Anna Hazare has declared that he wants the government to accept HIS bill. People who have really read and understood HIS version of the bill have made their opinions about the finer details. I too have those. But what about some things which are not in the bill? Have we conveniently blinded ourselves to the core issue that India faces today?
Any person with bare minimum knowledge will know that most of the NGOs in India are heavily corrupt. Government money which is channelized through NGOs is eaten all the way down. I find it very dubious and surprising that the Janlokpal does not have NGOs in its jurisdiction, and it;s surprising that all the 'Annas' supporting Anna Hazare have not even bothered to question these double standards. You want transparency? Then ask Anna to include NGOs. Oh wait! There are a few NGOs supporting him. What about black money being made white through temple trusts? Isn't that a part of corruption? Oh wait! All the Swamis and Babas of the country are supporting him, aren't they!
The same team which talks about transparency is having 'backchannel' talks with the government. A spiritual Guru is the chief negotiator between the Government and Team Anna. Oh wait! The same spiritual Guru also had a hush-hush meeting with LK Advani. What did they talk about? I want to know. I want to know what the negotiations are. If 'India is Anna, Anna is India' according to the highly respectable Kiran Bedi, then shouldn't India know what India is negotiating?
I find it extremely surprising that when Anna Hazare was arrested on the 16th August, he supposedly sent out a message to Indians pre-empting his arrest. In that video he says that 'Mujhe giraftaar bhi kar liya hai'. And this was 'before' the arrest. Does that mean he knew that he was going to be arrested? Or did the police allow him to set up a camera and give a speech after they arrested him? Hmm. Maybe they should allow every person they arrest to record a short video message. That would be cool.
People are tired of corruption. No doubt. And its something that needs to be checked. No doubt. But does that anger and frustration justify a blind following? Does it mean that we do not have the right to ask questions? People with Anti-Anna opinions have been branded by people as 'Congressi', 'corrupt', 'government proxies' blah blah blah. Just because you are angry, does that mean anarchy is the solution? The Janlokpal bill gives superpowers to one body. Do we want to create yet another body and allow more corruption? Why don't you strengthen the current agencies? You want to start on a clean slate? Then why don't you fight to abolish the current constitution? It's ok to let personal actions be guided by emotions. But here a nation is at stake. Just because you are angry, it doesn't give you, or anyone, the right to mess with my constitution. This display of false nationalism is pathetic to say the least. Lets say the Anna-Lokpal (And I will not call it the Janlokpal, because it is NOT a public bill. It his purely Team Anna's bill) does get adopted the way it is. Tomorrow if you are in a hurry due to a family emergency and you break a traffic signal or forget your car license, and a policeman stops you, are you willing to go the whole distance of coming to court the next day, paying the fine, getting convicted for violating traffic rules, getting your license suspended for a day etc etc? And keep your righteous faces at home please. You would rather pay the cop a few bucks and get the hell out of there. So much for the Lokpal!
Below is the dictionary definition of the word 'Corruption' (as rightly pointed out by an intelligent and resourceful Tootoo):
cor·rup·tion
[kuh-ruhp-shuhn]
1. the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt.
2. moral perversion; depravity.
3. perversion of integrity.
4. corrupt or dishonest proceedings.
5. bribery.
Societies are corrupt. These politicians we hate are a product of the society they come from. We as a people are corrupt. Our false egos have corrupted us. Our love and lust for money and wealth has corrupted us. We have made film-stars our heroes in real life, because we have NO real heroes to look up to. We want the good life, and rightly so. Before we come out on the roads shouting slogans, let's introspect. Are YOU ready to be non-corrupt? Or do you want some fast food called the Janlokpal Zinger Burger (with a loooot of cheese!) We all love instant gratification and quick solutions, but this problem of corruption is not just about taking and giving money. It's about our day-to-day existence. And no, the Janlokpal is not even a start as some are claiming. It is a monster. It is anti-democratic. It is giving too much power in the hands of one body. If you really want to believe in it, then please do. But please QUESTION. Don't kill your emotions, but channelize them in an effective manner.
The whole Anna Hazare farce reminds me of a little game we Maharashtrians played as kids. It was called "Shivaji mhanto". I am NOT saying that Shivaji was a fascist, in case people with 'Jajwalya Abhimaan' see a problem in that. But this game was our introduction as children to take orders and let someone else decide what we are supposed to do. We were puppets in the hands of politicians who told us what we should feel about our language, culture and country. No questions asked. And now the same is happening at Ramlila Maidan.
I am not against having a strong anti-corruption law. But the real problem lies somewhere else.
Let's all fight against corrupt ideas, egos, sentiments and people. Let's educate children and allow them to question. Let's try and be perfect from our side. THIS is what is going to curb corruption in the true sense, and not some shady Annalokpal made with shadier intentions.
