Tuesday, August 23, 2011

FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION


• Lot of questions are being raised on the ongoing hunger strike for introduction of JANA LOKPAL BILL – Prominent among them are as follows :-


(a) By introduction of JANALOKPAL BILL or any other lokpal bill the corruption will not end in India.

(b) The hunger strike is unconstitutional as it is a direct challenge to the elected members and the parliament. THIS HUNGER STRIKE IS SHEER BLACKMAIL.

(c) The provisions of JANALOKPAL BILL are impractical and autocratic.

(d) It takes time for introduction of any bill in parliament because of procedural issues.



• Let us take each apprehension and deliberate on it:-

(a) By introduction of JANALOKPAL BILL or any other lokpal bill the corruption will not end in India. Agreed that it is just one of the ways to have a check on institutionalized corruption and to have an effective deterrent on potential corrupt head of the institutions. It is not a miracle potion or medicine that will end corruption. Even if it makes little impact it is welcome because that little impact will bring down the scale of corruption by a notch at least. Let us start in the right direction. There is other very important fall out of this JANA LOKPAL MOVEMENT. This movement has started creating awareness amongst the next generation, youngsters and children that corruption is not good. To give and take bribe is wrong. The sensitivities towards taking and giving bribes were otherwise becoming blunt in the new generation. The new generation started thinking that it is COOL to take and give a bribe. In fact it started becoming a management mantra. The ethics were lost while achieving various yearly financial and self advancement targets. Even the middle class in their zest in scaling the ladder of success resorted to these management techniques of giving and taking bribes. Slowly the mindset of the society was getting changed and we started becoming numb and did not see any wrong in giving and taking bribe. It started becoming an accepted norm in the civil society. We started thinking that taking and giving bribe is not a sin but a smart act. The person who was averse to taking and giving bribes was considered as idiot and unfit to live in a progressive society. People started forgetting that a true person earns money on his skill, talent, strength and not by selling his integrity and self respect. One cannot be priced and purchased for a few thousand rupees by an unscrupulous character. One cannot stand up and tell our own family and our self that it is I, who have sold the self and family respect for a pittance. Remember there is always a greedy family behind a corrupt person. One cannot say that “he forced me, or they forced me” because; ultimately the decision is ours to succumb. Those who are corrupt and resort to corrupt practices are antinationals and should be treated as traitors. Anna Hazare’s fast has made the young generation aware of this fact. It has also made the corrupt people aware that mere awareness of they being corrupt robs them of the strength to bulldoze and go in for more corruption. At least for next few years the established norms and ethics will get a rejuvenation, till another ANNA HAZARE phenomenon happens.



(b) The hunger strike is unconstitutional as it is a direct challenge to the elected members and the parliament. THIS HUNGER STRIKE IS SHEER BLACKMAIL. In the parliamentary democracy, WE THE PEOPLE comes first. The will of the people comes first. This Govt did not see any wrong when the known separatists, Hurriayat leader Mr Syed Ali Shah Geelani addressed this “Convention on Kashmir – Azadi: The only way” organised by the Committee for the Release of Political prisoners (CRPP). (Refer ‘The Hindu’ News Paper of 22 Oct 10) where in Arundhati Roy and Varavara Rao expressed their solidarity with Kashmiri seperatists who were ranting the chorus on self determination. This, prior arranged seminar was conducted in a five star hotel. The Govt of the day and the Home minister did not find any thing odd in this brazen act of seperatists, but found a threat to parliament when Anna Hazare an ex army man wanted to take along everybody to say NO TO CORRUPTION. In reality the popular perception of the society is, this Govt is WEAK, ARROGANT and SHAMELESS. The Govt thinks that if Anna Hazare’s fast is allowed it will become a precedent for future BLACKMAIL. What this Govt is insensitive about is the popular feeling of the citizens of this country to address the menace of brazen institutionalized corruption as was displayed by the shameless ministers who indulged in 2G, CWG scam, Hassan Ali issue and stashing of thousands of crores in foreign safe havens.





(c) The provisions of JANALOKPAL BILL are impractical and autocratic. If so let the bill be tabled in the parliament. Let the members debate and then introduce the safeguards. By doing this we the people would be able to see which members of parliament are serious in rooting out corruption and which members are against it. For anti terror a strong bill like TADA is required. Likewise when it comes to rooting out corruption at high places strong bill like JANALOKPAL is necessary.





(d) It takes time for introduction of any bill in parliament because of procedural issues. Procedures are there. Procedures will always be there. I remember this bill was first introduced in 1977 by Janata Govt and then went on in a circle for last forty years. Eight times it has been under Parliamentary Standing Committee. If our law makers can’t take a decision for forty years then it shows pathetic ineffectiveness of themselves at the least or proves their not so sincere intentions of fighting corruption at high places at the most. So when procedural time line is given as an excuse of delaying the process of LOKPAL BILL I would suggest let President of India promulgate the LOKPAL ORDINANCE immediately so that it comes into force and then parliament and Govt would automatically get six months to ponder and enact it in the two houses.



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