The Shackles of Corruption!
All this agitation about the Anti-Corruption Bill, with the radial-point being my hometown, makes me want to write this. This past week, the country, rather only a section of the country has seen widespread dissent regarding the introduction of the Lokpal Bill that the Government has proposed. The movement spearheaded by One man, might have a lot of followers, with an astonishing diversity in terms of people who have come out to show their support for the same. This movement purports to take on a Gandhian outlook towards solving disputes, yet astonishingly threatens the Government to pass Their version of the Lokpal Bill within a given timeline.
The Anna-wave that has swept the Nation has some inherent loopholes that make their argument unacceptable to me and some others that I have spoken about this to.
The first and foremost is the assumption that this Bill, whichever version you are willing to accept, is the Magic Solution to the problems of corruption and injustice that the citizens suffer from on a daily basis. It is very important for us to understand that Corruption is like a many-headed monster. Cut off one head and four others will grow in its place. The Bill is no guarantee that the menace of corruption will be tackled effectively once it is brought into action.
The agitation lacks vision. Instead of fighting for a stronger legislation, or a strengthening of the present machinery which is a more viable option, Team Anna is crying itself hoarse over a version, and Only That Version, of the Lokpal Bill which he has drafted. I ask you, who gave Anna the right to decide which Bill is the better one?? Who told him that his Bill is the only one out there?? Will he be ready to accept a better adaptation of the Bill presented by any other 'civil society member'?
Just in case, he is successful enough in blackmailing the government into accepting his demands, I fear to think what the situation of this country will be. Any citizen, in the name of Democratic Right to express opinions, will sit on a fast-unto-death sham and cite Anna's precedent. Is this the democracy that we're all looking forward to in this day and age?
Are you as naive to believe that this agitation (I would not consider this a Movement) has reached the masses? The ones who are really betrayed have no voice in this country and they continue to live on the edge ..betrayed and forced to live betrayed. This 'Movement' is essentially a movement of the Middle Class. The same group of people who move the courts when their neighbourhood stinks because of an adjoining slum. This is the class that is not moved because of the incessant farmer-suicides that rock the country every day. This is the class that will not raise their own voice against daily instances of wrong-doings happening right in front of them.
There is no soul-searching and no call to do so! Drawing parallels between this and Gandhi's movement is a disaster!
Yesterday morning, while waiting at a petrol station, I see a man, coming in from the wrong side to a screeching halt on his bike, stand in front us, and instructing the attendant to serve him first since he was supposed to go the Ramlila Maidan and support Anna Hazare. There was arrogance in his voice, notoriety in his manners. And this is the kind of crowd that goes to support the Anti-Corruption Agitation, which are some are now calling the Second War of Independence!!
Be the change you want to see in the world!! Do not expect an outsider to come and fight your battles for you!!
A woman wakes up at 4am in the morning to go stand in line at a Railway Ticket-Booking centre when she could have easily bribed a middleman to do the same. A citizen raises his voice against the corrupt ways of their local ration-shop manager. An old man patiently waits in line at the Voter-ID queue and does not allow a single person to bypass that queue.... That, right there, is your Anti-Corruption movement!!! That is your Jan Lokpal Bill!!!
I don't support you or your 'movement' Anna Hazare! Because if I do, it will mean that I am not taking myself or my struggle against corruption seriously!! And don't you dare call me elitist or unpatriotic. I might turn out to be more patriotic than you....
Its just that I choose to express my patriotism in ways that will actually bring some change in this country and some relief to Her people!!!
The Anna-wave that has swept the Nation has some inherent loopholes that make their argument unacceptable to me and some others that I have spoken about this to.
The first and foremost is the assumption that this Bill, whichever version you are willing to accept, is the Magic Solution to the problems of corruption and injustice that the citizens suffer from on a daily basis. It is very important for us to understand that Corruption is like a many-headed monster. Cut off one head and four others will grow in its place. The Bill is no guarantee that the menace of corruption will be tackled effectively once it is brought into action.
The agitation lacks vision. Instead of fighting for a stronger legislation, or a strengthening of the present machinery which is a more viable option, Team Anna is crying itself hoarse over a version, and Only That Version, of the Lokpal Bill which he has drafted. I ask you, who gave Anna the right to decide which Bill is the better one?? Who told him that his Bill is the only one out there?? Will he be ready to accept a better adaptation of the Bill presented by any other 'civil society member'?
Just in case, he is successful enough in blackmailing the government into accepting his demands, I fear to think what the situation of this country will be. Any citizen, in the name of Democratic Right to express opinions, will sit on a fast-unto-death sham and cite Anna's precedent. Is this the democracy that we're all looking forward to in this day and age?
Are you as naive to believe that this agitation (I would not consider this a Movement) has reached the masses? The ones who are really betrayed have no voice in this country and they continue to live on the edge ..betrayed and forced to live betrayed. This 'Movement' is essentially a movement of the Middle Class. The same group of people who move the courts when their neighbourhood stinks because of an adjoining slum. This is the class that is not moved because of the incessant farmer-suicides that rock the country every day. This is the class that will not raise their own voice against daily instances of wrong-doings happening right in front of them.
There is no soul-searching and no call to do so! Drawing parallels between this and Gandhi's movement is a disaster!
Yesterday morning, while waiting at a petrol station, I see a man, coming in from the wrong side to a screeching halt on his bike, stand in front us, and instructing the attendant to serve him first since he was supposed to go the Ramlila Maidan and support Anna Hazare. There was arrogance in his voice, notoriety in his manners. And this is the kind of crowd that goes to support the Anti-Corruption Agitation, which are some are now calling the Second War of Independence!!
Be the change you want to see in the world!! Do not expect an outsider to come and fight your battles for you!!
A woman wakes up at 4am in the morning to go stand in line at a Railway Ticket-Booking centre when she could have easily bribed a middleman to do the same. A citizen raises his voice against the corrupt ways of their local ration-shop manager. An old man patiently waits in line at the Voter-ID queue and does not allow a single person to bypass that queue.... That, right there, is your Anti-Corruption movement!!! That is your Jan Lokpal Bill!!!
I don't support you or your 'movement' Anna Hazare! Because if I do, it will mean that I am not taking myself or my struggle against corruption seriously!! And don't you dare call me elitist or unpatriotic. I might turn out to be more patriotic than you....
Its just that I choose to express my patriotism in ways that will actually bring some change in this country and some relief to Her people!!!
Bravo Aish, well said. Took the words out of my mouth. I too feel the same. I mean you have these hoards of people thronging out in the streets, with 95% of them not even knowing what the hell Jan Lokpal Bill is. If Anna is not going to listen to anybody else on the drafting of the bill, isn't that autocratic and authoritarian. You rightly said - be the change you wanna be. And this is an utter tamasha that is on display at the Ramlila Maidan. Stand against the corruption that comes your way. I told my friend the same. But she was like - the people have awakened now, look at them out on the streets. What are they doing on the street? Shouting out slogans against the government and then going back to the good old ways of paying their bribes to police officers, MCD people and who not. I do not support you or your movement Anna Hazare, and i might as well be more patriotic than you are. Peace.
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