The Lokpal Logjam: The Other Side
Ever since I wrote a post (India's Arab Spring) on Mr. Hazare's fast for a strong Lokpal bill, I felt it was pretty lopsided. It rather failed to present the other side of the debate. So here it goes. Despite Mr. Anna Hazare's fast reaching its 8th day today, the government of India's response to this movement, which has had an inconceivable and unprecedented support from the majority of the people, has been a myriad and confounding mix of tepidness, equivocation and fear. Had the government shown a little seriousness right from the start, it would not had have to face all these brickbats.
Having said that, certain interesting questions emerge. Are the demands made by Mr. Hazare and this team entirely reasonable? Have the people's mood been wrongly captured? Are the masses blindly following the cause of the movement ignorant of the real facts behind it? Most of the people, especially the middle-class, now having been educated, have understood the perils of corruption that is eating its way into our political system. They are also fed up of putting up with long bureaucratic procedures and the excessive red tape associated with them. In fact, many of us have nurtured corruption by either being contributors, or receivers or facilitators (forcefully or otherwise).
With the government remaining silent and inefficient in dealing with these issues, it has only made the common man lose faith in the parliamentary proceedings themselves. Thus, in a dramatic event, when a septuagenarian man defiantly stood up, the youth of the nation galvanized into action. Hence, many perceive this movement as a funnel to channel their collective aspirations and fight against these menaces. But is this the right approach?
One must try to get a complete picture of the issue before jumping into any conclusions. No doubt, most of the people want change, but the Lokpal Bill is not a panacea for corruption. Writer Arundhati Roy, in an article in the Hindu, rightly said that: While his means may be Gandhian, Anna Hazare's demands are certainly not. Contrary to Gandhiji's ideas about the decentralisation of power, the Jan Lokpal Bill is a draconian, anti-corruption law, in which a panel of carefully chosen people will administer a giant bureaucracy, with thousands of employees, with the power to police everybody from the Prime Minister, the judiciary, members of Parliament, and all of the bureaucracy, down to the lowest government official.
The bill's gross inadequacies aside, corruption is not an issue limited to the bureaucratic processes or the powerful, which it aims to get rid of. People in other professions do indulge in such malpractices and the bill does nothing to curb it. The Lokpal is hence a cure to just one side of the many facets of the problem. The issue of corruption being more challenging than you can possibly imagine, it must be dealt in a more holistic and comprehensive manner. People must be thoroughly aware of the issues at hand before taking any stance. Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and head of Aadhar (the unique identification project), in an interview to NDTV 24x7 has reiterated this fact and has apprised that the unique ID (given to every Indian citizen) is an attempt to reduce the number of interfaces between the common man and the state.
The Lokpal deadlock seems to have broken some ice now. Dialogues and discussions are the cornerstones of any democratic setup. They are the means through which any issue, however contentious it is, can be resolved to satisfactory effect. The government, though it's been slow to react to the civil society, genuinely tried to elicit their needs through talks. But by initially denying to not agree to talks with them, Team Anna was grievously wrong and instead, decided to opt for pressure tactics to up the ante. This is a serious undermining of the democratic principles. Had it sent a clear signal to the government that it's open for talks, it would have paved way for more discussions and some steady progress could have been achieved by now.
The government may not have presented a strong Lokpal bill in the Parliament, but when the bill is with the Standing Committee, it was very unwise of Team Anna to question the efficacy of the Parliament and its proceedings. The elected members to the Parliament could have been corrupt or otherwise, but there is always scope for bill revision. But, it cannot dictate terms to the government. Mr. Hazare had said he wouldn't budge from venue until the Jan Lokpal Bill was introduced in the Parliament. Kiran Bedi was quoted sloganeering 'Anna is India and India is Anna'. Both of these dangerous situations indicate how this movement have begun to assume anarchist tendencies.
Both sides are not unblemished, be it the government or Team Anna for that matter. The onus now lies with the UPA government to pass this bill exigently and regain its lost credibility, not to mention, reaffirm the faith of the people in the democratic setup. We, the people, can also contribute in a big way, by firmly pledging ourselves against corruption, no matter what.
I rest my case by echoing what the editorial in today's Hindu said:
Whatever be one's attitude to the agitation symbolised by Mr. Hazare, it is quite remarkable that it has not seen a single untoward incident on the street. But a serious deterioration in his health could lead to the situation spinning out of control. It will certainly open a new stage in the mass mobilisation and struggle against corruption and the high-level cover-up of corruption. The UPA government must seize the moment, open and fast-track a dialogue with Team Anna, other civil society organisations, and, importantly, all political parties to settle legislation for a no-nonsense, independent, credible, and workable Lokpal to investigate and prosecute corruption by public servants at all levels.
Having said that, certain interesting questions emerge. Are the demands made by Mr. Hazare and this team entirely reasonable? Have the people's mood been wrongly captured? Are the masses blindly following the cause of the movement ignorant of the real facts behind it? Most of the people, especially the middle-class, now having been educated, have understood the perils of corruption that is eating its way into our political system. They are also fed up of putting up with long bureaucratic procedures and the excessive red tape associated with them. In fact, many of us have nurtured corruption by either being contributors, or receivers or facilitators (forcefully or otherwise).
With the government remaining silent and inefficient in dealing with these issues, it has only made the common man lose faith in the parliamentary proceedings themselves. Thus, in a dramatic event, when a septuagenarian man defiantly stood up, the youth of the nation galvanized into action. Hence, many perceive this movement as a funnel to channel their collective aspirations and fight against these menaces. But is this the right approach?
One must try to get a complete picture of the issue before jumping into any conclusions. No doubt, most of the people want change, but the Lokpal Bill is not a panacea for corruption. Writer Arundhati Roy, in an article in the Hindu, rightly said that: While his means may be Gandhian, Anna Hazare's demands are certainly not. Contrary to Gandhiji's ideas about the decentralisation of power, the Jan Lokpal Bill is a draconian, anti-corruption law, in which a panel of carefully chosen people will administer a giant bureaucracy, with thousands of employees, with the power to police everybody from the Prime Minister, the judiciary, members of Parliament, and all of the bureaucracy, down to the lowest government official.
The bill's gross inadequacies aside, corruption is not an issue limited to the bureaucratic processes or the powerful, which it aims to get rid of. People in other professions do indulge in such malpractices and the bill does nothing to curb it. The Lokpal is hence a cure to just one side of the many facets of the problem. The issue of corruption being more challenging than you can possibly imagine, it must be dealt in a more holistic and comprehensive manner. People must be thoroughly aware of the issues at hand before taking any stance. Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and head of Aadhar (the unique identification project), in an interview to NDTV 24x7 has reiterated this fact and has apprised that the unique ID (given to every Indian citizen) is an attempt to reduce the number of interfaces between the common man and the state.
The Lokpal deadlock seems to have broken some ice now. Dialogues and discussions are the cornerstones of any democratic setup. They are the means through which any issue, however contentious it is, can be resolved to satisfactory effect. The government, though it's been slow to react to the civil society, genuinely tried to elicit their needs through talks. But by initially denying to not agree to talks with them, Team Anna was grievously wrong and instead, decided to opt for pressure tactics to up the ante. This is a serious undermining of the democratic principles. Had it sent a clear signal to the government that it's open for talks, it would have paved way for more discussions and some steady progress could have been achieved by now.
The government may not have presented a strong Lokpal bill in the Parliament, but when the bill is with the Standing Committee, it was very unwise of Team Anna to question the efficacy of the Parliament and its proceedings. The elected members to the Parliament could have been corrupt or otherwise, but there is always scope for bill revision. But, it cannot dictate terms to the government. Mr. Hazare had said he wouldn't budge from venue until the Jan Lokpal Bill was introduced in the Parliament. Kiran Bedi was quoted sloganeering 'Anna is India and India is Anna'. Both of these dangerous situations indicate how this movement have begun to assume anarchist tendencies.
Both sides are not unblemished, be it the government or Team Anna for that matter. The onus now lies with the UPA government to pass this bill exigently and regain its lost credibility, not to mention, reaffirm the faith of the people in the democratic setup. We, the people, can also contribute in a big way, by firmly pledging ourselves against corruption, no matter what.
I rest my case by echoing what the editorial in today's Hindu said:
Whatever be one's attitude to the agitation symbolised by Mr. Hazare, it is quite remarkable that it has not seen a single untoward incident on the street. But a serious deterioration in his health could lead to the situation spinning out of control. It will certainly open a new stage in the mass mobilisation and struggle against corruption and the high-level cover-up of corruption. The UPA government must seize the moment, open and fast-track a dialogue with Team Anna, other civil society organisations, and, importantly, all political parties to settle legislation for a no-nonsense, independent, credible, and workable Lokpal to investigate and prosecute corruption by public servants at all levels.
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