Over the past days, as the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement has gripped India there have also been some voices of concern and dissent. Some of them are predictable like Arundhati Roy and the government supported National Advisory Council (NAC) gang. However, there have also been many people I see as reasonable and are friends and colleagues. This forced me to pause and reflect. Having thought about it, I feel even more strongly that the Anna Hazare movement is a good thing for the country and I strongly support it. Here are my perspectives on the various concerns that have been raised:
- There are many issues facing the country why pick only on Corruption. Indeed, we face many issues as a country – growing economic divide, terrorism, pathetic education and healthcare infrastructure being some of the key ones. However, corruption is absolutely there as one of the biggest issues. In particular, what is alarming is that the ticket size of corruption scandals over the past few years has exploded. Bofors was just 65 crores, but today even a “normal sized” scam is a few thousand crores. That is very very significant for the size of our economy. If so much money keeps getting drained out of the system we will not be able to sustain our growth rate let alone funding the various developmental priorities. In summary, corruption is an issue that has to be addressed.
- Will Lokpal really be able to solve corruption? Corruption is a systemic issue embedded over decades. It needs a multi-dimensional approach and even then it will not go away fully. Lokpal is by no means a panacea for removing corruption. But we have to make a start somewhere. We cannot give up by saying that this problem is unsolvable. It is better to make a positive start somewhere however small, rather than being gridlocked in cynicism and inaction. Especially as I have seen government’s stonewalling on the Lokpal over the past months, I have become convinced that there is some good in it that is why politicians are so scared of it!! In addition, the recent experience with Lokayukta in Karnataka shows that a diligent watchdog can force change. In summary, Lokpal is not a panacea against corruption but still a positive step.
- Team Anna is negating parliamentary democracy. Extraordinary situations calls for extraordinary approaches. The Lokpal bill has been in existence in some shape for more than 42 years but our politicians have not let it become law. This is quite incredible!! Clearly parliament has failed on this count. Moreover, Team Anna collaborated with the government post Anna’s first fast in April only for their points to be brushed aside. Clearly this government has no interest in passing a strong Lokpal bill on its own. The only way they will act is if they are forced to act in a time bound manner. That is exactly what Team Anna is trying to do. When you deal with crooks, sometimes you have to beat them at their own game!! In summary, ordinary approaches will not help with our politicians; we need to force them to act.
- It seems to be “My way or highway”. Worthies from the National Advisory Council like Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander are brandishing their own version of the Lokpal bill and many ministers are coming on TV channels espousing the virtues of debate and discussion. I am sure that Jan Lokpal bill is not perfect and could be improved with discussion. However, too much debate is also a recipe for inaction; and, to me that seems to be the government’s intent. I believe we are better off leveraging the current mass movement to get a bill NOW that is 80-90% there rather than wait to get it 100% right. As the last 42 years have shown, that wait could be very long!! In summary, Jan Lokpal bill might not be perfect but better to act now rather than be lost in endless debates.
- If Anna’s methods work, it will lead to anarchy. There is concern that if the government were to accede to Anna then more would try the hunger protest route to press for their demands. I agree that more would try. However, it is not Anna’s fast that is shaking the government. Many have fasted before but to no avail. It is the hundreds of thousands on the streets across the country that is forcing the government to take notice. It is not easy to rouse the masses. It needs combination of a powerful cause and a charismatic personality. With Anti-corruption and Anna Hazare we have such a powerful combination today. It is not easy to replicate. It took 30 years since independence to have a JP movement and it has taken 35 years since then to see another powerful mass movement. There is little risk of this scale of mass protest becoming a daily phenomenon. In summary, the mass mobilization we are seeing is a unique event and unlikely to be replicated easily.
- Lokpal will be difficult and perhaps dangerous to execute. There are concerns that Lokpal will be an extra-constitutional authority, become a “parallel oligarchy”!! Moreover, we might need 50, 000 bureaucrats to man the Lokpal institution. I agree that a lot of detailing is still needed to make Lokpal operational. However, this should not stop us from trying something new. Any change carries risks and needs some trying to get right. I am sure that with all the legal and administrative brains available, they should be able to develop a workable implementation model. Moreover, if serious execution issues remain the Lokpal concept could be modified or even rolled back. In summary, yes there are risks but if we don’t try we will not get any positive change.
Lokpal bill alone will not remove corruption. But it is a start. The people’s movement that Anna and team have been able to catalyze is special. I visited Ramlila Maidan and India Gate yesterday. It was stirring to see people across religions and social status chanting Vande Matram and together singing patriotic songs. Today, we had a candle light march in our colony. It was wonderful to see so many from our conservative upper-middle clad colony step out of their homes for this cause. So many across age groups marched together chanting slogans passionately and tirelessly. I have not seen anything like this in my 40 years!!
There is something pure and powerful out there. This movement has touched our nation’s chord. There is a new generation out there who want to take the country forward. They need hope and a rallying point, and this movement is providing them that. It is no more about Anna Hazare, it is perhaps no more about just corruption. It is about rising beyond the mediocrity that we have been chained to for decades and creating a new, resurgent India. Let us drop cynicism, doubt and inaction and support this movement wholeheartedly. Let us come together to create a new, wonderful India!!
Jai hind!!
