyover, so that we can sleep at night dreaming that something has been done… letting go of our yoke of responsibility
:) well said
Really a pointless article. And very premature observations. The Jan Lok Pal committee is yet to be appointed, the bill to be drafted, debated, enacted and then enforced. The author has any other solution to tackle this problem of corruption? It is very easy to keep theorizing about anything and everything as long as you don't have to do it. 8 versions of the Bill in 40+ years and we still have people saying it won't work without ever trying. The author's apprehensions are totally misplaced. The real challenge will be to find a 'democratically' elected representative that is clean. Or as Anna Hazare later corrected to mean "least tainted". So Sengupta ji, don't fret. Be positive. Drink lot of butter milk and stay cool.
"The author has any other solution to tackle this problem of corruption?"
So, if someone cannot come up with a solution to an issue immediately, he should not point out the obvious?
GROW UP!
"The author has any other solution to tackle this problem of corruption?"
So, if you cannot solve, you don't have the right to criticise? Well, I believe that any time someone has to resort to saying that while countering a point,automatically loses the argument.
Agree with you in totality, The Promethean. The main problem is that we Indians have become so used to " THE CHALTA HAI" attitude that no matter what, they still want to carry on with this attitude. Come on guys, here's a chance, an opportunity. Don't count the eggs before they are hatched. This bill is in "draft mode" at the moment. And to try and decipher its outcome is nothing but CHILDISH. In fact, FOOLISHNESS. The author has every right to give his opinion, but sorry author, you can not force it down anyone. So as The Promethean has suggested to someone, " Drink lot of butter milk and stay cool. And yes GROW UP, man.
I completely agree with what your saying. Do consider joining us and telling the world out there that we exist.
facbook.com/nojanlokpal
Thanks and Cheers
Ajay Kumar
Completely agreed…
I truly respect your position and find that there is substance in what you have said. Our country is not a perfect democracy. Its no doubt tough to govern a country of a billion people. But we have witnessed over the last couple of years, gross malpractice being carried out in multiple areas of governance. I am trying to recall when was the last time a politician or bureaucrat accused of corruption was severely reprimanded. Sure if you go by the books the accused needs to be convicted, sure the right course of action is to engage in public debate and make sure the government is accountable. I am guessing a lot of people have tried this route, maybe your one of them, and if you have succeeded its great news.
The scams of CWG, Adarsh and 2g should not have happened in the fist place. I do not want to see my country being run by people who allow for such things to happen. There needs to be zero tolerance. It seems as though our government, no party excluded, has become much more than just tolerant. This movement shouldn't be about targeting any single political party, it should serve as a message to all our office bearers, from the highest political office to the grassroots level, to get their act together and deliver. If you cant, please get out of the way so somebody else can.
Its great to see the country get together and unite in the support of an idea. If not for this unity the soul of Jessica Lal would still be yearning for justice.
I understand that radicalism has severe consequences. But what else would you have us do. Just sit back and enjoy the show or take action and demand answers. The latter seems to have got the attention, but it should not stop here. There is so much more that needs to be done.
The author of the article seems to be confused with the very basic fact of the bill & that is the Jan Lokpal bill is still a suggestion & not yet implemented & would not be implemented as it is, because there would be lots of debate on this, & that is what we want.
We didn't want a one sided weak Lokpal bill made & proposed by the corrupted GOMs & that is the victory of common Indians. We forced Govt. to include the civil society in this process (politicians dont think themselves as the representative of the civil society, they think they are the king of of the civil society).
Sir,
I am also not joining the celebrations at Jantar Mantar tonight. But for reasons different from yours.
A lot of the voices against this fast seem to be speaking as if a) Jan Lokpal bill is a certainty, Anna Hazare will not eat until his version is enacted b) This is some kind of subversion of democratic process where if their plans come to fruition Anna Hazare and gang will suddenly pass the legislation as an ordinance.
My understanding of the situation is that he is merely asking a) draft a good jan lokpal bill b) take inputs from civil society for this c) introduce it parliament without delay.
One of the principles of administration is that when any administrative action (be it a statute/notification/rule ) it should be done after a due consultative process. Now is it so rare that an unelected body helps in drafting or even drafts legislation that are introduced in parliament? One example I've been giving on every forum is RTI. The example I should have been giving is probably a different one. I did an internship with FICCI. I worked on a couple of legislations and innumerable policy changes that were effected by way of notifications and circulars. These would be forwarded to the finance ministry/ commerce ministry/ SEBI/ IRDA and a lot of them would be passed or notified without virtually any changes. And this, mind you, is very different from Mukesh Ambani lobbying to get a huge tax break. That is a subversion, this is the accepted norm. How is it that when we easily accept policy framed by a body with clearly vested interests, we are suddenly crying about someone who doesn't seem to have vested interests (at least prima facie).
I also find it shocking that "voices of sanity" are decrying this fast far more than any rant I heard against any Bandh/Hartal. Now if I may make my point without questioning the cause of the Jats recently or the Gujjars a couple of years ago, wasn't the stopping of trains far more dangerous and damaging to the public? If this is 'emotional blackmail' what is that. 'wrongful imprisonment'? Coercion maybe? Standard mode of protest in my state when sponsored by political parties is to torch a bus. All the people who are objecting to this 'bypassing of parliamentary democracy' by Anna Hazare I ask you to recognize that this is probably one of the most peaceful ways a demand has been put forth in recent times.
Going back to the statute itself. I too find many of the clauses unacceptable. At first I put it down to the blind passion of anti-corruption crusaders. Then I felt that this might be a negotiating position they want to work from.
I'm not celebrating yet though, because it is not a very big thing they have acheived already. Only if a good mechanism for curbing corruption at the highest level is set up and starts functioning effectively, then perhaps I will look back upon this day as a landmark. From here to there it is a long and uncertain journey. But I will certainly not deride the satyagrahis today.
If people were smart enough to elect the right representatives, we wouldn't need a lokpal in first place.
Yes. Indeed.
Also a mirror site of Savita Bhabhi has been banned as of day before (not exactly mirror, but a place where Savita Bhabhi could be read freely). Now they've pissed me off. I can't wait for a electoral process to unseat the govt that denies me my erotica.
I do not think this article has vague or paranoid undertones. If history has shown us time and again that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Aphorisms aside, it is Immanuel Kant who ones said the maxim of enlightenment reason "argue as much as you want, but obey". And our reasons and rationalities are fostered on that bulwark. We all here in this forum will do probably just that even when we participate in formation of the bill.
However before writing a superstructure on ourselves we should at least ask why we can not even think about cleaning the existing system and just want another system which may be just as bad. Just saying it is hard is no argument at all.
Logic fails each time we try to understand events…why Hazare and not Sharmila…fair enough…one can easily say…why World Cup Cricket and not Vishwanath Anand…or why Sharmila and not the starving peasants…casuistry won't take us far…grab at any chance coming your way…advocacy needs colours…India needs be tracked well….for events here happen and fizzle out….Sharmila's turn will come too……such a romantic issue..Hazare deserves solidarity now…..sophistry can wait or be left to thinkers….!!!
Definitely a good read and particularly so for generating interesting debate among readers. To me the best part of what has happened over the past week is that the government has agreed to have civil society as a part of a committee to form a bill. The fact that this bill is intended to make the ruling elite accountable is even more encouraging. It is still a long way to go from finalization of the bill, to getting it passed as a law and strict implementation of the law and it's revision based on learnings from its implementation.
Regarding the skepticism about the powers made available to the Lokpal office, I share the skepticism. I also feel uncomfortable about awardees forming the selection panel. But I donot have better solutions right now.
One of Anna's previous agendas was also to impose total alcohol prohibition in the country. I'm sure he could garner enough frenzy about that. How many of us who like an occasional drink would enjoy that?
"Hosni Mubarak should have taken a few lessons from the Indian ruling class about how to have your cake and eat it too on Tahrir Square."
>The author seems to suggest that throwing the government out is the only solution to a problem. We as Indians should look within the framework of the existing government to find a solution to our problems.
"These are early days, but Anna Hazare may finally go down in history as the man who – perhaps against his own instincts and interests – (I am not disputing his moral uprightness here) – sanctified the entire spectrum of Indian politics by offering it the cosmetic cloak of the provisions of the draft Jan Lokpal Bill."
>Indian democracy is evolving and the coming in of a Jan lokpal body will indeed purify the Indian politics. I am hopeful about it.
"This is a classic case of a priviledged elite selecting how it will run its show without any restraint. It sets the precedent for the making of an un accountable 'council of guardians' something like the institution of the 'Velayat e Faqih' – a self-selected body of clerics – in Iran who act as a super-state body, unrestrained by any democratic norms or procedures. "
> India is evolving from a ruling democracy to a participative democracy. Now our leaders are taking decisions and that is not questioned by anybody. But now, there will be checks put by the people in the form of this Jan lokpal body. What it essentially means is that there will be broader participation in taking decisions.
"I have also never come across the merging of the roles of investigator, judge and prosecutor within one office being hailed as the triumph of democratic values."
> Since you have never come across a thing, does not mean that it is not going to work. India is the world's most unique democracy. We should not fear the unknown.
"Unrestrained debate and a fealty to accountable processes are the only means by which a democratic culture can sustain itself."
> What you are saying is correct. The Jan lokpal bill is merely a push in that direction. In the future, once the bill gets passed and is implemented, it will create more transparency in government decisions and dealings. The use of technology will make the system more transparent and accountable. Let me tell you one thing. I am a big supporter of IT. I feel that in future, all government transactions and dealings will take IT help so that people get the information by the click of a button.
"Finally, if, as a society, we were serious about combating the political nexus that sustains corruption – we would be thinking seriously about extending the provisions of the Right to Information Act to the areas where it can not currently operate – national security and defence; we would also think seriously about electoral reform – about proportional representation, about smaller constituencies, about strengthening local representative bodies, about the provision of uniform public funding for candidates and about the right to recall elected representatives."
> Mr author, I think you have deviated from the topic. I have serious apprehensions that your suggested solutions are going to work. Look at the fate of smaller states like Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chattisgarh. Yes, right to recall the elected representatives will be good for Indian democrary. I am hopeful that this will come up as the Indian democracy evolves furthur.
As a completeness to your topic, I would say that you are narrow in your vision. You do not like to tread an unknown path. Can the Jan Lokpal bill, once implemented, may be abused ? Yes. But we will still go ahead with it.
You have raised some very valid points. The Lokpal will be more powerful than the highest office of our country. putting so much power in one person could prove to be dangerous. I hope the joint committee members would rub their brains and head together and come up with a bill which addresses the concerns raised by you and other discerning voices. although i support Anna Hazare 's crusade against corruption but that does not mean that anyone raising concerns against Janlokpal bill should be booed down and condemned. a healthy democracy is one where there should be healthy debates before coming to conclusions.
I love being a contrarian, don't get me wrong.
But over a period of time, I realized it is just so easy to find fault with others. Unfortunately, imo, that is all you are doing. You raise objections, valid ones at that. But let me ask you this—find me one approach, including doing nothing, where I cannot raise equally valid objections and potential abuses.
There is never an easy or straightforward way out. It is always a razor's edge. Your job and my job is not point out that we are walking on the edge, but to help in balancing. That is what citizens, as opposed to subjects, do.
This article and the writer is using a fallacious argument. Let me explain why?
1. Firstly Lata Mangeshkar is not sitting on judgements. She is only one of the many (who are known to be upright) selecting members of Lokpal (3 people like in CEC).
2. It is these people who will select ex Judges & others who understand law to sit as Lokayukts or Lok Pals.
3. Legislature has robbed us – how can you call that democratic when 35% of our population is uneducated and gets swayed by Rs 100 or a shawl and vote in favor of a party or politician who has criminal charges? They have allowed uneducated to remain like that. Our spend on Education is less 2.5% of our GDP while it should have been 7- 10%. And importantly these legislatures know that educated people have a harrowing time living their daily life that they cant come out and vote. So the 35% mask the 15% (educated who vote 3:1 and that is why people with about 50% turnout win election – can that be democratic?
4. By having control over CBI and CVC, legislature has made it ineffective. This lok pal bill, allows it to be independent of Legislature. We have 4 legs – Legislature, Executive and Judiciary and Press. We need another leg to be stable (That is Lok Pal). A 5 leg table is more stable than a 4 leg table :) !
5. Judiciary is not elected – they too come from a Collegium. And the excutive thru Exams – which too are getting diluted by the legislature thru reservation.
6. Importantly we already have a Prime Minister (head of Legislature) who has not won ANY election and has been thrust upon us for 8 years w/o winning popular vote. What democracy is that. He is a proxy PM (a modern day Shikandi in the garb of honesty allowing people to rob the nation).
7. The most important – It is not ahopless stae. If Lop Pal or Lok Ayukts err, they can be impeached and thrown out andjailed too. Can that be said in the present circumstamces. The current UPA over the first term was willing to take help of JAILED (under criminal offences) MPs to bail itself out. Does anybodyknow what price or amont was paid by us?
. Everybodyknows who the corrup are – whathas happened. Today Legslature has absolute powers – w/o recourse for 5 years ! And in those 5 years they nominate their own CVcs, Transfer important folks to NHRC and their prodigies as Governors and even Presidents :)!
The arguments are fallacious to say the least. The person is giving too much importance to Democratic setup (which is the weakest link) ! Corruption has been vbred byLaloos and Mayawatis and also both main stream poliitical parties. We dont trust them. How can uneducatedguys be asked to lead us and frame law? Minimum criteria for beingin the Legislature should be not money power but education. And restrict legislature term to maximum 2 terms in a life.
some times it may be fashionable to be unfashionable by wearing dhoti to attend a meeting where everyone else is likely to be wearing jeans. this article is a similar and shall i say silly exercise. problems with media should not be confused with other issues.i dont like big media but that does not mean i end up supporting a.rajas stating that in a democracy these non-political elite are the least accountable to public. should i support a.raja as i dont like arnab.
anna is not promising us that all problems are solved with lok pal bill.trying to solve one problem does not mean that others problems will also get solved. A strong RTI is desirable and a strong Lokpal is not anti-thesis of RTI. Finally the cynicism against the political class is so wide spread that people trust courts than the assemblies and parliament.who is responsible for this.
@Rakesh Sengupta: Sir, corruption is essentially a mindset issue. Nobody stops any politician to be honest and truthful. Look at some of the bills passed in Bihar and actions taken by chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Our sad intellectual class can never ever see the silver lining, only the dark clouds. Yes thee are always pros n cons, but justsitting n cribbing is not going to take us anywhere. So to all the know-alls, all I can say is wake up n stop crying.
The Times Now panelists (some of whom I am sure have never had a brush with corruption on a daily basis like a commoner has, and displayed pretty idiosyncratic views on corruption) simply refused to accept the fact that the real battle begins now. The unprecedented nature of the Jan Lok pal Bill has to prove itself so in letter and spirit. As for being cynical, it is a fancy label used loosely for those who demand a balanced and nuanced approach to things. Any finetuning of this victory is being seen as blasphemy.
As I see it, it is only a victory of 'civil society', let time alone tell whether it translates into victory of the people. I hope it does.
Its okay not to celebrate. Its your wish. However, if you have noticed the news of politicians siphoning the tax money in recent past and getting away with it, you will certainly be happy with little hope. Your writing is 'immature' enough to ignore the plight of common man and 'criminal' enough to visualise it as emotional blackmail.
You seem to be unhappy with the choice of 'Collegium.' I agree, it need to be refined. By the way, I am glad that media people are kept away from the Lokpal. Infact, one of the main pillars of Indian democracy, whom we trusted wholeheartedly has disappointed us by selling its soul. If the current system would have brought the culprits to justice, we wouldn't have thought of Lokpal.
the proverbial child who dared to comment on the emperor's new clothes.
and so well written..
corruption is a worldwide phenomenon. more than government corruption it is corporate corruption that should be targeted. the way in which speculators on the stock, commodity, bond and currency markets are the most highly paid and continue to be so even after the 2008 meltdown. No law, however, good it may be, can prevent the corporate honchos from bending governments to their will surreptitiously. this basic fact of capitalist liberal democracy was realised quite early in the nineteenth century itself. however, the attempts to bring about a socialistic order too failed to establish mass democracy and that still remains the challenge. movements centred around the moral strength of a single person cannot bring about decentralised mass democracy as has been established by the failed efforts of Gandhi and King earlier. to get laws implemented there have to be dedicated struggles at the grassroots against corruption, impunity and oppression. These struggles have to then build up to challenge the rule of capital worldwide. how this is going to happen is a conundrum because after thirty years of grassroots struggle in just one district we have still not got anywhere.
brilliant piece. totally agree.
Dear Friends,
It is not to castigate one side or the other. Let us remember that the very people who have fought for this legislation and more importantly the manner in which the bill should be drafted are people of character whose moral guidance and struggle has benefited all of us.
But it is important that we dont loose ourselves in the euphoria and end up in deeper trouble. The fact that thousands have joined the struggle is at once a great sign of things to come but also a great responsibility of the leaders of the movement.
I have a feeling that all of us have played into the right wing media. We seek civil society participation in drafting legislations against corruption, but will the media come with similar coverage if we seek civil society space in SEZ approval boards or Environment approval boards. We will have the very same people there, no body different. Try it, go for a hundred day fast and you wll only die, not the government not even the media will be there.
A lady has been in fasting for 10 years WHY is AFSPA not yet repealed; will the government notify a committee comprising Agnivesh, Hazare, others to sit in judgement of whether to repeal it or not?
I have a fear that we are letting a back door for the so called 'civil society' primarily yuppee middle class with the backing of right wing media houses, a free pass to govern. This committee might be differnent, but the precedence it sets is not amusing.
My humble suggestion to the to be constituted committee, is not to fall prey to government time tables, utilize the cadre base created by this formidable campaign and take the discussion of the bill to every ward in the country so that a semblance of representativeness gets built in.
sorry for the long comment
One should never join or approve any movement where Bollywood celebrities , TimesNow channel have joined the bandwagon.
Bollywood celebrities can ruin and spoil even the most just causes. Any cause taken up by TimesNow is inherently suspicious.
I was wondering why these silly celebrities and TimesNow channel are supporting Lokpal bill. Mystery is solved now. These people never gave a damn about Irom Sharmila and her fasting.
Democracy is about electing the legislature and executive. It need not be about electing the judiciary, and I don't know of cases where the bureaucracy, police, etc are elected. So I don't quite see why the Jan Lokpal Bill is undemocratic. Meanwhile, most of the USA's executive is appointed by the President, not elected; while the judiciary is elected, which, some say (and I agree), is a really bad idea.
I don't understand how the writer concludes, "It will combine in itself the powers of making law, implementing the law, and punishing those who break the law". How and where is the power of making the law? As for the other two, a district magistrate holds a court and also passes executive orders – effectively combining the implementing and punishing part. So this kind of aggregation exists within the present structure.
Not to mention that the process of enacting bill is in itself at an early stage.
I am jubilant solely about the fact that there has been a strong voicing of public opinion.
I am saddened by the fact that the support base of the movement is still not wide enough. Corruption flourishes because it enjoys widespread acceptance. Just about every government office is saddled with corruption – do we expect those people to join this movement?
Do we see the really poor and destitute in this movement?
What worries me is that when a Congress spokesperson says that this movement has support from specific classes within the society, he might be true.
If the corruption benefits a section of people and another section starts a movement against corruption, does it lead to a wider class struggle?
I would appreciate a debate based more of logical arguments than the metaphors and hyperbole that this author employs in most of this article.
The corrupt leaders go scot free for the sole reason that the people who elect them do not care enough about corruption.
How do we get the people to treat corruption as the biggest poll plank ? How do we get the people to not vote for corrupt leaders ? How do we get people to not indulge in corruption themselves?
That is the biggest challenge facing this movement right now.
Suddha,
You have made some excellent points – this response was crucial and much needed.
"There are many models of selecting Ombudsmen available across the world" – I would be much interested to hear more about this.
Thanks for raising a sane voice among the mass hysteria, namely Jantar Mantar [LIVE].
Interesting perspective to the mass hysteria that I have been personally and proudly part of!!! And the whiff of cynism lingers strong Mr Sengupta….
Whether staged by the ruling political party or not, this might be the first big step towards weeding out some, if not all, tainted people from the government. Small v/s Big Fish.
Ruling parties can go to any length to win another term…remember Indira Gandhi & Bush? And in our case we rid of small fish while allowing the Congress to rule this country TILL we have other options. Options for People and options for Ruling Systems.
We have a long way to go before this bill is actually passed, if at all, and whether its implementation will actually benefit the aam admi and whether this country will be split between the awardees/writers/singers on one side and wise elders/council of gaurdians/dictators on the other. But I do know one thing. The way things are changing around the world, our change is imminent and we have taken our first step. The internet acts as a collective consciousness and every youth/gen x is plugged in. Right or wrong is not significant here. We are witnessing the same in the Middle East and North Africa. Nobody knows how the future of the Economy, Religious Sentiments and Political Parties in the world will pan out even in the next 2 years. Is sitting around being couch activisists and whining about the flaws in our country do anything different than it has in the last 60 years? Isnt that reason enough to put some energy in motion to make some changes?
I think we dont take to the streets because we lack courage and being part of a collective. The 'chalta hai' attitude springs from a deep disregard for one another. How we drive, how we clean our homes and rid the garbage on the street, how we are still entrenched in the beilief of scarcity, how we follow rules abroad and dont when we are in India and how we can be the biggest racists are more important issues to think about right now. Corruption is only an effect. The cause is deeper. Its part of our DNA.
From here on, we should only be focussed on the fact that everybody is looking at India as the NEXT BIG THING. Lets live up to that. And we can only do that when we are personally accountable for all we do and say. Are you ready Mr Sengupta?
Sangeeta Singh
The most telling point, perhaps, is the contrast between the public and media response to Anna Hazare's four-day fast and the lack of response to Irom Sharmila's ten-year one. Corruption is bad, agreed. But apparently killing innocent people with impunity is all right. At least that is the message that seems to come across from the lack of public and media support for Irom Sharmila.
For us as a society, as a people, fast falling into a cesspool of characterlessness, there is little remedy.
I am completely dis agree with this that 130 cror people are begin g for implementation of work which is is favor of the people of India. from 584 person whom we had selected and send to the parliament . For the rights of of the people no doubt Mr. Hazre is doing the good work .But behron ko sunane ke liye dhamake ki zarorat hoti hai . Gandhi ji ke anshan se kuch nahi hua tha toh unho ne karo yan maro ki niti apni the.
Keep the faith .. and don;t loose hope. I did liked the overall tone of your article but lets pause there .. Instead of letting the vultures of today , who are nibbing away INDIA.. to go free and do as they please.. This BILL when drafted by the committee will be more fruitful in its way. Its always better to have something rather than nothing at all. KIndly note each and every YOUTH of India , incl yourself will be keen to know .. how this turns out to be… BUt atleast there is a direction.. There is hope… for me and the next generation to come.
I think that we waste our time in argument… Maybe we have to go back to the wisdom that this country has inherited…. where Arjuna paralysed by the arguments in his mind turns to Krishna….. and Krishna advises him , that he has to seize the moment for action since everything has conspired to bring him to that moment…… the results of which would never be in his hands ….. WE HAVE TO RESPECT THE MOMENT THAT HAS COME AND THE COURAGE THAT IT HAS TAKEN FOR PEOPLE TO ACT……The process has begun and i think we are not equipped to judge the outcome… that will have to be left to the History books …. LETS SAY A PROCESS HAS BEEN INITATED ……. IS THAT OK OR NOT ???
The spate of scams that have precipitated in the last few years are really not the beginning of it, it actually is the beginning of "civil Society's" grip on the system and that is a great beginning. I would not patronise the print media at all as they have really lost credibility in the recent years, Electronic media is singularly responsible for bringing this malaise to national scene. Print media is struggling and finding itself marginalized when compared with the speed of information decimation of electronic media. But these are the messengers only – why shoot the messengers, the real highlight for me thats staring in our face is – lack of credible 'Leadership' what kind of democracy we are celebrating, its complete mediocracy, in the entire nation there is not a single party that can claim to be 'clean' every single party is down in the gutter and we call this democracy?? Not one department within the government can claim to be clean not one corporate entity can claim to be clean, they all would like to grade themselves on levels 50 to 100, below 50 there is no one! What kind of country this is? That to me is the idealism from which Anna shines like a beacon of hope, hope that there can be leadership that thinks beyond itself, there can be legitimate campaign that does not get straddled in endless debates and the fact that "truth" is still a relevant and powerful tool to engage and use in public life. I'm amazed at the cynics, really the disgust of living in this filth all around us, no one seems to take care and no one seems to be responsible. I really feel Annas movement as once again reminded us the gift of Gandhi and the pronounced impact it can have – a note for all the cynics though is that this tool of "selfless sacrifice" is no ordinary tool and not every person who goes on fast until death gets his wishes fulfilled, that would be really naive to imagine. The 'purpose' has to be selfless, the power of 'truth' is supreme, very few people have that in them, and thats why every leader can not go on campaign and derive national support like Anna has achieved. Comparing corruption with singular issues like armed forces atrocities etc is just waist full argument, just compare the issues and it should be clear that cynicism is taking roots on thinking processes. I strongly believe this national malaise and shame will not end till we have Leadership that can stand on the platform with Anna and assure the nation. It need not be thousands of persons – Just One Man, who has the courage to Lead this nation out of its vortex of greed and more greed….. The Lokpal bill is not what this movement is about, if it was just that we would be missing the point altogether, there is already a robust constitution and elaborate laws and eminent Judges and lawyers, all that exist already another bill will not dramatically change any thing. the message is what this movement is about – message to the elected representative, message to greedy corporates and message to individuals that the nation is not a 'dead body' with no sense of its existence but it is actually 'alive' and can just like a Tsunami take very thing back from people it has give so much….thats what I feel is the message from this movement.
just btw.
the entire tone of this article is CHRISTIAN-istic.
from heresy to inquisition, all parallels r Christian,
may be, because of a bias of the writer's education, in ENGLISH medium – ONLY!!!
LOL
i think the writer is closet Hazare-lover, but refuses to say so,
but the article says the same nonetheless.
kind of reverse-psychology, attempt.
yes i do agree the just indian origin is wrong.
LET NAIPAUL GET HERE,
KICK HIS BUT BACK TO WHERE-EVER HIS QUEER HOME IS.
India is not.
Mr/Ms Sengupta
You seem to have done some low level of research before writing this article so I must congratulate you as you do stand out among your brethren but let me tell you some things:
1. The finer details about the Bill are yet to be resolved so please refrain from commenting before they are finalised.
2. You talk about RTI being powerful, do you not know that it was Anna Hazare who brought that Act into power??? Do you not think that someone who brought such a powerful Act with huge repercussions would not have ensured that this JLP Act is in best interest of nation? To add to this, the number of eminent legal personalities (apolitical) that have supported him are very much in favour of this Bill. Please give more credit to the intelligence of leaders who are backing him such as Kiran Bedi, Kejriwal. These people have ALREADY achieved something for the people UNLIKE you
3. Regarding the method of Anna's campaign, let me tell you that Desperate times call for Desperate measures. This Bill has been around for 42 yrs and is not some random thing that Anna sat on fast for one fine day. Besides, Indian people and as you rightly say, the Indian middle class is NO FOOL. We know what we are standing for. Do not for a second, think that people like us and personalities like Kiran Bedi, Soli Sorabjee etc would stamp their seal on to any random thing (referring to your example on Baba Ramdev). Do not for a second think that some RELIGIOUS campaign can exercise the power that Anna's campaign has shown. I do have a thing against journalists. Most of them are less smart of the entire lot of kids that graduate from institutions and somehow they assume this moral righteousness from their half baked knowledge of doing secondary research. The only good articles that I read are those written by people with some REAL degrees and some REAL WORLD experience. The rest seem to write Fiction in the garb of news, information and knowledge. Reading your article does make me quite sure of your background.
4. You say that you are NOT a cynic but your last line sounds EXACTLY like one. You have not shown the least bit of appreciation for the awakening that Anna's movement has brought. 100′S of Anna's who are willing to fight for this country have been born and that VICTORY ALONE stumps everything that you write. This nation has been facing a severe leadership crisis but I worry NO MORE.
Best Regards
Another Anna
This article eloquently articulates real concerns about the Lok Pal legislation's potentially undemocratic powers, and worries about the Hazare tv-energised euphoria, but this elite view should not obscure the big picture importance of this week's country-wide protests against corruption – see my blog http://wp.me/pieST
Dear Mr Sengupta,
You are right on. They will dargh you down. Who am I ? We worked in our own way iwth Annza Hazare , self-righteosu TV talk show queen Dr Kiran Bedi, Medha Patkar and many. Don't bother abou the sheep.
If anyone read Dennis Lilles' "The Art of Fast Bowling" , she/ he would draw parallels:
First send a delivery way outside off side where the batsmen just lifts his bat and lets go but pretend you nearly scattered his wickets and hold your head in despair . Second send a bouncer. Third give him a loose delivery for him to hit a four . Fourth send a brilliant out swinging delivery probing his of stump – the corridor of uncertainty. The batsman tries to get back over first delivery drama, previous bouncer, confidence over loose delivery and slashes wildly and spoons a catch.
Game is in the mind.
But now we see it is going on outside the field!
Currently the HACB (Honest and Anti-Corruption Brigade) team's batsman is at third delivery.
PS: If anyone says Dennis Lilee is a "racist" Australian , kindly remind wannabe Harsha Bhogles that Lille founded the MRF Pace Bowling Foundation in '87 . And some time back, Sachin Tendulkar aka God was initially sent to the Foundation to acquire training in fast bowling. However, Lillee suggested him to focus on batting instead, which worked. Jai ho!
i think u r extraordinarily cynical….mr sengupta having a cup of coffee with chocolate cookies could give a splendid evening to write above expression of thoughts….the entire write-up is devoid of reasonable thoughts to create a reading effect…i guess u shud think more about mass movement . leave apart right or wrong in your sane thoughts…first collect people to share your thoughts…u may probably be in-sync with democractic model of functioning…but i still appreciate your rhinoceros thoughts. hv a nice day and keep thinking
cheers
http://www.pragoti.org/node/4354
Shuddhabrata-bab, warm greetings from Goa, I think you will enjoy reading the above link, as will Kafila's other readers.
This is a very important point you have raised and believe me, tonight I will go to Forsu's watering hole again, feeling much happier.
Only last night, much feni was drunk and even more argument was had over whether Jantar Mantar was like Tahrir Square or not – and all this of course, while we were watching Arnab Goswami behave as if he was the prophet himself.
You will be happy to happy to know that much heated discussion centered on the differences between the print media and the TV news Channels in English regarding Jantar Mantar. In Goa of course, most of us are not too comfortable in English and our own news channels and newspapers only do what either the mining companies who own them tell them, or what the government who supports them, allows them to cover. So we read the national papers a day late, and watch the news in the bar at 9 o'clock…it is a nice life if you go to see…
I think you must realize that Arnab Goswami understands the power of media better than all of us: more than NDTV (where poor Barkha did them in for credibility with her dreams of power), Arnab, with his slicked down hair, his timed pronouncements, his burning eyes, knows how to make the news 'SEXY.
His team of reporters are like very accomplished stage actors, right down to their smallest inflections. He's trained them well…and we shall see more of them, people well-trained to keep whatever spectacle Arnab chooses for them going, until, with his marketing department, he chooses the next one.
(InterestinglyPost-Barkha, NDTV is desperately looking for someone to fill her shoes when she is put out to pasture. If you watch the channel these days from that perspective, you can actually see the battle for her successor raging, each anchor trying out new inflections that reveal concern and passion…)
Arnab was badly advised to bring in Pritish Nandy and Anupam Kher: One is a failed poet cum successful businessman who has always wanted to be seen as a Bengali intellectual, the other is a middling to good actor who now has, it seems, political ambitions. Anil Dharkar is a wimp who has always tried to palliate the establishment. Interestingly, both Dharkar and Nandy played crucial roles in killing the Illustrated Weekly of India…
One must say with great pleasure that Meenakshi and Hartosh actually spoke volumes in whatever little time they were given, although both would have benefited from a small visit to Forsu's bar first, is what we thought.
In any case, Meenakshi gave Anupam Kher one tight slap questioning his credentials for being there in the first place; and Hartosh gave Nandy a lesson in what being political meant. Both have free drinks in Forsu's place any time they choose to visit. And fried prawns and Forsu's chicken cafreal. If they are vegetarian, then fried garlic potatoes, boiled and spiced gram with onion and lime, and in this season, freshly made mango slices in brine and green chilly…
On a more serious note, both the young panelists on Arnab's show show that they were carefully selected because they come across as safe, clean-cut and well-meaning. In fairness, they WERE well-meaning, more or less impassioned, but also quite incoherent about where they wanted the country to go. After the bill is passed, if it is passed, what then?
This is their country, this is their world. Many of us have been its custodians in the best way we can, and I think most of us would willingly let them lead, because, after all, it is they who have the energy to take on the baton.
But how come not one single voice in any of the young persons being interviewed at Jantar Mantar and other places mentioned Binayak Sen's unnecessary and illegal tribulation? Why did not not even a single young person mention how India's environment is badly being screwed by industry and government working in collusion? Why nothing about the displacement of people from land acquired illegally?
(In Forsu's bar they are saying, that as soon as the IPL starts, k to their lives behind various screens thoughtfully provided to them by the entertainment industries, be sure there will still be a few million young Indians "Anna who?", "Binayak who?", "Which forests?", "Jaitapur, where's that?")
I hope you and your readers do not think that we only drink in Goa and comment on the news as it takes place in the rest of the country.
Actually, some of us were also thinking we should do something. We thought of taking our sarpanch who owns and operates two illegal stone quarries and throw him in the river. But then he only does what the MLA in the area tells him to do, who in turn only listens to one or two of the ministers in Panjim who are into real estate. There are 400 illegal stone quarries in Goa, mainly because there are so many Gurgaonwallahs looking for a second home in Goa in a gated colony, the real estate lobby is second only to the mining one. The Goa government is now planning to 'legalize' everyone of the 400 illegal quarries.
Corruption is a huge disease in Goa, so here we think it is okay to get angry during the day, provided at night there is the space to go to one of our bars and watch the news and drink feni.
Just yesterday, five of us in our small village received a mail from one of Goa's leading activists. It went as follows, and I wish to quote it in full, with the typos and horrible syntax and swearing on my father's soul that it is authentic – if only to point out that the need to do something to stem the rot of this country, requires more than just strong, largely impulsive feelings:
It reads:
"Goa has been found the most corrupt state in India in a report by Transparency International. There is no way that we cannot respond to the amazing movement that is developing around Anna Hazare. This is our moment to stand up in Goa and be counted. As citizens who are concerned for India and for our state we cannot stand by.
"I am suggesting a completely non political stand under the banner 'ARTISTS FOR ANNA'.
"This is what I suggest.
"A candle lit vigil TOMORROW ( Saturday) evening, 7:00 p.m. onwards at Azad Maidan. A large banner that says 'Artists for Anna'. And a statement to the press that clarifies that this is indeed us artists standing up as concerned citizens of a very corrupt state.
"I request all artists, writers, photographers…. to please be part of this.
"I would request other groups to join us – it would be wonderful to a 'Writers for Anna'… a 'Quizzers for Anna' …'Architects for Anna'… 'Doctors for Anna'… 'Activists for Anna' and so on… the more the better… THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO TAKE A VERY SIMPLE NON POLITICAL STAND
"Prominent and eminent citizens – you are very welcome! You know the press always sits up and takes notice of you and it is very important for media to carry this support protest.
"There is no point doing this if there are not enough numbers. Can you please reply to this mail so that I can start counting how many people are on? and can you forward it to whoever you think cares enough to join in?
"Once again here are the basic facts
"ARTISTS FOR ANNA/ OTHER GROUPS FOR ANNA
"CANDLE LIT VIGIL
TOMORROW – SATURDAY 9TH
AT AZAD MAIDA FROM 7 P.M. ONWARDS".
All five of us who received the mail went to Forsu's bar two hours earlier!
I hope all of you noted the lines: "…a completely non political stand under the banner 'ARTISTS FOR ANNA'"…and…in full caps no doubt, "THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO TAKE A VERY SIMPLE NON POLITICAL STAND"…
Some of you out there who come to Goa for your two-week holiday by the beach, may think that Goa is a beautiful place where everybody sits under a coconut tree playing a guitar, but actually – at least that's what we say in the bar – it's a like a microcosm for what's happening in the rest of the country…
Goans, as most young Indians today, are terrified of the words 'politics', 'political', and by that measure, it seems, even 'commitment'. You can't blame just our politicians for this because they have just been doing for the past 42 years what they know best to do, namely, make money to get some power, then make more money to get even more power and so on and so forth…
Spare a thought for this country's archaic but effective schooling system, where parents and teachers collude into neutering our young, so that they know nothing apart from facts to be memorized and then vomited. Spare a thought for millions of parents who have exhorted their children to first study and get a high percentage, then do what they really want to do, or, who tell their children not to get 'involved' with anything apart from their studies – by which time of course, it is too late. In Forsu's bar we have a joke that goes, "Why are Indian students such good marxists?"
The answer is: "Because they all want high marks"…
Spare a thought for teachers who silence their students with the words, "Don't worry about all that, it's not in the syllabus". Spare a thought for the complicity between parents and industry that has made most of our privileged young people in constant need of being entertained and amused…
Brilliant, I loved it!
I agree with what the author has stated – there may be few more things that could be added – but I would like to point out one thing which has almost been taken for granted – that is to deploy religious symbol to mobilise 'people' against corruption. The central banner on the Stage displays Bharat Mata – Durga like image – on the map of India – this is something which should not be allowed to go unnoticed – What is all this?
Brilliant piece. Anna Hazare is nothing but the unelcted,self-imposed representative of the brahmanical class who want to control the system without contestinv elections and thus subvert democracy which has become the voice of the underprivileged in India. Who wants to deal with the smelly, swaty real India?You cant defeat a Mayawati so bring in a bill to punish her. Why cant there be a law to sack babus who indulge in corruption. Has a single bureaucrat ever been convicted for corruption? The most corrupt Babus all come back to haunt us after serving their suspension and then getting back all their pay. The so-called Indian Civil Society is nothing but a brahmanical grouping who want their hands on the levers of power. Manmohan Singh has no balls or he would have shown them up for what it is. Baba Ramdev the most corrupt, land grabbing fraud yogi bankrolls this so-called people movement. As the writers rightly says the Lokpal Bill will subvert all forms of governance and gun only for political leaders who do not mount the mantra of brhamanism.
Its is naive of anybody to assume that just the Lokpal bill is the solution to the menace!!
But there has to be start and thats what the country as witnessed. After all alert citizens is the need of the hour.
I'm shocked that you take examples of what happens on a rubbish TV news channel and formulate you opinion.
and lastly, Its a democracy buddy..u need to ask anybody 'permission' to pick n choose ur revolution :)
Lighting the candle and marches are all good and maybe make us feel we have contributed but the real contributions will be in our day to day actions because a large part of it has nothing to do with government.
Do not depend on super umpires because Outsourcing of a Revolution will not work.
http://futurechat.in/experiences/outsourcing-of-a-revolution-will-not-work/
It is a very tapri conception of 'democracy' that underlies this piece. It should be pretty clear that the Indian government lacks a civil representation in its polity because of the lack of a strong and clear executive branch. This is a feature of the Indian Constitution and IMHO, a much harder problem to want/attempt to solve. It is no secret that the Indian representational system is clogged with vote bank politics A conception of modern republics that focuses exclusively on elections to influence policy is misguided. Republics work on check and balances, and a history of any modern republic shows how most of these checks and balances evolve over time, and are often led by reform movements like the one hazare is supporting. Hazare isn't attempting a coup d'état and the precious little testicles of the 'people's representatives' are not exactly being chopped off. Also, it seems to be elementary that the lokpal bill that this mix civic-cabinet committee will produce after vetting, will not only have enough participation from the legislature in the approval process (though a controlling stake is dangerous; maybe the president can be the deciding vote), but also powers to initiate impeachment on malfeasance grounds.
There is an obvious unchecked legislative bias in the current system. The janLokpal bill, in its current form is decidedly immature, but it is not a lemon and most of the criticism against it can be answered by easy amendments to it. The fact should not be overlooked that the fast was to force the government to agree to a committee to vet the bill and not to pass the bill in its current form. Getting it to pass and be implemented may take another movement.
Also, a people's movement is like any other process in a democracy. If it doesn't get enough supporters because it is badly managed or doesn't evoke broad censure, it doesn't go anywhere. That a movement X gets broad support but movement Y does not, through vox populi, doesn't necessarily say anything about the movement's merits and seriousness. Just another reason why democracy is a bitch. Everyone who has led a successful movement understands that it has to be managed very ingeniously. It may very well happen, for instance, that the lokpal bill is again defered. All it needs is a bomb blast or 2, and some smart handling by the government. Or IPL ;)
the most i will agree with the writer is that this is not the best possible step. but then arm-chair analysts like this writer will not even let half a good step happen. Becuase such intelligensia can only speak from their rooms, and not act on the street
People like the writer and like myslef should try and improve on this good initial step, and make it better. Appreciate someone's good hearted initiative. And see if you can constructively improve it
if even this was not done, then nothing will ever happen.
As one comment said, maybe this will hurtle us faster into the downward spiral……..but maybe it could have a bit of a moral lifeline. Its worth trying. Improve on it if you can
very much agree with the sentiments expressed in the article. there is no 2nd opinion on the need to fight corruption, but for that to happen, we do need our democratic institutions. civil society can be an agency that mobilize public opinion, but the moment this unaccountable weak construction of different people appropriate to itself, the function of the law maker, implementer, adjudicator, all to itself, you have trouble.
good effort for making focus other side of jan lokpal bill.
some points must be kept in mind while drafting it.
But it seems your attention was totally on against the motion.Try to make balanced statements which enable people to support any fact while reading any article…..
Of course you should chose your revolutions – so maybe this is not yours and you are welcome to your opinion. In the whole writeup there are no solutions – maybe it will serve us well if you can come up with one. Run it through your circle and see what feedback you will get and then try to do something with it.
One person is leading and thousands are following – the only thing we should judge right now is if this is in the right direction from a short / mid / long term and is there a scope of course correction.
Metta..
Exactly my point of view…I just wrote a similar stuff a couple of days back…but was instantly marked as "dishonest" since I am not supporting Anna Hazare…
http://dailyworldwatch.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/annas-jihad-against-system/
Great minds and all that…wonderful write up…honestly…
By definition, an ombudsman is an outsider to the organization. A democratic political structure like India SHOULD NOT have an ombudsman that participates in the parliamentary procedure. The decision to have political outsiders – eminent citizens, is very sound.
It should be noted that this does not violate Indian democracy in any single way. In fact, it strengthens it. The actual power of drafting laws rests with the legislature that remains accountable to people. The actual power of executing rests with the experienced bureaucrats. The actual power of judging the execution rests with the judiciary well-versed (and totally loyal to) the constitution. It is this separation of powers that are crucial to democracy. This should not give way to a single institution – for example, the parliament to overwrite everything else. That will indeed be a weaker democracy because it devolves into certain sections of the society getting absolute power.
the arab uprisings was copied to India, thanks to the tv media and our facebook generation, we have our own anna revolution. the media has claimed "victory" for the people of india and will move on to the next big topic, the ipl matches. no one was hurt, everything was non-violent and every one has won. everyone feels he has done a great job.
or so it looks.
the current government needed an emergency diversion as the supreme court was on its tail with constant monitoring of the various glorious scams. anna hazare led anti-corruption movement was a convenient weapon to divert the attention of the public from a government in deep scum. i wonder whether the the anna revolution was a conspiracy engineered by the government and tv media, along with some "sarkari" civil society members to give a shine to the battered UPA government. Anna and his company could also be innocent victims who were taken for a ride by the media managers of the ruling party. political managers of the UPA would be having a merry week end laughing all the way (to the swiss banks!) watch out for the victory celebrations of the government. keep watching the rising star, kapil sibal.
My friends appreciate your views. at one end of the spectrum one could imagine WHETHER this whole thing has been planted by CONGRESS .WHY DID THE MEDIA NOT GIVE ANY PUBLICITY AT ALL FOR BABA RAMDEV SWABHIMAN RALLY MEETING AT RAM LILA GROUNDS IN DELHI ON 27TH & 28TH FEB 2011.,IGNORING THIS ASSUMPTION, SINCE IT WOULD BE SAD REFLECTION ON ALL INDIANS . IF THAT WAS THE CASE WE WOULD NOT HAVE NARENDRA MODIS,NITESH KUMAR,S.K MODI ETC WHO ARE ALL INCORRUPTIBLE. ON THIS SUBJECT THEY ARE PAR EXCELLENCE & CAN HOLD A CANDLE AGAINST ANY IN THE WORLD & IN INDIA.
MANY THINGS NEED TO BE DONE, CHANGES IN CONSTITUTION, ELECTORAL REFORMS,ETC.
BUT COMING BACK TO "JAN LOK PAL BILL", MY COMMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS.
1.COMMITEE CANNOT HAVE 5 CONGRESS MINISTERS,WHOSE GOVT HAS CREATED WORLD HISTORY BY THE LARGEST CORRUPTION RECORDS. THEY SHLD BE IN A MINORITY MAX 3 MINISTERS.(THE PRICE THEY PAY FOR BEING SO CORRUPT)
2. MERE ELECTION TO PARLIAMENT GIVES NO PARTY, NO MINISTER OR M.P ANY RIGHTS TO LOOT PUBLIC MONEY.
3.MERE BIG NAMES FROM DELHI CITIZENS,OR SO CALLED VIPs CLOSE TO GOVT OR ANY PARTY,PADMA AWARDEES,OR NOBLE LAUREATES SO CALLED PSEUDO ACTIVISTS MUST NOT BE IN THIS COMMITTEE ,"ESPECIALLY FROM CITIZENS SIDE."
4.IT WOULD ALSO BE ADVISABLE NOT TO HAVE ANY ONE FROM MEDIA,TV CHANNELS, & INDUSTRIALISTS & BUSINESSMEN , CRICKETERS, BOLLYWOOD& TV ACTORS OR ACTRESSES, ON THIS PANEL. "THERE WOULD BE SERIOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST."
5.ADVICE FROM OUTSIDE IF NEED BE CAN BE TAKEN ON A PARTICULAR ASPECT, BUT NONE OF THOSE MENTIONED ABOVE SHLD BE ON THIS PANEL.
6.ANNA HAZARE HIMSELF IS LIKE A GANDHIAN, SO PEOPLE HAVE TRUST & FAITH IN HIM, HIS TRACK RECORD & BANK BALANCES PROVE IT OVER LAST 40YRS.
7.THERE ARE EXCELLENT VERY SENIOR EX GOVT SERVANTS, WITH ABSOLUTELY PROVEN TRACK RECORD, I MAY NAME SOME, LYNDGOH, GOPALASWAMI IYENGAR BOTH EX CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS,J.F RIBERO IPS RETD POLICE COMMISONER FROM MUMBAI, TSR SUBRAMANIAM EX CABINET SECRETARY GOI,MR JOGINDER SINGH EX CBI DIRECTOR.
8.THERE ARE ALSO VERY WELL SELECTED YOUNG IAS OFFICERS WHO ARE AT COLLECTOR AT DISTRICT LEVEL OR DY SEC LEVEL IN MANY STATES WHO ARE DEAD HONEST& DEFIED VERY STRONG POLITICIANS& C.Ms
9.SELECT WOMEN OF GOOD TRACK RECORD IN ADMINISTRATION THEY ARE PERHAPS MORE HONEST THAN MEN., JUST LIKE KIRAN BEDI.
10.PREFERABLY NO LAWYERS WHO ARE IN PROFESSION PRACTISING IN HIGH COURTS OR SUPREME COURTS,AGAIN THERE WOULD BE SERIOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
IF THE TEAM IS SELECTED SOMEWHAT FROM PEOPLE OF SUCH CALIBRE , CLEAN TRACK RECORD, & PROVEN MERIT THIS MOVEMENT WOULD BE A GREAT SUCCESS. WE DONT NEED BIG NAMES THROWING ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT,OR POLTICAL CONTACTS,THATS THE LAST THING WE WANT.
FURTHER THIS COMMITEE NEEDS TO DO A LOT OF SERIOUS WORK,BE A WATCHDOG(OMBUDSMAN) SO IT SHLD HAVE KNOWLEDGE,EXPERIENCE, LOVE & INTEREST FOR THIS TYPE OF WORK.ITS VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE WHO SIT ON THIS COMMITEE SHLD NOT BE THOSE TO GET NAME & FAME, BUT SHLD BE VER SINCERE ON THE TASK & ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
DANGER WITH SOCIALITES, TOUTS, PADMA AWARDEES LOBBYISTS,PEOPLE CLOSE TO MEDIA CHANNELS WILL BRING INDIRECT INFLUENCE.YOU NEED MEMBERS TO BE AS CLEAN AS ANNA HAZARE, "THIS IS A PATH BREAKING JOURNEY NOT ONLY TO INDIA,BUT THE WORLD, SO SUCH COMMITEE MEMBERS SHLD BE LEAST BOTHERED OR INFLUENCED BY AWARDS,PARTIES,FOREIGN OR U.N AWARDS ETC.
MY FRIENDS THESE ARE MY HUMBLE COMMENTS & I BELIEVE IF DONE HONESTLY THIS WILL WORK VERY WELL. CITIZENS POWER IS GREATER THAN CORRUPT GOVT POWER.
THANKS & GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU MAY INDIA MOVE FORWARD RAPIDLY, ITS YOUNG INDIA & IAM SURE IT WILL. DONT GIVE UP.PATH IS NOT EASY BUT NOTHING COMES EASY INLIFE.,ESPECIALLY TRUTH.
My feelings after seeing the TV program are reproduced by you. I dont have the capacity to write like you. What you have said is absolutely correct.
want to know further views of two panelists, Meenakshi Lekhi and Hartosh Singh Bal. please update me.
Corruption is too prevalent in India to lay the blame only at the doorsteps of politicians.
For correcting any political, government, social defect in a democracy what is needed is just two things:
1. A good Constitution. Which India already has.
2. A good leadership to be an example, to have the passion to do good, to let the Constitution & law & order be effective & if it is not to see that it is.
That is all. The rest is creation of systems & systems, law & laws, Bodies, etc.
Even in present day India, the above is living out as an example of good, honest, development for all model in Bihar under the leadership of the erudite, visionary Nitest Kumar.
He has not added a word to the existing law, nor set up new bodies or changed existing bureaucrats, etc etc. But, he is doing phenomenal work in a State riddled with the worst of all the problems put together for whole of India.
The only reason why Bihar is changing is because the Leadership is leading in the right direction. The above two factors being fulfilled democracy & its wonderful results not just for the rich but the poor in far flung regions of Bihar are benefitting.
The Jan Mantar show was like its name….Jantar Mantar ka Jadoo,,,All the clebrities of the country waving their magic wand and CORRUPTION GONE IN A JIFFY FROM THE COUNTRY!!!
Although, I had a sense that something is not right about the media frenzy around a messiah in our not-so-messiahnic times… after reading Shudda's article, I feel that my apprehensions were not misplaced. I didn't know that this bill is to enable an oligarchic model of power. But that kind of power is desirable only in one instance; to tell Arnab Goswami to keep quiet.
I'm not usually the skeptic, but you've put in words exactly what I've been worried about too. I pray and hope that you and I are wrong, and this is all going to be a movement for the betterment of our country – I'm also happy that people are coming together from all walks of life, but somewhere something doesn't add up.
We'll continue to hear the music from others for being skeptics, and that's fine. Any good society needs notions challenged by at least a few people so that there are no loose ends, no ambiguity and worst case scenarios considered too. May peace, good sense and justice prevail!
Aah it's now de rigueur to be skeptical….the naysayers rise.
It is indigestible to the armchair pundits that an old old man tries to do something about corruption (however flawed the method/bill may be) and gets something done.
Questions that arise when I read your lengthy diatribe above (and perhaps waste my time doing so):
1. Have you ever done anything actionable against corruption?
2. Do you have an alternative plan or would you rather sit back and watch like you have done for decades?
Bravo Shuddha. Hand on the heart. ;)
I am mourning for Indian democracy.
The biggest corruption in Indian history happened today. Until now, India was only losing its money to corruption. Today it lost its democratic system and constitutional process to corruption. We can earn money back, but not our constitutional process once lost…
Millions of people gave their lifetime over generations to build Indian constitutional processes, including Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Many sacrificed their lives to protect this constitutional process. Billions of people send their representatives to protect it and act according to it..….. And it was hijacked by a Drama…
And, what a great drama it was for 4 days and so meticulously enacted. How successfully handful of dubious people with couple of TV channel fooled the entire nation. Many unsuspecting citizen get them self carried away by this act.
Indian youth has shown its emotional immaturity as its vulnerable underbelly to anti-national elements to take advantage-of. Our great Indian constitution is in danger after this act. Sane people in right frame of mind must come together to safeguard it. We must not let such hijack of Indian constitutional process in such a manner again.
Congress government has not only failed in preventing corruption it also failed in protecting Indian constitution.
the best article on this matter I have read so far!!!! Thanks for the nicely written article….
Very well written. Superb counter-argument.
fabulous article, this. haven't read the comments above, but another thought that struck me was that in a context where people are excluded by policy (there is no provision for housing for all in delhi, for eg.), an anti-corruption law can be misused against the poor who often have no choice but to rely on para-legal arrangements which are, objectively speaking, 'corrupt', for basic livelihood needs. given this, any such law sounds quite dangerous to me, even if ideally, an india against corruption wouldn't be a bad thing.
100% u r fooooooooool
y nt we r questioning upon the prime minister chair where a non-elected person is ruling this country. the selection of Montek Singh Ahluwalia and the selection of Harish khare who is media advisor of PM. we seem to be very hurry in raising question abt anti-corruption reform without giving deep thought to create dialog among people. i see this movement as a step of adding maturity in our democracy which ws need of the hour.still nothing has been fully decided on this proposed bill since it is still in process of enough correction. you still have time to have yr say instead of putting yrself in risk of Heresy.
As noted earlier, thank you for a sane & balanced post in opposition. Can't say I agree with you on most of it, but I do appreciate the concerns & how well you articulate them. As to the concerns themselves –
As regards the bill itself, please, let's reserve judgment for the actual bill that gets tabled. As noted by one commentator, when you know you have to negotiate with an intransigent party, you tend to adopt an inflatedly extreme stance yourself. The entire selection procedure & "no review before a court" provisions do make a very plausible red herring. Care should be taken, lest they distract from informed criticism of other aspects.
On the lack of checks & balances, here's how this works. Suppose they pass this very draconian institution. How do they do that? By a law, in Parliament. This automatically means that such a law is open to judicial review. Since the doctrine of separation of powers is held sacrosanct under our constitution, there is every chance that the Supreme Court will strike down any legislation that contravenes it. Ditto any provision saying Lokpal rulings are not appealable in any court.
Also, many of our institutions do combine investigative & quasi-judicial functions. The Collector has this role in many disputes. The Lieutenant Governor sometimes in Union Territories. Admittedly, none of them extend to criminal matters. But it is hardly unprecedented.
On the media circus & how it amounts to inventing your own opposition to cast yourself in a favourable light. I have (only semi-deliberately) been exposed to almost no television coverage, just print media. If I take your descriptions at face value, it is certainly a serious concern. Hardly unexpected, since P.R. has always been a strong suit for this government. The relevant question is, how many people are falling for it? Again, I would like to reserve judgment.
You are dead on target about the middle class urge to avoid the messiness of democracy. Mea culpa, even. Again, relevant question – where does it stem from? You've named the symptom, now do take on the malaise.
And finally, on the role of coercion in a functional representative democracy. We agree that coercion is corrosive of democracy. Witness the massive lobbying in Washington D.C. In our context, however: one of my friends laments "India isn't Egypt, okay?" – and this is where we disagree. No, we are not that far gone, but we are well on our way. We may have no Pharoah, but we certainly have our insulated ruling elite, and little we do seems to touch them. My faith in the democratic institution of parliament & elections rings hollow while Sharad Pawar is still Minister of Agriculture, yes? Short of enacting an auto-activated Right of Recall I do not know how to remedy this. I will make every effort for this, but I am not happy allowing the other side to consolidate power while I endeavour over electoral reform.
If that means that for faster and more persistent change I have to resort to non-violent, even trite, moral blackmail, so be it. If it means I have to share the dais with pranayamic causes & the demand that Manmohan Singh consult an astrologer daily, so be it. I would rather be out there with those crackpots than inside with the apologists & serial procrastinators. And before I am accused of false dichotomies – better out there than here, at my laptop, critiquing each new development. At a minimum, I will have to contend with fewer vested interests outside!
The question that I am yet to answer, even to myself, is: how do we make this work for us, when it hasn't for Irom Sharmila. If the answer turns out to be, it will work for us because UPA finds us useful, I will be ashamed. If I have to look for solace, though, try the Lok Satta party's sign-off line: "If India gains, who loses?"
You have a point of view which could not be ignored
there are a lot of problems with the way in which the enactment of a lokpal bill with "public" participation is being blown out of proportions and there may be internal collusion also between the political parties and the activists but the fact remains that a strong lokpal bill will be in place soon. that is an improvement on the present situation and affords some space for further activism against corruption. in the present situation this is the mosts that can be achieved. even if irom sharmila has not got the same kind of media support that should not detract from the fact that hazare has. if hazare had simultaneously asked for the public auditing of the accounts of the ten biggest corporations in India instead of this being done by chartered accountant firms then he would not have got the same kind of media support. he has been shrewd enough to latch on to only the politicians and babus as whipper boys.
I am sorry I have not read many of the learned comments before me so if I am repeating anything,do forgive me.Firstly,I have a legal background and have been on RTI groups where other far worthier lawyers are present.I am one of the people who has repeatedly been posting on the Group trying to build up support for the institution of Lokpal which appears to me to be a necessary adjunct to the proper management of administration and governance.One has no idea how this "Act" will play out but I wonder that had we had this Act many years ago(as it has been doing the rounds of Parliament),maybe we would not have had so much corruption!
I,too,am concerned about the combining of the CVC's ofice within the ambit of the Lokpal Bill and am surprised this concept has not been vetted by a full and diverse apnel of lawyers!
It is,however,a good thing to have a Lokpal.I find it odd that you,the author here,have chosen to speak AFTER the event.If you really do have India's interests at heart why did you not make your views known earlier?This is going on my Facebook page and on other Groups where RTI and IAC people will read it. Better late than never?
Hey Shuddha…this is …Simply Superb…Brilliant…so happy to read your views
And definitely support them!!!
With Due Respect In the name of Gandhian a seventy plus year old man was made the poster boy ( Bali K a Bakra) of India's Modern Democracy by few for own interest. In a country like India there are many Civil Society and active Citizen.
So my question is with whose consultation / democracy system Government identified the committee with a co-chairman and members. So tomorrow if I will go for hunger strike to review the Constitution, then will the Government form a committee with myself as a Member? If the answer is no, then what is the credential of these representation at the Joint Drafting Committee? Why they cant put their views during public opinion?.
A Member of Parliament or Minister may be corrupt but he / she is a Democratically Elected Public Representatives. So whats stops these Groups to participate in Election run the country than doing this short of Drama.
Let us be remember Mahatma Gandhi never enjoyed power nor recipient of Nobel or Magasaysay award. That does not mean he was not leader nor respectable. Today every Nobel or Magasaysay award recipient is one or other way because of his thoughts follower. So let us civilise ourself first than raising finger to other. Until we are civilised corrupton will be there and these short of leaders and activity will continue.
I wish a unbiased media role or debate would have been very much useful.
Now let me wait till June to post my views when Parliament will seek for Public Opinion, as am not a high profile Civil Society representatives or high profile Citizen of the Country nor a poster boy for Indian Media.
Not to Hurt any one but a honest opinion abut last one week news
Desperate situations need drastic remedies. Having said that, I feel that while the Lokpal should be an authority with real power, we should never forget in our enthusiasm that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Hence, provisions regarding the election and removal of the Lokpal need to be debated rationally and dispassionately.
The writer is in danger of being carried away by his own rhetoric. The argument on the erosion of democracy, inter-alia, because only one elected person will be on the panel to select the Lok Pal is pathetic. No judge or civil servant is elected to that position by a public vote. Does that make them 'undemocratic' and unworthy of their office? Does it make their office itself unworthy?!! If the civil service in India was not reeling under the coercive pressure of a morally bankrupt political class its true competence might have shown through. Alas, a well educated IIT-ian in this avatar as an IAS officer may often have the misfortune of reporting to an ill-educated criminal political boss. Just as a competent bureaucrat does not cause an erosion of democracy, a competent Lokpal will not cause an erosion of democracy but be a safeguard against the existing mockery of democracy.
It is fallacious to even presume that our democratically elected MPs with their fixed terms are accountable to any section of the public in any meaningful way. Further, an MP who is not interested in re-election has zero fear of non-performance. Electoral reform is an answer to not allowing criminals to enter politics but the Lok Pal mechanism is meant to check corruption once a person is formally elected/ selected.
Consider the charge that 'this is a classic case of a privileged elite selecting how it will run its show without any restraint" like the Iranian body of clerics!! The Lok Pal will operate within a statutory framework which may have to be sanctioned if required by a constitutional amendment to make it accountable but impervious to judicial pressures since it will police the judiciary as well. Since the Lokpal mechanism will operate with statutory powers which are again statutorily constrained, where is the possibility of 'running its show without restraint". It's an unfounded fear. Some of the 'privileged elite' are members of constitutional authorities like the Supreme Court and the CAG. This 'privileged elite' is er..perhaps privileged because they have certain competencies that qualify them to discharge the demands of their public office. If so, why the derisive use of 'privileged elite'. What India needs sorely is competent and upright public officials and leaders. To dismiss anyone who satisfies this criteria as 'privileged elite' is reprehensible. If the 'privilege' to discharge substantial public obligations follows from competence and credibility it ought not to be denounced so thoughtlessly.
The Lokpal operating with a defined statutory mandate cannot be regarded as a 'super State'. If it is, then a Supreme Court operating with a wide constitutional mandate may also be regarded as a super State. The Lokpal must be vested with all requisite powers to discharge its obligations. Power must go together with accountability and required immunity. The Lokpal can't be made accountable to the very institutions it is meant to police.
The view that "the merging of the roles of investigator, judge and prosecutor within one office" is unprecedented is factually incorrect. In inquisitorial legal systems that exist in civil law countries like France the court or a part of the court is actively involved in investigating the facts of the case in addition to discharging its judicial function. Also, the role of investigator, judge and prosecutor may be combined in a single institution, i.e. the Lokpal but different individuals may be involved for different roles. The right to defense will always exist.
The pressure for political accountability from civil society (with support from the media) represents a very democratic non-violent mass movement (supported by the mass media) born of legitimate long-term grievances of the Indian people. To call this "a massive move towards legitimizing a strategy of simple emotional blackmail – a (conveniently reversible) method of suicide bombing in slow motion." is completely unwarranted.
The draft Lokpal Bill must be carefully debated before it becomes law; not because it will destroy democracy in its current form but because its dilution may one day spell the end of any real democracy in India.
Well. I think there will certainly be a provision to check the guards by the process of impeachment. Lot of extremely powerful posts of the country are not filled by democracy but by qualification. Army, navy n airforce chief. supreme court justice, election commissioner n many more.. these people can be removed only by impeachment. Have they turned themselves as dictator??? are they keeping the country as hostage?? If anyone, then the politicians are doing such things.. So please dont start criticizing the unknown.
Nice article. But its many assumptions are strange.
Baharhal , Kranti ke liye man, wachan aur karm ki SHUDDHAta chahiye:
1. Yes to Shuddha revolution. No to any reform. Otherwise, there is a risk of trapping in Ruling class's game.
2. There would always be a risk of being appropriated, unless opting for Shuddha restructuring.
3. Shuddha supporters: All the people supporting a cause should themselves be shuddha. If bourgeoisie media supports a cause, we should oppose it.
4. Shuddha consequence: If one agitation is marginalized, other should also be dismissed.
5. Shuddha Awsar: We should criticize political parties (read left) from the standpoint of civil society and civil society from the stand point of politics.
6. Shuddha consipiracy (courtesy Lala Amarnath): Either RSS or Congress or both are behind the movement.
7. Shuddha Bill: It may take another 50 years, but a bill should come out in it's conceptually shuddha version.
8. Everyone should be democratically elected. Only exception is radical intellectuals, who will guide the movement from without.
Politically, ethically, intellectually: Spot on.
All those who soberly and critically disagree with the piece suffer from a Nehruvian guilt of high modernity faced with a quasi-primitive, quasi-Gandhian figure who espouses virtuous politics. But it is fascinating to know the number of high, civilian awards the otherwise intransigent state has offered him, as well as the honour accorded to him by the World Bank. Moral politics has a good halo around it, and if it legitimises the State's paternal duties while carefully leaving out the State's coercive excesses, the figure of moral churning is welcomed by the middle-class. The media and the government laud him. I have a problem with the attention Hazare has received until my questions are answered: When will the PM also laud the similarly non-violent Irom Shormila? Will the World Bank honour Binayak Sen?
On a different note, if oppression isn't devoid of pleasure, why shouldn't people feast (and not fast) while protesting? Do we struggle for love or asceticism? Must we be saints or fallible beings of a fallible democracy?!
The line in this piece which every disagreeing person should be able to have a counter-answer for is this: "The impunity that AFSPA breeds is nothing short of a corruption that eats deep into the culture of democracy, and yet, here, moral courage, and the refusal to eat, does not seem to work."
Exactly! Why does it not work sweethearts?!
Excellently put. To denigrate politics is to attack democracy. Its bad luck that we are stuck with the present crop, but not all of them are dispensable, as Anna and his cohorts suggest. Anna has focussed on one of the two biggest evils (the other is communalism) plaguing India. But his prescription is doomed. Are there no Indians capable of being in the Lokpal except "recent Magasaysay winners" etc?
Corruption is everywhere. The 2G scam is the biggest version. The vendor on Delhi's streets has to cough up Rs. 500/- every week to the beat constable and another Rs. 300/- to an MCD official. If one does not pay Rs. 2 lakhs one can not become a policeman in Haryana. In Madhya Pradesh one can get some one else to sit for the Matric Exam for Rs. 5000/- a paper. Thereis corruption everywhere. And don't forget the biggest beneficiaries of corruption- the trader, the businessmen and the indutrialists. They pay Rs.1/- as bribe and make a killing of Rs.300/- or so. And what about the people who have misused power and influence to benefit themselves or their relatives. They are in Anna's coterie too.
Congratulations for this article.
Totally agree with Pallavi and Mohan about that TV program.
Glad I came across these pages and discussion.
It comes as a reminder of some basic issues on the Bill itself and implications, aspects which seem to have lost in the "spectacle'. It is like the situation wherein yesterday's solidarity visit of media friendly Baba Ramdev (and his followers) have almost reduced to Anna Hazare to an uneasy or feeble context to the former as the visible text of the moment. However, the demand of wider consultation on the issue of this Bill, which this movement insists, should enable us to take care of the issues related to the Bill per se as well. I also like the way you have positioned the issue within the larger concerns of a democratic political culture. In this regard, your observation on Sharmila's fast comes not only as an acknowledgement of a presence that continues to remain an absence but also a reminder of the dogged prejudices of people who otherwise present themselves as liberal intellectuals and democrats.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
(Who will guard the guardians?) —- The Republic
The key question being faced on a daily basis by millions of Indians is not whether there is a dearth of policy or not (read: whether there is a requirement of a new and, of course, robust legislation against corruption or not), but how to ensure that the existing legislations and policies are enforced/ implemented properly for the larger good?
Each time a person is asking for a bribe, another is giving, and at the risk of being called a 'cynic' or 'suffering from paranoia of the unknown', everyone has to agree that the fundamental principle of a democracy (flawed or not) is the representation of the people.
Such representation of the masses can never come from the "privileged 5″ who get to be on some drafting committee of a legislation of the Govt., with many of these 'civil society representatives' having never had a constituency or any work at grassroots.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".. said Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities. For India has become two nations within the same geographical boundaries, one of the 'who haves' and the other – of the 'who have nots'.
With one of the best legal systems in the world, and India also has one of the lowest enforcement of the said legal system. So we (as a society) can go on demanding (and sometimes successfully making) new laws and policies and new offices to implement these policies but we must keep a close eye on our track record in the effectiveness of these systems/ offices.
And thus, the question to be asked from the legislature, the judiciary, the executive and the media, the so called "NGO wallahs" (read : civil society), as well as from the millions (including myself) who are involved at an emotional level in our living rooms and on our t.v. sets, from people who support the idea of a fight against corruption and for changing the system is –
On a daily basis, What are we doing about changing the lives of the millions of vulnerable & downtrodden people, Gandhi's last men and women of society, once we are no longer standing at Jantar Mantar?
So, if a question can be raised of the 'institutional mechanisms' of Parliament and the Supreme Court, a question can also be raised of the so called 'civil society', who has just as abysmal a record of integrity as any other institution. Such a demand for extra constitutional power and disregard of institutional mechanisms raises serious concerns in my mind about vested interests demanding a societal anarchy in future.
The demands have been met but how is the constitution of the Drafting Committees, the Chairmanship of the same, a draft as such, or even a very very good law going to check corruption on its own?
Law is nothing but a piece of paper if it is not enforced. Demand of this so called "civil society" sitting at Jantar Mantar – for creation of new and newer 'guardians' because the existing ones are not working properly is interesting to say the least as they have not once demanded institutional reform.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
If this "civil society" is the answer, I shudder to think of the fallout.
@ the writer : first i would like to state that am no way associated with anna or his organization.. I just wanted to tell u this.. when a writer like u can think of such consequences , y wont their team comprising a retired justice , think of all those ?? THey have already worked for more than a year and brought out the draft of the jan lok pal.. And a kind information for u , its not just noble prize winners who decide about lok pal executives.. The ultimate authority is with ppl.. There's somethin called right to recall which is also looked upon to be implemented along with this .. kindly enrich ur knowledge before being pessimistic and attracting traffic !!