OPEN FORUM
New Delhi, 26 December 2012
Of Corruption & Rape Protest
WILL IT SUSTAIN OR WANE?
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
The nation
is witnessing a refreshing phenomenon. Young people, who by and large remained aloof
to developments around, are now asserting to be heard. First such signs, after
the anti-Mandal protests two decades ago, were seen across the country during
the anti-corruption movement, and recently in the vociferous protest against the
sordid and shameful gang-rape of a young student in capital Delhi.
In both
cases, they have spontaneously come out in hordes either at India Gate or
Jantar Mantar or marched the streets, voicing their growing concern against the
system. And, there is no denying that like the anti-corruption movement, the
rape protests too have rattled the Government at the Centre, forcing it to
react. However, the big question doing the rounds is whether the trend will
sustain?
This is
so, because the anti-corruption movement as of now sadly appears to have lost
steam. More so, at a time when Anna Hazare has announced to form a new team to
revive the anti-corruption movement. Speculation is rife whether his second
innings to cleanse the bane of corruption would again start with a thunder and
end in a whimper or actually it may serve such genuine cause. Catcalls are loud
and clear that it is high time that India should look beyond Anna
Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal to defeat the forces of corruption in the country. Will
the young takeon the mantle?
A year
ago, when Anna Hazare launched the nationwide anti-corruption movement, there
was genuine support and appreciation from all quarters, including the youth. Every
Indian saw in it a ray of hope to get ameliorated from the ills of
corruption.
However, a
year later the situation appears to have sadly changed on the ground. Even
though the grouse against corruption remains a seething ember, the mass support
has vanished in thin air. In such situation whether the revival of anti-corruption
movement by Anna Hazare would instill faith amongst the people is something
that remains to be seen.
Corruption
is an issue plaguing India
for long. Scam after scam has become the order of the day, with even the foreign
direct investment slowing down due to its menace. The neta (politician), the babu
(bureaucrat), the dada (muscleman)
and the jhola walas (NGOs) are increasingly
being seen as symbols of corruption.
When
Hazare came to the forefront to take up cudgels against corruption, his image
of being a Gandhian and his method of using the Gandhian tool of protest gave
him due respect. People had faith in his commitment to the cause and believed
that he would usher the second freedom struggle in the nation.
However,
when Hazare gave the prescription that the Lokpal Bill is to be the ultimate
tool to root out corruption, reservations seem to have started setting in. The
way he dictated that the Lokpal Bill should be drafted by the civil society and
that it would lead to the appointment of an independent body to investigate
corruption cases, may not have got total approval by those closely following
the developments.
Apparently,
the idea of Lokpal was inspired by the Hong Kong
‘Independent Commission against Corruption’ (ICAC) of the 1970s, when the HK
government created a commission with direct powers to investigate and deal with
corruption cases. On similar lines, team Anna demanded the Lokpal to be
constituted to monitor corruption cases. It’s when the clash of interest
between the role of the Government and the civil society started surfacing and
the question as to who may have an upper hand started emerging, that the focus
on the real issue started getting lost.
In fact,
the anti-corruption movement appears to be losing its sheen due to the use of
vituperative language and sort of coercive tactics in demanding the Lok Pal.
And when all and sundry jumped into Hazare’s bandwagon to become overnight
famous, the anti-corruption movement lost its sense of direction. The Gandhian
social worker, in order to save his image, had to withdraw himself from the campaign
for all practical purposes.
With the
petering of Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, Arvind Kejriwal tried to step
into his shoes to fill the vacuum. However, his style of playing to the gallery
gave entirely a new color to the movement. The dignity associated with Anna was
not evident in the antics of Kejriwal. His method of leveling corruption
charges against public figures may have become a talking point but also could
have provoked loathing in the society.
People seem
to be getting put off by his regular rants on the television and some even question
what stops him from adopting the due process of law. Kejriwal’s desire to be in
the media glare has virtually brought the anti-corruption movement to the level
of ridicule. He has reduced the campaign to a matter of stage shows and in the
process done huge damage to the anti-corruption cause.
Ironically,
some have started questioning the source of his funding and the lack of
transparency, which has further put a question mark to his campaign. At the end,
Kejriwal could, if all doesn’t go well, be singled out for derailing the anti
corruption movement.
Corruption
as an issue continues to haunt the country and its people and the way to tackle
is to be back to square one. In such situation Hazre’s declaration to start the
second innings of anti-corruption campaign and Kejriwal’s formation of the aam aadmi party to take up the cause, is
under question.
There is
no doubt that the pronouncements of anti-corruption crusaders would be widely
covered in the media. They may even succeed in building up sensation and whip
up mass hysteria, but will their campaign remain de politicized and reach out
to the micro level of the society is something that remains to be seen.
The
average Indian can see through the game of the politicians and social activists
and certainly decipher the antics of these two categories of people. It’s
beyond doubt that if the people are not happy with the Government, they are not
pleased with the performance of the civil society as well. It appears that the
era of Anna Hazre and Kejriwal has past its prime and the country has to search
for new messiahs to defeat the forces of corruption.
The battle
against corruption has to be fought in the minds and hearts of people and has
to go beyond individuals if it is to provide the intended results. Laws and
legislation can never overpower individual greed. Those in position of power
should be willing to sacrifice their personal benefits and comforts for a corruption-free
India.
But that is wishful thinking. Will ‘young’ India be the torch-bearer? ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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