Democracy in this largest of all democratic nations seems to be working fine at first glance. We vote regularly and throw out parties in power when a majority wants change.We have a free press. We have an independent judiciary. But there's a lot that happens in the way we conduct our political life in between elections that is deeply disturbing. Citizens of a truly liberal democracy - there's no other kind, don't let anyone fool you - must demonstrate their understanding, popular acceptance and daily practice of democratic behaviour in the interlude between elections. Do we ?
Anna Hazare's fast-unto-death is a clear instance of misunderstood democracy. He and his supporters believe it is quite democratic of him to either get his way or commit suicide. No, it's not. Suicide is against the law in this democracy; so is any threat to commit violence, even to oneself, if you don't get your way. That's blackmail. Citing Gandhi in support of fasts is misconceived. The great man fasted against imeprial rule in an undemocratic society. A democracy, on the other hand, offers several channels to express grievance legitimately. For Gandhi, fasting fitted well into his framework of civil disobedience. He worked against the law as it then prevailed. Today, fasting, often in 'relay' style, has become political farce in India.
Hazare's supporters, however, have every right to march in their thousands, to raise people's consciousness about corruption, to carry candles or play guitars while singing protest songs mimicking Bob Dylan or a Pete Seeger, and to rage against the government through the media. But are they right in demanding an acceptance of Hazare's call for a supremely autonomous ombudsman to fight corruption ? No.
Imagining an end to corruption by making Lokpal sit in judgment over everyone, including Parliament and the judiciary, is not just undemocratic under India's Constitution, it is a silly idea. India is one of the corrupt nations on earth not because it doesn't have enough regulatory bodies to catch a thief; it in fact has too many points of bureaucratic and political power that are lucrative checkpoints for the corrupt. Creating an unaccountable ombudsman will add another such check post unless you believe, like Hazare, that Gandhian purity can keep the Lokpal's office forever clean. Fighting corruption should mean fewer check points, not more.
To fight corruption, citizens have to target protests in order to force reform in specific areas instead of blasting broadsides against general corruption. We didn't wake up to find this cancer in our system because Dr. Hazare suddenly said we were sick. We sat up when a huge telecom scandal was uncovered through investigation by regular arms of the democratic system, including Parliament and the press. That scandal underscores how urgently we need to reform our system of political funding, including campaign finance for electioneering, to stop politicians in power from doling out favours in return for cash they received from vested interests.
Every arm of democracy must become stronger if India has to confront corruption. Mobilisation for change should, for instance, aim to force Parliament actually to sit in session, debate and pass legislation. We have a Parliament that barely functions. Like fasts, another effecte tool of protest is used by whichever party is in opposition, and that's the infamous walkout. It has been so overplayed that it's lost all potency. Storming the well of the House to stop proceedings for days is similarly idiotic. Our politicians and MPs must relearn effective democratic practice in the modern era and discard the tools of opposition they inherited from a past generation of leaders.
Another sign of democratic decay and a reason why corruption can spread so malignantly through our national system is a fast weakening accountability of public officials and politicians. That's happening largely because India's judiciary is so clogged up and grossly inefficient that citizens have little faith in its capacity to deliver justice to reinforce the foundations of public accountability.
Accountability is one of the twin pillars, along with transparency, that uphold good governance. With a free press and Right to Information Act available for use by the ordinary citizen, transparency is not all that bad in our system even as bureaucratic opacity continues to hinder openness. But accountability degenerates by the day.
These are some areas that must get fierce attention from the expanding and increasingly assertive urban middle class if real reform is to happen. Instead, what we see is the sad spectacle of an aged Gandhian engaged in a futile fast against evil. His purpose is noble. His method and demand are not. There are other ways to fight.
The writer is Gautam Adhikari, former Executive Editor of Times of India
1 comment:
The so called intellectuals snigger and shake their heads saying this is not the method.Then what is the method?
64 years have gone and corruption has gone from bad to worst.
They will say that see, the culprits are in jail.
Yes but how? Because of the pressure from the media and the Supreme court. If these two institutions had not followed up the case, our prime minister would have just turned his head saying "compulsions of coalition politics" and said in the same breath that there would be zero tolerance towards corruption.
As we see it, only two wings of the government have remained spotless, the CAG and the Election Commission. All the others, the Executive, the judiciary and the Army are mired in corruption.People were left with no choice. I have been writing about corruption on our blog for the last three years. I knew other people too were fed up and just waiting for a messiah to lead the fight against corruption. Anna Hazare is that Messiah.
Democracy has allowed the people to chose their leaders but if they have to wait for 5 years to get changes done, this is not acceptable. That is why people heeded Anna's call.
They have done the right no matter what these intellectuals may say.
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