Events of the last week are probably the best indicator of how frustrated the common man is and how desperate people in India are to clear corruption. At the centre of this cyclone were gandhian Anna Hazare and a bunch of humble yet esteemed individuals under the India Against Corruption umbrella. This group is unique, in the sense that, it has probably the most intellectually gifted, strong headed and globally recognised people who appeal to every strata of society.
The Lokpal bill today is probably the most popular piece of potential legislation in India and the wave of popular support and pressure is the only way the bill might pass the through the Parliament or atleast that’s what I hope. Considering that the Lokpal bill was first drafted in 1968 and since has been revived in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2001 and is yet not been taken seriously I think this would be a monumental achievement.
I think a strong anti-corruption bill is a need of the time, most politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt and almost certainly have high job security and low accountability. Furthermore they are intoxicated by power which gives them the poetic sense of immortality, all in all a dangerous combination that has led to a corrupt system.
The Jan Lokpal bill proposed by Anna Hazare and India Against Corruption is certainly more effective and appropriate to the current corruption situation in India. It is far better than the Lokpal bill proposed by the government, some interesting comparisons are as follows:
The Lokpal bill today is probably the most popular piece of potential legislation in India and the wave of popular support and pressure is the only way the bill might pass the through the Parliament or atleast that’s what I hope. Considering that the Lokpal bill was first drafted in 1968 and since has been revived in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2001 and is yet not been taken seriously I think this would be a monumental achievement.
I think a strong anti-corruption bill is a need of the time, most politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt and almost certainly have high job security and low accountability. Furthermore they are intoxicated by power which gives them the poetic sense of immortality, all in all a dangerous combination that has led to a corrupt system.
The Jan Lokpal bill proposed by Anna Hazare and India Against Corruption is certainly more effective and appropriate to the current corruption situation in India. It is far better than the Lokpal bill proposed by the government, some interesting comparisons are as follows:
- The Jan Lokpal bill lets the Lokpal to entertain complaints as opposed to the Lokpal bill proposed by the government which requires the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabhi Speaker to explicitly direct complaints to the Lokpal.
- The Jan Lokpal bill will give the Lokpal the right to take action (Launch FIR, Investigate and Prosecute) against corrupt Politician and Bureaucrats, this is in direct contradiction to the bill drafted by the government which wants the Lokpal to be an simple advisor.
- The Jan Lokpal bill enforces stricter punishment and even offers the Lokpal the powers to recover the amount that has been drawn off by the corrupt. The Lokpal bill as expected doesn’t offer long punishments and there is no facility to recover anything.
It’s clear why despite nationwide protests and on-going agitation the ruling party was scared by the Jan Lokpal Bill, not that the opposition parties greeted the bill with smiling faces. This bill will be really effective…..
Will the bill pass? It will be real tough. Why? Well, according to the report by National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms there are 162(~29%) newly elected MPs in 2009 who have declared pending criminal cases according to their self-declared affidavits. I know criminal trials and corruption charges might be different, but, you see the problem, don’t you? Passing the Lokpal bill is more or less asking the MP’s to sign their warrants. This is not counting the bureaucrats, with whom these politicians work almost on a daily basis.
Regardless, I believe, the bill will eventually go through. India is on a serious growth trajectory and people don’t want hurdles of any kind. Thanks to Anna and the India Against Corruption movement, corruption in India has had its first jolt….. It’s time for the system to change.
Will the bill pass? It will be real tough. Why? Well, according to the report by National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms there are 162(~29%) newly elected MPs in 2009 who have declared pending criminal cases according to their self-declared affidavits. I know criminal trials and corruption charges might be different, but, you see the problem, don’t you? Passing the Lokpal bill is more or less asking the MP’s to sign their warrants. This is not counting the bureaucrats, with whom these politicians work almost on a daily basis.
Regardless, I believe, the bill will eventually go through. India is on a serious growth trajectory and people don’t want hurdles of any kind. Thanks to Anna and the India Against Corruption movement, corruption in India has had its first jolt….. It’s time for the system to change.
