Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare’s relentless crusade, which has included fasts unto death and street protests, has received both support and scorn. While granting that his indignation is sincere, it is important to point out that Hazare may end up being an inadvertent foe of the anti-corruption cause. In his activism, Hazare has aped the tactics of Gandhi, with his civil obedience and public fasts. But whereas Gandhi was fasting to gain independence from the British and an end to Hindu-Muslim violence, Hazare is merely trying to get an anti-corruption bill amended so that it does not exempt the prime minister, judiciary and much of the bureaucracy from the watchful eye of an independently-appointed ombudsman. That is certainly a problem with the bill but Hazare may want to tone down his rhetoric and actions. The chief weakness of the anti-corruption bill is, ironically, solely Hazare’s responsibility. Too much power is vested in the hands of the ombudsman who may end up being as unaccountable for his actions as the politicians he rails against.
Whatever reservations one may have about Hazare’s activism, there is no denying his passion. Imperfect though the anti-corruption bill may be, he has forced politicians to acknowledge him and at the very least pay lip service to his cause. It is hard to feel slightly envious while assessing his impact from across the border. The issue of corruption has been at the forefront in Pakistan too but here public anger is co-opted by adventurers, both military and civilian, who use corruption as an excuse to take power and politicians who promise to eliminate corruption but end up targeting only their political foes. From the Ehtesab Bureau to the National Accountability Bureau, the anti-corruption fight is limited only to those who are unlucky enough not to be in power. There is no doubting that Pakistan could benefit from an Anna Hazare of its own, one who has the courage to rise above political zeal, galvanise an apathetic public and demand across-the-board accountability for all political actors in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2011.
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"Too much power is vested in the hands of the ombudsman who may end up being as unaccountable for his actions as the politicians he rails against.
Please go through the draft of Jan Lokpal Bill. I think the editorial has been written without adequate knowledge of Jan Lokpal draft.
People please go through Jan Lokpal bill. In a youtube video titled 'Arvind Kejriwal speaks at IIT, Chennai', Mr. Kejriwal clears a lot of doubts about Jan Lokpal bill. Please see that video. Jan Lokpal bill is the most beautiful piece of law that India will pass in the recent times. A huge amount of research has gone into it. It has borrowed the best of world's anti corruption laws. Please spread awareness about it so that we can support this campaign with our minds as well as our hearts.
While one may (and that includes me) may not agree with Anna's Lokpal bill, the highhandedness with which the authorities initially reacted to his campaign smacked with arrogance and misuse of power. Peoples protest is more to do with Anna's right to protest than with the Anti-cooruption bill. To start with, Corruption will only come under control if we, the ordinary citizens, learn to stand in Queue to get our work done.
@ Editors: In Pakistan, we make fun of people like Zohair Toru, who actually, step out to make a difference. The elite and the upper middle classes, live in a bubble ... and their bubble needs bursting with a sharp needle. People laugh and look down upon people like Mr. Toru, who tear through apathy, and step into the sun to speak out. With such a laid back, cocooned attitude, no wonder Pakistan is far on the continuum towards a corruption free society. India's polity has already matured to seek participation, an active one at that, in the manner it is governed and more importantly, treated by the elected officials. In Pakistan, we are still willing to be at the far end of the stick, with no carrots.
There may be some faults in how Anna Hazare sees the final bill, But what is more important is the way people have responded. The kind of corruption that we have seen recently India especially at higher levels, needed some serious action some where and it came in the form of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev. There are some behind the bars but many are still at large and still amassing wealth through corrupt means and this has to stop and at any cost. Peoples money is not to be squandered and should be given back to the people in the form of benefits. And this bill if and when passed will make the corrupt politicians think 100 times before they get into any monkey business. Khudos Anna Hazare, and Khudos to people power.