Rage against Corruption

The voice of the conscience is something that is supposed to govern an individual’s actions. But groups, or crowds, do not work in the way individuals do. This is precisely where legislation comes into the picture. A legislation is basically a voice of conscience enforced upon the entire population of a nation by a government.

Legislation is regarded as one of the three main functions of government. The Legislators (Parliament) create legislations through the powers formally bestowed to them. The judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court, interprets the legislation and enforces it and the executive branch of government, the cabinet secretariat, acts within the powers and limits set by the law.

Nonetheless, every once in a while it is seen that the elected group of individuals who have the mandate to create legislations, lose track of the pulse of the populace. The electorate that elects the legislators become disgruntled and disillusioned by the acts of the legislators.

The workings of the Indian government has long been shrouded from the public eye by archaic laws like The Official Secrets Act (1889) that secures information related to security of the State, sovereignty of the country and friendly relations with foreign states, and contains provisions which prohibit disclosure of non-classified information.

The State skirted away the various calls for transparency using such acts and oblivious of the fact that Article 19(1) of the Constitution provides for Fundamental Right of speech & expression. Further, Supreme Court, in one of its ruling, said that a person cannot express himself unless he “knows”. Hence, Right to Information was always a part of the Fundamental Right of speech & expression.

Since its enforcement on the midnight on October 12, 2005, The Right to Information (RTI) Act has made its presence felt in the everyday lives of Indians. From villages in Rajasthan using RTI to verify just how many check dams had been shown on paper and how many were actually built, to hapless citizens using the act to get an answer on why it took so long for their pensions, sewer lines or telephone connections to start. RTI, for the first time, made the government answerable for its actions and inactions. But RTI opened a Pandora’s Box as well; it unearthed such sickening levels of corruption in the system that it nauseated even the most disinterested of the citizens amongst us.

Although not a new phenomenon, this ‘disease’ of corruption has now become an epidemic of sorts. It has been widely researched and reported that corruption is one of the biggest remaining impediments in India’s growth story. Yet, the Indian governmental machinery, which is one of the biggest proliferators of the corruption virus, remains passive in its decadence.

Now, after 62 years of independence, the time has come for the “iron walls” to fall! It is about time the citizens of this country see exactly how their elected government works and more importantly, how it doesn’t. It is time for the Jan Lokpal Bill to be enacted and enforced!

The Lokpal Bill has been languishing in labyrinths of the Parliament for the last 42 years. The first Lokpal Bill was passed in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1969 but could not get through in Rajya Sabha. Subsequently, Lokpal bills were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008, yet they were never passed. Now, comes the latest farcical twist to this drama; as per the draft Lokpal Bill tabled in 2010,

“Lokpal will have no power to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. It can only probe complaints forwarded by LS Speaker or RS Chairman.”

“Lokpal will only be an Advisory Body. Its part is only limited to forwarding its report to the "Competent Authority"”

“Lokpal will not have any police powers. It cannot register FIRs or proceed with criminal investigations.”

In short, to fight off a demon, the government proposes to introduce a toothless tiger to the jungle!

One man has stood up to ensure that this drama, 42 years in the making, doesn’t end up becoming a tragedy. He is Mr. Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare, known to millions around India and the world, as simply, Anna Hazare. He relentlessly pursued and ensured that the Right to Information Act became a reality, and he is showing the same conviction and passion for the efficacy of the Jan Lokpal Bill. Let us show our solidarity towards the cause being spearheaded by this 72 year old Gandhian.

We have the powerful medium of internet to our disposal. There is no information about the Lokpal Bill or Anna Hazare’s campaign, that cannot be found with a simple search on Google. The awareness and the sensitivity can easily be spread using the social networking sites. The only thing that is stopping us now is our indifference. Let us be different!